Tag Archives: Gospel

January 11, 2012

2012 Election Season Tips

By twoznek

Here comes another election year and the onslaught of all that comes with an election cycle. I wanted to give a few tips as we enter this season. Too often in churches politics becomes polarizing. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind.

Gospel First Gospel Central
A key question to ask yourself is what is most important? In relationships with people is it more important that they follow your political persuasion or that they now Christ? For some people aiming to persuade a political opinion can close the door to the Gospel. I’m passionate about our country, but I more passionate about the Cross.

Be Informed
You have an obligation to be informed: about the process, about the people, and about their views. Not just what you believe but also other viewpoints. The big thing: think and develop discernment. It is often to get stuck on a single issue. Often that is counter productive.

Be Civil
A Democrat may be a socialist and a Republican may be a fascist, but that’s rarely true. Often they’re people just like you trying to make sense out of the world and be a part of the process. Be Civil. If you can’t be civil, take Proverbs advice and be quiet as “even a fool is consider wise when he keeps his mouth shut.” For some historical perspective, our country often sees hard times and has intense elections. As Christians, we should elevate civil discourse and model it well.

Pray
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” ~1 Tim 2:1-2

Be Involved
It’s not wrong to hold a political opinion. To act completely neutral isn’t authentic. The Bible says to submit to governing authorities and according to our constitution, that’s “we the people” in an election. Where being involved becomes a problem is when the Gospel is no longer first and central. Holding your political views doesn’t make a person saved. Knowing Jesus and the power of the resurrection does.

Vote
Vote and encourage others to vote. And when you vote: be informed, examine Scripture, pray and then vote your conscience.

The bottom line:
Elections have been nasty because “We the people…” made them nasty. Let’s set a new standard for 2012 regardless if you’re DNC, GOP or ???. As Christians let’s not forget what is most important. Don’t turn people off to the Gospel because of pushing a political opinion.

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January 5, 2012

25 years ago I imagined…

By twoznek

…Doing what I’m doing today. 25 years ago I knew I needed Jesus. That is the essential element to Christianity. Jesus did what we could not do, and He gave us what we did not deserve. That’s grace. That’s mercy.

When I accepted Jesus I knew I wanted to teach the Bible. Fitting that this coming Sunday I’ll be talking about the Gospel, what it is and what it isn’t. People struggle with the simplicity of the Gospel. That its free, that it’s by faith. To often we want to add hoops, dress codes, music limits, etc. That’s not Gospel. I’m enjoying the study of Galatians. It develops a picture of a mask vs grace, a prison vs freedom.

When we add rules, regulations, “standards” to the Gospel what we have is a masquerade, not freedom. Jesus came to set us free, not to put us into another prison. For 25 years I’ve had the joy of walking with Jesus. No regrets, definitely some bruises and tons of joy. This last year what stood out the most to me is the need to keep the Gospel first and the Gospel central.

So, I’m in my home office studying for my first sermon in Galatians. I imagined 25 years ago teaching the Bible and loving it. By God’s grace, that’s what I’m doing. It’s a God thing more than anything, but I’m grateful He let me imagine that 25 years ago. It makes today all that more special.

Psalm 100 ESV
1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! 2 Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 3 Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! 5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

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October 19, 2011

Occupy whatever… The problem of protests & morality

By twoznek

News and discussions about the Occupy Wall Street abound. It brings up larger issues in my mind. I’m a bit fearful of political leaning posts as they tend to be polarizing, so as in all things I ask that we listen. My point is simply this: Protests rarely if ever lead to reconciliation and forcing morality rarely leads to real change.

He who whispers speaks loudest
The biggest problem with protests is they’re not heard. That’s right, not heard. “A soft answer turns away wrath.” Very few people, especially strong leaders, respond favorably to in your face, vehement approaches. We ignore those who nag or shout at us. Protesting is both of these things. It lacks civility. While I’m glad I live in a country that we can protest I do not think we should.

We’re all hypocrites
Occupy Wall Street is protesting itself. The protesters are just as broken as those they are protesting. We’re all broken and we’re all guilty. Wall Street and our government. It seems the greater injustice is how many of us have remained naive at how our society works. We elected officials based on rhetoric then truth. The way we made our lives complex propelled the consumerism and greed. It seems one side greeds for money the other for things. While one side decries income disparity, it seems the other can decry coveting. It’s the same sin.

Legislating morality
Legislating morality often doesn’t work. People choose what moral issue they wish to legislate. Why is legislating how one uses money more important than protecting life? Yes, bringing abortion into this is bringing in another polarizing issue. But, one of the criticisms of the pro-life movement is you shouldn’t legislate morality. Dealing with life, those who are anti-death penalty argue that the death penalty isn’t a deterrent. That’s not the issue, justice is. Why is justice more important with money than with life? Why is it ok to legislate morality of money?

We the people…
The problem isn’t the 99% vs 1%, its the 100%. The role of government is to maintain a just and peaceful society. It is a key reason why Paul instructs us to pray for our leaders in 1 Timothy 2. A key aspect and provision in our society is innocent until proven guilty. Are we affording that protected right in our country to Wall Street? The real question shouldn’t be aimed at Wall Street but the role and effectiveness of our government.

Pawns & being played…
When people are shouting they are not listening. When no one listens you have chaos and not reconciliation. As Christians our aim should be reconciliation. Chaos creates a large avenue for more injustice. When we read on totalitarian movements siding with the Occupy Wall Street movement, and the bigoted statements that are coming from the movement it gives me great pause. Getting even is a lousy motivator and leads to injustice. Often it brings out the “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

Life isn’t fair & income mobility
There is evil in the world, and not everyone is dealt the ideal hand in life. The freedom we have in our country can allow a poor orphan to become one of the greatest CEO’s. While one may say that is an acceptation, I disagree. The Bible says if one does not work one does not eat. Hard work, making wise decisions and not giving up plays a big role. We have a choice to be a victim or to embrace obstacles as challenges. We have a choice to blame someone else, or to take responsibility for our own lives.

The bottom line
Seek to whisper and be heard. Seek to live a quiet and simple life. The problem is really us. When everyone is shouting no one is listening. When everyone is seeking their own rights, the path to reconciliation is blocked.

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September 7, 2011

Why not Wednesday? Great John Piper Quote

By twoznek

@JohnPiper Let’s revise the popular phrase,“in the world but not of it” to “not of the world but SENT into it!”

Sometimes we need to challenge and reword common statements.

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August 10, 2011

Why not Wednesday? Trash talking in the Bible

By twoznek

Often we talk about “speaking the truth in love.” Then you read some passages that can be characterized as nothing but pure trash talk. It’s crazy. So, is it ok or is it not?

One big thing to keep in mind when reading the Bible is the Book tells it like it is, warts and all. The Bible paints God as the hero, not the characters. They had flaws, they made mistakes and they even did things the wrong way at times. Given that they also had to deal with the consequences for their actions. It’s an interesting topic for sure.

I listened to a “sermon” recently on how Christians are weird and it oddly seemed to fit the trash talking meme. I’ve heard stories of trash talking in witnessing. We love wit and gotcha’s. They’re funny. But let us remember something: the goal isn’t the win. The goal is a soul enraptured by the Gospel. Much of the trash talking in the Bible did not end well for the person being spoken to.  Perhaps that’s a good reason to keep ‘speaking the truth in love’ at the forefront of our thinking.

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April 26, 2011

One another…

By twoznek

In eternity past God started time when He spoke the world into existence. As His crowning achievement He created mankind-in community- male and female He created them; in His image He created them.

Mankind fell into sin and so the epic struggle against depravity began. But in Genesis three there was prophecy by God of a future savior. Mankind continued to rebel against God. Cain killed Abel, and human government was established. But man, becoming vastly wicked and needed to be wiped out. So came the Flood. God was gracious, he allowed man to continue through Noah. Man, even after the flood, again rebelled against God by not going out, but instead built the tower of Babel.

God in His sovereignty chooses a man, Abrahm. And it was to be through this man that all nations would be blessed. This man’s family grew and ended up, again through God’s providence, in Egypt. While continuing to grow, God’s chosen people underwent bondage. God redeemed them and the nation of Israel was born, and God was to be their king.  It was through Israel that all the world was to know God., YHWH, the I AM.

Israel rebelled against God. And God, according to his character and justice, punished Israel and sent them off to captivity- but not without comfort or promise. There would one day be a Messiah. There would one day be a new covenant where Israel would be fully restored and the problem of sin resolved.

The Messiah did come to restore Israel, but Israel rejected him. Not only did they reject him, but they crucified him. “And I delivered unto as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. And that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” Appearing to peter, the twelve and more than 500 hundred at one time. Christ conquered sin and death. But Christ did not remain here on Earth.

When the disciples asked Christ if now was the time to restore the kingdom of Israel, Christ said it was not for them to know “But you will be my witnesses.” The twelve disciples served as witnesses and the foundation of the church, something once hidden but now revealed. The church was born.  A growing community of devoted followers of Christ. The success of the disciples is evident, the church is still growing.

When God saved us through His son and sealed us with His Spirit, He placed us into the church, a community of believers. Christ’s work binds us together and it binds us together for service.

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Paul talks about it, James talks about it, Peter talks about it, John talks about it, our savior talked about it and lived it. God is concerned about how we interact and minister each each another. It is a responsibility that Everybody has. Church is not the same or complete with out you involved.

Ephesians 4:15-16 “but speaking the truth in love we will grow up into all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted together by what every join supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the whole body for the building up of itself in love.”

It is the work of Christ that binds us together. It is the one another’s of scripture that give us responsibility to each another and it is the growth of us as a community that God has us here. Study the one another’s of Scripture. The health and growth of the community is essential to spreading the Gospel.

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April 12, 2011

Torn & Mended

By twoznek

This past Sunday was the most amazing life group. A small group, like many things becomes routine. It is part of weekly life. But the benefit of consistent involvement is that one amazing moment you will remember for a long time. This past Sunday stood as a reason of why small groups are important. We discussed the significance of a torn curtain and the mending that it provided.

Rescue not just judgment
In the Gospel we have the convergence of pain and suffering along with beauty and peace. People forget the Gospel is larger than a judicial matter, it’s a rescue form a massacre. Creation is fundamentally flawed. Jesus, by offering himself, resolves more than just the sin issue, He brings promise of all things new. Problems with human depravity and the brokenness of creation will one day end.

Present not removed
As sin alienates us from God, God is present and at work in His silence. God protected Israel while they wandered in the desert. While a curtain separated man from the holy of holies, God the Son was teaching in the courts of the temple. While people made themselves clean for worship, God the Son washed his disciples’ feet. As lambs were made ready for slaughter, Christ died on the cross and the curtain tore. Suffering brought peace.

Theology is practical
It is not proper to share what we discussed. But, the sharing of the Gospel has practical ramifications. It offers perspective, attitude, guidance, wisdom, hope and most importantly; it allows us to see God. Sometimes the most pragmatic thing needed isn’t practical at all. In life’s challenges what we need isn’t always a solution. We need the Gospel. The Gospel discusses our most significant need, the presence of God.

The bottom line:
We are mended through what was torn. And the separation that occurred brings people together. And this community celebrates what can no longer be separated as we look to all things being new.

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March 28, 2011

Manic Monday: Good people need the Gospel too

By twoznek

God puts everyone on a level playing field. Even if life is good and everything is in order, there is still need of the Cross. The Sunday sermon is something we should ponder throughout the week. This Sunday’s sermon grabbed my attention. We often forget about the moral person.

As Jon talked about Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, men who had it all together, I remembered a time in college. I was talking with a gentlemen about mankind’s condition. The often used phrase “religion  is a crutch” and “man is morally good or neutral” were used. He claimed to be an atheist or perhaps an agnostic. Chance would have it that the movie we picked was Sphere…

Given my class in the Book of Romans, I wanted to hear his insights to Romans 1 and 2. In church we often focus on Romans 1, but we forget about chapter 2. In discussing human depravity we focus on how bad man can be and forget our man can be relatively good. Paul deals with the moral person. Moral people who do good by following “the law of God as it is written on their hearts.” Even given their moral code, they fail to measure up even to their own standard. After discussing our views on man, we watch his beloved movie.

The movie Sphere brings out the nature of man in Romans 2. Here a perfect object- the sphere- brings out the worse of the characters. Their conclusion was man wasn’t good enough to posses the sphere. Man was depraved according to the movie. When it ended there was that awkward silence right after. I did not pounce, and he said there was more to think about. We agreed, even good people have faults. We enjoyed the discussion and it brought more depth to watching the movie. A seed was planted.

Romans 1 talks about the highly sinful man, Romans 2 the moral man and Romans 3 the religious man. All three need the Gospel. Back to the sermon… Jesus related to the moral and the religious. He talked with Nicodemus, even if it was on the down low. Part of mission and being compassionate is meeting people where they’re at. While Jesus came for the sick and the needy (those who need the infamous “crutch”) He did not neglect the good people too. Jesus knew this simple truth: We don’t need a crutch or a good moral code, we need a savior.

(especially on Monday)

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March 22, 2011

The elephant in the room: People die

By twoznek

Discussions revolving around Pastor Rob Bell’s book “Love Wins” are interesting to follow. (If you’re looking for a critique of the book or its critics, sorry, not what this post is about.) Watching conversations both for and against the book, I’m noticing a trend. It seems in this discussions on the character of God, heaven and hell, we are missing something significant. People die.

The Garden
God said in the day that you eat the fruit you shall surely die. The plight of man because  of the first Adam is death. That narrative carries throughout Scripture. In all discussion on the after life, the key is the word after. Where did death come from? Is death a natural state or divine judgment?

The Cross
Jesus died. Jesus was separated from the father. Given that they’re eternal beings the time may be short, but given that the God-head is not bound by time, it would seem such pain would be an eternity in and of itself. Regardless, Jesus died. He rose again on the third day. Again the question is: what’s the deal with people having to die, Jesus included?

Pain, Suffering & The Problem of Evil
This issue is the most perplexing. Frankly, I think it is harder to wrap my mind around than the Trinity. Given all the efforts of mankind, we still struggle this issue. Perhaps this is why human nature is one of the strongest arguments for the existence of God. Either way, this discussion is a deep and heavy one and at its core is the fact that people die and we try to run from that,

The bottom line:
The discussion seems to avoid the reality that people die. In reading and listening to all sides of the discussion, it seems we’re dancing around the elephant in the room. We die, why is that? Perhaps that issue needs to be addressed first and would give clarity to the after life discussion. Are we assuming we have the answer to that question? We proclaim that death is not the end of the story, but it is a very significant part of it. Why is there death and suffering in the first place?

1 comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in The Gospel, Theo...

March 1, 2011

Civil Discourse, Conflict and Social Media

By twoznek

Civil discourse does not mean the lack of confrontation, and social media brings a new avenue it. Quite a few social media stints caught my attention. The most recent was discussion about a book coming out by Pastor Rob Bell. He is not the point of this post, but the discussion did instigate this post.

Social media is public discourse
While some may disagree with this, it is true: Social media is a public face. One reality we are facing is many people do not know how to engage well in public discourse. The quip “Politics will be getting very interesting in the next 20 years because of social media” carries my point well. A good rule of thumb on social media is this: What do I want my public face to look like?

Conflict can bring clarity or collision
You cannot avoid conflict, and that is true within social media as well. Disagreements exist and there are times when public disagreement is proper and times when such is not. At the founding of our country there was vehement debate on our constitution. The book “The Federalist Papers” resulted from the collections of articles from the debate. It is wise to engage in conflict with the goal of clarity. Such is prudent, helpful and benefits all. Engaging in conflict to win or gain one’s own rights is often foolish and brings collision.

Civil discourse can be spirited
Civil discourse focuses on courtesy and politeness regardless of emotion. Civil discourse does not mean one is dull or trite. One can be quite spirited in their discourse and be polite as well. Third person is often used to support objectivity. It lacks poignancy or cheer of first or second person and is quite dry. Given our culture’s tendency towards rash speech, a little dryness may be in order, or we can chose to be polite in our discussions. Be polite. Be gracious. If you cannot, do not engage in public discourse.

The social media variable
The variable that social media brings to civil discourse, especially on conflict, is speed. This is known as trending or going viral. The problem with going viral is people often do not ‘listen’(read) and speak past each other. Discussion quickly turns to raw emotion and a mess ensues. Regarding discourse, often in the form of reposting articles, keep this in mind:

A posted article or a retweet without comment can mean many things from agreement to disagreement, from seriously!? to interesting. A reposting of something with comment also means many things from gained context, topic, or one’s view. If an article goes viral it doesn’t mean people agree with that post. Sometimes it can mean shock, anger, humor, etc. When something goes viral its best to listen more carefully and exercise far more discernment.

Christianity and social media
We should not be afraid of disagreement or conflict. Christianity is damaged more by trying to look and be perfect than being real. Silliness in public discourse comes when civility is dropped. We are family and we will disagree. Part of disagreement is resolution. In the meantime there may be fear as how the conflict will end is unknown. Such fear should not cause us to avoid conflict, even if it goes public. It is part of being authentic.

Remember that the heroes in the Bible were not perfect and their flaws are quite public. We preach about them, discuss them and even debate them. Our lives, just as those in Scripture, are open books. Social media makes this a greater reality. But, acting like there is nothing wrong is just another form of hypocrisy. Grace, wisdom and discernment should govern our public discourse. At the same time we shouldn’t be afraid when our debates become public. It’s part of ‘iron sharpening iron.’ The Gospel moved forward despite the very public mistakes of our heroes in the faith.

The bottom line:
Be civil in public discourse, especially in times of conflict. Remember that social media moves rapidly. In all things we should exercise grace, wisdom and discernment. If you cannot do that, say nothing ‘for even a fool is considered wise when he is silent.’

For Christians, do not be afraid when conflict goes public. The growth and promotion of the Gospel rests in God. We will make mistakes, but those mistakes are covered by the cross. Remember, the same man who shamed the cause of Christ also became the focus of a beautiful story of reconciliation, he gave the first sermon of the Church, was publicly rebuked, and died a hero. His name is Peter.

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