Christus Victor

This Is No Ordinary Love

2006-09-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:14-21

We see here the most earnest apostolic prayer, a window into the apostolic burden and care for his people to enter into spiritual maturity.

We are also told that we can comprehend Christ’s love for us, some don’t even begin to try, we can never exhaust it or come to the end, but that should not stop us from seeking and knowing what we can, even a speck would draw us to our knees in utter worship, think of Stephen and the revelation he had received. Instead of cussing out those who were stoning him he asked God to forgive them as they were killing him. (Acts 7: 54-60)

When we do comprehend, it changes us - we change the world around us – God’s kingdom is advanced.

We read here that we may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth

WE MUST REALIZE TO OUR HEARTS THE LOVE OF CHRIST

Jesus’ love for us is not a beautiful fiction, a romance, Jesus love for us is not a fluffy, cuddly, smoochy candy floss type of love, Christ’s love for us is not a surface theory or something narrow without breadth. Christ’s love for us is firm, solid as anything else in this world. It is not material or earthy we are spiritual beings, the higher reality is the things that are invisible, unseen. The invisible is the substance:

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1, King James)

The Apostles burden was that God’s children would be well acquainted with the love of Christ.
The breadth of it’s counsel and plans:

Length of it’s endurance and patience.
It’s heights, triumphs and glories.
Secret depths, there is still something that goes beyond our view.

The first measurement Paul speaks of His BREADTH.

Spurgeon says “The love of Christ is like the ocean that washes on every shore.”
It is not a narrow stream that pitifully trickles for the few chosen ones.
Jesus' love was broad enough to reach me at 16 beginning college in a small town in the East of England, It was broad enough to reach you. Christ’s love was broad enough to cover not only Jews but Gentiles:

“So then as through the transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteousness.” Romans 5:18-19

There is not a man or woman who owes something to the benevolence of Jesus Christ
Because the word of God is upheld every day, we can count on the sun rising every day
Both unregenerate and elect are blessed. All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven. Christ's river swells, washes over many sins, do you measure the breadth of Christ’s love towards you by the sin that it has reached in your life?
There is no part of His people interests which He does not consider; Christ brings us justification, adoption, sanctification, eternal life. Yet this measurement is surface work, there are three others.

Length, The length of Christ’s love has never come up short. Ever felt that with friends, they will do that, go there with you but I won’t do that. (Think of the Dr Pepper advert, I will do anything for love, but I won’t do that!)
That is not the case with Christ. “Greater love has no-one than this –that one lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
If Christ has spent just one minute thinking upon me, thinking upon you …. What a wonderful condescension to praise Him for, for a thousand years.
We are not worthy of a second of Christ’s thoughts yet how long has his heart been set upon us?
Was it the date that He plucked you and I out of the pit?
Was it when we were born?
Was it when sin hell and death were defeated when Christ was on the cross?
Was it the promise in the garden that Eve heard about her offspring crushing the head of the enemy?
NO He has thought upon us as LONG as He has existed – Is this not eternal love that many popular songs sing about?

THIS IS NO ORDINARY LOVE

God loved us in His Son long before the world began, Eph 1:4
Way back where creation has vanished and all that is left is the sweet society of the self existent deity. In this eternal mind thoughts of love towards us, to be formed for Himself were there. This is the length of Christ’s love for us.
It is a love without beginning but it is also one without pause. It is causeless, so we cannot cause His love to stop. We may feel as if God has forgotten us, forgotten the promises that seem so long ago, feel that heaven is like brass and our prayers bounce back to us, BUT JESUS' love has not stopped, He that has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Like eternity itself it has no bounds.
We are still looking at the surface and we have much to praise our Lord for.

Already we have seen the broadest river that we can imagine that is eternally streaming towards us but what about the depths of Christ’s love?

Consider how low He has stooped to look upon such insignificant creatures as you or I
His depth of love can be seen clearly not just in the reaching out to those who have openly cursed His very name
BUT HE BECAME ONE OF US A MAN!
“The Lord of Angels that slept upon a woman’s breast” Spurgeon

He bore our sorrows, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief – Over Lazarus, Over Jerusalem. Not just bore our sin but became sin on our behalf. That is the depths that Christ reached for us. Experiencing the wrath of His own Father for something that He did not do (wrongly accused? Does you love plunge deep enough to swallow that accusation and keep your friendship?) How much more did Christ delve down deep to love us. What depths He plunged to redeem His Fathers creation, no-one has gone to deep for Christ’s love to reach them.
Psalm 139 says “If I make my bed in Sheol, behold You are there.”
Do not think Christ’s love is not deep enough to get you out of the sin you are in
The depths of Christ’s love, He is able to save to the uttermost

THIS IS NO ORDINARY LOVE

Now we have swam the breadth looked across the length and peered into the depths of Christ’s love lastly we will look at the heights
Once we have grasped a little of what depths Christ’s love has achieved now we can see and know the full dignity and glory of being an heir of heaven, Joint heirs with Christ himself. His love has lifted us from that miry pit and placed our feet on the solid rock – our foundation. We have become Sons of God and inheritance like no other, our life is hid with Christ in God
Colossians 3:1-3 “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth – for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

So for the BREADTH, LENGTH, DEPTHS AND HEIGHTS of Christ’s love let us think upon the immensity, eternity, immeasurability and infinity and allow the Holy Spirit to instruct us further.

Ephesians 3:14-21 “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in move, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”

All this comprehension and revelation leads us to something
BEING FULL OF THE FULLNESS OF GOD
That is to be every Christians aim, when we learn about the breadth of Jesus love we will not hesitate to reach out to the unlovely – no longer confine our love to our own church.
When we begin to comprehend the length of His love, we will no longer be concerned with fleeting worries of the world. We will persevere and our love for Christ will gain length.
When we understand the depths Christ went to, to redeem us, we are humbled, we will sink lower in our own esteem, our love will deepen, more grounded, Christ will become the very core of our nature.
Considering His heights of love we shall scale mountain tops as he makes our feet as sure as the deer’s, to the heights we appear before His throne we will cast our crowns before the King of all glory.

I would like to end with a quote from Spurgeon:

“Brothers and sisters, it will be to small profit that we shall talk about breadth and length and depth and height of the love of Christ unless there is in your soul a devout longing ambition to set the Lord Jesus always before you, as the frequent, if not the constant subject of your meditation!. No progress to any extent is to be made in the school of the cross unless you separate yourself and give yourself wholly to this. It must be the one great business of your life, to know Him and the power of His resurrection. I would to God that we were all entered as diligent scholars in Jesus’ college – students of Corpus Christi, or the Body of Christ – resolved to attain unto a good degree in the learning of the Cross, a learning which the angels desire to understand! But to do this the heart must be full of Jesus, welling up with His love, flaming with it, overrunning with it! And therefore the Apostle prays, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts.” Observe the words, “that He may dwell” – not that He may call upon you sometimes, as a casual visitor enters into a house and tarries for a night – but that He may dwell. That Christ may take up His abode in your hearts. That the Lord Jesus may become the Lord and tenant of your inner most being, never more to go out, but to dwell there, world without end. Observe, too, the words that He may dwell in your heart – that best room of the house of manhood – not in your thoughts alone, but in your affections! Not merely have Him in your minds, but have Him in your loves.”

Amen

-- Nicky Bennett

Jesus Shall Reign

2006-09-06T00:29:00.000-07:00

I love giving God praise, I enjoying singing to Him in worship. But sometimes it is hard to find a song that reflects how I want to praise our Lord Jesus and I am finding myself going back to old hymns for inspiration. Issac Watts in 1719 wrote a hymn titled Jesus Shall Reign, that to me shows how a worshipper’s words describe the splendor, majesty and Lordship of our God:

To Him shall endless prayer be made,
And praises throng to crown His head;
His Name like sweet perfume shall rise
With every morning sacrifice.

People and realms of every tongue
Dwell on His love with sweetest song;
And infant voices shall proclaim
Their early blessings on His Name.

Blessings abound wherever He reigns;
The prisoner leaps to lose his chains;
The weary find eternal rest,
And all the sons of want are blessed.

Where He displays His healing power,
Death and the curse are known no more:
In Him the tribes of Adam boast
More blessings than their father lost.

Let every creature rise and bring
Peculiar honors to our King;
Angels descend with songs again,
And earth repeat the loud amen!

Great God, whose universal sway
The known and unknown worlds obey,
Now give the kingdom to Thy Son,
Extend His power, exalt His throne.

The scepter well becomes His hands;
All Heav’n submits to His commands;
His justice shall avenge the poor,
And pride and rage prevail no more.

With power He vindicates the just,
And treads th’oppressor in the dust:
His worship and His fear shall last
Till hours, and years, and time be past.

As rain on meadows newly mown,
So shall He send his influence down:
His grace on fainting souls distills,
Like heav’nly dew on thirsty hills.

This hymn was used one Sunday morning in 1862. King George in the South Sea Islands gathered thousands of people from Tonga, Fiji and Samoa for a time of Divine worship as he had exchanged their heathen government for a Christian one. Old chiefs, warriors and King George himself sat down and sang this hymn. G. J. Stevenson reports:

Old and young alike rejoiced together in the joys of that day, their faces most of them radiant with Christian joy, love and hope. It would be impossible to describe the deep feeling manifested when the solemn service began, by the entire audience singing Dr. Watts’ hymn. Who so much as they could realize the full meaning of the poet’s words? For they had been rescued from the darkness of heathenism and cannibalism and they were that day met for the first time under a Christian constitution, under a Christian king, and with Christ Himself reigning in the hearts of most of those present. That was indeed Christ’s kingdom set up on earth.

The words to these old hymns are not locked in the past they are still fresh today, God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Let us not ignore what has gone before, let us learn and revel in the glorious splendor of Jesus that can be revealed in the words of those who found revelation and wrote of it.

His worship and His fear shall last
Till hours, and years, and time be past.

--Nicky Bennett

Jesus Loves Karl Barth

2006-06-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

"A reporter once asked Dr. Barth if he could summarize what he had said in his lengthy Church Dogmatics. Dr. Barth thought for a moment and then said: "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

Perhaps the most amazing statement of all time. There is so much communicated in these few words, and yet they are some of the first learned by children growing up in the church. How astounding is it that the man who did more than anyone else to shape the study of theology in the twentieth century can sum up the complexities of his life's work in this simple phrase that is earnestly sung by so many Sunday school students?

The Good News which has saved our lives is all the more astonishing for the fact that this simple confession is as relevant to the eighty year old as to the eight year old. Yet, I'm sure that for some this is little more than a trite phrase, worn out form years of repetition. As we grow and mature in Christ, the wonder and the mystery behind these words should not decrease, but only grow. As children, we know that we are singing about someone wonderful, someone who has done something great. As we begin to mature, we realize just what it was that was done on our behalf. We are not simply singing about someone who is nice to us and shows great affection towards us. Rather, we are as we grow in Christ, we are given a greater understanding or our sin and rebellion towards God. From this, we realize that to say "Jesus loves me," is far different from saying, "My Mother loves me," or "My friend loves me." To say "Jesus loves me," is to say that the eternal God who we have displayed blatant hatred towards, has acted on our behalf in the person of Christ to reconcile us to the Father and to save us from eternal punishment.

When we say that "The Bible tells me so," we are confessing that not only has Jesus acted on our behalf in this way, but that he has revealed these saving acts in literary form. He has not only saved us, but he has provided us with a collection of books to instruct us in who he is, how he has saved us, and how he will shape us to look like him. We are not left in any doubt over what Jesus has done for us, but are given historic testimonies to saving power of Christ throughout all of history. So, if ever you find yourself at a loss words when you go to pray, or if you feel that you have nothing to thank and praise God for, simply remember that Jesus loves you, for the Bible tells you so.

-- Andrew Stout

Encouragement From Luther

2006-05-12T12:58:00.000-07:00

In this life we never reach such perfection that we fully possess God, but we must continuously seek after him; indeed, we must seek Him evermore, as the Psalmist says in Psalm 105:4: "Seek the Lord...seek his face evermore." Those who do not make progress in seeking after God, are bound to retrogress; indeed, those who do not seek, will lose that which they already have obtained. We must never stand still in seeking after God.

These are a few words of encouragement from the pen of Martin Luther in his commentary on Romans. What a wonderful prod to move forward in God from one of the greatest champions of the faith! It is a wonderful comfort to know that as we seek more of God, He has promised to be faithful in revealing Himself to us. There will never be a time when, coming to God with an earnest desire to know more of Him, we will be denied. Why is this? Is God so confident in us and in our good intentions that he knows that if he gives us a chance we will seek after Him? NO! We can be confident that God will reveal Himself to us because it is only through His work that we even have a desire to seek him! If God has been faithful to work in us a desire for Him, even while we were his enemies, then we can also be confident that God will fulfill that desire with Christ when we come before Him.

Let us be encouraged! Let us say with the Psalmist that we want to "seek his face evermore." Let us not grow stagnant with old revelation, but let us come before God with a fresh desire daily. Let us be confident and joyful that the One who works in us righteous desires is also the One who has promised to make us righteous. Above all else, as we "seek his face," let us rejoice that the glory of God has been revealed to us in the face of Christ.

-- Andrew Stout

Success verses Sacrifice – Apples or Crosses

2006-04-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

Our society would tell us that one must succeed at all costs, regardless of others. We must put ourselves first so that we may satisfy our own desires, ambitions and aspirations; no matter who or what is inthe way. How many people have you heard say to you,“Well, the time came when I had to think about myself and what I wanted.” This is an ancient melody whose original broken notes were heard in the Garden; our first parents wrote the one-upmanship tune. Reaching out for the forbidden fruit, they thumbed their nose at the authority of God and His commandment to them. How different is this today? Not at all; there is nothing new under the sun, we are reminded by the wisdom of Solomon.

Jesus said that, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will loose it, but whoever looses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.” (Lk 9:24) Diametrically opposed to the influence of today’s society upon us as young people, Jesus Christ Himself directs us to die to self in order that we might have life. The way of the cross may at times seem narrow or dimly lit, but it leads to daily victory and in this we rejoice and find our strength. The Christ of all has marked the way in His own precious blood, how can we not follow, and say “Yes Lord, take me”. In I Cor 15:31 Paul affirms that he dies daily, does he mean physically, no spiritually, and for us as we die daily we find Christ causes us to be victorious daily, through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Do you want the glitzy success offered by our contemporary culture, or do you want eternal delight in the presence of the Almighty? Come to the foot of the tree, take a knee, and say “yes Lord, take me.”

What would you tell someone who would say to you “Ihad to think about myself and what I wanted”?

-- Jon Bennett

Compassion

2006-04-12T08:08:00.000-07:00

Let me paint a picture for a moment; close your eyes and imagine for a second a family who has had everything they owned destroyed right in front of them. The father is broken, the mother is in shock and the children are frantic, all crying. Now when you think of these images what happens to you, do you feel bad for them, do you have pity on them, or do you have compassion and wonder what you could do to help. These emotions are typical and are what most people feel when they imagine themselves in that situation. The one emotion that is not usually displayed is compassion, especially in the world. When you think of compassion what is the typical response? In today’s society it would probably be a TV commercial, showing starving children and what we can do to help them out or a disaster occurring and the government is stepping in to help out. It is sad to think that it takes extremes for society to show compassion. After 9/11 everyone was doing their part to help out and to support each other and American pride was rampant and everywhere you saw compassion towards fellow men. What happened to that time? Do we truly need such a tragic event to get everyone to help each other out, and to obey the divine commandment. How do we show compassion, if we don’t understand what it truly is? The answer is to look upon our example: Jesus.

Jesus is the perfect model for today’s society to look toward; to understand what compassion is. All that Jesus is and has done displays compassion. Jesus didn’t need a disaster to occur in order to lend a helping hand to those in need. Jesus healed the sick indiscriminately, He gave sight to the blind, and He taught both rich and poor of the things of God. He wept with the grieving sisters of Lazarus, to display compassion, even though He knew He had the power to bring Lazarus back to life. He was trying to be alone to grieve the death of John the Baptist, but when the crowd came to Him, Jesus felt compassion for them and healed their sick. This is who Jesus is and what He did, and this is why we do what we do. We as the church don’t give up a Tuesday evening to go and minister to the homeless for our glory but because we want to follow the example of Jesus. We as God’s people are constantly being conformed into Christ’s image, and gladly give up our lives for the glory of God. Martyrs throughout history have always died fro a cause, and Christian martyrs are no different. To tell someone about Jesus, regardless of the consequences, is the ultimate display of compassion. For as humans we know that it is inevitable that we will all die someday, but as Christians we know that death is only the beginning of something greater. Showing someone that truth shows how much you care. In the end people don’t care how much you know but want to know how much you care.

What are your comments on the subject of compassion?

-- Jeremy Shindell

The Gospel of Judas

2006-04-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard already, a new Gnostic gospel, the Gospel of Judas, has been discovered and received much publicity, including a special on the National Geographic Channel. The gospel recounts the story of Judas with the twist that he had a secret conversation with Jesus in which Jesus revealed to Judas what had to take place and the part that Judas had to play in it. Therefore, Judas' actions weren't really a betrayal, but simply a fulfillment of the plan that Jesus supposedly revealed to him. I've no doubt that this news has caused concern and confusion among many Christians. However, despite the way the media is trying to spin the story, there is nothing new here.

Gnosticism is an old heresy that claims that the body and the physical world are inherently bad and should be cast off in search of spiritual enlightenment. Some of the gnostics claimed that Jesus did not actually take on a human body (since matter is inherently sinful and taking on a body would have tainted him) but rather appeared as a man. He did not come to make the physical sacrifice that would atone for the sins of the world, but rather, to give a secret knowledge to a few that would allow them to transcend the sinful, physical world and have a true knowledge of the spiritual realm. Gnosticism has been roundly condemned by the Church since its inception, along with the many gnostic gospels that have been in circulation since the early days of Christianity.

As Christians, we need to be aware of the different ways in which our faith is attacked. Dragging up old heresies that have long been rejected is just one way that the enemies of Christ try to discredit the ancient Christian faith. Our response must be one of informed commentary when topics such as this one come up. To help us in this, here's a link to an article called The Gospel of Ignorance at a great blog, Get Religion. This article provides some excellent perspective on this issue and should provide some useful information to have at hand should you find yourself in a conversation on this recent news story. Also, here's a link to the actual text of the gospel.

-- Andrew Stout

Christian Heroine at a Theater Near You

2006-04-06T09:08:00.000-07:00

I heard about this upcoming film and it sounds very intriguing. The movie is called Sophie Scholl: The Final Days. It's a German film that takes place during the time of the Holocaust. It looks like a rare film that takes a positive look at a Christian standing against an unjust society.

I quote from a movie review, by Jeffrey Overstreet, who maintains an excellent website of a Christian response to films and culture here: http://www.lookingcloser.org

A number of big names-Dame Judy Dench, Keira Knightley, Charlize Theron, and Reese Witherspoon-were Academy Award nominees for Best Actress in 2005. And Witherspoon, the winner for her role in Walk the Line, certainly deserved high honors. But could it be that voters overlooked a performance that's even more riveting, memorable, and inspiring than any of these?

You may think so when you see Sophie Scholl: The Final Days, an Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. In this German-made movie, Julia Jentsch plays the role of a valiant 21-year-old hero who stood up against the Nazis, and who boldly proclaimed her faith in Jesus Christ even as she denounced Hitler as a liar. Watch her stand strong against the relentless, ferocious challenges of Nazi interrogator Robert Mohr, played with similar intensity by Alexander Held.

If the real Sophie Scholl was anything like the character played by Jentschhere-and the extensive research performed by director Mark Rothemund and screenwriter Fred Breinersdorfer indicates that she was-then she deserves a place alongside history's most revered and celebrated Christian women. We haven't seen a comparable clash between a principled heroine and a determined, malevolent villain since Agent Clarice Starling matched wits with Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. But where Starling and Lecter only met in a few fleeting scenes, this battle of the minds goes on and on, until you're breathless with the heat of it.

You can read the rest of the review here: http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/reviews/2006/sophiescholl

Another reviewer, Steven D. Greydanus of http://www.decentfilms.com/, says:

one of a very few films that accomplishes one of the rarest and most valuable of cinematic achievements: It makes heroic goodness not just admirable, but attractive and interesting. How many films do this?

I will say, I'm not a professional movie reviewer, and have not had the opportunity to see this film yet. But the above reviews make it sound like this is a film well worth checking out (if you don't mind watchingsubtitled films). It opens April 7th at the Plaza Frontenac cinema.

-- Jim "Juice" Sanders

A Cinematic Touch

2006-03-27T11:25:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here thinking about and thanking God for the gift that He has given to me. That gift, as revealed by our Heavenly Father is being able to write movie reviews. The movies have always been and always will be a part of my life. I thank God every day that I am able to sit down and think about what I have just viewed. That is a wonderful gift.

Now think about this question for a moment. Have you seen a particular film recently (new or old)that reminded you of a particular passage(s) in our Holy Gospel? It can be any film that comes to mind. There are obvious choices like "The Passion of the Christ" (2005), "King of Kings" (1961) "The Ten Commandments" (1956) and "Ben-Hur (1959). I would like to challenge you to think outside the box on this and give me some of your choices.

Here's my example: In Akira Kurosawa's "Ran" (1985) an aged lord divides his kingdom equally among his three sons. Suddenly, there is a battle for control of the empire between them. I was reminded of this following verse when watching the film:

"Brother will betray brother to death and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death." -- Matthew 10:21

It is perfectly applied in "Ran" in one particular scene. The aged lord Hidetora has ordered his "fool" to bring a quiver with arrows. He pulls out three arrows, one at a time, and tells his sons to break them. They each do so in rapid succession. Then he pulls out three arrows bundled together. and none of them can break them (until the last resorts to breaking them on his knee) He says "if you stay together the house of Ichimonji will be safe but if not it will be easily destroyed."

Because the middle son did not heed this advice the kingdom ended up falling to pieces. See my latest review on my blog page for further analysis of this film. I look forward to hearing your comments. Have a blessed day.

Christus Victor!

-- Kenny Newell

A Life Without Regret

2006-03-22T12:28:00.000-08:00

I've been doing a lot of thinking. I've been to a couple of funerals lately, and I guess funerals make you do that. Realizing how fragile life is sure manages to make you want to figure out exactly what your life is broadcasting. So what would my life say if I died today? What would I want it to say? Would I want everyone to say "Jenny really knew how to have a good time," and yet never stood for something? What do I stand for? Is it obvious what I want to stand for? I want to stand for Christ. I want to do his will because I know that there is where I find eternal happiness, not just a quick fix. I've also been reexamining my views on so-called very "religious" friends. I always thought they just need to lighten up, to enjoy life. Maybe I'm the one who isn't living my life.

When I get to the throne room of my awesome heavenly father, I don't think I'm going to be thinking, "Man I wish I could have gone out and really experienced 'college living.'" I think I'll be face down before my heavenly father in all his majesty with the realization that I failed to speak. I was too afraid to stick out so I blended in, while those around me that I 'love' could spend an eternity in hell because of my silence. Suddenly those religious, serious-minded friends seem to make sense. They will be the ones saying "Father, I ran the race when it wasn't popular. I fought when I was the only one fighting. I spoke when everyone else was silent. I sought you when everyone else was too busy. I lived my life to bring honor to your name."

I don't know what this all means but I do know that I don't want to live my life with eternal regrets. I'm not saying forget enjoying life and stop having fun. What I am asking is what is enjoying life? What can I sew into that will make an eternity of difference? What will be my mark? Here's a quote from Albert Barnes:

"Christians should be grave and serious, though cheerful and pleasant. They should feel that they have great interests at stake, and that the world has too. They are redeemed not to make sport; purchased with precious blood for other purposes than to make men laugh. They are soon to be in heaven and a man who has any impressive sense of that will habitually feel he has much else to do than to make men laugh. The true course of life is midway between moroseness and levity; sourness and lightness; harshness and jesting. Be benevolent, kind, cheerful, bland, courteous but serious. Be solemn, thoughtful, deeply impressed with the presence of God and with eternal things but pleasant, affable and benignant. Think not a smile sinful; but think not levity and jesting harmless."

-- Jenny Schmid

A Ripe Harvest

2006-03-18T00:50:00.000-08:00

Do you believe the harvest is ripe?

“But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Mark 4:29

When I am shopping in the store, do I believe that the harvest is ripe? When I’m talking with non-believing friends, do I believe that the harvest is ripe? Do I believe enough to witness to those around me where ever I am? Do I believe in way that stirs me to tell anyone and everyone God puts in my path about His glory, His love, and His Kingdom? Such questions have been circling in my mind after receiving an assignment in CDT (Covenant Discipleship Training) that seemed fairly easy—at first.

Darin Kassebaum, pastor at the O’Fallon congregation, instructed each CDT student to show God’s love or share the Gospel with at least one person per week. Darin gave us a spectrum of ways to fulfill the assignment, but since I don’t have a job, go shopping, or really interact with unsaved people on daily, or even a weekly basis, I had to think out of the box. It struck me that the most convenient people I could witness to would be my neighbors. To decrease the odds of rejection or awkwardness, I decided that I would also take cookies with me. Between introducing myself and presenting the cookies, I would have a couple minutes to stutter something about God’s goodness. The greatest part of my cookie ministry would be the extra cookies, and an easy way to complete my assignment by visiting a different neighbor each week.

My first visit was almost too easy. My English neighbors asked me in and we chatted for almost 10 minutes. I learned about their church background, and even gave a short testimony of how I first started attending New Covenant Church. I even received a thank-you note within a few days to remind me of my successfully completed assignment.

The second week I decided I would visit two neighbors. Expecting to find another friendly set of neighbors, I was shocked when the young woman who answered the door gladly took the cookies, but left me with nothing to work with and less than 30 seconds of air time. My mind didn’t go blank, but all that came out was “God bless.” The second family met me with great expectation. While slightly uncomfortable, I was able to introduce myself, get their church background, and invite them to church.

The Holy Spirit challenged me as I reflected upon my experiences. Though my “success” depended on the friendliness of the neighbors, I was not fully completing Darin’s assignment. While I talked about church, I did not sound as if my experience was anything extraordinary. It is true that building a relationship takes time, and starting with church and occupational backgrounds is a great start. I also don’t want to cut myself short, as I have laid a foundation I can build upon. But at no point did I let my love for Jesus or my enthusiasm for His Kingdom come through a fear of rejection. At no point did I mention the name of Jesus or his love for his people.

The goal of my assignment was not to find people who liked me; it was to share Christ. I began to ask myself, do I believe that my neighbors will respond? Do I believe the harvest is ripe?

In reality, we all have an assignment that is due: “Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entering into their labor” (John 4:36-37).

What are some things that keep you from sharing the gospel with others? What are some ways you can overcome those obstacles? What are some of the rewards you have experienced from sharing God’s sacrifice for us with others?

-- Ruth Carlson

Christians in Culture

2006-03-15T01:25:00.000-08:00

"Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit." - Titus 3:1-5"

...most of the problems in the world today are due to the fact that men transgress the boundaries of their callings." - John Calvin

One of the topics that has emerged in many of my recent discussions is the role of the church in the culture she is placed in. As Americans, we have encountered a culture that is rooted in postmodern perspective and humanistic thought. We live in a very secular society, as citizens under a secular government. We then have to ask ourselves, "What is our role, as Christians, in such a society and nation?"

It is undoubtedly our calling to minister the gospel and, as it is frequently stated by the elders, to seek the restoration of all things as we function as a church. However, I think it is a common mistake to behold this vision of restoration and assume that the methods of getting there would be through the advancement of moral reform. The problem isn't essentially moral but theological. Restoration comes by means of Reconciliation, and Reconciliation comes by means of the Gospel alone. Reconciliation does not come through a secular society's obedience to the Law. Many times we tend to envision the advancement of the kingdom through the same means of the advancement of an earthly kingdom, that if we some how impose Biblical Law, rule our government through a Christian administration, or replace secular education with Christian education, that we will gradually see Christ as head of all things. We tend to think that we must advance the kingdom through man-made institutions or political agendas. This does not seem to be the appropriate Biblical perspective for the Church to adopt.

Before we get any further, I want to establish this general point. The advancement of the kingdom will not come through the advancement of a "Christian culture". Christendom will not and can not be its agent. The Kingdom of God will be advanced through the agency of the Church by godly living and the ministry of the gospel of Christ. We should not forget the purpose of the Reformation and the Reformers' emphasis on Salvation through the gospel, not through the obedience of moral law. This essentially seems to be the crux of the issue. As Michael Horton points out in his article, "My Father's World", we can not expect a society of sinners to subscribe to Biblical law, and we can not impose that upon them. There is a time and a place for opinions, but aggressive opposition, by making ourselves adversaries of our culture, will not advance the message of the gospel.

We serve a sovereign Lord, a Lord that has lordship over all things, over the kingdom of this world and the heavenly kingdom. As Christians, we have a created purpose and a redemptive purpose as citizens of both of these kingdoms. We are created as citizens with a mandate to fulfill our appropriate roles as cooperative participants, and in a fallen world we have a mandate to fulfill our role as an agent of the good news of Redemption in evangelizing and ministering the Gospel. We have a calling, as individuals, to make use of the gifts given to us, to submit to our authorities, and to remain loving and respectful towards others around us. We are called to participate in our culture. This concerns our roles as actors, politicians, educators, as students in a secular academic setting, or employees of a secular company. Unfortunately, Evangelicals have been portrayed, in this country, as radical fundamentalists masquerading their religious viewpoints under conservative political agendas. This is not how the church is to be perceived. Church-instituted government will not get the job done. As Evangelical Christians, we want to produce redemptive fruit through godly living and ministering the Word of God.

The culture we live in does not have to be a "Christian culture" (of which, many would argue, is non-existent). Our fulfillment as cultural and dutiful citizens is what will prepare the way for a solid gospel message. We have a responsibility to the state and to the Church, and we are called to be cooperative with and submissive to both. We are called to be "salt and light" in the world.... Let's bring some color and good taste into our culture without trying to destroy it.

"There is a twofold government in man: one aspect is spiritual, whereby the conscience is instructed in piety and reverencing God; the second is political, whereby man is educated for the duties of humanity and citizenship that must be maintained among men. These are usually called the 'spiritual' and the 'temporal' jurisdiction (not improper terms)...The one we may call the spiritual kingdom, the other, the political kingdom. Now these two, as we have divided them, must always be examined separately; and while one is being considered, we must call away and turn aside the mind from thinking about the other. There are in man, so to speak, two worlds, over which different kings and different laws have authority. Through this distinction it comes about that we are not to misapply to the political order the gospel teaching on spiritual freedom, as if Christians were less subject, as concerns outward government, to human laws, because their consciences have been set free in God's sight." - Martin Luther

"Ecce homo! - Behold the man! In Him the world was reconciled with God. It is not by its overthrowing but by its reconciliation that the world is subdued. It is not by ideals and programmes or by conscience, duty, responsibility and virtue that reality can be confronted and overcome, but simply and solely by the perfect love of God." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

-- Brad Nichols

A New Song

2006-03-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

It is amazing to me how the bible is sometimes so real and literal! In Psalms it says "God has put a new song in my heart" and "I have a new song in my mouth - a song of praise to our God." God has done that for me lately! The theme of my "new song in my heart" is that I want God now more than I ever have before! I am so thankful that God has done that in me, but the process to get there wasn't what I would call easy, fun or enjoyable! God had to bring me to a place of brokenness before Him - a place where my will is now more fully yielded to Him. I have decreased so that He might increase in me. He reminded me Who is in charge!

Below is a song by Relient K, and I love the lyrics. They so much describe what I have just gone through in my life, especially the part that says "You said 'I know that this will hurt, but if I don't break your heart then things will just get worse. If the burden seems too much to bear, remember the end will justify the pain it took to get us there.' " I feel like God said that to me recently, as if He said "Alright, Sarah, this is going to be painful, so brace yourself. But it must be done, and it's going to be worth it."

I feel like I haven't even seen everything yet that God has done through this process, but what I have seen already has made it worth the pain. It was as if I have been in a tunnel and couldn't see daylight anymore, but now I am coming out on the other side of something. Praise God! He says that He is faithful to complete the work He has begun in us, and He has proved that to me over this past year. If you are going through a similar experience I want to encourage you to cling to God like you never have before! Hold on to Him "for dear life," because our lives are found in Him!

"Let It All Out"

Let it all outGet it all out
Rip it out remove it
Don't be alarmed
When the wound begins to bleed

Cause we're so scared to find out
What this life's all about
So scared we're going to lose it
Not knowing all along
That's exactly what we need

And today I will trust You with the confidence
Of a man who's never known defeat
But tomorrow, upon hearing what I did
I will stare at You in disbelief
Oh, inconsistent me
Crying out for consistency

And You said "I know that this will hurt
But if I don't break your heart then things will just get worse
If the burden seems too much to bear
Remember
The end will justify the pain it took to get us there"

And I'll let it be known
At times I have shown
Signs of all my weakness
But somewhere in me
There is strength

And You promise me
That You believe
In time I will defeat this
Cause somewhere in me
There is strength

And today I will trust You with the confidence
Of a man who's never known defeat
And I'll try my best to just forget
That that man isn't me

Reach out to me
Make my heart brand new
Every beat will be for You
For You

And I know You know
You touched my life
When You touched my heavy heart and made it light

-- Sarah Hayden

Christus Victor

2006-03-10T10:52:00.000-08:00

The modern church has become stagnant and insipid for one simple reason, she no longer believes in the victory of her Lord. As if paralyzed, and mute, she has sat back to watch the world go by; a TV remote in one hand and a diet soda in the other. This is not the bride that has been prepared for the marriage supper of the lamb, the scriptures reveal her in splendor, nobility and purity; something must change, and by Gods grace it is, and it will. He always has His remnant, His faithful who have not bowed down to foreign gods. Rushdooney once said “History is not changed by the majority; history has only been changed by the faithful minority.” Like the 7000, in the account of Elijah, who had not given themselves to foreign god’s (I Kn 19:18), God Himself will raise up a righteous and pure voice in our day; restoring the crown rights of His Son, King Jesus.

Psalm 110:1-2 is the clearest declaration of the victory of Christ and the most succinct explanation of the function of the church. Augustine wrote of this Psalm; verbus brevis, sensu infinitus. – Short in words, but in its sense infinite. Out of all the Old Testament passages to appear in the New Testament, this Psalm is the most quoted; eleven times it is referred to in the new, seven of these in the letter to the Hebrews alone. If the New Testament writers recognized its importance, and fulfillment, it is necessary we do also in our day. In a prophetic declaration, verse one trumpets the victory of Jesus Christ, the messiah of old, seated in a position of authority

The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”.

The Father has decreed the rule of His son since ages past; God Almighty said to our mediator; Jehovah said to our Adonai, sit at my right hand. In John 13:3 we read that Jesus “knew the father had given all things into His hands”, this is before the cross. After the resurrection, Jesus’ great commission to His disciples opens with “all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth,” (Matt 28:18) this is before His ascension. Now through Christ’s session, His rule is enacted on the earth, from the throne in heaven, this is before His final return. Christ has sat down; it is from a position of rest that He subdues His enemies, it is out of a state of repose that Christ advances His kingdom – there is no striving or warring with Him, He reigns and rules from the throne. Acts 2:33; 5:31; and 7:55, 56 confirm to us where Jesus is, as the fulfillment of Psalm 110, prophesied by David, so long before. The apostle Paul takes the theme of the victory of Christ and writes of a divine man seated upon a throne, far above all authority, dominion and power, (Eph 1:20-22; Col 2:9,10; 3:1). The writer to the Hebrews tells us “Christ sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high” (Heb 1:3). In direct reference to our Psalm the writer informs us of its accomplishment (Heb 10:12, 13). In John’s vision we are also confronted with the realization of Psalm 110, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever” (Rev 11:15). This is not a future occurrence; it is a past tense investiture has become. The question whether or not we believe in the Lord, or if we love the Lord is not the issue; now the right question is, are we submitted to His authority, is the glory of His throne revealed in our lives? It is with this in mind we now turn to verse two; the role of the church.

The text reads

The Lord will stretch forth your strong scepter from Zion, saying,
“Rule in the midst of your enemies.”

There are the same two subjects; the Father and the Son, God Almighty and our mediator, Jesus Christ, speaking from Zion, ruling from Zion, the city of God. In the Old Testament Zion was the name of a mountain within Jerusalem, which became the city of David, his centre of authority and power (II Sam 5:7; I Kn 8:1). Now in the new covenant Zion is not one earthly location but, rather, the church universal as the body of Christ. Heb. 12:22-24 tells us that now we have come to the heavenly Jerusalem, the general assembly of the church of the firstborn, on Mt. Zion. Paul informs us in Phil 3:20 that now we are citizens of heaven – citizens of Zion.

The reference of the scepter indicates the authority of the sovereign. It was a bejeweled rod held in the right hand of the ruler; illustrating their wealth and might. Jacob prophesied over his son, “the scepter will not depart from Judah” (Gen 49:10). This has been fulfilled in Christ, “So now of the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom.’” Heb. 1:8, quoting Ps. 45:6 – a present reality in the New Covenant. Aaron and Moses used a rod to enact the righteous judgment of God upon the Egyptians, bringing the ten plagues. This was the same rod in the hand of Moses in the parting of the sea, and in striking the rock to bring forth water. No mere trickle; it had to be enough for an entire nation of individuals, plus their livestock; not simply a small brook but a gushing, torrential river. Jesus said to the woman at the well, “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” Further in Jn 7:38 He said, “He who believes in Me, as the scriptures said, ‘from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” The accomplishment of Psalm 110 verse 2 is in the Christian believer being a Christ revealer; now with the gospel of truth – Christ is reigning over all – we proclaim Him. The rod of gospel truth is used to strike men’s stony hearts in order that deep wellsprings of living torrents would gush forth.

So Now as always Christ will be exalted in our body (Phil 1:20); in our being, in our hearts, in our minds, in our churches, in our families, in our schools, in our state and to the nations of the earth – Christ will have the preeminence. What must we do? So Now declare Christ reigns, So Now, proclaim Christ rules, So Now, tell of all that Christ has done. Christ is seated upon the throne, So Now the authority of the believer is to proclaim Him, achieving Christ’s righteous dominion on earth, in history, preparing for His physical return.

Christus Victor!

--Jon Bennett

Ministering to Post-everythings

2006-03-08T13:17:00.000-08:00

Do you find it difficult to communicate the truths of Christianity and the message of Christ to those that you come into contact with? Is it hard for you to find ways to show people on the campus or in the work place that the isolation and despair that they experience is symptomatic of the fact that they have violated God's law and that they are in need of the righteousness of another to put them back in right standing with the Creator of the universe? More than likely, if you have attempted to share the truth of the Gospel with others you have encountered these problems. We live in an age that has been labeled, "postmodern." For the greater part of history, most people had taken belief in God as a given. With the coming of Englightenment thought in the seventeenth century, men began to attempt to arrive at certain knowledge of truth and reality by their own reason and intellectual abilities, apart from the idea of dependency upon or responsibility to a divine being. This move towards modernity has created the context for our dependence solely on what man can achieve and discover on his own, apart from any sort of supernatural reality. This can be evidenced by the almost religious reverence that we have when we speak of things being "scientific."

However, ours is a generation that is characterized by a despair of ever finding the certainty that the Enlightenment set out to give us. We are no longer sure that we can really say what is right and what is wrong, if such distinctions even exist. We are trapped within the context of our own experiences, and we cannot know anything for certain about the things outside of this context. This puts sever limitations on our own knowledge and our ability to discover truth (and again, this is a category that we aren't sure if we can even affirm the existence of) or to discern right from wrong. The ways in which we are traditionally taught to evangelize do not seem to be sufficient in light of this condition. Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan speaks to this dilemma in his article entitled Post-everythings:

"...typical evangelistic presentations are effective with persons who assume they should be good. Then the gospel-presenter tries to show them tha[t] they are not good enough - they fall short of God's perfect standards - and therefore they need Jesus to forgive sin and help them do the the right thing. This presentation was quite appropriate for almost everyone in my parents' generation. My parents, who are evangelical Christians, and my in-laws, who are not at all, had basically the same social and moral values. If you asked them the questions such as, 'What do you think about pre-marital sex, or homosexuality, or pornography?' both sets of parents would have answered the same. They were part of a world in which Christianity was the folk-religion even if it was not the heart-religion of most people. They believed that the purpose of life was to be a good person. This world no longer exists everywhere."

This is the problem: In previous generations, people have had general ideas about what is right and wrong and therefore had similar ideas about what a good person acts like. Appeals to sinfulness mean something to people like this. However, many in our generation would look at you cross-eyed or even react violently if you bring up categories of right and wrong. For these people, we must first find ways to communicate the concepts of good and bad before we can show them their depravity before a holy God and their subsequent need for a Savior. No doubt, all human beings have an inborn understanding of right and wrong, but the suppression of these concepts by our postmodern age have caused people to doubt their own ability to distinguish or affirm these distinctions.

How then can we set out to present the truths of the Gospel in a way that is faithful to God's Word and also able to communicate these truths in way that penetrates the minds of people in the postmodern world? Keller, who has had enormous success in ministering the Gospel to a young generation of hip Manhattanites, suggests several ways in which we can go about this task, including the use of narrative. Stories are one of the greatest tools we have in communicating the need for a Savior to our generation. Think of how obsessed our culture is with movies, role-playing games, first person shooter video games, and other forms of entertainment. We love being placed in the center of story.

This love of narrative, while particularly characteristic of our generation, is not a unique characteristic. The longing to be in the midst of story that is greater than the tale of our own individual lives is something that is inborn. We can easily see that Scripture, which is given to us largely in the form of stories, speaks to this longing. We are given the story of a majestic garden that is corrupted through the disobedience of its inhabitance. We are told of a race of people sought out by the Creator to bring restoration to his fallen creation. We follow these people through their captivity and their release, their military victories and their devastating defeats, all the while looking forward to the One who will set all things right. We are told of the miraculous events that surround the birth of this One and we listen to Him teach about the Kingdom that He is instituting. We see Him as He sets in to motion the promised restoration in an unexpected plot twist that sees our protagonist hanging dead on a cross. We are told of the impossible reality of His resurrection, and we are commissioned to bring about the realization of His kingdom in the world through the message of His death and resurrection.

This is an amazing story! Perhaps by attempting to communicate not only the propositions of the Gospel, but also the story of the Gospel, we can have a greater influence on our postmodern world. Our culture provides us with all sorts of narratives through film, music, and other mediums into which we can inject the redeeming message of Christ and His cross. Instead of simply telling people that they are sinful and that they need a Savior, perhaps we can show them through a stories that communicate to them. Instead of assuming an understanding of right and wrong, perhaps we can make sense of these categories for people through narratives that clearly illustrate them.

The question in now, how can we do this? I'd love to hear suggestions from people. As we set out to evangelize as a group and as we attempt to reach individuals with the message of the Gospel on our campuses, how could we employ narrative in our efforts? Does anyone have any example of different stories (i.e. movies, books, whatever) that communicate the realities of our sinful condition and a need for redemption? Let's make this practical!

--Andrew Stout