Where is God in your "Christianity"?

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death...”

-The Apostle Paul, Philippians 3:7-10 (ESV)

There are many biblical scholars and theologians that have graced human history. One need not look much further than to simply Google John Calvin or Thomas Aquinas or anyone else you can think of to come up with a large quantity of their historical writings that have long influenced various Christian groups. Yet there is something to Christianity than merely knowing cold, hard facts about the Bible or God or doctrine; there must also be a relationship with the One who is the subject and author of the Bible. Now many Biblical scholars and theologians are/were great men who had an intimate relationship with God but this not always the case.

I once took an Old Testament history class under a man who had a robust knowledge of the Bible, with many prestigious degrees and knew far more about Biblical scholarship than I could ever know. But sadly, Christianity was nothing more than an academic discipline for him. And on the other side, one can have a great relationship with God and be a house wife or a plumber or a lawyer or anything else you can imagine. Intellectual knowledge of Christian thought does not equal a great relationship with God. Now don’t get me wrong, one must read God’s Word intently to have this deeper understanding but just “facts” about the Bible does not equal a relationship with God.

A few years ago I picked up a copy of J.I. Packer’s Knowing God. Every once in awhile I pick this book up and skim over a section or two of it and it always reminds of the above point that Christianity is about a relationship rather than just facts. It is so easy for Christians to fall into the trap that we can treat Christianity as merely an academic exercise much like a history buff would of facts about particular war or time era. But this is not what God intended!

Recently I was working with a group of teens, talking about a specific biblical passage and relating it to a situation in their lives. One of the teens piped up and said, “Yeah, but that isn’t really relevant for my life like it was for people during Bible times.” This just a sampling of the predicament in our thinking that we can fall prey to in regards to biblical truth. These teens all knew the passage which I referred to but, as they all agreed with this teen's statement, but saw it as nothing more than a nice story that does not apply to contemporary society. By and large, we as Christians, can easily lose the luster of our relationship with God that Paul had in writing Philippians 3:7-10. Paul saw his relationship with God as something that defined him, something he poured time and effort into, and something that transformed him. Can you say that or has Christianity become cold and sterile in your life? Are your devotions just something you do and get through with then set aside God for the day? What does your prayer life consist of? How about times of corporate and private worship? How about your interaction with others? This is something we all need to be challenged with from time to time: Where is God in your “Christianity”?

The Lost Generation

Due to a heavy school and internship load, I’ve had a rather lengthy hiatus from keeping up this blog. Hopefully, that will change some. Also, due to the non color-blindness of my seminary friend Dave, I’ve decided to change the color of my blog page. Thus, this blog color is dedicated to you Dave, may you never go blind.

Recently I picked up a book that had some rather earth shattering statistics: 8 (almost 9) of every 10 children that grow up in a Christian environment abandons the faith by the end of their freshmen year of college. Wow! Immediately this caught my attention. There is truly a problem in the Church. But what can be done?

This question has troubled me enormously over the past few years. I look at the teens that I grew up with in church and few are there (or in any church) now. Also, I look at those I went to school with (I went to a Christian school) and few are serving God either. Is this problem just in my circles? No, it’s an epidemic that seems to be sweeping the nation...possibly the world! But what can be done?

I wish there was a simple answer to this question. Should we look to pastors, churches, Christian educators, para-church organizations, etc. and blame them for this? I don’t think that’s necessarily the answer. Here’s what I think have happened: In the late 1970’s through the 1980’s, there was a big push in the formation of youth groups, the raising up of youth pastors, the beginnings of Christian schools, youth outreaches, etc. across the country. Huge amounts of time, money, and resources were put into reaching that generation for Christ. But of all generations, we saw the worst results of reaching a generation for Christ. Many behind this push had good intentions...so then what happened?

When this huge outreach to this generation occurred, it was assumed that “specialists” and “professionals” with the latest and most innovative techniques were needed to reach teens and disciple them in Christ. Unknowingly, youth pastors and Christian educators began to supplant the role of the parent discipling teens. The family unit was largely abandoning things such as family worship, teaching of the Bible at home, and largely the parents relinquished their role in the spiritual formation of their children and teens. But how can these “specialists” and “professionals” (some who have never raised children themselves and may not stay at a church or school for more than a few years and have to keep track of numerous teens) disciple teens in a few hours a week? It didn’t get done!

Thus, the answer to the epidemic of teens and young adults abandoning the faith in mass numbers is not going to come in some new gimmick or a charismatic teen leader, but in the parents being involved in the lives of their children and teens. Even today, I often hear people with preteens and teens say something like, “I’ve got to find a good youth group for my teen. That’s what will make them turn out well.” News flash: you could have the best youth group in the world with all the activities you could possibly think of, the best teaching, the best of everything....and that probably won’t be the key. This does not mean that the church and, if you choose to send a child there the Christian school cannot be an excellent resource in helping you. But what this does mean is that just a few hours a week is not going to get the job done. Parents have to be actively involved in discipling their children and teens.

And parents, discipling means more than academic and sports success. If these things are the most important concern in raising your children and spiritual matters are abandoned or neglected, your priorities need to be reassessed. Frankly, what I’ve often seen is that parents leave this job of spiritual discipleship to the Church and/or Christian school and never check up to see if their children are growing spiritually, just assuming it’s being done. Before God, you have a responsibility to be raising your children spiritually. And if you think it doesn't matter if you personally teach them, I challenge you to read the book of Judges. See what happened in the past when parents abdicated their discipleship responsibilities.

So I encourage the Church to think about their approach to ministry and the family. I encourage parents to think about how they are raising their children and teens. And I encourage teens to “buck the current trend” and not become another statistic. And on that note, I recommend Family Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk With God by Voddie Baucham, with some reservations.

Family Based Faith raises some very important issues regarding the family. I think Baucham also gives some very good insight into how current trends can be broken. Frankly, I hope I can be half the father and husband that Voddie Baucham is...he seems like a man that truly is striving to do what it takes to raise his children in a biblical fashion. But I do think that the analysis of Baucham goes too far in a few areas, especially the idea of the family integrated church...but maybe you will disagree with me as you read it. I would be more of an advocate of moderate family based church ministries (If you read the book, you’ll know what I’m talking about). But overall I recommend this book and think it has some great points and insights. He will give you a real sense of how you can truly disciple your children and teens.

Conference for Teens

The Rebelution has recently announced their conference tour for 2009. If you are a youth worker, parent of a teen (or an upcoming teen), or a teen yourself, this is a worthwhile conference.

This conference (and the book Do Hard Things) teaches teens to buck the cultural trend of unbiblical teen years. The teenage years were meant to be so much more than barely getting by, aboslute boredome, and rebellion. The group, the Rebelutionaries, are teens that are trying to redefine those years to be meaningful. Twin brothers Alex and Brett Harris (also brother of well-known pastor and author Josh Harris) are the masterminds behind this movement. I highly recommend their book, Do Hard Things, their website, and their conference. I've already got plans to take my teen ministry to this event.

Book Recommendation: "When Sinners Say I Do" by Dave Harvey

I recently had the opportunity to read an excellent book which examines the marriage relationship in light of " discovering the power of the Gospel for marriage" (the subtitle to the book). This book takes principles of biblical theology and applies them very well to the marriage relationship. Dave Harvey is a very gifted writing who has gotten to the heart of the marriage relationship. I believe this book attempts to deal with heart issues in marriage in a way no other marriage book before it's time has done. This book is a great help for those starting out or engaged to those who have been married for years to those who may be having troubles in their marriage....in other words, it is highly applicable to all stages of a Christian marriage. Therefore, I would highly recommend "When Sinners Say I Do" to all.

I would also recommend as a nice compliment to this book, "Christian Living in the Home" by Jay Adams or "Sweethearts for A Lifetime" by Wayne Mack ("Sweethearts for a Lifetime" makes a nice devotional for married couples as well). "When Sinners Say I Do" looks at the larger picture of the marriage relationship and these other two books give biblical principles relating to the roles of husbands and wives in the marriage relationship. I will be using the compliment of these two book with "When Sinners Say I Do" in my ministry and marriage for many years to come.

Abundance Leading to Ungratefulness?

We've got so much in post-industrial societies that it's amazing. We can have so much in one trip to a store or even a quick search on the web. Most don't have to worry about going hungry in their entire life but can go to a kitchen and get what they want at any moment. We've got so much entertainment it's ridiculous and that's just the tip of the iceberg of the blessings we have. Yet, sadly, it seems that much of this blessing has become an expectation. You meet so many people that rarely seem to be happy or content with what they have and are always looking for more. And rarely do people thank God for the blessings in their life but show a spirit of ungratefulness towards Him with so much in their lives. That is unacceptable!

Sadly all of this is very prevalent in Christian circles as well. And rarely do they truly thank God for the blessings in their life, aside for superficially in passing, but show a spirit of ungratefulness towards Him with so much in their lives. That is unacceptable!

Religious freedoms have been taken for granted as well. Many never truly calculate the cost of following Christ and, to date, have faced rarely any ridicule and almost no one in the U.S. faces persecution. Christianity to many is nothing more than a tradition of their family, a social club, or a "fire-escape" for eternity. And sadly, I think many have fooled themselves into thinking they have a relationship with Christ when they have nothing more than a self-seeking moralism that they label as "Christianity".

I challenge all Christians to think about how thankful we should be for what God has given them in their lives. For those in countries that they have much material wealth and religious freedom, I challenge you t make yourself aware of what is happening to Christians around the globe and pray for them often. There is a great website that will keep you updated on persecution that Christians are currently facing around the globe that may be a help to you as well called Voice of the Martyrs.

Crisis in Christianity: The Problem of Busyness

I've noticed a trend in Christianity that is having devastating effects on individuals and Christianity as a whole...the busyness of people. I've attended the same church for nearly all my life and over the past ten years I've noticed that more and more people don't have the time to serve in the church. No doubt this is the same for deepening one's individual relationship with God as well. People are just plain busy. It seems in churches across the country, individuals don't have the time to be involved or the time to study their Bibles, pray, and a whole host of other things. This is a serious problem and, if left unattended, will utterly destroy the church within a few generations. I found a survey recently and was staggered by how far reaching this trend is around the world. What in the world is going on? I think it's just that Christians have assimilated into various cultures that value the busyness of life...I think many Christian's priorities are in the wrong place.

As I've thought about this, I was reminded of Mary and Martha in the Luke 10:38-42 (ESV):

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."

As we look at this passage (and I recommend to begin looking at Luke 10:25-42 to see problems people have in wrong priorities of loving God and loving other people) we see two individuals, Martha and Mary. Martha was a work horse; she's the kind of women many people would like to have in their church. Now I think Martha loved Jesus but her priorities were misplaced. The text says she was continually being pulled away from the teaching of Jesus...she became preoccupied with this meal and it took her away from being taught by the Master. Her priorities were to misplaced that she told Jesus her sister should be helping her prepare things as well. But, to Martha's surprise, Jesus told her that Mary had chosen the right portion, that is sitting at his feet and being taught. Now was it wrong for Martha to work? No. But the problem became that she allowed her work to get in the way of something that was more important, being taught by Jesus.

I looked at this passage and thought, how many of us have wrong priorities and that pulls us away from being feed from the Word of God either by skipping teaching in church or by skipping out on being fed daily in our individual lives? We've allowed the busyness of our culture to shift our priorities away from that right portion of developing our relationship with God! Something has got to change.

I challenge you to think about your own life. Are your priorities misplaced? Are you allowing the culture to dictate your relationship with God? Are you living a life that is centered on your family or spouse or friends or job or sports or leisure activities or tv watching or ministry (yes, that can hamper our relationship with God if it makes us too busy) or anything else you can think of, to the point that it is hampering your relationship with God? If so, something needs to change.

Book Review: Exegetical Fallacies by D.A. Carson

Typically, I don't review books I have to read for school. But this (and another one I may review later) are the exception. The reason: this book is pretty standard and helpful to anyone studying and/or teaching the Word of God.

Exegetical Fallacies by D.A. Carson is a fairly easy read that provides insight into many traps those studying the Scriptures can often fall into...the seasoned pastor to the layman. The point of this book is to point out common fallacies people may employ in their study of God's Word and that are often in published writing. This book has, and hopefully in the future, will continue to provide students of God's Word with a tool that they may use to help them sharpen their studying habits. I myself will no doubt refer back to this book as I begin and continue my ministry to ensure I am a good steward of handling the Word of God. This book is not all-encompassing and does not present a thorough process of how to correct common fallacies but points them out with the intention of helping the reader think more deeply about the process of studying God's Word.

I think Carson's first chapter is especially helpful to those who have a small amount of ability in using the Greek and Hebrew (such as a seminary student as myself), to ensure that they do not fall into the trap of poorly using the biblical languages. Carson also talks about common practices used in interpreting the Word of God that were used in past generations that have been largely abandoned in scholarship but may still abound in churches due to the use of older helps and commentaries. Chapter 3 is especially helpful for both the pastor and the layman, as it deals with the issue of logical fallacies. Too often we construct an idea in our minds of how a particular pattern or argument may flow, only to be committing typical fallacies that may lead us and others to illogical and false conclusions.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who teaches the Word of God regularly. Those who may have a little further training may find this book especially helpful. But I also believe those who may have little to no training, and often may rely more on the work of others, may find this book helpful as well, as they evaluate the sources they use.