Today in Blogworld 04.09.14

Mike Leake

Discover Your First Tweet

This is a neat site. You can type in any Twitter handle and see the first tweet. The link above is to my first epic tweet.

At What Point in Pilgrim’s Progress Does Christian Get Saved?

I’ve wondered this for a while. I like Jim Orrick’s answer.

The Joy of Getting Unstuck

Brandon Smith had gotten stuck. Here he reflects on the joy of getting unstuck.

Defending Eutychus

For quite some time Eutychus has gotten a bad wrap as the poor chap that fell asleep during one of Paul’s sermons. Jeremy Walker thinks that we might have gotten the story wrong. I’m inclined to agree with him.

This was a great April Fool’s joke on a professor:

We Worship a Pirate God

Joshua Torrey

There are many analogies for God. Plenty are used in the Scripture that are capable of stretching us and providing good (and biblical) foundations for our thoughts about God. He is described as a “strong tower” (Prov 18:10), an eagle (Deut 32:11-12) and even motherly (Isa 49:15; 66:13).  So why would we ever speak about God as a pirate? It really is quite simple: He is in the habit of commandeering. Webster’s defines commandeer as “to seize for military purposes” and Johnny Deep has personified it in the personality of Captain Jack Sparrow. Plus, if we dwell on it for a while, it does make a catchy title.

So if God is a pirate what is it that He commandeers? At the risk of being simple: words, language and speech.

Perhaps those of us in the Protestant tradition take God’s revelation for granted. Many of us have been raised believing the Bible is the Holy Spirit breathed and inerrant word of God. We’ve lost the majesty of the impossible possibility that God is in the habit of commandeering human language to make Himself known. This is revelation. And this is how revelation occurs. The mystery of God who is infinite and unknowable revealing Himself is only possible because He seizes our language to reveal Himself (Deut 29:29). These revealed truths have been communicated and written down in human language. We would do well to recover the shock that this is possible.

This is a small part of the incredible beauty of our “pirate God.” Though divine revelation has ceased, history testifies to the truth that God, through the medium of the gospel, continues to commandeer human language for the proclamation of His Son. It started with Hebrew. It spread to Aramaic (likely the language our Lord spoke). Then He captured the Greek tongue. After some time He took possession of Latin. And in these recent days He has seized English and it continues to spread daily across the world into other tongues.

“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word concerning Christ” (Rom 10:17). But in what language must this word come? This is the mystery of God’s pirate ways. Through the work of the Holy Spirit it is “the word” in all languages. Because of this the apostle Paul can say in the very same text that this word has gone to “all the earth” and “to the ends of the world” (Rom 10:18).

Not only has the Holy Spirit commandeered each language for the proclamation of the gospel but it has also survived the growth and development of these languages. Every Sunday morning the resounding gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is proclaimed in different dialects of English. It is presented to the young and to the old. It is made plain across all levels of education. This is the resounding power of the gospel and the ultimate act of God’s love. He commandeers human language throughout time and in each and every dialect to communicate His “eternal gospel” to every tribe and nation (Rev 14:6).

Our langue cannot and will not limit the gospel. Our God is a commandeering God. We worship a pirate God. Yes, “every tongue” shall confess the glory of Christ (Rom 14:11; Php 2:11).

Today in Blogworld 04.08.14

Mike Leake

We’re All Over-Protected Now

Great words from Owen Strachan.

Grumbling and Complaining

Lore Ferguson takes a familiar verse and fleshes it out word by word.

Let’s Stop Forgiving Those Who Don’t Want Forgiveness

We ought to have a posture of forgiveness but we cannot truly forgive until someone asks for it.

Watch T4G Online

I’m at the Together for the Gospel Conference today. If you want to watch it online for free follow that link. If you listen really carefully to the singing, I’ll be the guy that is really off key.

If you don’t think English is a difficult language watch this:

Why You Ought to Be Violent

Mike Leake 1 Comment

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor chap. It was cold and windy and his job was difficult—as anyone that has ever passed out literature can attest to. Half of his battle that day was keeping his pamphlets from blowing down the street and into a ditch. The other half of the battle was trying to convince every passerby that the pamphlets belonged in their hand and not in the ditch.

The sign clearly said FREE and his face clearly said friend. He had an infectious enthusiasm but still he couldn’t give them away. Apparently few people shared his zeal for knowing the truth about pesticides.

I imagine if he would have been handing out free money his line would have been much longer than his current line of one confused man that found himself regretting having ever asked a question. It likely would have shamed even the most vigorous of Black Friday stampedes. With great violence men and women would have taken hold of that free money.

This is why we shouldn’t scratch our heads when Jesus says things like this:

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:12 ESV)

Taking the kingdom by force seems so opposite of the gospel of free grace. Why in the world would men and women need to forcefully grab at something that is free? Surely it is not because there is a limited supply of grace. And certainly not that one must bully his way into the kingdom—trampling over other beggars for a little slice of that bread. No, indeed there is enough of this Bread of Life to fill the world and all that is in it.

The fact that the “violent take it by force” is a display of the worth and value of the kingdom of God. The gospel is such a great message of hope that beggars cannot help but run to the table with great vigor. The gospel shouts out “come all of you that are weary and thirsty and heavy laden and I’ll give you rest”. And it is so powerful that it energizes the weary, thirsty, and downtrodden to Come.

Those that do not take the kingdom by force are like those that just passed by the man with his pesticide pamphlets. For them it is of no value. They walk right past the treasure hidden in the field. But those that see—those with eyes to see the beauty of Christ—they with great vigor and violence go after this great treasure. It’s the only fitting response of a heart that has been awakened.

Only a foolish sluggard would walk to grab hold of such a great prize.

Run, brothers and sisters. run.

(This post was inspired by Richard Sibbes’ work Violence Victorious)