Do Not Be Afraid
Fear is a debilitating sickness. It is a sickness of the mind and soul that can spread to every part of your life--your work, your relationships, your mission, even your body. It's no wonder that fear is one of Satan's go to weapons. The right amount of fear in the wrong place will literally stop you in your tracks!During his year and a half stay in Corinth the apostle Paul had a serious battle with fear. In his first letter to the Corinthians he looked back on his experience and wrote, "I was with you in a state of weakness, fear, and much trembling" (1 Cor. 2:3). The threat that fear would bring his gospel ministry to a halt was so great that Jesus appeared to him one night to give courage and strength.
And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” Acts 18:9 - 10
Wow, can you imagine that: Jesus giving you a fear destroying dream? Sounds great! And I'm certain it would be great. However, the best part about what happened in Acts 18 was not the dream, but the truth that Jesus gave Paul in the dream. It was the message Paul received, not the dream in and of itself, that pushed Paul passed his fear. Jesus commanded Paul, "Do not be afraid." Now how do you obey a command like that? You're struggling and someone says, "stop it!" You want to stop it, you just don't know how. No one likes being caught in the thick of fear, we it want to stop. But how? Thankfully Jesus gave Paul some truth that enabled his command. (Like Augustine said, "O God, command what you will and give what you command.") The great thing for you and I is that the enabling message Jesus gave Paul is resoundingly true for us today and can absolutely destroy your fears. There are two parts to what Jesus goes on to say.
- I am with you. There is no greater comfort than this word. Jesus, the creator and sustainer of the universe, the one who wields power over every molecule is with you. Jesus put it this way to his disciples. "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Jesus has literally overcome everything that you could possibly fear--and he is with you!
- I have many in this city who are my people. It's true that "I am with you" is enough. But there is another great truth Jesus gives. He looks at Paul an says, "You're not alone. I have other sons an daughters in this place. Yes there are hardships and daunting tasks that cause you to fear, but I am with you AND I have others in this city doing my work." Jesus is talking about the church. There is great comfort and strength in the body of Christ. And, make sure you catch this, it's NOT 'strength in numbers.' It's strength and comfort through what only the church can do: prayer, biblical encouragement, speaking truth into one another's lives, partnering together for the sake of the gospel. No matter where you are, whatever city, whatever country, there are others in that place that belong to Jesus.
I want us to remember these two truths. Jesus, our Savior King, looks at us and commands us, "Be bold, do not be afraid, keep on sharing my life-giving gospel with everyone you can!" The command is daunting, but praise be to God that it doesn't all fall on your shoulders to make it happen. Jesus is with you! And you're not alone! Right now you are called to the mission of Christ. Jesus himself is with you, and there are others who belong to Jesus that have been called to labour alongside you. So don't be afraid, keep speaking the truth and do not be silent!
Communion
This Sunday our entire service will revolve around communion. We'll share and hear testimonies of God's goodness and grace, sing of Christ's atoning work, share our monthly memory verse, and set our hearts on the depths of Jesus' work on the cross. There are four things we need you to do before you come Sunday.ExpectationsExpect what we do in our gathering to be different this week. Everything about our time this Sunday has been intentionally planned to highlight Christ's work and the one body we are a part of. We've even intentionally set up the room to reflect a family gathering around the table of their Lord.
Bring Something to ShareNo, not food! There will be threes time during our gathering that everyone will have the opportunity to speak about God's goodness, grace, and salvation. One opportunity will be a time to share with the entire group while the other two will be times to share with those sitting around you. So, before you get here Sunday think of a few things you can share with your brothers and sisters. Nothing long, just a brief word on how Jesus has and continues to work in your life to save you from sin and satisfy your deep longings.Memory VerseDon't forget to finish memorizing our monthly memory verse. July's verse is 2 Corinthians 4:17 - 18. "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."Examine YourselfConfessing the body and blood of Christ is not something to be done lightly (1 Cor. 11:28 - 29). You don't have a perfect week to participate in communion, but you should seek to confess your sin, seek reconciliation within any divided relationships, and intentionally set your mind on the glorious truth of the gospel.Looking forward to confessing the sin conquering, new covenant work of Christ with you this weekend.
Shootings in Colorado, leukemia, the death of a friend, and one question: why?
Some weeks press the reality of evil and suffering more than others. This week three things happened that reminded me how living in a world broken by sin brings real and painful suffering.I'm sure your morning began like mine; twelve killed and many more wounded by a gunman who opened fire on an unsuspecting crowd of movie goers. Senseless violence. What could possibly justify the killing of random individuals?In the midst of this terrible news my daughter Rebekah was sent to Duke Hospital for a persistent fever. A fever in a leukemia patient could be a sign of an infection gone crazy. Since leukemia patients have suppressed immune systems, a bacterial infection can easily get out of control, do great damage to internal organs, and in extreme cases cause death. She'll be there at least until Sunday as we await results from her blood cultures.Finally, a long time family friend, Billy Wooten, died after a courageous and, most importantly, faithful-to-Christ battle with cancer. I knew Billy from a young age, the volume of his laughter only eclipsed by the tenderness of his heart. That last line might not sound manly--of if you knew Billy only shortly you may not think it--but there is no greater mark of a man than heartful tenderness in the right places. You learn a lot about a man when you pray with him, and that's one of the most frequent memories of Billy I have. For years Billy would meet with me and my then girlfriend (now wife) Lauren before Sunday services to pray. Praying with Billy confirmed my suspicions; he was a man who love Jesus more than anything. In fact, every ounce of greatness anyone saw in his life was owing the savior he follows and loves (note that the last two verbs are in the present tense).And that brings me back to where I started. This week the reality of evil and suffering has been unavoidable. And in these moments, like countless Christians before us, we ask, 'Why?' We may not want to admit it publicly for fear of being counted among those of weak faith, but the question lies in our heart. But when you ask why you're in good company, so don't be dismayed at the presence of that powerful one word question. Job asked why when he suffered; David asked why a hundred times about his own life and kingdom; Habakkuk asked why when he saw death and destruction. I don't know about you, but I'm O.K. with my name being tossed in the same hat as those men.So ask away, with one caveat. Don't stop until you find the biblical answer to your question. It's easy to look around and think that evil, death, and suffering are ruling. They are not. Christ is ruling, and if we miss that we fail to see the gospel of the King who's kingdom broke through into our world some 2,000 years ago. The King of peace, grace, and joy is here and his kingdom is growing, not diminishing (Daniel 2:34 - 35). So why the heartache? Why doesn't the King put his foot down? Let me give the short answer and then point you to some resources.The short answer is best summarized in Tim Keller's book The Reason for God. Keller writes:
The Bible says that Jesus came on a rescue mission for creation. He had to pay for our sins so that someday he can end evil and suffering without ending us.
Never forget that sin is the root cause of all evil, pain, and suffering. God could end all the terrible things right now, but to do so he'd also have to end the sinners who constantly bring sin into the world (in case you're not following, that's you and me!). However, in deep grace and wisdom, the King has found a way to end sin without having to end his children. Through Jesus and the salvation God offers to sinners, God is ending evil, pain, and suffering, but he is doing so in a way that doesn't mean the end of us! "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways" Romans 11:33.Here are some resources that will help you think through this issue. I've arranged them according to difficulty.Previous blogs I've written:
Why I'm not mad at God: how tragedy can drive us to holiness
Responding to a question about suffering
'Intermediate' books on suffering
The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis
Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, John Piper & Justin Taylor
'Complicated' books on suffering (hard reads, but big lessons!)
A Creation-order Theodicy: God and Gratuitous Evil, Bruce Little
The Many Faces of Evil, John Feinburg
God and Evil: and introduction to the issues, Michael Peterson
**I own these books and will be more than happy to loan them to you.
God's sovereignty and Middle-earth
I'm a bit of a Lord of the Rings fan. The trilogy is my favorite movie(s), I've read the books (even better than the movie), and, thanks to Jeff Hoenshell, I've got the collectible PEZ dispensers. If find Tolkien's writing exciting and moving, and that led me to read The Simarillion this Summer. It's been called by many the 'bible' of Middle-earth, as it recounts the creation and early events of Tolkien's imaginary world.One thing you have to keep in your mind when you Tolkien is that his books are not an allegory for Christianity--in fact, Tolkien was not well pleased with such writing. He did, however, say that his writing was Christian. By that I think Tolkien means to say that much of the truths reflected in his writing parallel the truths of Christianity. I found one such truth--a glorious truth--in the first chapters of The Simarillion. Let me set up the quote for you.The Simarillion begins with a creation narrative that uses song to capture what's being done. Tolkien's God figure, named Iluvitar, begins singing a song, called a theme, and tells his first created beings to make harmony with it. All these beings do so gladly, but for one. Melkor, the brightest, best and mightiest of those created, desired to sing his own song for his own glory and dominion. It's hard not to think of Satan when you read this chapter. Satan, at one point a glorious angel created by God, in time wanted to sing his own song for his own glory. And so he rebelled, leading others to follow. Tolkien's Melkor character does the same thing, and uses all his might to weave his own song of destruction and mistrust into the One theme. In the midst of this turmoil Tolkien's God character stands us and says:
And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined.
I smiled when I read that. Not for love of the story, but for love of the truth it parallels. There are many 'why' questions in the Bible. Why do the wicked prosper, why do the righteous die, why does the work of evil prosper, why hasn't God stopped all this. I could go on, but all these questions and more have filled your mind at one point in your life. You know them. And the great truth that Tolkien parallels is that no work of man or Satan, no matter how evil it may be, alters the plan, the music of God. But more that than, in the great power and sovereignty of God, our King uses the evil works of Satan and humanity to serve his purpose. In the end, whether they like it or not, the wicked and their works are made to serve the one glorious song of God.There are numerous historical examples of this. The fall of Adam, the tower of Babel, Joseph's slavery, even Judas Iscariot. (A great book on this is John Piper's short book, Spectacular Sins and their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ.) All these rebellious events God has made to serve his plan, his song. The greatest historical example of this is the death of Christ. Judas, Herod, and Satan did not act to praise God. The acted in selfishness, pride, envy, and lust. And yet, our God is big enough that he bent their will and their actions to serve his plan. Now that's sovereignty! And in that truth is a cavern of comfort that we can and should mine all the days of our life. Oh, the joy that God works all things the council of his will, for the glory of Christ and the joy of his people!