Apologies, but here’s an article that’s worth reading

I’ve been pretty busy lately, and quite worn-out at the moment to polish up the next entry for the series. So I offer you this article as an apology.

Prayerlessness is Unbelief

I want to try to make the case for adding Kevin DeYoung’s blog to your RSS feed (or list of  bookmarks), but I can barely string together my thoughts, let alone write grammatically comprehensible sentences at the moment. So in no particular order – he has a nice to read writing style, he is very insightful, offers a lot of biblical wisdom in many relevant areas, and is a great model of what it means to teach and exhort and encourage and rebuke. If none of that convinces you, just add him for a week and decide for yourself.

How to live as an ‘ordinary’ Christian, Part 3

Colossians 4:5
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.

Walking in wisdom towards outsiders

What does it mean to walk in wisdom towards outsiders? Paul’s prayer for the Colossians that they might be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding gives us a hint. It would not be farfetched to infer that the walk of wisdom is a walk that is in line with the will of God, that is that we be like Christ. To use the biblical phrasing, to walk in wisdom towards outsiders is to be as Christ-like as we can possibly be towards outsiders. The outsiders here refer to those outside the church.

How does this practically work out in our lives? Well, it begins with prayer. As the Christian prays to be more Christ-like and sees and understands what Christ is like, he will imitate Christ. And in doing so, he is a model, however imperfect, of Christ to the non-believer. Our lives are a witness to Christ. While no one will be saved by observing Christ-likeness apart from a proclamation of the gospel, it is a crucial step in winning people to Christ.

However, as many of us soon discover, walking in this way towards outsiders is like walking in a minefield. We need wisdom to recognise where the mines are and how best to navigate through the minefield. Some mines ought to be disarmed, others ought to be sidestepped, but more often than not we always end up stepping on a mine. This mostly stems from the fact that there are so many things we can do (and say – we’ll ignore this for now and return to it in the 5th mark), but there is only so little time. So we have to make choices. We might have to pass up one good action for another.  This relates to the next mark.

How to live as an ‘ordinary’ Christian, Part Two

Colossians 4:3-4
At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

The second mark of the ordinary Christian is that he prays steadfastly for those in ministry.

Prayer for those in ministry

Paul asks that we not only limit to prayers for ourselves, but also pray for those in formal ministry. This does not mean that prayer for ourselves is selfish. Prayer for ourselves to become like Christ is anything but selfish, because such prayers glorify God. They glorify God in the now by showing that the Christian lives entirely on the grace of God. They glorify God in the long run, because as we become more like Christ, he becomes more visible to those we share our lives with, and in that he is glorified. Paul is drawing a logical conclusion: if believers are praying that they become more like Christ, it is because they want Christ to be glorified. But it is not enough to live like Christ. Ultimately, he must be proclaimed.

More often than not, it is teachers and pastors and evangelists who are given the opportunity to proclaim the gospel of Christ. A good reason for this is that they are specifically tasked with the responsibility of clearly articulating the gospel, that both believers and non-believers might hear and receive the grace of God. It is essential that we pray that this word from the Bible be clear, that Christ might be glorified by verbal proclamation. Those in formal ministry need these prayers simply because it is difficult for them to maintain their conviction and clarity by sheer willpower, especially in the face of opposition and stony hearts.

They need the grace of God to open doors to the word.

They need the grace of God to convict their hearts of the truth of sin, the righteousness of Christ and the judgment to come.

They need the grace of God to persevere in the face of opposition.

They need the grace of God to boldly and clearly proclaim the gospel, despite the suffering and persecution it will bring.

The latter is especially true of missionaries who have to confront a hostile culture with the gospel. Suffering is the price of the gospel, and it is price more keenly felt by those on the mission field. We should pray that God will help them to persevere for his cause, open for them a door for the word, and that they might clearly proclaim Christ crucified as they ought to. In doing so, Christ is glorified as people from more and more nations are gathered.

At this point you might realise that it would be impossible to pray for everyone in formal ministry during the course of your day. But we are not asked to pray for everyone. Paul appeals to the fact that the Colossians know who he is. Similarly, we ought to pray for those that we know first. This would be our pastors and teachers and perhaps missionary friends. Outside this circle, we can pray for missionaries we know of. This might require us to get in touch with a mission agency and praying for their missionaries. Good alternatives would be to look at things like Global Prayer Digest or the Joshua Project.

Finally, I want to add that prayers need not be restricted to those in ‘formal’ ministry. Some of you might see no distinction between praying for missionaries and praying for the work of evangelism in the city – I would want to argue for a maintenance of the distinction between a missionary and lay people like me doing the work of evangelism (especially in light of the increasing emphasis on what it means to be a missional church), but would encourage prayer for the gospel-spreading work of both.

Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment

I’ll pause briefly in my series to post this poem. It’s a beautiful and clear portrait of the gospel.

“Mercy triumphs over Judgment”
Glory in this truth revealed!
Love Incarnate stood the torment;
Adam’s punishment repealed!

“Mercy triumphs over Judgment”
Hope for mankind, once secured.
He who knew no sinful nature,
Wrath for sinners full endured.

O the range of mankind’s offense!
Gross his sins, and sentence sure;
Holiness required the verdict-
Death forever; justice pure.

Yet a Perfect Love responded,
Purposing an ancient plan,
Fully meeting wrath’s requirement,
While compassion off’ring man.

There from on the Mercy Seat, the
Son of Righteousness arose;
Cursed ‘came He whose Name is Holy;
On Him fell our rightful blows.

“Mercy triumphs over Judgment”
Mankind’s sentence now appealed;
From the holy God offended,
Righteousness has been revealed!

Glory to the Justifier!
Praise His great and gracious plan;
Bless the holy love of God,
Who gave His Son to ransom Man!

Kevin Hartnett, Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment (1998)

 

How to live as an ‘ordinary’ Christian, Part 1

When I use the word ordinary here, let me remind you that it in no way implies that the Christian life is boring. To borrow an image or two from John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, it is a journey to the Celestial City, fraught with danger and temptation. No one yawns in a fight.

The first mark is prayer for Christ-likeness.

Prayer for Christ-likeness

Paul’s instruction to the church at Colosse is simple. Continue steadfastly in prayer. Consistent daily prayer ought to mark the life of the believer. What do we pray for? There are many things to pray for. The Lord’s prayer would be a good start. But perhaps here we should look back at Paul’s prayer for the Colossian believers in the first chapter. There he prays that they “may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God”. Paul’s prayer contains a single request – to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will.

I want to carefully point out that ‘will’ here does not refer to God’s will of decree, which is kept hidden from us, but to his will of desire, which is specially revealed to us through his Word. Searching for the will of direction so often talked about in ‘evangelical’ circles is simply unbiblical, and even crippling to the ordinary believer. For a clear explanation of this, I refer you to Kevin DeYoung’s book, Just Do Something.

Every ordinary believer ought to pray this, that the Father might fill them with the knowledge of his will. This will of desire is simply what God desires us to be like as he has revealed in the Bible. And God’s will of desire for us can be summed up as this: to be conformed to the likeness of Christ. So in effect the believer prays that they be conformed to the likeness of Christ. This involves knowledge – knowing what Christ is like and what he is pleased with, so that the clearer we see him, the more we become like him. The purpose of becoming like Christ is that we may be worthy to bear his name. The ordinary Christian prays that he might live up to the name he bears.

He realises that praying precedes all Christian living. If God does not act to fill them with the knowledge of Christ, then the Christian cannot become like Christ. Prayer signals our dependence on the grace of the Father to become like the Son. And in doing so, God gets the glory and we get the joy. He is seen to equip us for every good work we do, and we are transformed from one degree of glory to another, that we might increasingly have the capacity to more fully enjoy the pleasures of Christ. Paul knows this clearly, that there is progress in this life. We do become more and more like Christ. This is why he says that we are to be watchful in prayer with thanksgiving. So not only are we to pray that we might be more like Christ, but we are to give thanks for the grace God has given us thus far.

I cannot adequately sum up what it would mean to be Christ-like in such a short post – after all that is why God provided us with the Bible, to show us Himself in Christ! But I would like to raise a less obvious example of what it means to be Christ-like in practice. In addition to humility, kindness, compassion, holiness, and all the other attributes Paul lists out in Colossians and many other letters, our prayers are to be Christ-like as well. Christ prayed for God to be glorified through him above all other things. Believers have the opportunity to not only glorify Christ in the way they live, but to glorify Christ by preaching him and his cross to others, that they might believe and in turn glorify Christ with their own lives. Therefore, our prayers should also be centered on our informal ministry to others. Practically, this involves praying for the other marks – for wisdom in relating with non-believers, for wisdom in managing our time, and for grace and salt in our speech.

The bottom line is this: believers, even ordinary believers, are to engage in steadfast prayer for Christ-likeness in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity. All can pray, for all who come to the cross are children in need of their Heavenly Father’s grace.

How to live ordinary lives as a Christian, Intro

Colossians 4:2-6
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Life for the ordinary believer

Not all Christians are in formal ministry, whether it be as teachers, pastors, or evangelists. Many Christians do ordinary things for the majority of their lives, whether it be as students or workers holding a job from 8 to 5 (or even longer). It is all very easy for pastors to preach from the pulpit that telling people about the gospel ought to be part of the daily activity of a Christian – and indeed it should be – but practically speaking we hit a sizeable obstacle. The truth is that oftentimes these opportunities are rare and far apart. And it does the ordinary Christian no good to simply bash them over the head with the fact that they aren’t evangelising sufficiently and then not offer some wise counsel on how this might work out in their daily lives.

What then is wise counsel for the ordinary believer who wants to know how he should conduct his life? Colossians 4:2-6 offers clear and wise words of counsel from the apostle Paul, and it is a passage that was impressed upon my heart tonight. The depth of wisdom and practicality contained within these  few instructions Paul leaves for the church at Colosse merits exposition. We ought to study carefully these few verses, that we may know how to live ordinary lives to the glory of Christ. I have identified 5 things that ought to mark the life of an ordinary Christian believer: prayer for Christ-likeness, prayer for those in ministry, walking in wisdom towards outsiders, making the best use of their time, and gracious, seasoned speech. We will look at these over the next 5 days.

(Note: I have in fact written out the whole exposition, but I realised it was a bit raw and quite long. Therefore I’ve chosen to break it up, that I might have more time to spend polishing each mark, and that it might be more digestible. Also, with a horribly busy schedule lined up for me for the next few days, this arrangement means I’ll be able to consistently post yet not need to spend too much time on it to the detriment of my other commitments.)

Hell is not a human choice

In my previous post, I stated: No one goes to hell willingly. They are thrown into the lake of fire. This statement I think contradicts the prevailing sentiment of the day, which states that “All God does in the end with people is give them what they most want.” Or, everyone who goes to hell chooses to do so.

Today’s blog post will be one where I redirect you to this article: How Willingly Do People Go to Hell?

For those without the patience to read through the article, I offer you this excerpt:

…when a person chooses against God and, therefore, de facto chooses hell—or when he jokes about preferring hell with his friends over heaven with boring religious people—he does not know what he is doing. What he rejects is not the real heaven (nobody will be boring in heaven), and what he “wants” is not the real hell, but the tolerable hell of his imagination…

…What sinners want is not hell but sin. That hell is the inevitable consequence of unforgiven sin does not make the consequence desirable. It is not what people want—certainly not what they “most want.” Wanting sin is no more equal to wanting hell than wanting chocolate is equal to wanting obesity. Or wanting cigarettes is equal to wanting cancer…

Lastly, I wish to point out that, as far as Jesus is concerned, hell is not a point of intellectual debate, but it is a reality we must tremble before. We tremble because the Bible is explicit that hell is not a human choice. Sin is the unwilling choice we make, of which hell is the natural consequence. But the Bible is also explicit that God makes a conscious choice with regard to hell, not as some sadistic dictator, but as a loving king. The choice he made was this: to send his Son to take our place that we may escape the judgment to come. And by choosing to do so, we are given a real choice in life – Christ.

Careless words cloud serious truths

A good reason why Christians ought to guard their speech carefully, especially when it comes to cussing is that cussing trivialises certain realities.

Take ‘damn’ for instance. If you think about it, to damn someone literally means to send someone to hell. There are two issues with this. By your careless language, you trivialise the fact that damnation is a serious consequence of sin, and to hear the word as a Christian can only be accompanied with trembling joy that you have escaped the wrath to come. If you frequently use such language, will you not become insensitive over time to such poignant truths?  The second issue is that you dispossess the word of its power to shock the hearer. The person who has heard friends playfully cuss will not easily receive the warning of God that real condemnation hangs over the head of every unrepentant sinner. How can he when every time he has heard the word, he has heard it in a non-personal, non-serious context? Don’t compound his situation by using the word yourself.

The same goes for ‘hell’. Hell is a horrible reality we must contend with. It is final judgment for those who rebel against God. No one goes to hell willingly. They are thrown into the lake of fire. We must not trivialise hell by using it as a cuss word. It is a word that ought to be spoken with solemness, with grief, with much pleading, and accompanied by the merciful news of the cross of Christ. If we carelessly toss the word around, how can anyone take the reality behind the word seriously?

Watch your tongue the next time you want to express exasperation. Your words can be like poison, clouding further the spiritual truths of God, Christ, salvation and judgment, from both yourself and those who hear you.

A sword that is sheathed is of no value

I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you. – Psalm 119:11

Note how the psalmist fights against sin. It is primarily not by sheer willpower, the encouragements of other Christians, carrying a bible around in your back pocket (or as is all the rage nowadays, on your handphone), or even prayer. It is primarily by the Word of God stored up in his heart, that is committing the Word of God to memory that it might be called upon, or come to mind, at any time.

I think we lose something precious in the fight against sin when we give up on memorising the Word of God. The pleasures of sin are constantly enticing us to give in. But give sin an inch and it takes a mile. These pleasures are short-lived, but the guilt that follows weighs upon us like a ton a bricks. You want to fight your way out, but you feel hopeless against the relentless onslaught of sin on your will. This is the experience of every Christian living on this side of redemption. We are reckoned righteous in Christ, but we remain sinners. It is a tension we struggle with daily.

Paul says to put to death your sinful nature by the Spirit. We also know that the Spirit does not work apart from the Word, but through the Word. Therefore, it seems natural to Paul that fighting sin must involve the Word. In fact, it would be no exaggeration to say that Paul believed that fighting sin was impossible apart from the Word, for he calls it the sword of the Spirit. After all, how do you fight an enemy without a weapon? And spiritual enemies require spiritual weapons.

But a sword that is sheathed is of no value. Similarly, to keep the Word in our Bibles is of no value. A sword must be drawn, and likewise the Word must be drawn out of the Bible, into us. Also, a sword that is blunt, is not a weapon fit for battle. The Word must be kept sharp, and there is no sharper Word than one which is stored up in our heart, ready to be called upon without a moment’s notice.

A major objection to memorising the Word of God is that there is a lack of time. I wish to point out that there is no better use of our time than to fight sin by memorising the Word. After all, if we are destined to be conformed to the likeness of Christ, then our primary goal in life must be to fight sin. Many also believe it is beyond their abilities to memorise so much. I beg to differ. I’m always surprised at how well my peers can remember song lyrics, but that they in turn are surprised at how well I remember a lot of different things. The difference is seldom one of ability, but of priorities. If you truly believe that the Word of God is the most precious thing one can have in this life, for in it we can find Christ, then you would devote time to studying and storing it up in your heart, instead of wasting your attention on inane lyrics that might sound good but turn out to be noisy gongs and clanging cymbals.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not calling for people to plunge into memorising whole books of the Bible straightaway. The mind is like a muscle. It needs to be exercised. Start slowly. Begin by being selective. As you improve your skills in this discipline, you will gradually be able to take on bigger and bigger portions of the Bible. At this point, you’ll see the immense value of knowing chapters, and books by heart.

Finally, if you value your life, if you value Christ, then please do all that you can to fight sin. It is a traitor, which pretends to be working for our good, but ultimately intends to destroy us. Only God works all things for our good, for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. And his purpose is that we might be conformed to the likeness of his Son. If we are to be like Christ, we must fight sin. So take up those swords, keep them sharp and keep them drawn. The enemy comes like a thief in the night. Stay vigilant.

 

Of Facebook and Twittering Birds (or rather Tweeting)

Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and blogs are so much a part of our lives today that it has become difficult to imagine the world before online social networking.

Much has been written on the topic of social networking over the Internet, and some of the articles on this topic have been engaging and even instructional. I don’t intend to add any original contributions to this issue from a theological perspective, but rather would just like to call to mind some of the principles dictating our use of these tools. To this end, I propose asking ourselves three questions:

1. Is it ultimate?

When your time and effort is consumed with such activities, and you suffer from withdrawal symptoms when you abstain from their use for a period, then I would argue that it is ultimate. You have elevated it to a position in your heart that compels you to dedicate the majority of your time to it, and that causes you to hunger for it in its absence. That position is reserved for God alone. Anything or anyone else that occupies that position is an idol. To be proud of your addiction to social networking sites (or to any other idol for that matter) is a derogatory offense to God, because you are taking pride in your rebellion against him. Some people wear this (addiction) as a badge of pride, but it is in reality the slavery chain of sin.

Also, it is easy to fall into the trap of ignorantly elevating a means of glorifying God into an end. Some might see Facebook as an efficient way to keep in touch with people and minister to their needs – but if all you ever do is spend time on Facebook and not with the actual people themselves, then I don’t think I’m too far off the mark when I denounce that it has become an end.

2. Is it wise?

The Bible constantly calls for us to make the most of our time, using it wisely, because the days are evil (Eph 5: 16). Some people regard Facebook as an effective tool to reach as many people as possible with some truth of the gospel. I agree that if the tool is there, and it’s already filled with so much nonsense, having a shred of truth there can only help some. But then I would ask whether it’s the best use of the time you’ve been given. This is something that each must decide for himself. I’ve personally worked out that Facebook is great for dropping a comment here and there (especially birthday wishes), engaging in the occasional banter, and organising events. I used to look at Facebook statuses and photos, before I realised I would hardly talk to most of the people I was looking at (which begs the question why they’re on my ‘friends’ list). So I’ve also tried to cut this down to closer friends and relatives. This in turn has freed me up to use my time for more profitable pursuits, whether it’s reading a book, doing that extra bit of studying or research, and meeting up with friends in person.

3. Is it narcissistic?

In other words, do you use social networking tools to bolster what people think of you? Is it an expression of your own vanity? The word comes from the Greek legend of Narcissus. Using the Wikipedia description, Narcissus was a handsome Greek youth who rejected the desperate advances of the nymph Echo. As punishment, he was doomed to fall in love with his own reflection in a  pool of water. Unable to consummate his love, Narcissus pined away and changed into a flower that bears his name, the narcissus.

There’s a lesson to be learnt here. Are you so in love with yourself that you must announce to the world everything that is going on in your own world, or should that only be reserved for a few close friends and those who sincerely ask you? Occasional status updates are not a bad thing, but if you seem to be updating something about yourself every hour or two, with trivial comments like ‘eating a kit kat bar’, ’staring at book’, ‘thinking of her’, you might want to consider the motives behind these comments. People don’t generally blab out loud in public about what they are feeling or doing. The same might be somewhat true of the tweeting world, although I do leave some negotiating room for legitimate expression of one’s self. Another common expression of vanity I’ve observed is that of posting ‘profound’ statements, which in fact make no sense and only serve to add to your ‘mystique and intellect’.

What exactly is the problem if your use of Facebook and Twitter is an expression of your narcissism? I think it serves to increasingly turn a person’s focus in on himself, such that his every waking thought is preoccupied with himself. And the consequences of this are not dissimilar to those of Narcissus, who was unable to ‘consummate’ his love. In other words, loving yourself leads nowhere but increasing self-despair. You can never satisfy yourself with yourself. Also, it doesn’t encourage humility, which C.S. Lewis helpfully explains as not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. And if we truly desire to be Christ-like, then we ought to make progress in humility. And for the record, I just can’t imagine Jesus tweeting, “praying on mountainside. will select 12 disciples in a moment” or “walking on water. will update when I reach boat”.

Some concluding remarks

Some of you might disagree with what I have had to say. Some might even reckon that my blogging is in some ways narcissistic, in that I think everyone ought to listen to me. I can’t deny that some selfish motive along those lines does exist somewhere within my sinful heart, but by the grace of God I hope the three questions above might be a useful guideline in deciding the manner in which we use social networking sites for the glory of God.