In love with our own eloquence

A lifetime ago, back in Bible College days, we would joke about finding a killer illustration. Now all we had to do was find a text to go with it. Our vigilant professors rightly used every tool at their disposal to beat this tendency out of us. Such an approach too easily leads to the mangling of the Biblical text in order to fit the illustration.

I believe this age-old danger has only intensified in the intervening years. Today "the story" has become the focus of many preachers. The ability to tell a compelling story has been highly elevated among those who fill the pulpit. There are many masters of the art of story-telling. However, the burning question must still be, Does the story rule the text or does the text rule the story? As I listen to many story-tellers, I am afraid that they are so enamoured with the eloquence of their own words that they could care less about what text they corrupt - so long as it supports their brilliance. Story can be a powerful tool when it used in service to the Scriptures and their story. Unfortunately, many of the stories being told by so-called preachers have as much validity as those that begin "Once upon a time."

New Things?

Here is a good reminder from the Prince of Preachers about our fascination with new things.

"I know the proud flesh wants to serve Christ, by striking out new paths. Proud man has a desire to preach new doctrine, to set up a new Church; to be an original thinker, to judge, and consider, and do anything but obey. This is no new service to Christ. He that would serve Christ must follow him; he must be content to tread only in the old footsteps, and go only where Christ has led the way. ?It is not for you and me to be originals; we must be humble copies of Christ. There must be nothing about our religion of our own inventing; it is for us to lay thought, judgment, and opinion at the feet of Christ, and do what he bids us, simply becasue he gives the command." C.H. Spurgeon

Happiness and Reality

1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

I know the context of this passage is love and its relation to the gifts of the Spirit. However, it seems to me that the principle could be applied to a multitude of issues in our society. The thoughts, reasoning and expectations of children are radically different that those of adults. Children live in a protected world that shields them from the harsh realities of life. Becoming an adult involves a coming to term with those realities. Maturity faces those challenges head-on and learns how to deal with them. Growing up means leaving behind the fantasies of childhood in order to confront the realities of life.

I am distressed by the way our society encourages us to remain in the fantasy world of childhood. One example of this is happiness. Only children expect to be happy all the time. They expect a world where they should never be bored, but where they can skip merrily from one happy moment to the next. As one becomes an adult, there comes the realization that not all of life is happiness. There is genuine sadness as a result of the consequences of sin in this world. Parts of life are just plain old hard slogging. Work, play, marriage - all have their tough times.

That is why it distresses me to see the number of young men and women who are bailing out on their marriages because they are "not happy." There has been no major conflict. There has been no abuse. There has been no infidelity. They just aren't as happy as they think they ought to be. They are juveniles who believe their marriage should move from one blindingly passionate moment to the next, leaving them in a perpetual state of bliss. GROW UP!!! Only infants are immature enough to believe that life owes them perpetual happiness. It is time to become an adult and to realize that anything in this life that is going to be truly satisfying is going to involve hard work.

Down Wind

I heard an expression today that really has taken my fancy. I was listening to Wretched Radio which was featuring a Christian comedian. This comedian was giving his testimony and he spoke of "getting downwind of himself." He used this expression to describe the experience of learning how truly horrible he was. Just as a person who lives downwind of the local garbage dump smells the stink, when he realized what a wretch he was, he got his nose full of the stink of his own sin.

Some of us who have been on the road for a while have forgotten our stink. We have forgotten that we were and still are those who do incredibly offensive things before our God. We stink to high heaven! Unfortunately, it has been too long since we have been downwind of ourselves. We have lost a sense of how abominable our sin is to God.

Why is this so important? Well when we get a good whiff of our stench it reminds us how gracious Christ was in dying for us. There was nothing in my stinking, rotting corpse that would attract grace. Rather, it is all of God's love that mercy was extended to me. As well, when I get downwind of myself and realize how offensive I am, it renews my desire to pursue God's holiness. I don't want to stink! I want to be a sweet smelling sacrifice to the God who saved me!

A Tough Week

This has been a long week for the family. Last Friday we attended the funeral for my wife's uncle. Yesterday the phone call came from Ireland that my uncle had passed away. I praise the Lord that both of these men had trusted Jesus as Lord and Saviour. His promise to save is sure and they both are enjoying the fullness of God's joy in heaven today.

When I think about their faith and trust in Christ, I am reminded of a inscription from the tomb of the great astronomer Copernicus:

"I ask not such favour as St. Paul received
Nor yet such grace as St. Peter obtained;
But what, on the cross, to the thief Thou did'st give,
O Jesus, I fervently pray, grant to me."

Casting the First Stone

In our study of Romans 1, we have just completed the first chapter. In it we discovered that the wrath of God is being poured out on mankind because of our suppression of the truth about God. The form of this wrath is striking - God gives humanity what humanity desires. Sexual immorality slides into sexual perversity and homosexuality as man spirals down into the depths of depravity.

It is tempting to shout "Amen!" The passage clearly portrays the sexual immorality and homosexuality of our society as sin and worthy of God's wrath. Unfortunately for my self-righteous tendencies, the downward spiral doesn't end there. Paul finishes by saying that humanity (including me) was given over to all kinds of depravity including things like greed, gossip, and disobedience to parents. When I get to the bottom of Paul's downward spiral I find -- myself. In fact, I find all of us. There is an equality of depravity. I am not saying that we should overlook sin. I am saying that we all are equally sinful. There is no hierarchy. We all are at rock bottom.

The point is clear. The sexual pervert needs grace and forgiveness. The homosexual needs grace and forgiveness. I need grace and forgiveness. You need grace and forgiveness.

The Power of the Gospel

This week the evening sermon looked at Romans 1:8-17. At the end of that passage, Paul says that he is not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for salvation. As I prepared to preach that passage I was forced to contemplate whether I too could say the same thing as Paul. Am I unashamed of the Gospel because I am convinced that it alone is the means God uses to transform human beings? Do I believe that the Gospel alone is sufficient by the power of God to do the work of God in building his church?

There is tremendous pressure in today's evangelical subculture to find new measures to guarantee success. Music, small groups, alternative services, etc., are all touted as the means of success. We are told that if we follow this or that program more people will trust Christ and our churches will grow. Unfortunately, many of these programs become a substitute for the Gospel. If I am reading Paul correctly, the success of any program lies only in its ability to faithfully proclaim and adhere to the Gospel. If the focus is anything but the Gospel, we have missed God's saving power.

As a pastor I am becoming more and more convinced that my job is not to grow the church or build the kingdom. God does those things. My job is not to draw a crowd or build up self-esteem. Those are false goals. My job is not to help people find their purpose in life or to improve their relationship skills. Those are false gospels. My job is to faithfully and unapologetically preach the Gospel of Christ. God has promised that when His Gospel is preached, His Spirit will take the Word of God - the Gospel - and produce faith in those who hear. That's something we need to believe in!