The Disruptive Witness of Praying Before Meals

Which is one reason why saying grace can be a testament to a watching world that our faith is not a personal preference that we keep discretely hidden behind our “normal” public life. And insofar as saying grace defies the secular social etiquette of privatizing religious practices, it is a disruptive witness.

Four Character Traits that Will Hold Any Marriage Together

What qualities should you invest in to make your relationship beautiful? We find the answer in Colossians 3:12–14

Cultivating Godly Character While Waiting on God

Today you might be like me, waiting on the Lord to provide that job you want. Or you might be struggling with discouragement, depression, anxiety, and worry. I don’t have a magic formula that will ensure you get what you want in an instant. Nor do I have a to-do list for you to reach your best life today. And let’s be honest, you and I both know that won’t work.  

5 Ways the Gospel Shapes Our Approach to Sexual Abuse

Churches need to understand why this issue matters in light of the gospel and how this issue should be addressed in light of the gospel. Specifically, we need to embrace a clear understanding of how the gospel shapes our approach to sexual abuse in five significant ways.

How to Pray When Your Kids Go Off to College

Having done what you can to bring up your children, you see them ship off to a war zone, the battle for their hearts, and wonder if they’ll survive. Vicki and I launched children to two state colleges and two Christian colleges, and whether your children leave home for the military, for trade school, for global missions, for an apprenticeship, or for post-secondary schooling, the hazards are the same and the stakes are the same. The contest is for control of their hearts. Will Jesus be the Lord and chief object of their joy? Or will something else? Something that will bring great destruction and regret?

The other day my wife and I were getting home, as we drove up we heard a horrible sound. It was a bird chirping but it was not your normal chirp. This bird chirp sounded like screeching from a horror flick, it was as if you can hear the fear and pain this bird was experincing.

As we drove closer to our porch we proceeded to see a couple of other birds flying by our front door, swooping in attack mode. They were on a mission and nothing was going to stop them, not even are minivan, or so we thought.

As all this was going on, we started looking around to see what was going on. We discovered Knox, our cat, was in attack mode. He had a bird in the grips of his claws and was not going to let go. His attention laser focused on his prey and the birds swooping in, attempting a rescue. Knox, was the victor on this day.

But as I thought about this circle of life flick on my front porch I was reminded of one truth and one command.

Satan Is Like A Roaring Lion

The truth I was reminded of is found in 1 Peter,

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8 ESV)

I am sure the bird was flying through his day looking for some grub when our prowling cat rocked its world. But isn’t that true of life. We go through life living unsuspectingly we have an enemy, the devil, who is prowling and ready to trounce on us.

The devil’s goal is to devour, to rock your world, to steal, kill and destroy your witness for Christ in this world. To wound you and plant seeds of bitterness and unforgiveness. To instill a paralyzing fear, your Christian walk is paralyzed by the roar of this fake lion. If he can’t have your soul he will try and ruin your effectiveness in the growth of God’s kingdom.

Peter’s exhortation to us is to be on the lookout for the ways the devil may be trying to wreak havoc in our lives. How is the devil trying to influence our thinking? How is he trying to distract us from Christ and His Kingdom?

We Need Gospel Friends

We need Gospel friends, people who we can lean on when times our rough, celebrate the good times with and everything in between. People we can be real with and can come to our rescue. In our digital age it is easy to replace true friendships with artificial, social media interactions.

We need Gospel friends who are there for us, who will swoop in and rescue us when we are falling. People we can screech for help when life gets hard. Just like we need Gospel friends, we need to be Gospel friends to others. Paul issues this command to us,

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:1–2 ESV)

Paul gives a couple of commands here, a criteria for Gospel friends, to restore those who have fallen in a spirit of gentleness and to bear one another’s burdens. To those who are struggling with sin we are to restore him in love and kindness, not with judgement and gossip. To those who are loaded down in life, we are to come along side them and help them carry the load, this is what Gospel friends do. Paul also says while your being a Gospel friend keep an eye on your own life lest you fall into temptation. When we live out these commands we are loving God and loving our neighbor which is fulfilling the law of Christ.

Until Next Time

Soli Deo Gloria

Apostasy and How it Happens

The solemn fact is that none of us can tell the difference between the beginning of backsliding and the beginning of apostasy. Both look the same. So what are the tell-tale signs of this sickness unto death? Are there early symptoms that might alert us to our spiritual danger?

Jury Decides That Katy Perry Copied Christian Rapper Flame

This was interesting.

Are We Morally Distressed by What is Taking Place on Our Border?

What happened to the light Lady Liberty shone so brightly from the shores of New York Harbor? It is a light that once lit up the whole world, as those fleeing violence, tyranny and religious persecution were embraced in her arms. Today, this light is under threat of being extinguished by a new vision that prefers walls to bridges.

I think there is a better way to begin the day. And it will require some decisions before the morning. It never works to make last-minute efforts to decide to do something different. You need to decide twelve hours earlier what this crisis moment is going to look like. It will take some planning. It will take some thinking as you set your alarm clock.

There are three things that enable us to have a healthy conscience, or to restore an unhealthy conscience:  

Some good reads in here, the J. Warner Wallace video is worthy the watch, I say through his excellent presentation, it was very good.

God’s Omniscient Wisdom in Our Wilderness Wanderings

Do you ever feel like God has sent you into the wilderness?  I know I do, and being stuck slap dab in the middle of long wilderness wanderings can find us slap dab in the middle of long wilderness wonderings.  Wonderings of “Why do you have me here?” and “Why don’t you get me out of here?!”

Bridging the Thin Blue Line Pt 4 – Why It’s Important to Understand Each Other’s Perceptions

The Big Mouth Problem

You’re less likely to say something stupid if you listen more and speak less.

Leaders need big ears and small mouths.

The Three Most Important Lessons Christians Can Learn in College

Several years ago, I was speaking at a conference for college students. After my talk, I was asked, “What are the most important things that Christian college students should learn while they are in school?”

I don’t remember what I said. I’m not great on the spot, so I imagine my answer was generic and only marginally helpful. But I have thought about that question a lot over the years. 

And now I have an answer:

7 Realities Revealed in the Book of Revelation

We live in a noisy, distracting world which incessantly screams for our attention. But in Revelation, Jesus yells back and reminds His church that He is Lord, that He is coming, and that we need to stay awake to this truth (Revelation 16:15). 

Yes, he uses imagery and symbolism that can seem bizarre and strange at first glance, but He’s not out to confuse us. He’s out to encourage us. 

Imagine going through life, to you it seems like just another day, but suddenly you step onto a scene that just rocks your world. There is a man who offers you the greatest business opportunity ever. There are promises of success, wealth and freedom. When you hear the offer it sounds great, looks like something worth your time, but you want to know if it’s real or a scam. Is there evidence this is real, is there real people who have tried and succeeded, is there witnesses who will give testimony to this opportunity?

To the nation of Israel witnesses were vital to get to the truth. We are told in the Old Testament  law,

“A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. (Deut. 19:15 ESV)

For a matter to be settled one witness wasn’t enough, they needed the evidence from two or three witnesses. If you read further in Deuteronomy, you will discover if there was a malicious witness and it was discovered he was lying, the malicious witness was to receive the punishment of the one falsely accused. The reliability of a witness and the number of witnesses were important in Jewish law, this is one of the reasons why when the Pharisees and Sadducee’s were trying to convict Jesus they were trying to find multiple witnesses against him.

We see the importance of witnesses here in the book of Mark, as you remember from last week, what we have in the book of Mark is an apologetic a defense that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. What does Mark do after writing Mark 1:1? He introduces the reader to four witnesses. Let’s take a quick look at them.

The Witness of the Writer

What we have before us in the book of Mark is the testimony and recordings of the memories of the Apostle Peter. Mark is compiling and testifying the account of the apostle Peter concerning highlights of what Jesus said and did. How do we know this, here is extensive evidence from J. Warner Wallace pointing to this truth.

What we discover as we read Mark is the recollections of our first witness, this isn’t just any witness, he was an eyewitness, someone who was with Jesus, almost from the very beginning of his ministry. He was not only one of the first disciples, but he was a member of the 12 apostles, to dig even deeper, he was one of the three in Jesus’ inner circle. Peter knew Jesus, Peter was transformed by Jesus and by the inspiration of The Holy Spirit through Mark we have with us Peter’s recollections, our first witness testifying Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

The Prophetic Witness

Mark continues presenting his case, but this time he records a prophetic witness, he reminds us of the words from Isaiah the prophet,

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way,the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'” – Mark 1:2-3

Mark is putting the spotlight on words written hundreds of years before Jesus. The words are a messianic prophecy written by Isaiah the prophet, he was pointing out when the Messiah comes, there will be one before him to “prepare the way of the Lord”.

The reason Mark is reminding us of this prophetic witness is because he is about to introduce us to “the voice of one crying in the wilderness”, this “one” who is sent to prepare the way of the Lord, this person is known as the forerunner, he is our next witness.

The Witness of the Forerunner

Mark’s next witness was a contemporary of Jesus, his cousin, born a few months earlier, John the baptizer.

John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” – Mark 1:4-8

John the Baptist enters on the scene calling on people to turn from their sinful ways and turn to God for forgiveness. People from Jerusalem and the region of Judea were drawn to this guy in the wilderness dressed in camel hair and a leather belt, eating grass hoppers and honey. Mostly they were drawn to his message of repentance, they were turning to God and were being baptized. Revival was breaking out in the wilderness.

What does John do? Does he open up offices and start First Baptist Church of the Wilderness? Does he open John the Baptist ministries? No far from it, John the Baptist tells the crowds of people, there is one coming who is greater than me, I am not even worthy to tie the shoe laces on his Air Jordan’s and this man who is coming, he will baptize you in the Spirit.

Mark puts the spotlights on Isaiah’s words because they are intended to put the spotlight on John the Baptist, letting everyone know the prophecy has been fulfilled before our very eyes and we missed it.

A Witness From The Heavens

So far Mark has given us three witnesses, the voice of Peter through his writings, the prophetic witness of Isaiah, and the fulfillment of Isaiah’s words through the life of John the Baptist. To dot the I’s and cross the T’s, Mark pulls out the heavy hitter, his final witness is God Himself.

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” – Mark 1:9-11

Mark says when Jesus came up out of the water and God’s voice comes booming from the heavens like thunder from a storm and proclaims “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” The Father lifts up the Son and lets everyone know, he is the one y’all. The Father testifies on the Son’s behalf as the ultimate witness.

What Say You?

Mark has presented four witnesses, but his case isn’t closed yet, Mark is just getting started. My question, is it enough for you? Do you believe? Or are you like the people in Jesus’ day, missing the truth even though it’s before your very eyes?

 

Here are some good reads to start your week.

3 Ways to Help Muslims Understand the Cross

Very helpful and informative, take a look. “Though the historical question of Jesus’s death is undeniably central, when it becomes the center of debate it obscures an underlying theological question: “Why did Jesus die on the cross?” The logic of Jesus’s atoning sacrifice is rooted in the Old Testament book of Leviticus as the author of Hebrews demonstrates.

Indeed, neglecting the Old Testament sacrificial system may lead our Muslim friends to misunderstand our commitment to Jesus’s atoning death in at least three areas.”

5 Ways to Teach Kids to Apply Scripture

The apostle Paul says everything in the Bible was “written to teach us” (Rom. 15:4). Because the Bible was written in various times and contexts, we are left with the challenge of figuring out how God’s Word applies to us. Or as David Powlison said, “Your challenge is always to reapply Scripture afresh, because God’s purpose is always to rescript your life.”

How do we go about the process of applying the Scripture to our own lives? Here are five general ways that you should teach kids.

Saying “No Thanks” to Political Correctness

What if Christians became a true “city on a hill” amid the earthly cities where we increasingly hold the minority view? What would this look like for this minority view to also become known, by religious and secular people alike, as the most life-giving view?

4 Promises to Christians about The Resurrected Body

Let’s look at four Scriptures that speak of what God has promised, marvelous promises throughout the Bible about the resurrection of the body.

Living Wisely to Spite Satan

The trap is subtle. What Satan continues to do today is what he originally did in the garden: substituting a version of rival facts in place of the real thing. Every sinful decision you and I make begins with the satanic question, “Did God really say . . . ?”

I guess I forgot to hit publish, but here is a late edition of The Early Bird.

Real Men Find Pleasure in God’s Law

Have you ever heard of “The Ten Pleasures?” That’s another way to view the Ten Commandments. Although most of the commandments are stated negatively, each negative also implies a positive, and each prohibition of vice implies a pleasure in virtue.

8 Passages to Read about Parenting

Take a look at these.

Righteous Pride

The principle applies to all peoples though: every culture seeks to establish its own righteousness because everyone wants to be right, and to be seen in the right.

What Is God’s Glory?

There are some words in our vocabulary that we can communicate with not because we can say them, but because we see them. We can point. If we point at enough things and see enough things together and say, “That’s it! That’s it. That’s it,” we might be able to have a common sense of beauty. But when you try to put the word beauty into words, it is very, very difficult.

God Created Family To Carry Out His Will

In the last article on family I wanted to show that God created family and therefore it his to define. Now, I need to address the “why” question: Why did God create the family? I will answer this in two ways through two articles.