In October a news report came out concerning a small Norwegian town, deeply tucked between steep mountains, that is stuck in shadowy darkness for six months of the year. In order to bring more light into town they installed mirrors - yes, mirrors - on a nearby hillside to reflect the sun into town. You can read more here. Though it is an imperfect analogy, I was struck by how similar this is to how we often view following Jesus.
Read MoreA common mistake is to value Jesus primarily for the good he can do for us - and he does offer us more good than anything in the universe - rather than valuing him as the ultimate good himself. So we ask him to make us happy, rather than finding our happiness in him. We ask him to give us a fulfilled life, rather than finding our fullness in him. We ask him to give us strength, rather than finding our strength in him. If we're looking to Jesus to give us happiness, fulfillment and strength on our terms, we'll always come up short - and feel as though Jesus has let us down. If we go to Jesus for Jesus, we'll be more happy, fulfilled and strong than we could ever imagine. The difference is subtle, but couldn't be more important. Bask in his beams and you will not lack on any account. Seek him for other things and you'll always find yourself lacking. All that you long for can be traced back to him. I love how Charles Spurgeon put this in his Lectures to my Students...
Read MoreLast month I wrote a post ("What is Faith?") describing what biblical faith is and is not. Here I will address how our faith is formed. What factors and forces play a role in what we believe? We tend to think our beliefs (whatever they are) are based purely on intellectual grounds. However, there are a variety of forces that inform what we hold to be true. In other words, it's not quite as simple as we think. This is particularly relevant when it comes to belief in the existence of God and how we are to relate to him. Here we'll look at four of the most prominent influences that give shape to what we believe.
Read MoreTo be honest, I enjoy Halloween. It's a creative, relational and tasty holiday. Costumes and candy are part of God’s common grace extended to all people to be enjoyed. Who, after all, is quick to turn down a mini-Snickers, particularly if it is handed to you by Darth Vader? Its also one of the few holidays where people actually visit your home (albeit dressed as zombies) without any effort on your part - or answer their door when you visit theirs. All told, Halloween is a unique and fun holiday that Christians are free to celebrate.
Read MoreThere isn't a lot out there to encourage church planters. Advice? Yes. Correction? Yes. Coaching? Yes. Comparing? Yes. Mocking? Sometimes. Encouragement? Not really. Some may say, "Well, if you're a church planter you shouldn't need kudos to stay the course." There's some truth to that, but that's not what encouragement is about. To en-courage is "to put courage into". Yes, our ultimate source of encouragement is the Chief Planter. Yet, the primary means by which we receive and experience his encouragement is through His people - especially from others who are in the trenches with you. So, to all my fellow church planters, this is my encouragement to you, as one among you.
Read MoreOne of the major obstacles to Christianity is that many mistake the concept of "faith" for taking a blind leap in the absence of evidence. That's a valid concern, but it is a false caricature of biblical faith - a caricature I held to be true prior to following Jesus. Biblical faith is not a blind commitment or mere emotional wishful thinking. That is not faith, that is foolishness. I will deal specifically with the plausibility of biblical faith in a future post. But, first we must address what faith is and how it is formed. In this post we will discuss the elements of biblical faith. Traditionally, biblical faith is understood as having three components: knowledge (notitia), assent (assensus), and trust (fiducia). Understanding the anatomy of biblical faith is of crucial importance, both for followers of Jesus and those who are not, as it is faith that leads to salvation and ongoing sanctification (i.e. transformation).
Read MoreThis morning we kicked-off a new two-year residency for developing eight potential pastors and church planters within our church. Our hope is to raise-up local elders, church planters and leaders for planting teams - domestically and internationally. We're beginning with a study of Charles Spurgeon's Lectures to My Students as a launch pad for discussing personal spiritual vitality. This week we covered "The Minister's Self-Watch", "The Call to Ministry", "The Preacher's Private Prayer" and "The Minister's Ordinary Conversation." Whether you are currently serving as a pastor, or working through a call to it, you should read this book - and then revisit it regularly. If you want to learn more about rolling out something similar at your church, I encourage you to connect with these guys. Here's a sample of Spurgeon's urgent call to a diligent self-watch.
Read MoreThis week I have been thinking a lot about the relationship between praise and joy. Have you noticed that we, as humans, love to praise? We were built for it. Praise is the outcome of what, or who, we enjoy. It is the eruption, and completion, that inevitably results in response to the joy we experience in someone or something. In other words, our joy and our praise are directly related; we praise what we enjoy and enjoy what we praise. God calls for our praise, not as a detached, isolated act, but because he is the most-to-be-enjoyed of all things we enjoy. Do you enjoy him? The best measure is your praise of him. I love how CS Lewis brings this point to life...
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