Substance in a World Feasting on Silly Things

Mike Leake

Today’s guest post comes from Lore Ferguson. Lore’s name is pronounced Lor-ee, but you can call her Lo. She grew up on the east coast, but transplanted to Dallas a few years ago—she’s not from Texas, but Texas wants her anyway (as the song goes). It was the Church that drove her away from Jesus and it was the Church that brought her back in, and there’s nothing she loves more on earth. She writes regularly for The Gospel Coalition, Project TGM,Deeper Church, and most regularly at her blog, Sayable. Lore is a covenant member at The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas. You can follow her on twitter here:@loreferguson

Paul spoke some words to Timothy running rampant through my mind these days:

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak [or silly] women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. (II Timothy 3:1-9)

Oh. That’s rough. Friends, hear me, that is rough.

I’m not harkening the last days or making an assessment on end times. But a lover of self? I am. Proud? I am. Ungrateful? Yes.

Unappeasable? Oh, my. Yes.

Having the appearance of godliness? If only you knew.

But this is the part that guts me inside out: these are the sort of people who creep into households and capture weak women, women who are burdened with sins and led astray by a myriad of passions, women who are hungry for knowledge and never satisfied by truth.

I pause and look around my home. My roommates have just gone to get dinner, leaving me at home for a few minutes of quiet. We are simple folk, with good solid books, a television that rarely gets turned on, no magazine subscriptions, and an old ipod speaker contraption. Our influences are few.

But what captures us the whole world over is an insatiable hunger, an unappeasable thirst, a voracious gnawing for knowledge. This was the lure of the fruit in Genesis 3: “You will be like God, knowing good and evil,” and this is the lure still today, “Do this and you will know or be known. Believe this and you will know. Speak this and you will be known as one who knows.”

And in the end it’s just silliness. Or, as Solomon said, vanity of vanities. A breath, a vapor.

It might surprise you when I say this is not about how women are poor leaders and so I’ll follow men instead. I’m not going to say it because I think some women make great leaders and some men make poor leaders.

But I will follow one man in full acknowledgement that I am prone to silly things. I am weak. I am inclined to thirst for an endless pursuit of knowledge than simple answers. I am unappeasable instead of satisfied. I am tempted by offers of fruits and godlikeness. Not because I am a woman, but because the strongest of women knows her deepest of weaknesses.

This isn’t about following men because I am weak and need a man. I truly need one man and His name is Jesus Christ, and He was good and gracious enough to surround me with good leaders who are far stronger, far wiser, and far less distracted by silly things than I am. But still, He is my God and my sufficiency, my ever present help in time of need, my cupbearer and my King. He has taken the cup of wrath on my behalf and He has still reserved for me the choicest wine, the sweetest feast.

He alone satisfies my search for substance in a world captured by silly things.

Why Do We Return to Our Sin?

Mike Leake

Today’s guest post comes from the pen of Nick Horton. Nick and his wife Amy, along with their 3.5 year old Gabriel, live in VA, where nick teaches middle and HS youth at FBC Woodstock, VA. He is also a deacon, loves to fish, works in IT, is an online student at Boyce college pursuing a call to ministry. He blogs at http://nicholashorton.wordpress.com/ and you can follow him on Twitter @NickHorton

Why do we return to our sin? I don’t mean why do we keep doing it, though we all struggle with sin like Paul in Romans 7. I mean, why do we return to the guilt and shame over and over again? We rehearse dark moments, replay old wounds, almost as if we relish pouring salt in wounds long gone. Left unchecked we can spiral in to depression, justify dark moments, and convince ourselves that God can’t love someone like us.

I have my dark days, the same as anyone else; the days when my memory is a curse, and the Accuser is hard at work. It steals my joy and robs me of any passion for life. The assault on any sense of self worth is brutal and leaves me feeling as though I can be of no use to God.

Fear. Uncertainty. Doubt. Guilt. They’re hard to share at times, as other’s natural reactions to them are attempts to fix it. People want to alleviate suffering and negative feelings, either out of compassion or perhaps because they’re ill-equipped to weep with those who weep. We become cautious to share these dark nights of the soul as we don’t want more try harder/trust more. What do we do?

When I walk through these times, there are a few things I like to remind myself. These are things we can counsel other brothers and sisters with, after we have suffered with them. We have to listen well before we can begin to lovingly speak truth into their lives. Here are four truths I try to remember:

  1. “It is finished.” Jesus finished on the cross what we cannot do in life. He paid for the very sins we have trouble giving up. If he paid then and there for our sins, why then do we carry that burden still? Set it down, friend. Your elder Brother can carry that load.
  2. Hebrews 10. Read the whole thing. If you haven’t read it in a while, stop reading this, and go read it. God says it better than we ever could. Hebrews 10:12 says “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” Why’d He sit down? He was done. Your sins are paid for. There is no need for you to hold tightly to the shame and condemnation of them, because…
  3. Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” When? Now. How much condemnation for what I’ve done? None. Let that wash over you. No condemnation for you in Christ. Fully accepted by God by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Fully loved. Which means…
  4. Romans 8:2 “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” We are free. Free to live. Free to fail. Free to abandon ourselves to following God without fear of guilt and condemnation for our imperfections. Free from slavery to the sin we now hate and struggle with and its guilt and shame. Free.

Don’t think that you’ve done something that cannot be forgiven. David was an adulterer and murderer, yet God called him a man after His own heart. Paul persecuted the church; he was a terrorist. He murdered Christians. He penned Romans 8:1 under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, fully forgiven and used by God. Our sins are not unknown to God. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He paid for our sins, not because we deserve it, but for the praise of His glorious grace.

God knows us. He loves us and has accepted us fully through the work of Jesus Christ. We can’t clean ourselves up. We come dirty and broken to Jesus. Let go of the sin you’ve been set free from and that He has paid for. Let that weight slide off your back. Take a breath of freedom. Taste the joy that is there for you. There is freedom and love and joy for you.

Child of God; rest. Stop crushing your heart with your own hand. Breathe. Breathe again. Quiet your soul before God. Recall what He has done for you. It is finished. Christ has sat down. There is NOW no condemnation for you. You have been set free from sin and death.

Now, go live.

How to Create a Reading Plan

Mike Leake 2 Comments

Today’s post comes from the pen of Joey Cochran. Joey is transitioning to be a pastor at Cross Community Chicago. He blogs regularly at www.jtcochran.com. Follow @joeycochran on twitter.

Every year I set goals for myself. Rarely do I evaluate those goals. Yesterday was the exception. Now that the year is half over I decided to evaluate some of my resolutions for the New Year. One of those resolutions involved reading. At the beginning of the year I set a number of goals concerning how much I wanted to read and what I wanted to read. Setting reading goals such as these are helpful in accomplishing the objective of being a more productive reader.

For most of us, finding time to read is the first challenge. The second challenge is prioritizing that time. The third challenge is making that time productive. I have found that the best way to do this is to set goals.

Here are some helpful parameters for your reading goals.

  1. Determine how much time you realistically have to read. There is no point in setting a lofty goal that you will not accomplish. If you actually don’t currently read much, you might want to set this parameter lower for your first year. Maybe make the goal that you will read 15-30 minutes daily. In the case of reading, it is best to have a daily routine. Reading weekly or just when you suddenly have leisure time just does not cut it. You can accomplish more by scheduling reading into your life.

  1. Determine when you are going to read. After you determine how much time you can spend reading, pick a time of day to read. I have a couple of times during the day that work for me. I try to make reading a priority after I accomplish daily administrative work. Then I try to read a little during lunch or just after lunch. Then I read in the evenings when I could be watching TV. Last, I typically read between 30-60 minutes before I fall asleep.

  1. Determine what you are going to read. Everyone has different reading priorities. You will have to determine your own. I can demonstrate an example of what your priorities for reading might be by offering myself as a case study. I love reading, so I do a lot of it. This may not be you, so don’t feel like you have to read this much. Likewise, others of you might be reading much more than me and in different genres. For instance, I am not currently reading a fiction book and it’s not part of my reading plan. This is actually a weakness in my current plan, but I have not found time to supplement my reading time with this valuable genre. The most important part is starting by reading a book that you will enjoy. Pick something that you will be excited about reading. Make sure you start with a page turner. This will help you in being productive!

Here’s how I prioritize my reading:

  • As a follower of Christ my first priority is to read God’s inspired Word, the Bible. God revealed Himself to humanity through this immeasurably valuable book. Reading the Bible should be my first priority.

  • Then I read for spiritual development. Usually, this is a book designed to encourage my heart and root it deeply in the gospel. This book is typically written by a pastor or church leader that has an active ministry today. I am currently reading Milton Vincent’s a Gospel Primer for Christians.

  • Third, I read a book for personal development. This book is meant to help you grow as a person. Perhaps that topic is leadership, interpersonal relations, or developing professional skills. Usually I pick this book based on what weaknesses or blemishes I see in myself. For instance, I just finished reading Dale Carnegie’s classic How to Win Friends and Influence People. No, I have friends. I just want to be a better one. I am now currently reading Platform by Michael Hyatt.

  • Fourth, I try to read a writing from the historic Christian faith. In other words, I read a book by a dead dude. The church is built on great minds that have had much to say about Christ and about the church. These voices should not be lost. We should capitalize on all that these men have to offer. Currently I am reading John Flavel’s Christ Altogether Lovely.

  • Finally, since I am a blogger, I read a book for review. I try to review a book every Monday on my blog. Currently I am reading Aliens in the Promise Land edited by Dr. Anthony Bradley.

  1. Determine to read. Now you have to focus on being productive. You have to buckle down and do the deed. For some of us this is harder than others. You might want to think about the environment. Do you read better in the quiet? Do you need white noise? Are people a distraction? I love to read in a café but then sometimes I get caught up in my surroundings. Deciding to read in a location that offers optimal focus is essential. Once you find the right environment keep yourself from distraction. Put your laptop away. Silence your phone. Keep your mind off other things. Sometimes we read words but think other thoughts. Maybe you might start thinking about a meeting later today. Or maybe you might think about other things on your to-do list. Make those thoughts wait for later. Now is the time to read!

Reading is a valuable discipline. We live in a world that is being re-awakened towards literacy. When TV came around, literature leisure took a nose dive. However, with the new technology of e-readers, reading as a discipline is experiencing resurgence. I hope you take advantage of this resurgence and enjoy the discipline of reading.

5 Reasons To Be a Member of a Local Church

Mike Leake 1 Comment

Today’s guest post comes from the pen of Dave Jenkins. Dave is a Christian, husband to Sarah, freelance writer, avid golfer, and the Director of Servants of Grace Ministries. You can follow him on twitter at @DaveJJenkins or read more of his work at http://servantsofgrace.org

The belief that professing Christians should gather together as members of a local Church is waning in many sectors of Christianity. Some feel that faith shouldn’t be “institutionalized” and should be a private matter between individuals, not something to be experienced in community.

Here are five reasons why I feel Christians should be members of a local church. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but these reasons give Christians a biblical framework to think through why they should be members of a local Church.

First, The Bible clearly teaches that God made a distinction between His people and the world (Lev 13:46; Number 5:3; Deut. 7:3).  Christ says that entering the Kingdom of God means being bound to the Church “on earth” (Matthew 16:16-19; 18:17-19). The New Testament refers to some people being inside the church and some people being outside the church. (1 Cor. 5:12-13). The church in Corinth consisted of a definite number of believers, such that Paul could speak of a punishment inflicted by the majority (2 Cor. 2:6). Not only does the New Testament speak of the reality of church membership, but its dozens of “one another” passages are written to local churches. The “one another” passages in the New Testament fill out our understanding of what church members should look like practically. Biblical church membership is important, because the church presents God’s witness to Himself in the world, and displays His glory. In the church’s membership, then non-Christians should see in the lives of God’s changed people that God is holy and gracious and that His gospel is powerful for saving and transforming sinners.

Second, the Epistles were all written to local churches. A brief sampling of Paul’s epistles make this abundantly clear:  1 Corinthians 1:1-2, “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:” 2 Corinthians 1:1-2, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus  by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia.” Philippians 1:1-2, “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.” Galatians 1:1-2, “Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:” 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2, “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.”

Third, Christ saves Christians to live in community with other believers. Christ calls believers to local church membership not just for our spiritual growth, but also so that they may use their spiritual gifts in the context of the local Church.

Fourth, some people think that meeting together with other Christians is not important because the early Church only gathered in small groups in Acts 2:42-48. The problem with this view is ignores history. As the Church continued to grow, they gathered together in large gatherings. There were small group meetings but there were large gatherings. Regardless of if the local Church meets in a building or in a home it doesn’t matter. The Church is comprised of people who been regenerated by the work of the Spirit. The people of God are to gather to worship together in Spirit and Truth, to hear the preached Word, participate in communion, baptism, and then scatter to spread the Great Commission in their families, neighborhoods, cities and to the nations.

While many people have a problem with the Church the Bible clearly teaches that professing Christians are to be members of local Churches. While local Churches may have many issues, the Church itself is purchased by Christ and is therefore blameless. The members inside the Church are justified and yet sinners meaning they are made right with God through the blood of Jesus but still growing in Christ-like character and going forth in Christ’s name to their families, neighborhoods, cities and to the nations with the Gospel.

Finally, those who object the loudest to this kind of teaching think that they can be Christians and not be in the Church. From even from a cursory examination of the Scriptures- the lone-ranger view of being a Christian is not biblical. Christ saves Christians to live in community with other believers. Christ calls believers to membership in the local Church not only for their own spiritual growth but to use our spiritual gifts in the context of the local Church.

Christ calls other Christians to live in community with other Christians for the purpose of accountability, and spiritual growth. Christ calls Christians to live in community with other believers so they will grow in likeness to Jesus Christ. Christ calls Christians to live in community with other believers so that believers may minister in and through their local churches in order to reach one’s community, city, nation and the world with the Gospel.

In conclusion, Christ doesn’t save sinners so they will live in isolation or be lone-rangers—He saves them so that they will be in community with one another, speaking the truth in love to one another, “one anothering” each other, and displaying forth His character, and glory to a watching, but unbelieving world.