On Either Side of the Or

Which side of the "or" are you on today?

Read Luke 8:22-56 and pay careful attention in this relatively short passage to the staccato beat of these stories: Jesus calming the storm, healing the demoniac, healing the bleeding woman, raising the dead daughter. You'll notice there are people on both sides of every story, either being afraid OR believing - fearing OR trusting.

"We're going to drown!" Honestly, how many times have we screamed this, when Jesus was right there in the same boat with us. (And notice, please, that is was at Jesus' direction that they set off across the lake when they did. He knew what lay ahead - and He took a nap!) Why do we do that? Why do we profess to believe that God is in control and then lose control of ourselves when the sea gets choppy? My bank account is empty - we're going to drown! Cancer - we're going to drown! Difficult relationships - we're going to drown!

Jesus gets up, calms the storm and asks simply, "where is your faith?" It's like, "c'mon fellas, I'm right here." Put all of Jesus' comments from this passage together and what do you get: Where is your faith . . . go in peace . . . don't be afraid, just believe . . . stop wailing.

When it was all said and done in each of these vignettes in Luke 8, the storm is past, the demons have fled, the bleeding has stopped, and the dead girl has stood to her feet. WHERE IS YOUR FAITH, Jesus asks. Fear or trust. Be afraid or believe. Which side of the "or" are you on?

New Dogs, Old Tricks

"Often what modern innovators consider a new discovery, and wish to pass off as a scheme suited to remove all difficulties, is found upon examination to be nothing else than some ancient heresy clothed in a new dress."

This is a quote from an 1831 (yes, EIGHTEEN THIRTY-ONE) article in the Biblical Repertory from Princeton Theological Seminary regarding the "New Divinity" that was gaining a foothold in New England, especially in the state of New York. Charles Finney is the one name most closely associated with the movement, which featured a disbelief in original sin and the substitutionary atonement of Christ, a downplaying of the depravity of man, and an emphasis on the will of man as the main factor in salvation.

The brand of theology and soteriology Finney and others championed was nothing more than Pelagianism, a (then) 1500 year old heretical doctrine.

*sigh* Modern history is full of other examples of teachings that really aren't new. They're old tricks of the enemy, being performed by new dogs. "Modern apostasy usually mirrors some error from the past."

As Sergeant Phil Esterhaus used to say: "Let's be careful out there." Know the Scripture, know the Truth.


Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. 2 Timothy 2:17-18

Hearts of Fathers

Today (November 10th, if you happen to not be reading this "today") is my oldest son's 16th birthday. Interestingly, just yesterday I was reading in Luke chapter one where the angel Gabriel declares to Zechariah that his not-yet-born son John (the Baptist) would come in the spirit of Elijah and would "turn the hearts of the fathers to their children." When I read that, the words jumped off the page into my lap, scampered up my arm and lodged in my thought process. Again, I've read these words before a thousand times, but now they are quickened to my spirit and I wonder: what is it about the relationship between fathers and sons that it factors into a major spiritual awakening such as was prophesied in Malachi and realized in the life of John the Baptist, who paved the way for Christ?

I thought to myself (a la the Snapple commercial), "This is heavy stuff. Important stuff. Good stuff. I love this stuff." I mean, I realize that the father-son relationship is HUGELY important: so many spiritual parallels, so many grand opportunities and responsibilities. I get that. And now, suddenly, I am struck with the statement that in the spirit and power of Elijah, John the Baptist, in preparing the way for the Christ, will "turn the hearts of the fathers to their children." Amazing! I know these sterile words I'm typing aren't even coming close to expressing what I'm feeling, but there must be something significant about fathers in regard to spiritual revival. God has placed priority on it.

Well, I found a sermon by John Piper where he addresses this very thing. If you like Piper, go there and read it. If you haven't the time, and you're a father, simply take a minute and consider the "cool factor" here: one of God's priorities (and a powerful one it is) is for you, DAD, to play the man, love your God, love your kids, give yourself to them, teach them, nurture them and launch them into life!

Healer's Hem

I was remarking a couple of days ago about the poignancy of the various personal encounters with Christ as depicted in the book of Mark. I'm still reeling from reading those stories again, but reeling in a fantastic way - as if it were the first time I'd ever heard these accounts.

I'm so moved by the images . . .
. . . of Christ grasping the hand of the blind man and carefully leading him outside of the town, giving him back his sight - and he sees everything clearly. . .
. . . of Christ dropping to His knees and embracing armfuls of children . . .
. . . of Christ facing another blind man, asking him a question and knowing (perhaps even smiling about) what was going to happen next . . .

I'm like Bartimaeus today . . . Jesus, I want to see . . . I want to follow You down the road.

The Touch of Christ

I've been enjoying the book of Mark and the beautiful stories of Christ's compassion. I am deeply moved by how these stories mirror my own experiences with the Savior.

"...and all who touched Him were healed." Mark 6:56

Think about it - every time we touch our sweet Savior, from the first time on, we are changed and healed.

"People were overwhelmed with amazement. 'He has done everything well,' they said. 'He even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak." Mark 7:37

Indeed, salvation has been accomplished - well and perfectly, bringing us back to our senses.

"He took the blind man by the hand and led him . . . his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly." Mark 8: 23, 25

The Messiah takes our hand in His and leads us out of darkness into His wonderful light.

"The boy looked like a corpse..But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet..." Mark 9:27

From oppression and death, we are lifted up by the blessed Christ and restored!

"He took a little child and had him stand among them . . . [t]aking him in his arms . . ." Mark 9:36

"And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them." Mark 10:16

All of my rest, peace and security is found in the arms of my Savior. I am an adopted child of the Father. Amazing.

Rest My Weary

Thirty-six hours from the time of this posting I'll be winging my way back East for a week of vacation in Vermont with my wife and two close friends. I doubt I'll be in front of a computer much, so this post will have the chance to age a little before it gets bumped down the page.

I never read a book without a pen. Provided the book is mine, I will underline, mark up and write notes and thoughts as I go. Sometimes it's fun to grab a favorite book off the shelf and flip the pages just to remind myself of what struck me the first time through. I did this the other night with John MacArthur's "The Love Of God."

At the beginning of chapter 8, JMac briefly tells the powerful story of George Matheson. After great loss in his life, Matheson found solace in God's unchanging love and penned the hymn "O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go."

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee
I give Thee back the life I owe
That in thine ocean-depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
What profound comfort for the true believer! Though we are not immune from trouble, we are indeed immune to being lost by our loving Father. Wow - to be swallowed up in that knowledge and give my all and everything to Him in obedience!

The song in the video below is Steve Camp's own song along the same theme. I can't listen to it without weeping. Soli Deo Gloria! Be blessed.

Predestination: NOT A Bad Word

Here's an anecdote that vividly illustrates how some folks live in doctrinal paradigms:

A few months back I found myself teaching from Ephesians chapter one in a high school class on Sunday morning. Now, of course this is powerful stuff regarding election and predestination and God's glory.

All at once, one young man fairly burst out with, "you mean you believe in predestination?!" My response? "Well, yeah!"

What really struck me was the tone the teen took: it was as if predestination was a bad word, cursing, or some kind of heresy.

"You mean you believe in predestination?"

Well of course, it's a clear biblical doctrine. There need be no speculation about it whatsoever! It's a jewel of Scripture! Yes, I believe in predestination, because I believe the Bible!

Now, this young fella had no doubt been taught (or at least given the impression) by his folks and his denomination that predestination is a dirty word. I suspect that is because their doctrinal paradigm doesn't allow for this sort of thing (you know, that God has a sovereign plan and He has every right to do whatever He pleases - not that they would verbally deny this, because I don't think they actually believe it. How much is one allowed to put in parentheses, anyway? And now, back to our story...).

What struck me so forcefully about this whole situation was that such a clear Biblical doctrine was so easily tossed aside without a thought: just a knee-jerk Arminian reaction (and really, I suppose anyone could be knee-jerkish). I truly think this young person is sensible enough to see the truth the Bible teaches, if he'll stop and look at it. It's just so amazing sometimes what gets rejected for the sake of a precious paradigm.