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T.G.I.N.L.

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You may not recognize this acronym, but its sinister hold is found in probably every circle of believers you encounter.  What does it stand for?  Thank God I’m Not Like.  Too often, as believers, we pride ourselves on what we aren’t rather than what we’re for.

Growing up, I often heard that phrase — “Don’t cuss, don’t chew, don’t go with girls that do,” as embodying what it meant to follow Christ.  Or, take, for instance, Harry Potter.  While much wisdom and discernment should be considered in digesting this form of entertainment (we should be wise and discerning with every influence that might come our way), by and large the Christian community blasts people who enjoy it.  Often this simply comes across as “Thank God I’m Not Like Those People Who Enjoy Harry Potter.”  And, in making such a statement, our identity is found in Anti-Harry Potter, not the Gospel.

The Bible, however, is bent on making the Gospel the message of first importance.  The Gospel is to define us.  The Gospel is to shape us.  This may mean we avoid certain things and embrace certain things, but our identity isn’t found in what we avoid or embrace, our identity is found in the Gospel, in who we are in Christ.  This was the problem with the Pharisee in Luke 18 and why the tax collector was justified and not him.  His identity was in something other than the Gospel.  The Pharisee looked to heaven and prayed, “God I thank you I’m not like this sinner.  I do…I don’t… I do…  As a result, the tax collector, who beat his chest and asked God to be merciful to a sinner like him, went to his house justified and not the Pharisee.

Today, examine your life.  Is your identity really found in the Gospel?  Or have you let other things define you spiritually?  Forsake TGINL and embrace JESUS.

Music Links…

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…usually on Thursdays I post some links that I find useful and today I decided to make them about music…

First of all, today, Shane and Shane‘s new project “The One You Need” is available to download.  It won’t be released in stores until October.  Great chance to grab it.  Here’s a video of the title track:
. Based on the little bit I’ve heard, it will be amazing.

This past Tuesday Matt Papa’s new CD came out: This Changes Everything. Matt’s music just kind of tells it like it is. One song, entitled “Stay Away From Jesus” speaks of how this song won’t get played on Christian radio because Jesus calls us to come and deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him and it’s not a popular message. Anyway, I enjoyed that.

Matt Redman’s new project 10,000 Reasons is one of his best. Michael Bleeker said it has many good songs to use in the church and I would agree. I remember rolling to church this past Sunday listening to the title track and being filled with awe and wonder of God Himself.

I also downloaded the latest from Hillsong Live: God Is Able. It appears to be more of what we’ve come to expect from Hillsong.

Hope these links help give you some good, God-focused resources for worship.

Bitterness: A Marriage Killer…

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We all know that the Scriptures tell us to be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God in Christ has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32).  But, as I noticed in a book on bitterness, bitterness can keep us from walking in this way.  Specifically, bitterness remembers details.

How can we tell if we are bitter?
One good rule of thumb is this: bitterness remembers details. You have had thousands of conversations in your life, most of which you have forgotten. But this one took place five years ago, and you remember every single word, his intention, and the inflection of every part of his voice. You know exactly what happened–which means you are bitter.

In contrast to this, Scripture tells us to get rid of all bitterness. Is there any bitterness you need to turn away from today? Don’t let the canker of bitterness sour you! Kill it, by the power of the Gospel, and walk in victory.

One of Your Converts?

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…a popular story comes from the life of evangelist D. L. Moody:

Moody was once approached by a stumbling drunk on the street who slurred, “Mr. Moody, I’m one of your converts.” To which Moody replied, “You must be, because you’re certainly not one of the Lord’s!”

This coming Lord’s Day we will be looking at Hebrews 6:1-8. This passage, maybe more than any other in the NT, will rock us to our core to see whether or not what has taken place in our lives is really genuine. The thrust of the middle section makes us wonder, “Am I a pretender?” Begin asking God to work through His Word to determine whether or not you really are His.

Weekend Recap – Full Day, Oh and…

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…we dealt with immaturity as well.  The audio from 7/31/11 is now online: Spiritual Immaturity (1) from Hebrews 5:11-14.  The sermon sought to unpack the writer’s intent in moving people out of immaturity into maturity by centering them on the proper foundation of the Gospel.

On top of the sermon, we enjoyed a report from a missionary, commissioning of our Arizona mission team and the Lord’s Supper.  It was a glorious and full morning.  I hope you had a rich day of worship, as well.

Links of Week 7/25/11

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On Monday, I posted a link to a video of the invocation at a NASCAR race.  Here’s the pastor defending his prayer.  Also, a former prof and seminary president of mine, Mark Coppenger, weighs in on this prayer.

We have a team leaving for a mission trip this coming Sunday.  Having gone on many of these in the past, I thought these 10 Things To Remember AFTER the Trip were helpful.

Here’s some great encouragement for women from a woman commenting on that oft-quoted Titus 2 passage.

Just One Word…

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…makes such a difference.  I found this out just today as I was prepping for a sermon this weekend on Hebrews 5:11-14.  This passage exposes spiritual immaturity specifically highlighting the sluggish hearing to which the readers have fallen prey.  They ought to be living out the implications of the Gospel and sharing that with others (like Jesus commanded in the Great Commission).  Instead, they are needing a steady diet of milk, getting nourished again on what the Gospel is and how it relates to life  Then, in v.14, we read:

But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

The phrase translated “constant practice” reflects how most translations understand the original word in the text, transliterated as hexis. It’s only used one time in the Bible and its meaning is hard to get at. What this verse means with the translation “constant practice” has the implication that mature and those who are working hard to hold onto their mature state must constantly practice to have discernment.

Researching this word today, I came across a journal article by John Lee from 1997 on what this word means and he proposes this translation:

But solid food is for adults, who because of their mature state have their senses trained to distinguish good and bad.

The implication of this is simply staggering. Instead of working hard to be mature, the state of being mature means having good senses to distinguish good and bad.  This is more in keeping with the Gospel, it seems to me.

The translation and interpretation mentioned first above almost suggest a works oriented system.  The latter seems to suggest that the Gospel does a work that leads to perseverance.  This leads O’Brien to write (in his Pillar commentary on Hebrews):

So because of their mature condition, the faculties of adults, that is, their physical senses including their minds, have been trained to discern both good and evil.

The Christian world, in some pockets, is consumed with knowing the Word, eating the meat of the Word and moving onto maturity. The writer of Hebrews is saying that the work of the Gospel in our lives naturally leads to maturity. If we would continue to flesh out the implications of the Gospel in our lives, we would inevitably end up mature.

Just one word does, indeed, make all the difference.

Professor Or Example?

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I love reading the prayers found in the Valley of Vision.  Yesterday, in a prayer “Living For Jesus” I read this line and was struck:

Make me…to be not only a professor but an example of the Gospel…
displaying in every relation, office, and condition its excellency, loveliness, and advantages.

Now, many of us (who profess Christ) have no problem doing this on Sundays. We gather with other believers and come to church, putting on a rather good show as to how spiritually impressive we really are.

But, are we examples of the Gospel in our lives?  Surely this is the true evidence of whether or not we have been gripped by the Gospel.  For instance, in your marriage, are you an example of the Gospel?  No matter what difficulty you face, no matter how hard things are with the kids, no matter what things pull at you, does the Gospel get a hearing in your life together?  Or are you a mere professor?  Think of this: is the Gospel on display in your life in every relation (spouse, children, coworkers, In-Laws!), in every office (every responsibility you have), every condition (this about covers the rest of it)?  Do each of these places allow you to show the excellency, loveliness and advantage of the Gospel?

The convicting thought I had in reading this was that often I am a mere professor and not an example.  Oh, for grace from God to be one who not only believes the Gospel, but lives it out.

Weekend Preview – “Stop Being So Immature”

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… at least that’s what the warning of Hebrews 5:11-14 sounds like.  Here’s a great summary from George Guthrie’s excellent commentary:

In [these verses] the author offers a bald assessment of his hearer’s current condition. They exhibit a dullness as learners of God’s truth, even though they have been engaged in the Christian walk long enough now to be teachers of others. The preacher likens them to infants [still drinking milk], who cannot handle more substantive fare.”

I wonder where you struggle to be a learner?  It might be that some of us don’t like the deep things, because they will require some effort, and, quite frankly, we don’t want to put it forward.  It might be a matter of priorities for some of us.  Others struggle to just get passed the milk.  Regardless of where we’re at on the journey.  The writer of Hebrews (read: God) wants us to wake up and realize that not choosing to deepen in the truth is a choice to stay immature.  These things simply shouldn’t be.  Oh, that God would give grace this coming Lord’s Day as we look into these things.