Every Day Conversation

Mike Leake

Ephesians 4:29 has recently captured my attention and it will not let me go. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it might benefit those who listen.”

There it is, the command to guard every word I utter. How often do I ever consider the spiritual need of the person on the other end of the conversation? How often do I consider the benefit people who are hearing my conversation with someone else? How often am I observant enough to discern what the person really needs in the course of the daily chatter of the day?

There is so much that could be said about the application of this verse, but I’m going to limit my thoughts to a few ideas.

1. People need to hear 95% less criticism from me. When I utter my critical words about the government, society, problems in the church, poor performance of the St. Louis Cardinals, and a host of other issues in which I give flight to my opinions, what I say changes nothing and tends to encourage my listeners to join in. I ought to have enough integrity to stop complaining that the news media focuses so much on ‘bad’ news if most of my observations are equally cynical.

2. People need to hear 195% more grace from me. When I speak about others, what do I see and comment on first: the worst or best? In truth, most of the time, my criticism of and about others has more to do with self-exaltation (“I not be perfect, but look at how bad he is!”) than it has to do with humility and grace. I stand before God with no righteousness of my own. My only hope is the righteousness of Christ at work in my life. How can I choose to be so critical when I have been give so much grace?

3. People need to hear the truth more often. It is amazing how deeply God can strike into the sinful soul of someone who hears the truth in love from a humble, non-critical person. We all need to love one another enough that we are willing to speak the truth, which may hurt for a season, but in time will help build one another up. Of course if I am willing to speak the truth I first need to be willing to hear the truth about myself.

When I get down to it, I need to hear and obey the Word of God.
“Heavenly Father, lead me in the path of blessed conversation. Plant in my heart an abiding desire to guard the words I speak so that I will be useful to you. Give me humility and openness so that I will receive both correction and commendation in such a way that I will not react defensively or in pride. Give me ears to listen carefully to the other person ….to listen, really listen to his/her heart cry and be ready to offer the words needed. Give me courage to offer grace and correction as the moment requires. Give me peace that I might not respond “in kind” when I truly follow the directives of your Word and someone reacts in anger toward me. Teach me to point to Jesus Christ and the gospel in my everyday conversation because I am filled with your Spirit and overflow with your love.”

Al Mohler, Homosexuality, and Job’s Friends

Mike Leake

There has been somewhat of a controversy within the SBC concerning statements made by Al Mohler at the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting.  Actually it’s probably not as much of a controversy as some bloggers would have us to believe.  Truth is much that gets the blogosphere in an uproar is usually but a pebble in the ocean of real controversy.  Nonetheless, there has been a good amount of discussion regarding Mohler’s comments.

You can read the full transcript here.  Or watch the video below.  But most of the controversy stems from these words:

But we as Evangelicals have a very sad history in dealing with this issue. We have told not the truth, but we’ve told about half the truth. We’ve told the biblical truth and that’s important, but we haven’t applied it in the biblical way.

Not to put words in Dr. Mohler’s mouth but I think in part what he is saying is that we have been very similar to Job’s friends.  They are only beating on one side of the drum—you’ve sinned, you’ve sinned, you’ve sinned.  To this Job finally responds in Job 19:

“Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has touched me!  Why do you, like God, pursue me?  Why are you not satisfied with my flesh?”

Job’s point is that IF he has sinned as they claim why are they still chasing him down in judgment and not offering him mercy.  There is nothing in their words that is pointing them to a redeemer.  They are simply saying, Job ‘fess up and maybe things will get better for you. 

Job 19:25-27 should not have been on the lips of Job–or at least only as a response.  These words should have been on the lips of Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad.  They should have been proclaiming to Job redemption and not only his sin:

For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.  And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.  My heart faints within me!

Unless the gospel goes deeply into our hearts we will be just like Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad.  We will look at a lost, dying, sinful, hurting, rebellious, and broken people and only shine the flashlight on their wretched condition.  Instead we should proclaim Jesus (I know that E, Z, and B didn’t have a full knowledge of Jesus) and allow the Spirit to turn on the floodlights to display the beauty, excellencies, and sufficiency of Jesus to conquer any sin no matter how heinous. 

This I believe is what Dr. Mohler is saying, “In our response to homosexuality we have only called it sin but we have not done as great of a job of pointing to Jesus.”  If that’s not describing you, then, great—thank the Lord that the Spirit has so worked in your heart that you apply the gospel rightly. 

But I believe Dr. Mohler is correct.  For far too long we have ministered to those guilty of practicing homosexuality and those with same sex attraction in an overly simplistic way that looks more like Job’s friends than it looks like Jesus Himself. 

As Mohler says, “The gospel is what we stand for and the gospel is the only remedy for sin.”  May we be gospel people and not Job’s friends.

Yes, We’re Worse Than Broken; But I Still Use the Term. Response To Randy Newman

Mike Leake 1 Comment

It was with great joy that I read and reviewed Randy Newman’s book, Bringing the Gospel Home.  There was one spot however that gave me pause.  In his book Newman argues that, “if a tract or online presentation of the gospel only refers to our sin as ‘brokenness,’ we are misrepresenting the truth.”  Newman then argues that using terms like brokenness makes it sound as if we are only victims when really we are the ones in rebellion and given over to idolatry. 

Late last week Newman expounded upon this point in his article “We’re Worse Than Broken”.  He believes that the word is not helpful for believers or unbelievers.  For the believer, Newman says, “the word doesn’t go deep enough to move us forward in sanctification”.  He points out that God uses words far worse than broken to describe our lost condition. 

This word is also inadequate in sharing the gospel with unbelievers, says Newman.  It is inadequate because it fails “to convey the dire straights that only the gospel overcomes”.  Newman helpfully notes that

…the Bible’s description of sin is far more active than passive, more something we do—willingly, rebelliously, idolatrously, and knowingly—rather than something perpetrated upon us by others against our will, contrary to our nature, or different from our cravings.

To this end Newman believes that we should chose our words more carefully.  Using a term like “brokenness”, in his opinion, leads to a “reduction of the full and multifaceted concept of sin, as it is described in the Scriptures, into a buzzword that feels more at home in our therapeutic culture than in God’s Word”

Response

In one sense I agree with Randy Newman.  We must be very cautious not to diminish the multifaceted concept of sin for the sake of using buzzwords that are acceptable in a therapeutic culture.  He is also correct in noting that brokenness often makes people feel more like victims than active rebels.  So I agree that we should be cautious in using the word brokenness. 

However, I do continue to use the word.  I continue to use the word for two primary reasons.  First, I use it precisely because it actually does help me to explain a robust biblical theology and the multifaceted concept of sin. 

To be broken means in part that something is not functioning properly—it is out of working order.  To say then that people are “broken” means that people are not functioning properly.  In order for something to be “broken” this implies that something was once functioning properly.  This allows us to begin the gospel with God and His creation. 

God lovingly created us in His image to display His glory through our enjoyment of Him.  And because of this great truth we can say that each person has great value, great responsibility, and great accountability to God. 

It is only through the lens of Eden that we can even come close to understanding the depth of our fall.  Zac Eswine helpfully states that, “without placing our sin into the context of our having been created, we discard vital aspects of the beauty of redemption”.  That is one reason that I continue to use words like “brokenness”: to show that we are not functioning the way that God created us.  We are broken people living in a broken world. 

Secondly, I use that word because people feel broken.  Newman admits this much when he says:

Our experience of alienation from God does indeed feel like we’re broken. We’re not living the lives we were created for. We’re not connecting with others with the level of intimacy we were designed for. We’re cut off from the kind of connectedness with God that he intended.

My contention is that we should continue to use a word like broken but define it using a biblical paradigm.  Certainly we should not present a gospel that makes people passive victims.  But we can explain their feelings of brokenness by saying, “yes, you and I are broken—let me explain why I say that…” 

Terms like “brokenness” can be a huge bridge to sharing the gospel with someone.  It can easily help us explain creation, fall, and redemption.  I agree that it is not a synonym to “sinful”.  But it is still a helpful word and does not necessarily mean that one is watering down the gospel. 

Quick Review of The Greener Grass Conspiracy by Stephen Altrogge

Mike Leake

Awhile back Crossway was giving away 100 copies of a book called The Greener Grass Conspiracy.  For some really strange reason (maybe it was part of a vast conspiracy) I decided I did not have time, or really the desire, to read a book about the global warming debates. 

Fast forward two months, when I make a startling discovery (apparently the man couldn’t keep it from me forever)!  The Greener Grass Conspiracy is actually NOT about global warming.  In fact it has nothing to do with global warming. 

This book is actually about finding contentment where God has you instead of searching for something better…greener grass.  Ah ha!  I get it now.  So, I purchased the book with a gift certificate from Crossway (by the way you should join their Impact: Member Rewards program).

As soon as I began reading this book I was hooked.  In fact after reading the introduction I put it on my list of books to turn into small group material.  The message here is so unbelievably helpful and relevant to those of that are constantly bombarded by this greener grass conspiracy. 

There are some books though that are ridiculously helpful and boldly biblical, but their pages must contain that chemical that is in mashed potatoes that makes you fall asleep after Thanksgiving dinner.  Altrogge’s book thankfully is not one of those.  He is humorous and forces you to pay attention to what he is writing. And it is good that you do because he exposes the greener grass conspiracy and replaces it with deep affections for Jesus. 

I would love to tell you that you NEED to read this book.  But would that be promoting the greener grass conspiracy?…(oh, man, whitey is sooooo sneaky).  So rather than saying that you NEED this book I will simply very strongly urge you to purchase this book and read it…and maybe also say that if you do not get this book your life will forever suck, none of your dreams will come true, and the grass in your yard will be brown and parched.

Seriously, though, this book was very helpful in my own walk with Jesus.  I don’t think there was really anything new in this book, but it Altrogge put things together in such a way that it caused me to see the ignorance of pursuing junk at the expense of enjoying Christ.  I needed this reminder.  This book really does expose the greener grass conspiracy and point you to a deeper satisfaction in Jesus.

You can purchase the book here. 

Also Stephen was kind enough to answer a few questions about his book.  You can read those seven questions and his responses here.