Correction

Yesterday, I said hundreds die from seasonal flu every year. Did I say hundreds? I meant 36,000.

Swine Flu Facts

1. Hundreds of Americans die from influenza every year. Not a single death from swine flu has been reported. Probably some deaths will occur.

2. Those face masks do almost nothing. When you see someone with a mask, think to yourself, 'over-anxious sucker.'

3. There is nothing you can do to prevent yourself from being infected except sequestering yourself alone in your room.

4. If you are a Christian and you are freaked out over swine flu, re-examine the way you consider death.

5. Don't be afraid of swine flu. At every moment you stand poised on the brink of death. Your life is in the hands of God at every moment. A plane could crash into your house, you could half an undetected tumor. You should be constantly afraid of death, if you are afraid of it at all.

6. Swine flu is not dangerous...but an overblown fad. I saw last night on the news, which I watched for the purpose of annoying myself, a reporter without irony comment on how everyone is urging people not to panic. Yet the entire broadcast seemed designed to cause panic about swine flu. Silly scares sell.

7. Don't worry about swine flu. Worry about the devil, the temptations of the world, and the weakness of your sinful nature. Actually don't worry about that either, just be alert and concerned about those things.

The rich get richer

Why? Because they are smarter. I am referring of course to the New England Patriots.

No team drafts better.

Caroline, golden voiced girl

Check this video out. This is my seester. Yes, my sister. Actually, you have to go to the end of the clip, the last performing group, and it is the white girl singing in Spanish, but she is phenomenal. I can't believe it.

Click here!

The New Exodus Perspective

From the Mars Hill website:

Today, Egypt can be seen as a picture of what we’re all born into. We’re all born into oppression by sin. We’re born with a sinful nature that pulls us, distorts things and takes us in directions that are destructive to us. Every single human being is born into bondage to sin. God wants to liberate us from sin, and he has a plan to do this. In the same way that the Jewish people were called by God to use their wealth and influence to bless those who need it most, so God has called the Church to do the same, to be his flesh and blood - his body - in the world, so the Church is called the Body of Christ. When we begin to use our resources, energy and power to preserve our own comfort and empire, we are sinning. Eventually, our sin will cause us to lose our power, wealth and influence. And God’s plan for blessing the world will be lost for a time.

The reason we study the Exodus is because we want to understand who Jesus is and what he’s doing. He wants to liberate the world from physical, spiritual and cultural bondage. Most of us have been given great wealth, talent and energy. And God wants us to share it with others who don’t have enough. What if the Church began to understand that God wants to fix this entire planet?

Let's move through this...

1. "We're all born into oppression by sin." This is certainly true, and the slavery under which the Israelites suffered is a parallel for the spiritual slavery humans have to sin. Now if we are slaves to sin, then it is our master, and we are under its control.

2. "God wants to liberate us from sin, and he has a plan to do this." This is also true, and the plan is laid out in plain text after plain text in the New Testament (and in prophecy and promise in the Old). We are joined by the Spirit to Jesus Christ, so that we die to the power of sin and are raised up with Christ into a newness of life.

3. Here is where we begin to understand the profound failings of the theology laid out here, how it attacks the center of the gospel. For this substitutiary death and resurrection, the gospel of Jesus (I Cor. xv: Christ died for sins according to the Scripture...) is replaced. What takes its place? The idea that our sin, to which we are supposedly in bondage (though it appears that what is meant by bondage here is not in fact slavery but closer to ignorant influence), is the keeping of our resources, wealth, influence, etc for ourselves, and that freedom from this bondage comes in using it instead to help those less fortunate and thereby "heal the world."

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Let me be perfectly clear. The squandering of the resources given to the American church is a sin, a waste, and a tragedy. We are certainly called in plain text after plain text to share with those less fortunate, and more profoundly, to care for the members of the body of Christ as though we ourselves were the one suffering. If we wanted to exhort people to action, we need only quote one verse, from Hebrews 13...

Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoner, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

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But this is contained within the gospel. "God's plan for blessing the world" will never "be lost for a time," because behind it is not the impotent power of man, but the sovereign power of God. Read Psalm ii; The One enthroned in heaven laughs.

Keep the gospel as it is in the Word. Understand the perspective on the end of time as it is in the Word. This world is dying, and no humanitarian effort, no plan of God is intended to stop that. In fact, this world, this sin-stained world is to be remade, not by the church, but by God himself. This is what the church waits for. And while we wait, we are to preach the gospel "until the full number of gentiles has come in." We are to care for the weak and poor and hungry with every resource we have, but not from a vain and human-centered effort to create a new society, a new utopia here on earth.

We are citizens of heaven, who wait for the day when our flesh will be made new. The body of Christ is not visible, but invisible. This world will be destroyed by fire, but around the throne will be men from every tribe, tongue and nation.

The meeting of two things

The first, being annoyance; the second, dangerous error.

From an interview with an unnamed pastor:

How would you present this gospel on Twitter?

I would say that history is headed somewhere. The thousands of little ways in which you are tempted to believe that hope might actually be a legitimate response to the insanity of the world actually can be trusted. And the Christian story is that a tomb is empty, and a movement has actually begun that has been present in a sense all along in creation. And all those times when your cynicism was at odds with an impulse within you that said that this little thing might be about something bigger—those tiny little slivers may in fact be connected to something really, really big.

The annoyance is the Twitter thing. I just wrote and then erased a paragraph explaining why it was annoying. I don't need to prove that it is annoying.

Also, annoyance at the quote in general. It is fake-deep, like the conversations I used to have late at night at my arts boarding school.

I would say it is meaningless, but unfortunately that is not true. Sometimes this unnamed pastor does say random meaningless things that are fake-deep, but this fake-deep comment does expose some things about the direction he is headed.

Which gets to the dangerous error section. His supposed presentation of the gospel contains a mild and veiled reference to the resurrection of Christ, and that's about it.

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What is the gospel sir?

--That history is headed somewhere.

Oh, great that is really good news. Where is headed?

--Some vague renewal of creation, or something.

Hmmm...that is vague. What do you mean?

--Well you know those tiny slivers of hope you have?

No. What are you talking about?

--I'm not sure. But those are the right response to the insanity around us.

What insanity? What are you talking about?

--You know, the Christian story. The empty tomb and whatnot.

I'm sorry, I am not familiar with the Christian story.

--Oh. Well, there was this guy, alive a long time ago, and he lived a really great life that we should all imitate, it is right here in this book. He showed us the best way of living. He showed us that there was a new way of living that is really a great way, and doesn't involve any myths of redemptive violence.

What is a myth of redemptive violence?

--It is that some violence can make peace. You know, Orwellian crap that you read in high school English. Ministry of violence stuff. It's really jacked up and our society totally buys into it, which is why Halo 3 is so popular, and why we decided that we should invade Iraq just to get rid of Sadamm. It is a myth because everyone believes that violence would solve a problem when obvi it doesn't!

I'm sorry, I wanted to know the gospel. Doesn't the gospel involve violence?

--Yeah, because Jesus was totally put to death because he challenged power and challenged people's perceptions of authority, and also he told these upsetting stories and lived in a way that the authorities could not handle, and so they put him to death, and then he rose from the dead (that's the empty tomb part) just to show that the cycle of violence was broken.

So he was put to death because he challenged power? Like Gandhi?

--Yeah, like Gandhi, or Martin Luther King Jr.

Ah. Cool story dude.

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And that is an example of evangelism.

Pray for my generation.

The Future

Two visions.

One, an unnamed pastor:

The story is about God's intentions to bring about a new heaven and a new earth, and the story begins here with shalom—shalom between each other and with our Maker and with the earth. The story line is that God intends to bring about a new creation, this place, this new heaven and earth here. And that Jesus' resurrection is the beginning, essentially, of the future; this great Resurrection has rushed into the present.

The evacuation theology that says, "figure out the ticket, say the right prayer, get the right formula, and then we'll go somewhere else" is lethal to Jesus, who endlessly speaks of the renewal of all things.

The other, Paul's:

For in just a very little while,
he who is coming will come,
and will not delay.

Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

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I'm increasingly convinced that we need to integrate the book of Hebrews into our thinking. It will save us from error in every direction.

An Exhortation

If you are a Christian, than tip well.

I say at least 20%, minimum. Don't be a cheapskate, it is ugly. Just tip generously.

An observation

Reading a book called Good to Great by a guy named Jim Collins. I highly recommend it.

When discussing leadership qualities that set great companies apart from merely good companies, Collins notes the common factor of "Level 5 leaders." The name is generic because his research team had trouble coming up with a name that encompassed the "paradoxical duality" of these types of leaders.

Level 5 leaders demonstrate a blend of strong professional will and personal humility. This is called "the two sides of Level 5 leadership."

Here is a quote from the book:

Professional will:

Creates superb results, demonstrates unwavering resolve to do whatever must be done to produce the best long-term results, no matter how difficult, sets the standard of building an enduring great company, will settle for nothing less.

Personal Humility:

Demonstrates compelling modesty, shunning public adulation, acts with quiet, calm determination, relies principally on inspired standards, not inspiring charisma, to motivate, channels ambition into the company, not the self.

These two traits were particularly noticeable when compared side-by-side with companies who demonstrated similar growth, but no enduring greatness. The CEOs of these did not demonstrate personal modesty, and their professional will was strong as long as it was self-protective.

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The researchers found the blend of strong will and personal humility "paradoxical," but they were mistaken. In fact, humility takes courage, boldness, and is far harder than pride. There is a weakness in pride in that it is generally the easiest decision. Pride is what we naturally pursue, and thus it takes a strong will to act against it.

Think of Christ...humility and strength are full in him...his strength was found in submitting. Submitting to God is hard.

Anyways, I had profundity in my brain tonight, but my writing is muddled, imperfectly expressed. This is ground I've tread before.

Thoughts on Evangelism

I am giving a talk tomorrow on evangelism tentatively called "10 facts about evangelism." This is very reminiscent of Don Allen, who calls his talks things like "8 Reasons to be Committed to God's Word," and "Three Ways to Say No to the World."

Actually, the talk doesn't really have a title, I was just brain-storming what to say and started listing facts about evangelism, and there happened to be ten when I was done.

Anyways, today I was thinking that I should give them a test run by presenting them to the general public, and then seeing what snarky, clever comments people post about them. IF ANY!

So, here they are (I might get bored and not list all ten, fyi)

1. Evangelism is declarative, proclamational.

There is a set of information that must be transmitted verbally. Romans 10--Faith comes through hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. The gospel is words spoken.

If you do not transmit the INFORMATION of the gospel, whatever else you do, it is not evangelism. Not that other things you do are not good. But they are not evangelism. It is not evangelism to make friends with someone, or to be nice to someone, or even to love someone.

2. The gospel declared has both content and application.

The content is I Corinthians 15--Christ died for sins according the Scriptures, was buried, he rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, and appeared to a bunch of people.

This must be contextualized, or applied into the life of the listener. First, labor to establish the sinfulness of man and the righteousness of God. Then, declare the awful justice of God, and the coming of a day of judgment, etc. Then, present Christ as a means provided by God for our sins to be punished, etc.

If the gospel is not applied, it is not properly transmitted; then it is simply a nice story, or a philosophical idea, etc.

3. Evangelism does not cause conversion.

What is our role? We are ambassadors for Christ, we present him, we are like Moses "lifting up the snake in the desert." We declare the gospel with all the clarity, care, and effort we have.

But in themselves, the men to whom we speak are "dead in their transgressions and sins." Unless God quickens them, they remain so, despite our best efforts.

4. Evangelism is love for non-Christians.

The greatest need of man is salvation. The only means to salvation is Christ. The only way that Christ goes forth in the appointment of God is the church's speaking of him to the unconverted.

Remember that love is proven by action. "Dear children, let us not love in word or tongue but with action, and in truth!" Love exalts the beloved, and desires the best for it. If we love a man, what take no care to address the deepest issue of his heart, our profession of love is false.

Evangelism, even when rejected, is truer love for a man than anything else.

5. Evangelism is not events, it is not special sermons--evangelism is not bringing your friends to here someone else speak--evangelism is not bribing people to church, or sneaking them slowly in. Evangelism is not for the professionals.

Much of what passes for evangelism these days is attempts to avoid doing it while appeasing our conscience that we did!

6. Evangelism requires boldness and courage.

Beware of anything that seems to make evangelism easier. It is probably just putting off the hard moment. There is a crucial moment of risk, the moment in which the content is applied (usually) to the individual. Sometimes the moment of risk is in walking up to a man. Whenever it comes, the moment is when we, as individuals, risk rejection. It is the moment when we identify with our message in a way that the rejection is a rejection of us.

You will never rid yourself of that moment. You should instead practice evangelism until boldness and courage becomes your habit.

Are you ashamed of the gospel? If you are ashamed of its content than you are ashamed of it. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation, the most glorious truth the world has ever known! Yet if we are honest we see in our heart the betrayal of Christ, even the one who saved us, as he is saving us.

For me, evangelism is repentance of that secret fear of man.

(not penance, mind you, I'm not trying to merit any grace...rather that in evangelism I act against that fear...I mortify, as it were)

7. Evangelism is unpredictable, because human beings are different.

If people always respond positively (not conversion, but happily), then either we are in the midst of a revival, or because you are not communicating the hard truths.

If people always respond negatively, then either you are Jeremiah ministering to a people God has hardened, or because your technique or demeanor is inherently offensive.

8. It is the message to which people should respond, not our method.

This works both ways. We speak with permission, never forcefully or invasively. We speak always gently and in love. We respect people's time, and we seek to genuinely listen to and know the people we speak to.

9. There is offense in the gospel, that cannot be removed, because it is not in the gospel but in the emnity to God resident in natural man's heart.

10. Finally...the gospel always involves risk.

You cannot make it safe. You cannot make it attractive to natural man. The gospel is salvation though, and it must be risked.

Ultimate conclusion:

Don't talk about evangelism. Do it. If you look at your schedule, and at no point in the next week to plan or anticipate sharing the gospel with someone, change your schedule. If you look back at the previous week and you did not share the gospel with someone, alter your life so that you do this week!

Apply these things! Do it! Everyone always looks at these exhortations, nods their heads sagely, and then imagines that being nice to the waiter at the restaurant is evangelism. PEOPLE ARE DYING!

Ok, sorry I got worked up ther.

Easter?

Eostre = Anglo-Saxon god of Spring

Celebration of fertility, the newness of the Earth, etc...common post-winter themes in pagan cultures. Enduring symbols are eggs and rabbits, two signs of fertility and copulation.

Co-opted by the ancient churches as they consolidated power, thus also a symbol of the corruption of the church that led eventually to the Roman and Orthodox churches, twin rivals in oppression of the true church.

Why again should I celebrate this holiday? Easter grew in popularity in America as religious observance fell. The historically minded Christian will wonder at this. As we decorate our churches, hold our morning masses, etc., remember that Nadab and Abihu died for offering unauthorized fire to God.

From "The Sovereignty of God"

by A.W. Pink:


Some two hundred years ago the saintly Madame Guyon, after ten years spent in a dungeon lying far below the surface of the ground, and lit only by a candle at meal-times, wrote these words,

A little bird I am,
Shut from the fields of air;
Yet in my cage I sit and sing
To Him who place me there;
Well pleased a prisoner to be,
Because, my God, it pleases Thee.

Nought have I else to do;
I sing the whole day long;
And He whom most I love to please,
Doth listen to my song;
He caught and bound my wandering wing
But still He bends to hear me sing.

My cage confines me round;
Abroad I cannot fly;
But though my wing is closely bound,
My heart's at liberty.
My prison walls cannot control
The flight, the freedom of the soul.

Ah; it is good to soar
These bolts and bars above,
To Him whose purpose I adore,
Whose Providence I love;
And in Thy mighty will to find
The joy, the freedom of the mind.

On Decision Making

Here are some decision making thoughts taken from the key decision making passage: Proverbs xvi.1-4

To man belongs the plans of the heart,
but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue.

All a man's ways seem innocent to him,
but motives are weighed by the Lord.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and your plans will succeed.

The Lord works out everything for his own ends--
even for the wicked for a day of disaster.

Here are my key insights:

1. Know that your decisions may be influenced by evil motives that may be hidden from you.

2. Resolve in all plans to earnestly search yourself and your heart, seeking for God to lay bare all wicked motives.

3. Submit all your plans, and especially your expected outcomes, to the Lord, knowing that the outcome of them belongs to him.

4. In plans, strive to know where and how the Lord is working. Seek always to join God in what he is doing.

5. Filter your plans through the Word, or rather, let the Word bring forth your plans. Be saturated with the Word at every step.

From a brief glimpse

I saw a man walking alone, in a unlit spot on Broadway, at 1 am. He was wearing a baggy red sweat suit, a do-rag, and a red baseball cap. He was very fat. I caught a glimpse of his face. It was locked in toughness, defiance, affected courage.

"...hateful and hating one another."

Titus iii.3

The hardness of isolation is a type of safety. But it is lonely.

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The church is different. "For you were all baptized by one Spirit into one body." We are invested in each other. One of my guys said the other day, "It is hard, isn't it?"

It is hard. But the alternative is a different kind of hardness.

Grand Canyon thoughts

I went camping in the snow. It was 13 degrees one night. The warmest it got during the day was 58.

For four days I did not shower.

I wore the same turtleneck all four days.

I wore the same jeans all four days.

I enjoyed it.

Our Bible study themes were as follows:

Day 1--Jesus and Believing the Gospel
Day 2--Jesus and Living the Gospel
Day 3--Jesus and Obedience
Day 4--Extended time with GOd
Day 5--Jesus and Fellowship
Day 6--Jesus and the Nations