Sanitized Scripture

1 Samuel 15 is a hard chapter of the Bible to read.  Not because it's difficult to understand, but because some of what is described therein seems to be so brutal and barbaric that it's hard to think that God condoned what took place.

But he did.

In this chapter of scripture, God gives King Saul a mission: go and completely obliterate the Amalekites - man, woman, child, and animal.  This Saul does, albeit not completely.  He saves some of the choicest animals and he also saves Agag, the king of the Amalekites, presumably to show him off as a trophy of his victory.

But this is not what God has commanded.  Instead, God commanded the complete annihilation of the Amalekites, including their animals, and including their king.  In response to what Saul left undone, Samuel himself finishes the job, so to speak: "And Samuel said [to Agag], 'As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.'  And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord in Gilgal." (1 Samuel 16.33, ESV, emphasis added)

I don't know about you, but hearing that anyone was "hacked to pieces" is enough to make me wince, let alone hearing that it was done "before the Lord."  It's a description that is mean to illicit a visceral reaction from us, the readers, and I think it's safe to say it succeeds in doing so.

As I was studying to preach this text recently, I read the same passage in the NIV, and was surprised to find this translation of the same verse: "But Samuel said [to Agag], 'As your sword has made women childless, so will your mother be childless among women.'  And Samuel put Agag to death before the Lord at Gilgal." (1 Samuel 16.33, NIV, emphasis added)

You'll notice that the description of Agag's death in the NIV is much more sanitized and palatable.  It's a lot easier to read that someone was "put to death" rather than "hacked to pieces."

The most literal translation of the original Hebrew follows more closely with the ESV rendering of "hacked to pieces."  Why then does the NIV translate the same verse as Agag simply being "put to death"?  Clearly this rendering takes our modern sensibilities into account.  We don't like to hear about a human being having been "hacked to pieces."  It's easier and less messy and creates fewer questions to hear about them being simply "put to death."

But as difficult as it is for us to read, I think we need to retain the language of Agag being hacked to pieces.  Is it brutal?  Yes.  Is it graphically violent?  Yes.  Does it illicit reactions of shock and disgust?  Yes.

And that's the point.

We bristle when we think that God told Saul to wipe out the Amalekites completely, man, woman, child, and animal (1 Samuel 15.3).  We put up our defenses, based mostly on our 21st century sensibilities, and we accuse God of over-reacting.  Certainly it's not necessary to kill everyone and everything in the nation of Amalek, is it?  Even the children?  Even the animals?  What did they do?

Not long after being released from slavery in Egypt, and right after crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites were attacked by the Amalekites (Exodus 17).  And not only that, but when the Amalekites attacked, they purposely attacked the weakest people in Israel: the women, children, elderly, and ill (Deuteronomy 25).  Like a schoolyard bully picks out the weakest kid on the playground to pick on him, knowing that he won't fight back, so the Amalekites chose the weak, under-nourished, untrained Israelites to pick on right after leaving 400 years of slavery.  As a result, God declares holy war upon the Amalekites and promises their destruction (See Exodus 17.14 and Deuteronomy 25.19).

By the time of King Saul, the Amalekites had continued to be a thorn in Israel's side for centuries, and, put simply, their cup of wrath had filled up to the brim.  God was merciful to not destroy them outright at the very beginning.  Instead he was patient and long-suffering, giving them hundreds of years to repent and turn to him, but they never did.  So now the time has come for their sin to be dealt with.  And the means of dealing with them that God has chosen is to send in Saul and the Israelites to utterly wipe them out - man, woman, child, and beast.

This is why, I think, it is important to know that Agag, king of the Amalekites was "hacked to pieces" and not simply "put to death."  God cannot allow sin to go unpunished, and his punishment must be severe - severe enough to satisfy the justice of a perfectly holy, perfectly righteous God.  What does that kind of justice look like?  It looks like the total decimation of the Amalekites, and the hacking to pieces of their king.  God's justice is more than just a "put to death" kind of justice.  It's a "hacked to pieces" kind of justice.  Although it might seem harsh and brutal to us, it is just.  It is a picture of how grievous sin is to a holy God, and how desperate our need is to be made right with him.

But in actuality, the destruction of the Amalekites and the grisly death of their king is but a shadow of the divine justice of God.  It is nothing compared to his wrath upon sin that will be poured out for all eternity in hell.  As severe as the punishment of the Amalekites was, and as much as we recoil in horror at the thought of Agag being hacked to pieces, both of these pale in comparison to God's eternal vengeance toward sin, in a place where the worm never dies and the fire is never quenched (Mark 9.48).

I don't say these things for their shock value, but rather to magnify the glory of the cross.  Because you and I are just like the Amalekites.  We have spurned God at every possible opportunity, and we deserve the same fate as the Amalekites and that of King Agag.  Actually, if we're honest, we deserve worse.

But God did the unfathomable: he sent his Son into the world to suffer that fate for you.  Jesus Christ willingly offered himself to be decimated and "hacked to pieces" in my place, himself suffering the eternal vengeance of a holy God on my behalf.  "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2.4-7).

This is why I appreciate the ESV translation of 1 Samuel 15.33, hard as it might be to digest.  When the consequences of sin are magnified (like being hacked to pieces), the glorious grace of God in the gospel is likewise magnified.

Time had run out for the Amalekites.  Their cup of wrath was full and it was time for justice to be served.  But there is still time for you.  You don't have to share their fate.  You don't have to live in the fear and regret of offending a holy God, because that same God sacrificed his Son to save you from destruction if you will call out to him.

Hurricanes and the Cross

Over the past few weeks parts of the country have been hit by two category four hurricanes: Texas, devastated by Hurricane Harvey, and Florida, which most recently felt the impact of Hurricane Irma.  Harvey has claimed at least 70 lives, and Irma more than 40, and untold hundreds of millions of dollars in property has been damaged or destroyed.  In the wake of these natural disasters, it has been a wonderful encouragement to see the world in general and the church in specific rising up to meet the needs of our fellow human beings.  Humanitarian efforts and the prayers of thousands have gone out to assist those whose lives have been so violently and drastically changed by these weather events.  When we help those in need we have the glorious opportunity to image our life-giving God who likewise provides for us in our time of need.  Let us show him to those who suffer as a result of these hurricanes by helping them in their time of need.

When natural disasters such as these occur, it can be tempting to try and discern the reason(s) for why they have happened, or why, in particular, God has either allowed or caused them to take place.  Unfortunately, some (usually high profile) Christian celebrities sometimes foolishly connect the occurrence of natural disasters to sinful behaviors or political ideologies.  But the Bible does not tell us how or why we should link specific natural disasters to other circumstances in the world.  In other words, we have no biblical justification for saying "Hurricane Harvey happened because _______________."  We simply have no basis for knowing specifically why a natural disaster has taken place.

That being said, the Bible does guide our thinking when it comes to the occurrence of natural disasters.  Although it does not give us specific reasons why a disaster occurs, it does give us at least four general principles that we should consider, especially in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

1. Natural disasters remind us that this world is not as it should be.  All of us intrinsically know that when people have been killed by a natural disaster, it is not right; it is not good; it is not the way the world was meant to operate.  God created the world perfectly, and in his perfect creation there were no natural disasters.  The entrance of sin into the world brought with it death and destruction.  The world became a dangerous place to live when mankind fell into sin.  Since then, the world has been "subjected to futility" and in "bondage to corruption," and has been waiting eagerly for the time when it will be remade once more into a perfect dwelling place where that corruption and futility will be no more. (Rom. 8.20-22)  When we hear about the death and destruction that has take place as a result of the recent hurricanes, it is a reminder to us that the world is a sinful, fallen place where bad things happen.

2. Natural disasters remind us that Jesus is coming back.  Over the past couple of weeks I have seen several social media posts about how the existence of these two very severe hurricanes so close in proximity to one another is a "sign of the times," or in other words, a fulfillment of biblical prophecy that Jesus' return is more eminent than it was prior to the hurricanes or had the hurricanes not occurred.  It is true that natural disasters such as these remind us that Jesus is coming back, but it is not accurate to say that his return is more eminent now that the hurricanes have taken place.  When the Bible speaks of "signs of the times" it does not do so in such a way as to give us clues about the exact date or hour of Jesus' return, but rather as a general reminder that he is coming to recreate the heavens and the earth into a glorious dwelling where life will flourish and death and destruction will be abolished.  Hurricanes and other natural disasters point us to his future return, and encourage us to long for his return and for things to be made right again.

3. Natural disasters remind us that we're all going to die.  We are all close to death, be it by a natural disaster or at the hands of a drunk driver, or simply an accident.  In Luke 13 Jesus comments on an accidental disaster that had taken place in Jerusalem: a tower had collapsed and killed 18 people.  Jesus says that it was not for any specific sin that these people were killed by the tower collapse.  They were not more evil than others.  The tower simply fell on them because...it fell on them.  In the past year I personally have lost two acquaintances due to accidental circumstances: one by a drunk driver, and the other by an accidental drowning.  Both of those acquaintances were relatively healthy men in the prime of their lives who, on the day of their deaths, certainly did not plan on their lives ending.  But the reality is that death is close to each of us, every day.  When we think about natural disasters like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, it should remind us that we are all close to death, and that one day, much sooner than we think, it will be our time to die.

4. Natural disasters push us towards the cross.  Natural disasters not only remind us that we are all going to die some day, but they also encourage us to be ready to die.  Because we live in a world that has been disastrously affected by sin, and because death is close to each of us simply because we get out of bed in the morning, it behooves us to be ready to face it.  Again in Luke 13, as Jesus comments on the collapse of the tower that killed 18 Jerusalem citizens, Jesus says that the lesson to be learned from such a tragedy is to repent - to turn from our sin.  When we see suffering as a result of natural tragedy, we should realize that our time is coming, and that we need to be ready for it.  Each of us were born into a sinful state, separated from God.  In that natural, sinful state we are not able to live at peace with God.  But God has reconciled this - our most basic human need - by sending his Son into the world to live a perfect life and die a perfect death, and then rise from the dead.  By grace through faith in Jesus, we can be ready for when our time comes.  When we hear reports of death and destruction, we should be reminded of the folly of sin and our own need for redemption, and cling ever tighter to the cross and the redemption offered by and through the one who hung there.

In the wake of these recent disasters, the church has a wonderful opportunity to be Jesus to the world.  We can be his hands and feet as we meet the needs of those who have been touched by tragedy and loss, and we can be his witnesses to this world that is devastated by death and destruction of the life-giving, glorious truth of the gospel: death is coming for each of us, but it is not the end.  There is a Savior who will rescue us from its effects so that we need not fear when the rain comes and winds blow.

The Jacob Wetterling Story: How to Pray

Pray for the Wetterling family

I was nine years old when news of Jacob Wetterling’s kidnapping broke.  It was the lead of every news story for a long time, and it was used as a cautionary tale for us kids not to talk to strangers or accept rides from anyone.  Jacob’s example even served as training for us in elementary school as to what we should do if we were ever approached by someone we didn’t know.  We would go through drills as to how we should respond or what we should say if we were ever approached.  Since Jacob was only two years older than me, the story of his kidnapping had a profound effect on my young mind.  Each year since, his story has resurfaced in the news as his family and the media passed year after year of his disappearance. 

All of that changed this past week, however, as Danny Heinrich, the man suspected of his kidnapping, led authorities to his remains.  The remains were confirmed as being Jacob’s, and Heinrich copped to the horrible crimes.  Tuesday, as part of a plea deal, Heinrich gave a detailed account of the kidnapping and murder of Jacob Wetterling.  Not only was it bad enough for the Wetterling family to have to finally come to grips with the murder of their son, but they had to listen to Heinrich describe – in explicit detail – just how he kidnapped and abused young Jacob before ultimately murdering him in a horrible, merciless way.  Heinrich’s description of the events is despicably wicked and utterly unnerving.  If you haven’t read his statement, don’t – it is a description of evil incarnate, and is hard to shake.  My heart goes out to the Wetterling family today, and I pray that God gives them some sense of peace, even as they have looked pure evil in the face and felt its devastating effects.

Pray that Jesus would come quickly

Soon after his statement was released, many in my social media feeds began to express their anger toward Heinrich: “[He]…needs to be tortured every second till he dies,” said one.  “Special delivery for this sicko [picture of a firing gun]” posted another.  “I’m afraid that the words ‘May God have mercy on your soul’ may be too good for this…evil.”  It’s easy to come to a place of deep hatred in the face of such bottomless evil, and I found myself identifying with those calling for vengeance for Jacob.  I found myself wondering what I would do if I were in the Wetterlings’ shoes – if I had to listen to a detailed account of how a man kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and murdered my 9-year old son.  There is a part of me that feels that no amount of punishment toward that person would be enough to satisfy me, as a father, if such a crime were perpetrated against one of my children.

But rather than focus on hate, the Bible would have me put my trust in the Lord and his promise that justice will be served: 

“…indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might…” (1 Thessalonians 1.6-9).  

An Avenger is coming to take revenge for Jacob Wetterling, and all those who are unjustly treated and killed.  

We currently live in a world where horrible people do horrible things to one another, but there is an Avenger coming one day to seek and destroy his enemies.  Whatever awful things have been done, he will make right as he judges sinners and deals with them accordingly.  In fact, “those who do not know God and…who do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus” will beg to have the mountains fall on them rather than face him: 

“Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’” (Revelation 6.15-17)  

God is coming to deal with liars, kidnappers, child molesters, murderers, thieves, and anyone who does not know him and his Son.  God has seen the wicked things that were done to Jacob Wetterling – he has tolerated them and allowed them to happen – but he has not forgotten them.  He has recorded those events in his book, and he will come back to judge the wicked.  And when he comes he will establish a kingdom of peace where sin no longer reigns, and its effects are no longer felt.  Where there will be no crying, no weeping, no pain, no kidnappings, no murders, no sexual abuse.  It is in this sense that the events surrounding the Jacob Wetterling case should cause us to pray, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

Pray for Danny Heinrich’s salvation

As it stands, Danny Heinrich will face justice in the here and now, albeit minimally.  As part of his plea deal, he will be in prison for the next 20 years and, as I understand it, parole is not an option for sex offenders.  We look at this sentence and say that it’s not enough – the punishment does not fit the crime.  But one day it will.  Left in his sin, Danny Heinrich will one day face the full wrath of God for his sins, and all creation will rejoice that justice has been satisfied. 

But it doesn’t have to be that way.  Justice has also been satisfied on the cross.  Rather than punish sinners in hell, God would rather settle their accounts through the cross.  On the cross, God poured out his wrath against sin onto his Son, so that all those who would repent and trust in him might have their sin-debt canceled and instead receive eternal life – even for Danny Heinrich.  This is the scandal of grace: that the worst of sinners might escape the wrath they deserve and instead receive the life they don’t. 

This doesn’t jibe with our human sensibilities: how can someone so evil receive something so wonderful?  Why should he escape judgment?  But before I can answer those questions for Danny Heinrich, I first have to answer them for myself.  Although God’s common grace has kept me from reaching the level of evil that Heinrich did in 1989 (and continues to reach at the present day), I have likewise committed my own evil acts, and I likewise deserve the wrath and justice of God: 

“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”  (Revelation 21.8) 

“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.  Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.  The venom of asps is under their lips.  Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.  Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.  There is no fear of God before their eyes….for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  (Romans 3.10-18, 23)

Danny Heinrich and I, and you, are in the same boat: regardless of our specific sins, we have all offended a holy God, and he is coming back to judge the quick and the dead.  But he would rather take care of my sin, and Heinrich’s sin, and your sin on the cross.  If we will repent and turn to him in faith he has promised that we will be spared from his judgment and vengeance.  God’s justice will be satisfied for you, for me, and Danny Heinrich either in hell or on the cross.  Knowing what I know about God’s judgment, I don’t want Danny Heinrich to face it, even in light of what he has done.  It is in this sense that we can and should pray for Danny Heinrich: that he would come to know the depth of his sin and the judgment that it incurs, and that he would come to know the great Savior who calls him to repent and trust.  There is enough grace, even for Danny Heinrich and even for me, and even for you. 

Jesus, Dogs, and Racial Slurs

This past Wednesday our adult Bible study looked at Mark 7.14-30.  Verses 14-23 expound upon verses 1-13, in which Jesus declares that man-centered traditions have no bearing on the commandment of God, and usually serve to muddy the waters when it comes to actually obeying what God has said to do.  He then goes on to declare that "There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him."  This principle is illustrated by verses 24-30 when he has an encounter with a gentile woman and heals her daughter of a demon possession.

This is one of Jesus' lesser-known miracles, and one that contains an odd saying.  When the woman asks Jesus to heal her daughter he says, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs" (verse 27)  This is an odd saying, and its proper interpretation is significant.  What is clear is that the "children" in Jesus' statement refers to the children of Israel.  What is less clear is whether or not Jesus was referring to this gentile woman - and all gentiles - as dogs.

If the latter is what Jesus was intending, then he was using what was akin to a racial slur, as dogs were lowly, bothersome pests in first century Jewish culture.  They certainly were not the domesticated animals that we enjoy today.  To refer to someone as a dog would have been highly offensive.

A second option for interpretation of this phrase is that Jesus is referring to an order in his ministry - that he came, first, to seek and to save that which was lost (the children of Israel) and that his primary ministry is to them, and to gentiles secondarily.  This, to me, is the preferred and more likely interpretation.

Unfortunately there are many Christians who have entertained the notion of Jesus using racial slurs (and therefore sinning by being a racist) in perceived attempts to accentuate his humanity, presuming that Jesus was so human that he was even caught up in cultural racial snares.  Surprisingly, they don't realize the drastic effects this has on the rest of their theology, and how it essentially negates the sufficiency of his atonement.  Put simply, if Jesus was a racist (a sinner) then his sacrifice was not sufficient, nor was his righteousness pure.  Put even more simply, if Jesus was a racist, he can't be the Messiah nor the Son of God.  (For an unfortunate analysis that affirms an interpretation identifying Jesus as a racist in this situation, see this treatment of this text)

But there are, I think, good reasons to not interpret Jesus' statement as a racial slur but instead a statement of the order of his ministry.  Those reasons are as follows:

1. It is clear throughout scripture that Jesus has come first and foremost for the Jews.  Indeed, his appearance on the scene at all was in fulfillment of a promise to Abraham and the Jewish nation - that Jesus would bless Israel, and the world, through her (see Genesis 12).  And when Jesus says that he has come to seek and to save that which was lost, he is referring to the nation of Israel (see Luke 19).  Furthermore, Jesus speaks about Israel as his sheep, and as himself as their shepherd (see John 10).  The examples go on and on.  Put simply, it is clear from both testaments that the primary ministry of the Messiah was to reconcile God's people to himself.  And it is also clear that gentiles were a secondary concern in his earthly ministry.  This fact is easily observed throughout the gospels.  The rest of the context of the narrative between Jesus and this woman exposes this - and the woman gets it.  In fact, it's her grasp of this reality that exposes her faith in him.  What Jesus means by this expression is that his primary purpose is to feed his children (Israelites).  His secondary purpose will be to feed others. (In the example he used, this would refer to "dogs."  Note: there is some question as to the Greek word translated "dogs," in that it might be better translated "puppies."  If nothing else, this should lessen the effect of the use of the word for those who think that Jesus was using a racial epithet.)

2. The notion that Jesus would be prejudiced against gentiles flies in the face of his actual interaction with gentiles in the gospels - including his treatment of the Syrophoenician woman.  In other words, it is clearly observable that Jesus was not prejudiced against gentiles because his interaction with them says differently.  If he didn't like them, then why did he go to such great lengths to serve and minister to them?  The testimony of Jesus' interaction with gentiles adequately argues against the perception that he was prejudiced against them.

3. Finally, as I've already alluded to, if Jesus was a racist, then Christian theology and the message of the gospel is doomed and is not salvific.  In other words, if Jesus sinned by being a racist, then I have no hope of salvation through his life and death.  He cannot give me his righteousness, because it is stained with sin.  He cannot pay my sin debt, because he would have to pay for his own.  If Jesus is a racist, the gospel goes away.  But this notion is so unbiblical (and by "unbiblical" I mean that it flies in the face of the rest of the Bible) as to be absurd.  If anyone thinks that Jesus has sinned, then they haven't read the rest of the Bible or even the rest of the gospels.

So no, Jesus was not a racist, and he didn't use a racial slur against the Syrophoenician woman.  There is a mountain of evidence (and common sense) to support that.

An Orderly Account

This week at Riverview we began a new sermon series in the gospel of Luke (listen to the first sermon in this series here).  We looked at the first four verses of Luke’s gospel in which Luke guarantees his readers that the content of his gospel is trustworthy and reliable to the extent that a person can feel confident entrusting his or her eternity to it.  This claim is well-founded, as Luke describes that he has done the necessary research to be able to make such a guarantee.   He’s looked into written sources and talked to eyewitnesses in order to give the most reliable account possible of Jesus’ life and ministry.  There is no reason to doubt the veracity of his research and the finished product of the gospel that bears his name that is included in the New Testament.  This is an account of the life of Christ that you can trust and bank your eternity on. 

The same is true for each of the gospel accounts that exist in the Bible.  Luke is the only author who gives a written guarantee about his information, but Matthew, Mark, and John are all trustworthy as well.  In fact, from a strictly analytical perspective, they would probably be considered even more reliable than Luke’s account, as Matthew, Mark, and John were all eyewitness of Jesus’ life and ministry.  In other words, they don’t need to add a guarantee about doing the proper research and interviewing the relevant eyewitnesses, because it’s understood that they were there – they were the eyewitnesses.  They are a first-hand account, whereas Luke’s is a second-hand account (albeit it was constructed with the most vigorous of research methods, which should not cause us to doubt Luke’s account at all). 

In spite of the reliability and historical accuracy of the gospels, there are some who doubt that the gospels got it right, or that they are even close to the actual historical truth.  For instance, Richard Dawkins has said “Nobody knows who the four evangelists were, but they almost certainly never met Jesus personally.  Much of what they wrote was in no sense an honest attempt at history…. The gospels are ancient fiction.”  Aside from all of the presuppositions and undocumented claims that are loaded into Dawkins’ assertion, certainly Luke would disagree that what he wrote about Jesus was not an “honest attempt at history.”  In fact, Luke claims that his account of Jesus’ life is not only accurate history, but history that was vigilantly studied, researched, and fact-checked.  I wonder how Dawkins deals with Luke’s own claim that his gospel is reliable history.  What makes Dawkins more authoritative than the author himself?  Nothing that I can see. 

If Richard Dawkins is correct and the four gospel writers were all wrong about their account of Jesus’ life and their accounts of him are ahistorical, then Dawkins and his ilk have some serious questions to answer.  For instance, how did each of the gospels come to be so similar? (And not just regarding historical events, names, and places, but in the character and nature of Jesus and the central theme(s) of his teaching?)  What about all of the people who were purported to witness his miracles and even his resurrected body?  Was it a conspiracy?  If so, it would have been the most successful conspiracy in the history of the world.  What about the apostles, 11 of whom died for the things that they either made up or believed as unsubstantiated rumors or hearsay?  How do we explain that if this story isn’t true?  Maybe one of them would be crazy enough to die for rumors and hearsay, but 11?  In order to accentuate the problems with Dawkins’ disbelief that the gospels are not historical accounts of actual people and events, a writer at the Gospel Coalition wrote this poignant yet humorous hypothetical conversation between Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as they sat down one day over drinks to cook up the Jesus story.  Take a look.  

As I write this post, it’s the beginning of the first full week of 2016.  Many people make resolutions for the new year, and many Christians specifically make resolutions related to Bible reading.  These are noble and admirable goals to set for ourselves, and it is a good practice to make these kinds of commitments.  But it’s important to note that the only reason resolutions to read the Bible are worthwhile is because of the kind of book the Bible is – namely,  the word of God.  If the Bible were just a bunch of fairy tales or collection of rumors and hearsay, there would be no value in reading it.  But because it is an historical book that accurately gives the account of the interaction between God and his people, chiefly through his Son Jesus Christ, it becomes the most precious thing we could ever read. 

In summary, Luke believed the accuracy of what he was writing, so much so that he encouraged his readers to stake their eternal destinies on it.  And so far there has not been one reason to doubt the accuracy of his writing, in spite of what Richard Dawkins would like to think.  So then, can you be certain about what’s written in the gospels in particular, and in the Bible in general?  Luke thought you could.  Is he wrong?  No one has been able to convincingly show that yet.  So look to the Bible, see what you find, and believe it.  

Time for a Feast

This evening I had the privilege to hear a presentation by Roy Shcwarcz from Chosen People Ministries on how the gospel is foreshadowed by the seven feasts of Israel in Leviticus 23.  It was a fascinating presentation, and Roy is a gifted and engaging communicator.  I was glad to have been in attendance with 50 or so other Riverview-ers.

During my second to last quarter in seminary, one of my favorite professors had us watch an Israeli movie entitled Ushpizin.  This film details the story of a traditional Jewish couple and the trials and challenges they face as they attempt to celebrate the Feast of Booths.  In reflecting on the film, the professor wanted us students to focus on the role that ritual plays in our lives.  As I reflected on it, I was glad for the small yet significant role that tradition and ritual played in my own life, as I can see quite a bit of value in it, even in regards to training and teaching my children the things of God.  At the same time, however, I was somewhat dismayed that I could only identify a couple of rituals and traditions that my family holds to here and there.  In other words, we're not very ritualistic people (at least not religiously).  As I saw the value of ritual and tradition, I wanted more of it in my life.

There's a lot of value in ritual.  It can help or even force us to think about certain things.  Sometimes this is good, but sometimes it can be bad.  Consider the use of formal liturgies in worship.  Liturgy is good in that it directs our thinking and worship.  But it can also be dangerous in that it can be rote, and performed without any thinking or engagement in the heart.  As a Baptist, the "default switch" of our denomination is to shun most forms of liturgy or even ritual.  Again, I think this has positive and negative aspects.  But as a Baptist who has, for the most part, been starved of ritual for most of his life, I  am intrigued by the prospect of having ritual observances play a more prominent role in my spiritual development, and in the development of my family.

That was then, and this is now, and as I listened to the presentation tonight, delineating the feasts of Israel, I felt a renewed desire to engage in more ritualistic observances.  What would it look like, I wondered, if the feasts of Israel were celebrated in a Christ-centered manner?  In other words, could a Christian celebrate the feasts, but instead of looking forward to Messiah, look backward and celebrate his finished work?  I talked to Roy briefly at the end of the presentation and asked him if such a thing was common among Jewish believers.  He said that yes, indeed it was.  Moreover, he affirmed my thought that celebrating the feasts was a very real and memorable way to extol the work of God in the hearts and minds of children.

All this has got me toying with a seemingly strange idea (at least it's strange to me): I want to try to celebrate the feasts of Leviticus 23.  I might have to wait a while, though, as the "feast season" (as I understand it) begins in the spring, and I don't have enough time to prepare for it this year.  I'd like to do the feasts in order, so I might have to wait until 2014 to begin.

Crazy?  Maybe.  We'll see what happens.

Will there be Car Chases in Heaven?

Will there be car chases in heaven?  Probably not, as there won't be a reason to chase bad guys in cars.  But, according to this cool story, the master of the big screen car chase is in heaven.

As a kid, I remember my dad always talking up the car chase from the movie Bullitt as being the best ever.  I didn't really care until I saw the movie in my late teenage years and realized that my dad wasn't exaggerating.  If you've never seen the car chase, you should check it out.  It's the only car chase that I know of where the chaser becomes the chasee.  Check it out (warning, it's mildly violent and gory toward the end).

But my favorite Steve McQueen movie is "The Great Escape," the story of European prisoners of war during WWII that conducted the largest and most successful escape during the war.  McQueen plays a fictional American POW (there actually weren't any Americans at that particular POW camp) who is constantly trying to escape but is always caught, and is subsequently constantly being put in solitary confinement.  There are some fun scenes of him being captured and then handed a ball and glove, which were to be his only companions while in the box.  To pass the time, he bounces the ball off the wall.  McQueen even did all of the motorcycle stunts in the film himself.

Off camera, McQueen was apparently quite full of himself.  The article linked to above talks about how, when asked if he believed in God, McQueen replied, "I believe in me.  God will be number one as long as I'm number one."  He was renowned for his debased lifestyle, and by all accounts, was a rude jerk.

But all of that changed toward the end of his life, when he came to faith and was converted.  It's a really cool story.  At the end of his spiritual (and almost physical) rope, McQueen befriended an older, like-minded man who eventually shared his story with him.  McQueen could sense that there was something different about this man.  This piqued McQueen's curiosity, so he investigated the faith for himself, leading to his conversion.

The story goes that one of his last days on earth was spent with Billy Graham, and Graham actually gave McQueen his own Bible.  McQueen died 4 days later, with Graham's Bible on his chest, open to John 3.  This story is yet another example of how God can redeem even what seem to be the most unredeemable of people, including me, and Steve McQueen.  What a cool story of grace.

I Love Funerals

I like funerals.  No, I love funerals.  Yeah, I admit that's a bit morbid, but I think I have a good reason.

Certainly funerals are times of mourning, after all, a loved one has died and moved on.  For some this is a time of rejoicing, as their loved one has gone on to their eternal reward.  For others this is a time of uncertainty or even fear.

So on the one hand, funerals for believers are joyous occasions because they celebrate a person who has gone to a much better place.

I particularly like funerals, however, because they are incredible opportunities for the gospel to go forth.  Let's face it: people are in an emotionally beat up state during funerals.  They are looking for answers.  More than that, they are looking for the truth.  The truth about what life is about, why things happen to people, what happens when we die, and so on and so forth.  I'm not saying that times of mourning are good for taking advantage of people emotionally, but it is an incredible opportunity to guide people toward truth and point them in the right direction.

The best part about funerals, in my opinion, is that the gospel is proclaimed to people who need to hear it.  And at the funeral I attended this afternoon, this task was accomplished masterfully by my friend, boss, and pastor, Dave Wick.  The message he delivered was quite simply the best, most clearly communicated, most engaging, and culturally relevant presentation of the gospel I think I've ever heard.

Lu Mendez (the deceased) was soundly saved saint of God, of Latino heritage, and many of her relatives were of the Roman Catholic persuasion.  This is quite a bit different from the Baptist persuasion, to say the least.  Wick, knowing that a lot of Lu's friends and family were Catholic, acknowledged this fact openly during his message.  I have to confess that when he did so, I immediately became nervous.  I had thoughts of people walking out or becoming angry during the message because the minister was badmouthing the Catholic faith.  But Wick, knowing his audience perfectly, did not do that.  Instead, he masterfully wove a story about nominal Christians of all persuasions.  He explained that there are many Baptists who are not Christians, and there are many Catholics, who although they might be religious, are not Christians.  He then went on to explain that Lu wasn't in heaven because she was a Baptist, but because she had trusted in Christ for salvation.  He closed by saying something to the effect of, "There are a lot of Baptists here; there are a lot of Catholics here.  But there aren't as many Christians as there are Baptists and Catholics."  I'm certainly not doing the sermon justice here by describing it.  It has to be heard, I imagine, to get the full effect.  I'm going to try and figure out how to post the file on the site here.

All that to say that the service this afternoon was a magnificent testament to the glory of God in the gospel, and in the life of Lu Mendez.  It was a privilege to be a part of it.

A Gospel Story

I've posted before about Steve Saint and the accident he went through, and also some of the videos that he has released that have described his journey thus far.  I just saw this most recent video he released (below).  What a magnificent picture of the gospel.  In the video, Steve describes how at church one morning, since he was not able to stand and walk to the front of the church to receive communion, his son and Mincaye (his father's murderer, with whom he has reconciled) pushed him in his wheelchair to the front of the sanctuary to receive communion.  He says that it's a story that no one would believe unless it were true, and it is.  Why?  Only because of the power of the gospel.

Going to Church in Jail

Every six weeks our church sends a group of guys to the Dakota County Jail in Hastings, Minnesota.  The guys go down to minister to the inmates there.  Dakota County Jail is essentially an interim holding station for inmates.  In other words, guys go to Dakota County if they are awaiting sentencing a court date, or something else in their legal proceedings.  Because of this, there is a high turnover rate, and most of the guys we minister to won't be there the next time we come down.  They will have either been sentence and therefore moved to a different facility, or perhaps even released after their court date.  It's always a special privilege for me to go with the guys to the jail and minister.

Dakota County Jail is remarkably similar on the exterior and interior to a mid-sized high school.  The exterior of the building looks almost identical to the building where I attended high school, and the interior is very much like a high school.  There are classrooms, a library, and even a gymnasium.  The only thing that makes it feel like a jail is the jump suits the inmates wear, and the fact that all the doors lock behind you.  The color of the jumpsuits worn by the inmates is determined by the level of security they are under.  In other words, guys in minimum security will wear a certain colored jump suit.  Guys in maximum security will wear a different color.  There are, I think, five different levels of security in the jail, and guys from each level come to "church" on Sunday mornings.

The service is held in the gymnasium, and about 100 of the jail's 250-280 inmates attend the service which, when you think about it, is a pretty significant percentage.  Most of the guys look as though they have lived a hard life, and that is because they have.  A lot of the guys have stories about why they are where they are, that they are more than willing to talk about.

I've had the opportunity to preach at the jail several times now, and I have to say that it is one of the most unusual places where one can preach.  For one thing, I am never sure how to present my message.  This is an audience with whom I have little in common - at least externally.  I have never been to jail, nor have I ever been arrested or even in significant trouble with the law.  The worst I've ever been through was a court date for a traffic violation (which I was acquitted of, I might add).  I'm also concerned that, because of the seeming disconnect that I have with the inmates, I might lose authenticity with my audience.  That is, they might see through me, that I am a goody-two-shoes.  Thirdly, whenever I preach I am worried about being too technical when I say things.  Most of the guys in the jail have either never set foot in a church or haven't been since childhood.  So I usually try to keep my words and concepts pretty simple.  Thankfully, every time I've had the opportunity to preach at the jail, none of my fears have been realized and I think I've been able to communicate in an authentic, real, and understandable way.

Today I was asked to preach once again, and I chose Psalm 139 as my topic.  I had planned to talk about what God knows about each of us, and to go into issues about thoughts and attitudes of the heart, and how they condemn us before God.  This wasn't quite how it went down, however.  A lot of the guys who go with the church down to the jail have been to jail themselves, and have great stories to tell the inmates about how God can reform and change lives - even lives that have been in jail.  Needless to say, as great as these testimonies are, they take time, and sometimes the preaching time is cut a bit short.  That's fine.  I think those guys from Riverview who share their testimony have just as - if not more - important things to say as I do.

Today my time was cut to about 12 minutes, and I tried to take advantage of it.  I spent a bit of time on sin and God's knowledge of our sinful condition, but I also wanted to spend some time on verses 7-12 of Psalm 139.  These verses talk about how we cannot escape God's presence, no matter where we go. God is present everywhere - in the highest heights and the lowest low.  And I think this applies not just to our physical circumstances, but also to spiritual ones.  When we are as low as we can get - which a lot of guys are, being in jail - God still can and does occupy those spaces, and he is able to hear and respond to the cries of those who would trust in him.

Can you imagine being in jail?  Cut off from loved ones, from the outside world, from any kind of gainful employment, from any kind of "normal" life, not to mention the damage to one's reputation that a time in jail can incur.  I can imagine how it would be easy to lose hope very quickly in such circumstances.  In the context of jail and what inmates are feeling while they are in jail, I think it's important to communicate that even these guys where they are have access to God.  They are no less able to call out to God because they are in jail, or because they may have committed serious crimes for which they are or will be punished.

My evidence of this was the story of Jonah and how he - even from the belly of a fish swimming around in the ocean - was able to call out to God.  If jail seems like a hopeless place, imagine being in the belly of a fish!  It certainly can't seem too much more hopeless than that.  But even though Jonah was in the belly of a fish, God heard his prayer.  God was able to meet him even in that place, as God is able to meet anyone in any place they are - even in jail.  All you must do is call out to him in repentance and faith.

I really like going to the jail.  In some ways, it's a forgotten mission field.  Let's face it: most people don't consider inmates as being a very desirable group of people, and indeed, most of them aren't - at least on the outside.  Plus, I think we are predisposed that prisoners are either "too far gone" to be interested in the things of God, or that they have displayed by the actions that landed them in jail that they aren't able to believe the Bible.  Nothing could be further from the truth!  These guys are looking for answers.  They are looking for hope.  After all, most of them are at the lowest points in their lives.  They are dying for something solid to hold on to.

Ministering to prisoners isn't easy.  Sometimes ministries aren't even allowed access to prisoners.  In this sense, Dakota County is great.  They let us come in and do whatever we want with them, with very few restrictions.  It just takes time and a lot of faith that God will do something.

These inmates are who they are: sinners in need of the gospel.  Their hearts are no more wicked than mine was, and God did something with that.  He can certainly do some amazing work with prisoners.

The Challenge of Christian Community

I recently read this though provoking article over at The Resurgence and it brought to mind some of the discussions I had while implementing Riverview's current small groups ministry that just kicked off about a month ago.  I had the opportunity to preach and teach on the topic of fellowship, both in the context of a month-long Sunday School class and through a three-week sermon series.  I think I was able to communicate somewhat effectively what Christian fellowship looks like in the church.

There are some realities that we all need to recognize before we even try to have fellowship or community with other people.  For example, we all need to realize that we are all different people with a different set of desires, influences, and preferences, and we bring a virtually limitless set of ways of thinking to the table.  Secondly, we all need to realize that we are all sinners in need of grace - both from God and from one another.  Thirdly, and most importantly, we are all sinners saved by grace who have been adopted into a new community - a new family - that sets us apart from the rest of the world.  In essence, we have fellowship with one another in this community - we find commonality in Christ.  The gist of the article linked to above is that our fellowship - our community - is found only in Christ and in nothing else.  In fact, if we try to find commonality with one another in anything but Christ, then one of two things will happen:

1. We won't experience true, biblical fellowship.  Why not?  Because we are finding commonality in something that is not foundational and eternal.  Say, for example, that I like bass fishing.  Throughout the course of several church or small group meetings, you and I get together several times, and as we come to know each other over time, we discover that we both are absolutely enthralled with bass fishing.  We have found common ground.  We even schedule a few trips to go bass fishing together, and our friendship deepens.  Is this biblical fellowship?  Nope.  But we're friends, and we're hanging out together - we're fellowshipping!  It's still not biblical community.  Why not?  Because our common ground is bass fishing - not Jesus.  In order to have biblical fellowship with people, it must begin and end with Jesus.

2. Our efforts toward fellowship will fail.  Let's continue on with our bass fishing scenario.  Let's say that you and I have been fellow bass fishermen for a few years now, and we've enjoyed several trips together.  But over time, as we've learned more and more about each other, I've discovered that there are some things about you that, actually, really irritate me.  For example, you talk when we're trying to fish.  You also have a totally different philosophy from me as to where the best bass fishing takes place.  Not only that, but as we've been out on the water together and have talked more, I've discovered that our political preferences are actually quite different.  We think rather differently.  And the more I think about it, I don't really like you.

Fellowship that is found in anything but Christ will ultimately fail because the worldly things that we can have in common are not transcendent enough for you and I to accept our differences and love one another.  We may have some things in common, but there are also several things we don't have in common, and if we're honest, those differences have the potential to divide and separate us.

This latter point played itself out after one of my Sunday School sessions on the topic.  After each Sunday School session and sermon on the topic I was approached by members of the congregation who were thinking through what I was saying, and had some follow-up questions.  One of the questions was, I thought, intriguing, and it took me a while to figure out at the time.  The question went something like this: "There are some people that are just so different from me that it is impossible to have fellowship with them.  How can I have fellowship with people who seemingly come from another planet than I do?"  The answer is, you can't.    You simply cannot build community with people when you are trying to find something in common with them, because at some point, your similarities will break down and your differences will be exposed, and you will find that those differences will be enough to drive you apart.  Every time we try to find fellowship with people based upon earthly commonalities, it is doomed to failure.

But, if I have Jesus in common with people - even those who are seemingly from another planet - we have something to talk about!  If you and I come together and share no similarities or preferences with one another, we won't even bother.  But if we both have Jesus, then even those things we don't share or agree on become secondary issues.  Yours and my commonality in Christ can't be disrupted by our different preferences in fishing holes, nor our different political persuasions.

This becomes so important to remember, especially in church contexts.  If intellectual Christians who like to ponder the complexities of theology try to find commonality in that regard with the layman, they're doomed to failure.  If older people who prefer organ music try to base their fellowship with younger believers who like music with guitars, drums, and keyboards, on their common bond of liking worship music, it's obviously not going to work out.  Christians come together in community - in fellowship - not because they are similar, because they like the same music, because they think the same way, because they're of the same ethnicity, or anything else.  Christians come together in community because of and through Jesus.

This is why the article I linked to says that as soon as we become focused on "doing community" (having fellowship) with one another, our fellowship is actually killed off.  Having fellowship becomes the end-all.  Instead, we can have fellowship with one another because we have fellowship with Jesus.

The Gospel in 7 Words or Less

I read an interesting post this morning that I've been pondering all day.  It has to do with the challenge to summarize the gospel in seven words or less.  In other words, are you able to communicate the message of the gospel - that all people have willfully sinned against God and deserve the punishment of hell but can receive forgiveness for said sin by grace through faith in the Christ God sacrificially gave to die on your behalf, thereby accepting the punishment you so richly deserve, but being raised from the dead on the third day, all of which was for the glory of God - in seven words or less?  Seven words?  That's a challenge.  Even the sentence that I used to (inadequately) summarize the gospel contains 63 words.  Good luck with seven.

Apparently this question was posed to people in the form of a survey, and the attempts from several people to summarize the gospel in seven words are interesting, to say the least.  In most cases, the summaries fell far short.  But given the immensity of the task, I have sympathy for those who perhaps came up short.  The author of the post says that the summary he believes to be most adequate is actually a quote from 2 Corinthians 5:19: "God was in Christ, reconciling the world."  Some of the other attempts completely miss the essence of the gospel.  Some don't even mention Christ.  And some are downright legalistic. (Such as one person who attempts to summarize the gospel as "Love your neighbor as yourself."  Uh, that's no gospel.  That's a law.)

Like I said, I've been thinking about this all day, trying to come up with my own summary.  But each time I come up with something, I quickly find a reason that it's not enough - there's just too much to communicate in seven words.  The author of the post seems to think that it's important to also communicate a sense of God's sovereignty in the statement - that it was God who instigated the gospel story for his own glory.  I agree.  This just makes it harder, however!  I like the approach of using scripture to summarize the gospel, because I certainly can't come up with something adequate.

I guess the point is that it would be a good exercise to think about how we would share the gospel succinctly, briefly, and adequately in a short amount of time or words.  Preach the gospel, in season and out of season - not just when it's convenient, or when we're prepared, or when we've done enough studying.  What would you say if you had limited time and limited words to communicate the truth of the gospel?  This is something I'll continue to ponder.

Back to Church Sunday

If you've ever needed a real life example of how screwed up our concept of what the church actually is, here it is for you.  You probably didn't know it, but "National Back to Church Sunday" is scheduled for September 16.  What is "National Back to Church Sunday" (NBTCS)?  It's a date when supposedly all Christians are supposed to invite all of their friends and family members "back to church."  They've even made a cheesy rap song to try and make it cool and "relevant."  The site declares that NBTCS is "the single largest annual community outreach in the nation."  I have a few issues with this.

1. There are two interesting words in the name of this event, the first being "back."  This refers to the calling back of those who have left the church and have sought meaning in life elsewhere.  Calling someone to church - specifically "back" to church makes me wonder why they were ever there in the first place.  It can't be that they used to go because they were genuinely converted and then backslid.  No, scripture says that believers congregate with other believers.  Maybe not in the traditional Sunday morning way, but they do have fellowship with other believers.  In fact, they must.  So let's get our ideas straight: we're not calling Christians back to church, we're calling unbelievers to church.  If they had been before but stopped going, they're still unbelievers.  We're not inviting darkness to have fellowship with light, because it can't.  I wonder if the event organizers have thought through this.

The other word that I find to be interesting in the title of this event is "Sunday."  The site states that churches who participated in the event last year saw an average increase of 26% on NBTCS.  Hmm.  I wonder what the attendance was the week after?  Getting people, especially goats, to come to church for one week is nothing to brag about, nor do I think it's a victory.  In fact, church pews are lined with unbelievers every week - why have an annual Sunday for them?  It's not hard to draw a crowd for a Sunday.  It's much harder, and requires much more prayer and dedication to preach the unpopular message of the gospel over and over again, sometimes seeing no results, calling all men everywhere to repent and believe the gospel.

2. The church needs to rethink the concept of outreach.  The website claims that this week is the single biggest national outreach event in the country.  When did inviting people to come in to church become outreach?  Shouldn't "outreach" have a decidedly outward moving feel to it?  I would think outreach would be more like taking the gospel to the streets, rather than taking the people to a show disguised as a church.

3. This event is nothing more than a marketing gimmick, and since when does the church rely on gimmicks (OK, the modern church relies on them quite a bit, to its shame)?  In commenting on this event on his Facebook page, Voddie Baucham said this is really nothing more than "Cheesy marketing of the Church of the Living God."  He's right on, and his emphasis is on the nose.  We serve the living God, whose glorious deeds are recorded in scripture, not to mention who sent his Son as a sacrifice for the salvation of all who would believe through repentance and faith.  But apparently that's not enough.  That's not enticing enough to draw the crowds.  And it really isn't.  In fact, the Bible says the gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing.  Why do we expect them to fill our churches?  Moreover, if the perishing are filling our churches, then we might want to step back and reexamine what we're doing.  Because what are they drawn to?  It certainly isn't the gospel (Romans 3.10-11, 1 Corinthians 1.18).

Thoughts from the Third Session at Triennial

Here are some quotes from tonight's session with Francis Chan.  I've heard several of his sermons before, so a lot of what has been said in his messages during Triennial is stuff I've heard before.  Let that be a lesson to you: don't listen to too many sermons.  Wait, that's not right.  Anyway, he's still saying good stuff, and he's contextualizing it for his audience.  Lots of good stuff to think about here.

"How like God to make the best singer in the room someone who is deaf." (said after a performance by deaf singer Mandy Harvey)

"The thing I love about Peter and John was that people knew them for their boldness (Acts 4.13).  They didn’t notice them because they were smart or educated, but because they were bold.  When I see people in America I see people that are SO educated, but are cowards."

"John Piper told me the last time I saw him that I looked great; that I looked relaxed and in good shape.  I was actually kind of offended.  Well, not offended – convicted.  When I got to thinking about it, last year was too easy.  I don’t want it to be easy – I want it to be a war."

"I don’t want to be a soldier that complains ever time someone shoots at me.  That’s just part of the deal.  That’s what we’re here for."

"I want to know that if someone were the only believer in their city, that they would walk with the Lor boldly."

"The goal of discipleship is that the disciple can stand alone boldly."

"When are you going to experience the Holy Spirit of God?  When you’re out there being a witness.  When you’re taking risks.  When does God 'come through?'  When you’re in a lion’s den.  When you’re before the authorities.  When you’re on a mountain with the prophets of Baal.  When they throw you in a furnace of fire.  It’s when we go and make disciples."

"Why was the Spirit given?  So we could be his witnesses.  So the people could know there has been a prophet among them."