"My Disciples: The Cost"

The first in a four part series looking at the "my disciples" passages spoken by Jesus. In this message from Luke 14:25-33, we consider the c.o.s.t. of discipleship in terms of commitment, obedience, sacrifice and trust.



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Sunday Spurgeon

God in His providence and in grace,
as far as we have been

made willing to learn of Him,
is educating us for something
higher than this world.

"Redefining the E-Word"

John Buckeridge over at Christianity offers some interesting thoughts on whether its time for evangelicals to come up with a different identification for themselves.

"I’m an evangelical – but sometimes I’m reluctant to own up. I’m not alone – in a survey conducted for Premier Radio and the Evangelical Alliance 87% of the sample describe themselves as evangelical but only 59% reveal their ‘evangelical’ identity to others (News page 8). Not that we’re ashamed of the gospel of the Lord Jesus or being identified as Christians, it’s just the ‘evangelical’ tag that we sometimes struggle with.

Half a century ago words like ‘gay’, ‘ecstasy’ and ‘wicked’ meant something very different than they do today. In the past ‘evangelical’ stood for four key values:
* a commitment to the authority and centrality of scripture,
* a call to personal faith and repentance,
* the centrality of Christ’s death as our substitute,
* putting faith into action through evangelism and social action.

Now to the unchurched and people of other faiths – evangelical is increasingly shorthand for: right-wing US politics, an arrogant loud mouth who refuses to listen to other people’s opinions, men in grey suits who attempt to crowbar authorised version scripture verses into every situation, or ‘happy-clappy’ simpletons who gullibly swallow whatever their tub thumping minister tells them to believe. Large parts of the British media seem happy to paint evangelicals into that stereotype. Today in the UK ‘evangelical’ is often linked with the ultimate 21st century swearword ‘fundamentalist’. The result is the name ‘evangelical’ which years ago, may have smelt of roses – now has the aroma of the manure that fertilises the bush.

What to do? I’ve spoken to Joel Edwards who heads up Evangelical Alliance, a man I really respect and admire. He argues that we need to rehabilitate the word, that ‘evangelical’ is too rich and precious a word to drop. But I worry that the tide has gone out on the ‘e’ word. I still stand by the historic values that evangelicalism was built on, I’m not going soft on the four ‘e’ principles listed earlier. But I’m tired of being tarred with the identities of men with megaphones who shout ‘hell’, ‘wrath’ and ‘damnation’ at passers-by and fail to say, ‘love’, ‘grace’ or ‘forgiveness’. I’m tired of being tarred with the identities of the ‘anti-everything’ brigade – who angrily list the things they are against and claim to speak for ‘evangelicals’, but actually have a tiny support base. And I’m tired of being tarred with US right wing foreign policy.

People within might understand, but what about those outside the church? Isn’t it time to choose a new word that sums up our e-identity and commitment to following Jesus but puts distance between us and the damaging negatives?"

What Buckeridge says is sadly true, not only in the UK but here in the USA. Regardless of the intentions of the parties noted above, the evangelical brand, if you will, has undergone a marked change in the last few decades. Theology has been upstaged by political agendas and the cause of Christ is often the loser.

Is it possible to rehabilitate the "E-Word" or do we need a different term? I'm not sure, but I am open to what some others are doing in "re-branding" the evangelical perspective. One of the best I have heard is Mark Driscoll.

Mark Driscoll the pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle has expanded on some work by Dr. Ed Stetzer and offers some new categories (which he has applied to the emerging church, but I think are useful to the question at hand) :

1) Relevants: theologically conservative, culturally innovative church forms.

2) Reformed Relevants: theologically conservative and reformed, culturally innovative church forms.

3) Reconstructionists: theologically conservative, reinventing church forms.

4) Revisionists: theologically liberal, reinventing church forms.

I think there is some merit in these distinctions. I would be more than happy to classify myself as a Reformed Relevant. And it gives one a handle by which to look at others who claim to be evangelical in the ever-changing landscape of modern Christianity.

So what do some of you think? Evangelical: worn-out or worth saving?

"Premillenialist Christians Shouldn't Drive"

Got this from Stay Free! Daily...

"I'm sure everyone here has been driving and seen the bumper sticker that reads "In case of Rapture, car will be unmanned." While this never fails to inspire some very action-movie style daydreams and exciting video game premises, it also brings up a far more practical issue: should saved Christians be allowed to drive?

One would think that, if we don't grant driver's licences to narcoleptics, epileptics, or other people who may, at random, lose all control of their careening vehicle, we sure as h*** won't grant a license to someone who may just up and disappear without warning. But, this never seems to come up.

That fundamentalist, evangelical, end-times-anticipating Christians seek to create or alter legislation to support their beliefs is not exactly news. And, of course, it's well within their rights to petition and badger and seek to achieve their goals of teaching religious pseudoscience in schools, or keeping gay people from marrying, and so on-- but it seems to me that if they are really going to be forthright in their goals of altering the laws of the United States to fit their theology, they can't just pick and choose the laws they want. To really be taken seriously, they need to go all the way, to do the right thing and press for legislation stipulating that anyone who has accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts cannot safely pilot a motorized vehicle or similar heavy machinery.

I'm willing also to consider legislation that would provide for them the right to pilot small, possibly electric city-cars that are speed-limited to 25 MPH, contain adequate warning lights and signage, and, upon detection of loss of driver (via a simple switch in the seat that disengages when the driver is raptured away) sounds a warning klaxon as it slowly comes to a safe, controlled stop under automatic control.

So, saved Premillenialist Christians, here's my challenge to you: go all the way. Fight for what you want in our schools, our hospitals, our public places, but stick to your beliefs on our highways as well. I mean, that's what being a fundamentalist is all about, right?"

HT: The RiddleBlog

Couldn't Have Said It Better...

"You cannot become thorough Americans if you think of yourselves in groups. America does not consist of groups. A man who thinks of himself as belonging to a particular national group in America has not yet become an American."

- President Woodrow Wilson

"Who Are You Looking For?"

This message from John 20:10-18 looks at the upcoming release of the Da Vinci Code movie and examines the person of Mary Magdalene from its perspective, as well as from the Scriptures. The goal is not only to educate about the errors in the Da Vinci Code, but to encourge us to seize the opportunity afforded to share who Jesus really is.


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Sunday Spurgeon

When you get cold in heart, you find it inconvenient to come so far, and you go to a fashionable place of worship, where your musical tastes can be gratified. Yes, when grace declines, fancy rules the mind, and love of ease controls the body, and the soul loses appetite, and grows greedy for empty phrases, and weary of the Word of God.

Something A Bit Different

The following was a question from a real job application:

You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night. You pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for the bus:

1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.

2. An old friend who once saved your life.

3. The perfect man (or) woman you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car. Think before you continue reading. This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application.

You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first; or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back. However, you may never be able to find your perfect dream lover again.

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer.

He simply answered: "I would give the car keys to my old friend, and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the woman of my dreams."

Never forget to "Think Outside of the Box.

HT: Echo Mixed Nuts

God's Call to Grateful Obedience

Hear, O people of God, the law which the Lord speaks in
your hearing this day, that you may know his statutes
and walk according to his ordinances.
Teach us, O Lord, the grace of your law,
and give us life by your Word.
The God who saved us in Jesus Christ gave this law, saying:
I am the Lord your God! You shall have no other gods before me.
We will worship the Lord our God and serve only him.
You shall not make yourself an image of anything to worship it.
Living no more in bondage to earthly gods,
we will worship the Lord our God in spirit and in truth.
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord.
We will use the holy name of God with reverence,
praising him in everything we do and say.
You shall observe the Sabbath by keeping it holy,
for in six days you shall labor and do all your work.
This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
The first part of the law is this great commandment:
That we love the Lord our God with all our heart,
with all our mind, and with all our strength.
The second part of the law is similar to the first: you shall
honor your father and mother, that you may live long
in the land the Lord your God is giving to you.
As children we will be obedient to our parents in the Lord;
as parents we will correct our children and guide them
in the training and instruction of the Lord;
we will respect the lawful authorities appointed by God.
You shall not murder.
We will be kind and compassionate to one another,
forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave us.
You shall not commit adultery.
We will use our bodies in ways that are holy and honorable,
and abstain from immorality and impurity.
You shall not steal.
We will do what we can for our neighbor's good,
and work faithfully so that we may share with the poor.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
We will speak the truth with our neighbor in love,
render judgments that are true and make for peace,
and not devise in our hearts any evil against anyone.
You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.
We will be content whatever the circumstances
through the strength of Christ within us.
Thus we must love our neighbor as ourselves.
For the Lord requires of us to do justice, to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with our God. Amen!

A Moment with Martyn Lloyd Jones

"Don't let the world squeeze you into its own mold"

Romans 12:2 (J. B. Phillips)

[The Beatitudes] indicate clearly . . . the essential, utter difference between the Christian and the non-Christian. The New Testament regards [this difference] as something absolutely basic and fundamental; and ... the first need in the Church is a clear understanding of this essential difference. It has become blurred; the world has come into the Church and the Church has become worldly. The line is not as distinct as it was. There were times when the distinction was clear cut, and those have always been the greatest eras in the history of the Church. We know, however, the arguments that have been put forward. We have been told that we have to make the Church attractive to the man outside, and the idea is to become as much like him as we can. There were certain popular padres during the first world war who mixed with their men, and smoked with them, and did this, that, and the other with them, in order to encourage them. Some people thought that, as a result, when the war was over, the ex-servicemen would be crowding into the churches. Yet it did not happen, and it never has happened that way. The glory of the gospel is that when the Church is absolutely different from the world, she invariably attracts it. It is then that the world is made to listen to her message, though it may hate it at first. That is how revival comes. That must also be true of us as individuals. It should not be our ambition to be as much like everybody else as we can, though we happen to be Christian, but rather to be as different from everybody who is not a Christian as we can possibly be. Our ambition should be to be like Christ, the more like Him the better, and the more like Him we become, the more we shall be unlike everybody who is not a Christian.

From: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, i, pp. 36-7

The JOY of Easter

The dominant emotion of Easter is joy. Do you have it?
This Easter message from Matthew 28: 1-10 looks at this from three perspectives:

Jesus is alive...
Our world has changed...
Your life can be transformed.


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Easter Sunday Spurgeon

Have you not quoted a great many times certain lines about “That undiscovered country from whose borne no traveler returns”? It is not so. There was once a traveler who said that “I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go away I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am there ye may be also.” He said, “A little time and ye shall see me, and again a little time and ye shall not see me, and because I go to the Father.” Do you not remember these words of his? Our divine Lord went to the undiscovered country, and he returned. He said that at the third day he would be back again, and he was true to his word. There is no doubt that there is another state for human life, for Jesus has been in it, and has come back from it. We have no doubt as to a future existence, for Jesus existed after death. We have no doubt as to a paradise of future bliss, for Jesus went to it and returned. Though he has left us again, yet that coming back to tarry with us forty days has given us a sure that he will return a second time when the hour is due, and then pledge with us for a thousand years, and reign on earth amongst his ancients gloriously. His return from among the dead is a pledge to us of existence after death, and we rejoice in it.

Seven Prayers For Seven Words

"Father forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:32-34)

Almighty God, to whom your crucified Son prayed for the forgiveness of those who did not know what they were doing, grant that we, too, may be included in that prayer. Whether we sin out of ignorance or intention, be merciful to us and grant us your acceptance and peace.

"I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:35-43)

O Lord Jesus, you who promised to the repentant thief the joy of paradise, remember us. Enable us by the Holy Spirit to repent and to receive your grace in this world and in the world to come.

"Dear woman here is your son...Here is your mother" (John 19:25-27)

Blessed Savior, in your hours of greatest suffering you expressed compassion for your mother and made arrangements for her care. Now grant that we who seek to follow your example, may show our concern for the needs of others, reaching out to provide for those who suffer in our human family.

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:39-46)

Almighty God, you who forsook your Son upon the cross showing the world your judgment upon human sin and guilt, grant us, upon hearing his cry, the grace to know and believe that we will never be forsaken, that he is present with us even to the end of the age.

"I am thirsty" (John 19:28-29)

Blessed Savior, whose lips were dry and whose throat was parched, grant us the water of life that we who thirst after righteousness may find it quenched by your love and mercy, leading us to bring the same relief to others.

"It is finished!" (John 19:30)

Lord Jesus Christ, who finished the work that you were sent to do, enable us by your Holy Spirit to be faithful to our call. Grant us strength to bear our crosses, and endure our sufferings, even unto death. Enable us to live and love so faithfully that we also become good news to the world, joining your witness.

"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 43:44-46)

Father, into whose hands your Son Jesus Christ commended his spirit, grant that we too, following his example, may all of life and at the moment of death entrust our lives into your faithful hands of love.

Maundy Thursday 2006

Maundy Thursday meditation from Luke 22:14-30 focusing on the promise Jesus gives that those who continue with Him will dine at His table in the Kingdom to come.


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The War on Easter?

Worldnet Daily reports this:

A media company that produced a best-selling documentary asserting that Jesus Christ never existed today launches its "War on Easter," encouraging volunteer atheists to plant copies of the film "The God Who Wasn't There" in churches across the United States.

Dubbing the effort "Operation Easter Sanity," Brian Flemming, a self-described "former Christian fundamentalist" and president of Beyond Belief Media, hopes to covertly place 666 copies of the documentary in churches by Easter Sunday, April 16. The number 666 is the biblical mark of "The Beast," which also is the name of another film by Flemming set for a 06-06-06 release.

"People go to churches to hide from the truth," Flemming said in a statement. "At no time is this more apparent than Easter, when Christians get together to convince each other that a man died, stayed dead three days, rose from the dead and then flew into the air above the clouds.

"Our nonviolent campaign sends the message that nowhere in the country is safe from the truth. Wherever Christian leaders are indoctrinating children with 2,000-year-old fairy tales, the truth may just find its way there."

Continued the former Christian: "Our 'War on Easter' is of course completely without violence of any kind. Christians believe that beating a man to a pulp and nailing him to a cross somehow solves all the world's problems. Beyond Belief Media does not."

Paul understand the arguments of people like the above: He addresses them in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."

But then he refutes them in these words in verse 20..."But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead!"

For over 2,000 years men have tried to deny, refute and undermine the power of the resurrection. All have and will fail. Such individuals don't deserve our scorn, but our pity and our prayers.

I for one have no doubts. You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart. No DVD will ever change that.

What Are You Doing May 19th?

Justin over at Between Two Worlds shares an e-mail with a great suggestion on how we can respond to the Da Vinci Code movie release. Sounds like a great idea to me...

WHAT ARE YOU DOING MAY 19TH?

May 19th is the date the Da Vinci Code movie opens. A movie based on a book that wears its heresy and blasphemy as a badge of honor.

What can we as Christians do in response to the release of this movie? I'm going to offer you the usual choices -- and a new one.

Here are the usual suspects:

A) We can ignore the movie.

The problem with this option: The box office is a ballot box. The only people whose votes are counted are those who buy tickets. And the ballot box closes on the Sunday of opening weekend. If you stay home, you have lost your chance to make your vote heard.
You have thrown your vote away, and from Hollywood's point of view, you don't count. By staying home, you do nothing to shape the decision-making process regarding what movies will make it to the big screen.

B) We can protest.

The problem with this option: It doesn't work. Any publicity is good publicity. Protests not only fuel the box office, they make all Christians look like idiots. And again, protests and boycotts do nothing to help shape the decisions being made right now about what movies Hollywood will make in the next few years. (Or they convince Hollywood to make *more* movies that will provoke Christians to protest, which will drive the box office up.)

C) We can discuss the movie.

We can be rational and be ready with study guides and workshops and point-by-point refutations of the lies promulgated by the movie.

The problem with this option: No one's listening. They think they know what we're going to say already.

We'll lose most of these discussions anyway, no matter how prepared we are, because the power of story always trumps the power of facts (why do you think Jesus taught in parables?!). And once again: rational discussion of history does nothing to affect Hollywood's choices regarding what movies to make.

But there's a fourth choice.

On May 19th, you should go to the movies. Just go to another movie.

Save the date now. May 19th, or May 20th. No later than Sunday, May 21st -- that's the day the ballot box closes. You'll get a vote, the only vote Hollywood recognizes: The power of cold hard cash laid down on a box office window on opening weekend.

Use your vote. Don't throw it away. Vote for a movie other than DVC. If enough people do it, the powers that be will notice. They won't have a choice.

The major studio movie scheduled for release against DVC is the DreamWorks animated feature Over the Hedge. The trailers look fun, and you can take your kids. And your friends. And their friends. In fact, let's all go see it.

Let's rock the box office in a way no one expects -- without protests, without boycotts, without arguments, without rancor. Let's show up at the box office ballot box and cast our votes. And buy some popcorn, too.

May 19th. Mark your calendars now: Over the Hedge's opening weekend. Buy a ticket.

And spread the word. Forward this e-mail to all the Christians in your address book. Post it on your blogs. Talk about it to your churches. And let's all go to the movies.

"Who Is This" (An Audio Sermon)

A look at the identity of Jesus based on the Palm Sunday account from Matthew 21:1-17. We consider the evidence of what Jesus said and did and ask that each person render a verdict based on that truth. If He is a prophet and more; if He is a High Priest and more; if He is King of Kings - what will you do with Jesus?


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Sunday Spurgeon

It is not possible for us to accept Christ as our Saviour unless he also becomes our King, for a very large part of salvation consists in our being saved from sin’s domination over us, and the only way in which we can be delivered from the mastery of Satan is by becoming subject to the mastery of Christ.

Does He Still Feel the Nails?

"When we think of Jesus on the cross, we often think only of the incredible physical torture His body must have borne. Yet wouldn't His soul have been even more tortured? His infinite love rejected. On the edge of a chasm between Himself and His Father. Looking down on His weeping mother and heartbroken friends - all for the sake of the people who were crucifying Him. When those whose own souls have been in the deep, black valley of unrelieved anguish look to the man on the cross for peace, they understand what others cannot - there were probably moments when Jesus welcomed the distraction of the nails pounded into His hands."

The above quote from Christian author Sigmund Brouwer, especially the last line, struck me with particular force today. I must confess that many times when I consider the death of Jesus I focus upon the physical agony of the crucifixion. Yet, as Brouwer rather vividy points out, that torment pales in comparison to the spiritual damage my sins and yours wrecked upon His soul.

Every lustful look, every hateful word, each greedy action, each selfish deed and a host of other sins, hammered His heart and crushed His spirit. The cup He begged the Father to take away in Gethsamane was now poured into the open wounds of His mind, emotions and soul.

Paul tells us that He who knew no sin became sin for us. If we could only grasp even a small bit of that truth - how much different would be our lives and our love for the One suffered so for us. "Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all."