"He grew up quietly and unnoticed in a retired Galilean mountain village of proverbial insignificance, and in a lowly carpenter-shop, far away form the city of Jerusalem, from schools and libraries,with no means of instruction save those which were open to the humblest of Jews-the care of godly parents, the beauties of nature, the services of the synagogue, the secret communion of the soul with God, and the scriptures of the Old Testament, which recorded in type and prophecy his own character and mission. All attempts to derive his doctrine from any of the existing schools and sects have utterly failed. He never referred to the traditions of the elders except to oppose them. From the Pharisees and Sadducees he differed alike, and provoked their deadly hostility. With the Essenes he never came in contact. He was independent of human learning and literature, of schools and parties. He taught the world as one who owed nothing to the world.He came down from heaven and spoke out of the fulness of his personal intercourse with the great Jehovah. He was no scholar, no artist, no orator; yet was he wiser than all sages, he spake as never a man spake, and made an impression on his age and all ages after him such as no man ever made or can make.
He began his public ministry in the thirtieth year of his age, after his Messianic inauguration by the baptism of John, and after the Messianic probation in the wilderness- the counter-part of the temptation of the first Adam in Paradise. That ministry lasted only three years- and yet in these three years is condensed the deepest meaning of the history of religion. No great life ever passed so swiftly, so quietly, so humbly, so far removed from the noise and commotion of the world; and no great life after its close excited such universal and lasting interest. He was aware of this contrast; he predicted his deepest humiliation even the death on the cross, and the subsequent irresistible attraction of this cross, which may be witnessed from day to day wherever his name is known. He who could say, "If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto myself," knew more of the course of history and of the human heart than all the sages and legislators before and after him.
He chose twelve apostles for the Jews and seventy disciples for the Gentiles, not from among the scholars and leaders, but from among the illiterate fishermen of Galilee. He had no home, no earthly possessions, no friends among the mighty and the rich. A few pious women from time to time filled his purse; and this purse was in the hands of a thief and a traitor. He associated with publicans and sinners, to raise them up to a higher and nobler life, and began his reformation among the lower classes, which were despised and neglected by the proud hierarchy of the day. He never courted the favor of the great, but incurred their hatred and persecution. He never flattered the prejudices of the age, but rebuked sin and vice among the high and low, aiming his severest words at the blind leaders of the blind, the self-righteous hypocrites who sat on Moses' seat. He never encouraged the carnal Messianic hopes of the people, but withdrew when they wished to make him king,and declared before the representative of the Roman empire that his kingdom was not of this world. He announced to his disciples his own martyrdom, and promised to them in this life only the same baptism of blood. He went about in Palestine, often weary of travel, but never weary of his work of love, doing good to the souls and bodies of men, speaking words of spirit and life, and working miracles of power and mercy.
He taught the purest doctrine, as a direct revelation of his heavenly Father, from his own intuition and experience, and with a power and authority which commanded unconditional trust and obedience. He rose above the prejudices of party and sect, above the superstitions of his age and nation. He addressed the naked heart and touched the quick of the conscience. He announced the founding of a spiritual kingdom which should grow from the smallest seed to a mighty tree, and, working like leaven from within, should gradually pervade all nations and countries. This colossal idea, the like of which had never entered the imagination of men, he held fast even in the darkest hour of humiliation, before the tribunal of the Jewish high priest and the Roman governor, and when suspended as a malefactor on the cross; and the truth of this idea is illustrated by every page of church history and in every mission station on earth."
from "The History of the Christian Church Volume 1", pg 102-105, Philip Schaff
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Do You Believe The True Gospel
I recently responded to a Facebook post with some real words and not just a like, thumbs up or :) (not something I normally do). The statement that got me so "moved" was this...and I quote...
"I heard it said once, the social gospel is great, it builds roads, schools and hospitals, but, how much better is the TRUE Gospel that saves men from Hell?"
Whenever I read something like this my stomach starts to turn, kind of like when my Haitian amoeba, that I happen to share a stomach with, begins doing back-flips. This is one of those statements that just rankles my cerebrum. Why? Because in a way the guy is not totally wrong but at the same time he is totally wrong. When the our un-churched friends look at churchydom today they tend to group us in one of two camps. There are the hippie do-gooder churches that are soft on preaching but do a bunch of great things in the community...and then there are the hardcore "drill Sargent" type, fundamental Bible thumpers that know they have the truth and will be glad to shove it down your throat as soon as they meet you. Now my Facebook friend may not put himself into the second category but I would wager that most of his un-churched neighbors have never seen the true gospel.
So with that intro...here's the lowdown on the "True" gospel.
As with many difficult modern day "church" issues this one has its roots in the modernist-fundamentalist showdown that took place in the early 20th century. At that time liberal theologians were restricting the modern significance of Jesus Christ to ethical considerations, ie. meeting human needs while downplaying the spiritual needs of man. Liberal theology focused on the good works of Christ and remade the "gospel" into a "meeting the material needs of humankind" gospel. The fundamentalist group chose to emphasize the proclamation or preaching of the gospel ie. salvation through faith in Jesus Christ preached to every creature. So in response to the liberal churches' left turn toward mercy ministries, fundamental churches responded with a farewell to mercy ministry and a hard right and full steam ahead approach into hell-fire and damnation preaching ministry. (This last statement is said somewhat tongue in cheek, recognizing there are the exceptions whenever speaking about large ecclesiastical groupings).
The truth is that while good works will never save a single soul, faith without works is dead and we know dead faith...what is it good for? Absolutely nothing. We are now seeing churches that are practicing both mercy ministries and proclamation with amazing effects. We can think of it as the two hands of the gospel. 1) salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and 2) consideration of the material well being of people. In the New Testament we find that it is not an" either/or" but a "both/and" proposition. To be a true follower of Jesus Christ we must practice good works or "love our neighbors as ourselves" and love them enough to teach them all that Jesus taught.
Just in case you're still not convinced let's look at the ministry of Jesus and the apostles which were ministries of both word and deed.
Ministry of Jesus:
Healing (Matthew 8:16, 12:22, Luke 4:40)
Feeding (Matthew 15:32-39, John 6:4-13)
Delivering (Matthew 9:32-34, 12:22)
Preaching/Teaching (Matthew 5-7, Mark 1:14, Luke 20:21, John 6:59, 18:20)
Other teachings (Matthew 9:35, 10:7-8, Luke 19:1-10)
Ministry of the Apostles:
Mercy Ministry (Acts 2:44, 3:1-9, 4:34-37, 5:16, 6:1-6, 8:7, 9:34, 28:8-9
Preaching (2:14-44, 5:17-42, 5:42, 7:1-53, 8:4, 13:16-41, 17:22-31)
Wow, if you took the time to read just half of these scriptures I know that you have been blown away by how these two hands of the gospel worked (and still work) in unison. I am convinced that those we seek to reach are looking for Christians that are showing their faith by their works. (James 2:14-18 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.)
In the next post we will see that this two sided ministry of Jesus was not some new part of God's nature that was unrevealed to the Old Testament saints. But God has consistently demonstrated his love through both word and deed.
"I heard it said once, the social gospel is great, it builds roads, schools and hospitals, but, how much better is the TRUE Gospel that saves men from Hell?"
Whenever I read something like this my stomach starts to turn, kind of like when my Haitian amoeba, that I happen to share a stomach with, begins doing back-flips. This is one of those statements that just rankles my cerebrum. Why? Because in a way the guy is not totally wrong but at the same time he is totally wrong. When the our un-churched friends look at churchydom today they tend to group us in one of two camps. There are the hippie do-gooder churches that are soft on preaching but do a bunch of great things in the community...and then there are the hardcore "drill Sargent" type, fundamental Bible thumpers that know they have the truth and will be glad to shove it down your throat as soon as they meet you. Now my Facebook friend may not put himself into the second category but I would wager that most of his un-churched neighbors have never seen the true gospel.
So with that intro...here's the lowdown on the "True" gospel.
As with many difficult modern day "church" issues this one has its roots in the modernist-fundamentalist showdown that took place in the early 20th century. At that time liberal theologians were restricting the modern significance of Jesus Christ to ethical considerations, ie. meeting human needs while downplaying the spiritual needs of man. Liberal theology focused on the good works of Christ and remade the "gospel" into a "meeting the material needs of humankind" gospel. The fundamentalist group chose to emphasize the proclamation or preaching of the gospel ie. salvation through faith in Jesus Christ preached to every creature. So in response to the liberal churches' left turn toward mercy ministries, fundamental churches responded with a farewell to mercy ministry and a hard right and full steam ahead approach into hell-fire and damnation preaching ministry. (This last statement is said somewhat tongue in cheek, recognizing there are the exceptions whenever speaking about large ecclesiastical groupings).
The truth is that while good works will never save a single soul, faith without works is dead and we know dead faith...what is it good for? Absolutely nothing. We are now seeing churches that are practicing both mercy ministries and proclamation with amazing effects. We can think of it as the two hands of the gospel. 1) salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and 2) consideration of the material well being of people. In the New Testament we find that it is not an" either/or" but a "both/and" proposition. To be a true follower of Jesus Christ we must practice good works or "love our neighbors as ourselves" and love them enough to teach them all that Jesus taught.
Just in case you're still not convinced let's look at the ministry of Jesus and the apostles which were ministries of both word and deed.
Ministry of Jesus:
Healing (Matthew 8:16, 12:22, Luke 4:40)
Feeding (Matthew 15:32-39, John 6:4-13)
Delivering (Matthew 9:32-34, 12:22)
Preaching/Teaching (Matthew 5-7, Mark 1:14, Luke 20:21, John 6:59, 18:20)
Other teachings (Matthew 9:35, 10:7-8, Luke 19:1-10)
Ministry of the Apostles:
Mercy Ministry (Acts 2:44, 3:1-9, 4:34-37, 5:16, 6:1-6, 8:7, 9:34, 28:8-9
Preaching (2:14-44, 5:17-42, 5:42, 7:1-53, 8:4, 13:16-41, 17:22-31)
Wow, if you took the time to read just half of these scriptures I know that you have been blown away by how these two hands of the gospel worked (and still work) in unison. I am convinced that those we seek to reach are looking for Christians that are showing their faith by their works. (James 2:14-18 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.)
In the next post we will see that this two sided ministry of Jesus was not some new part of God's nature that was unrevealed to the Old Testament saints. But God has consistently demonstrated his love through both word and deed.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Less is More!
Living with less has seen a recent surge in popularity especially during this economic downturn, recession, depression or whatever you want to call it. The basic premise for most minimalists is that you can live with a much smaller collection of stuff and still be completely content and probably live even more fulfilled than the guy with all the toys. Click here to check out a recent video report from CBS news on minimalism called "100 Items or Less"
So, you determine the smallest number of items that you need to live your life. What is the bear minimum that you need to survive and still maintain a "reasonable" standard of living? My good friend Zack Woolwine writes a blog called One Backpack. You can check it out here. He makes some very good points and covers some of the fundamentals of "living life simply".
Different ideas and philosophies drive this downsizing gone wild. Some want to lower their carbon foot print. Others want to wipe out poverty and some are just trying to prove that they can do "it" and then they have bragging rights at the local watering hole. For me it is all about using the resources that I have been given, in a way that will bring God glory. In other words, I am willing to sacrifice my stuff, in a major way, so that others can be helped, in a major way! And according to the Bible, God is happy when I (you should include yourself here) live a self-sacrificing lifestyle.
Now I want you to think about how living simply lines up with the Bible. Jesus said that his followers would "love God with all of their heart" and that they would "love their neighbors as themselves". You may be wondering "What does this have to do with all of my material possessions?" Consider...as I follow Christ, God will be be the most important thing to me. I will love Him with all of my heart and secondly, I will love my neighbor as myself. If I love God I will obey what He has given me in His word, including helping the poor, the fatherless and widows (we'll look at this more in another post). I will also take a close look at how I treat myself (which is pretty dang good) and then I must apply that treatment to those around me.
Living It: It's winter here in Ohio and I like to be warm...so, I bought myself a couple of sweaters and a pullover micro-fleece at New-2-You (an awesome second hand clothing store here in Mason). If I am really a follower of Jesus then I will meet my "neighbor's" need in this area as well. And today we (my family and I) had the opportunity to do just that when God brought someone into our lives that was homeless and without a coat.
Now that is not radical Christianity but it is the type of Christianity that the world is looking for in you and I today. As Leonard Ravenhill once said, "This world doesn't need a new definition of Christianity...they need a new demonstration of Christianity."
Let us demonstrate our love for the world by our willingness to live with less.
So, you determine the smallest number of items that you need to live your life. What is the bear minimum that you need to survive and still maintain a "reasonable" standard of living? My good friend Zack Woolwine writes a blog called One Backpack. You can check it out here. He makes some very good points and covers some of the fundamentals of "living life simply".
Different ideas and philosophies drive this downsizing gone wild. Some want to lower their carbon foot print. Others want to wipe out poverty and some are just trying to prove that they can do "it" and then they have bragging rights at the local watering hole. For me it is all about using the resources that I have been given, in a way that will bring God glory. In other words, I am willing to sacrifice my stuff, in a major way, so that others can be helped, in a major way! And according to the Bible, God is happy when I (you should include yourself here) live a self-sacrificing lifestyle.
Now I want you to think about how living simply lines up with the Bible. Jesus said that his followers would "love God with all of their heart" and that they would "love their neighbors as themselves". You may be wondering "What does this have to do with all of my material possessions?" Consider...as I follow Christ, God will be be the most important thing to me. I will love Him with all of my heart and secondly, I will love my neighbor as myself. If I love God I will obey what He has given me in His word, including helping the poor, the fatherless and widows (we'll look at this more in another post). I will also take a close look at how I treat myself (which is pretty dang good) and then I must apply that treatment to those around me.
Living It: It's winter here in Ohio and I like to be warm...so, I bought myself a couple of sweaters and a pullover micro-fleece at New-2-You (an awesome second hand clothing store here in Mason). If I am really a follower of Jesus then I will meet my "neighbor's" need in this area as well. And today we (my family and I) had the opportunity to do just that when God brought someone into our lives that was homeless and without a coat.
Now that is not radical Christianity but it is the type of Christianity that the world is looking for in you and I today. As Leonard Ravenhill once said, "This world doesn't need a new definition of Christianity...they need a new demonstration of Christianity."
Let us demonstrate our love for the world by our willingness to live with less.
Thanks to my dear friend and brother, Wade McHargue for passing along these awesome quotes. Wade and his wife Kate and three children are being used in a mighty way by the Lord in Guinea Bissau. Please remember them in prayer today.
"Let the devil choose his way; God is a match for him at every weapon. The devil and his whole council are but fools to God; nay, their wisdom foolishness." - William Gurnall
"What a difference in the men who go into battle intending to conquer if they can, and those who go into battle intending to conquer." - D.L. Moody
"A coward heart will not do for the day of battle; a doubting spirit will not stand in conflict." - C.H. Mackintosh
"We are a supernatural people; born again by a supernatural birth; we wage a supernatural fight and are taught by a supernatural teacher; led by a supernatural captain to assured victory." - J. Hudson Taylor
"On the following words I staked everything, and they never failed, 'Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.'" - David Livingstone
Sunday, November 7, 2010
One Passion
"I have but one passion: It is He, it is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ." -- Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf
"If the Great Commission is true, our plans are not too big; they are too small." -- Pat Morley
"To know the will of God, we need an open Bible and an open map." -- William Carey
"People who don't believe in missions have not read the New Testament. Right from the beginning Jesus said the field is the world. The early church took Him at His word and went East, West, North and South." -- J. Howard Edington
'Not called!' did you say? 'Not heard the call,' I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face -- whose mercy you have professed to obey -- and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world.--William Booth
"If the Great Commission is true, our plans are not too big; they are too small." -- Pat Morley
"To know the will of God, we need an open Bible and an open map." -- William Carey
"People who don't believe in missions have not read the New Testament. Right from the beginning Jesus said the field is the world. The early church took Him at His word and went East, West, North and South." -- J. Howard Edington
'Not called!' did you say? 'Not heard the call,' I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face -- whose mercy you have professed to obey -- and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world.--William Booth
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