The Foolishness of the Gospel

I recently had another one of those funerals where I knew no person involved. I was called because one of the family members contacted a friend about a minister to do the service, and that friend contacted me. I had never even met the friend, she knew me only by reputation. They asked me to come, and I went.

The family was rather nice, and they seemed well-educated and pretty cultured. They were polite with me, and they thanked me for coming. They gave me the order of service. I was to open with prayer and then lead the family and friends in the Lord's Prayer. At the close of the service, I was to give a devotional thought and close with the 23rd Psalm. After this was explained and I had offered condolences to the family, one of the family members spoke up and said something to the effect of, "Now, we don't need a sermon pastor, or some speech on, 'Repent or else!' Just something nice. I'm sure you know what you're doing." The family laughed in agreement. They wanted no sermon and no message on repentance.

I was oddly stunned. I was called at the last minute, and I had planned on speaking from Ecclesiastes 12 and the vanity of clinging to this life without regard to God. I felt as if the rug had been pulled from under me because I knew that if you take away sermons and messages on eternal life and repentance and hell and heaven, I'm just a guy in a suit. The janitor would have had more things to say than me, and he wouldn't have had to drive as far to say them.

So I went in the back and I prayed. I did not speak on Ecclesiastes 12. Instead, I chose 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, which is all about the resurrection from the dead and the glorious appearing of our Lord. I did the opening condolence, recited the Lord's Prayer, and sat and waited in growing discomfort.

The family gave the eulogy. One read a poem about how the deceased had not really died but simply had become one with nature. She was now a bird and the wind and the grass and the water. She was everywhere and always with them. The family wept; I fidgeted.

My part came soon, and I took my Bible and stood behind the lectern. The family waited, and I struggled. I knew that what I was about to say would probably offend, but that is not what bothered me. I felt deeply, for perhaps the first time, the foolishness of the gospel. I don't know why it struck me so deeply at that moment, but it did. As I was turning to 1 Thessalonians, the thought in my head was, "I am about to tell these people that a Jewish man some 2000 years ago died and came back to life. And if that weren't enough, I am about to tell them that this same man is going to appear in the sky and that when He does, He will teleport people into the air to hover with Him there." Internally, I chuckled to myself. How absurd I was about to sound to these people!

So I preached, contrary to the request that was made. I did not raise my voice or yell, I simply presented the hope of the gospel in all of its glory and foolishness, and I told them that I believed it with all of my heart. I came to give hope to those who mourn, but more importantly, I came to give honor to the One who is Sovereign over life and death. That is why I disregarded the request, and that is why I always will.

Next time, I will be better prepared for such a circumstance. If someone says something like that, I will simply say something like, "Sir, I am servant of Jesus Christ, not a hired professional. I must say what I must say, and if that is disagreeable to you, then I will leave. But I promise you this, what I say will be sweet because repentance and salvation is sweet, though not everyone finds such truth palatable."

The gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing, and I am a fool for Christ's sake. May the Lord bless the gospel that was not wanted but was given, and may they come to see a likely offense as a tender mercy. Amen.

Book Recommendation

If anyone is still reading this blog, I'd like to make the strongest possible exhortation to you. If you have to sell the shirt off of your back to buy Richard Sibbes' "The Bruised Reed," then go straight out and do it. The first chapter alone is worth that and even your socks. If you find yourself in low spirits, I do not know whether you may find a better medicine than this precious book. It has become a soothing oil to my soul.

Blog Changes Coming Up, Stay Tuned

I am revamping both the look and content of this blog. If all goes well, I will be pursuing a Ph.D in Church History beginning this fall, and the blog will soon change to reflect that. I will update more as the template look progresses. I'm probably going to change everything from the layout to the title of this blog. I hope that you will find the new blog a better resource and more edifying. Your comments are appreciated.

Thanks,

The Mgt. (That's me, Brad)

How Dare He!

Homosexuality is immoral. So says Marine General Peter Pace. Check out the entire story here. Do you think he'll catch some heat over this?

Numbers...

The book of Numbers certainly lives up to its name in the first three chapters, doesn't it. It's just what you've always wanted to know concerning the number of Gadites and Benjamites and Reubenites and etc. that walked about in the wilderness for forty years. Could we have done without these chapters, Lord?

If we had gone without them, then we would have missed a very important miracle. I don't know how well you do with math, I myself am pretty lousy at it. But even a mathematical dunce like me can understand the sort of math that I'm about to present to you. Here's the info we get from these chapters:

These are the numbers of fighting men from each tribe, excluding Levi:

Reuben - 46,500
Simeon - 59,300
Gad - 45,650
Judah - 74,600
Issachar - 54,400
Zebulun - 57,400
Ephraim - 40,500
Manasseh - 32,200
Benjamin - 35,400
Dan - 62,700
Asher - 41,500
Naphtali - 53,400
------------------
Total Fighting Men - 603,550
(I didn't even have to do the math myself. The handy MacArthur Study Bible did that for me.)

These figures do not include boys under 20, women, or the tribe of Levi. If you throw those numbers into the mix, then the number of Israelites reaches about 2,000,000. This does not include the folks of the other races, the "mixed multitude", that went out of Egypt with the Israelites (Exodus 12:38).

How much food do you suppose it takes to keep the average man going per day? How about two biscuits and two tablespoons of gravy. That's over a million biscuits per day and...a lot of gravy. What about water? How much water does the average person drink per day in the desert? I'll bet they have to drink a good bit to stave off dehydration, especially if they are marching around in circles.

My point is that these boring numbers tell us that God provided for over 2 million people every day for forty years in a desert. A people who left Egypt with no real provision and went into a desert where there was no sustanance. That's a logistical nightmare, folks. I know people who can barely feed two teenagers with daily trips to the grocery store; I can't imagine trying to feed a quarter million teenagers in a desert.

But God did it, and He will provide for you and for me as well. He cares for us as He did for them. I had some very lean years there in seminary. Very lean. But I never missed a meal (even if it was Ramen Noodles), and I certainly didn't starve. My bills were paid, my tuition was taken care of, and I even got to go out occassionally. God is good, and He cares for His people. You can count on it.

A Warning to Drifters

Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard him...Exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. (Hebrews 2:1-3; 3:13-14).

When I was a kid, I used to love to watch old Gunsmoke and Have Gun, Will Travel episodes with my great-grandfather. Even though the man only had "bunny ears" for reception, he had the uncanny ability to pick up an old western anytime he wanted. After twenty years, I can still recall that the characters on those shows who were held with the greatest suspicion were the "drifters" that blew in and out of towns.

The problem with these dudes was that they weren't stable. They didn't have families, respectable jobs, or permenant abodes. Naturally, this indicated that they were men with no regard for responsibility, and as often as not, they caused trouble in the towns they wandered into.

The warning of Hebrews 2 begins with a warning against becoming a church drifter. The language used here harkens to a ship that isn't properly anchored, and so it slowly begins to be carried away by the current. That's a marvelous picture of what happens to a church drifter. They come in, they never really connect, and then they slowly drift away. Are you a drifter? Can you identify?

But is this text really speaking of drifting away from the church? Chapter One, admittedly, does not refer to the church. It speaks of the glory of Jesus Christ. So it is legitimate, perhaps, to say, "Bro. Brad, this text is talking about drifting away from Jesus, not the Church!" Very well, I grant you this point. However, let's look at how we came to Jesus Christ and how we stay in Jesus Christ.

Observe the end of 2:3. It says, "At the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him." So where did our knowledge about the Lord come from? The Lord told us about Himself, and when He ascended into heaven, His witnesses told us about Him. For me, that means that approx. 2000 years after the ascension, a man named Sgt. Wilson told me about he resurrected Savior on a bivouac. So does this mean after hearing one time and believing, we are therefore steadfastly anchored? Am I justified in my tying this passage to faithfulness to the local church?

Repeatedly hearing the gospel will not make the beleiver more justified, but it will make him more sanctified as he hears it and loves it more deeply. In the local church, I hear the gospel and the "salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord." And so I grow in faith.

So am I now arguing that local church attendance only helps for spiritual growth and has no effect on justification whatsoever? Well, not completely. Let's turn to chapter 3 to get the full picture. "Exhort one another daily...lest any of you be hardened throught the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end" (3:13-14). We are commanded to encourage one another daily. This is a command for intimate fellowship with those in the body of the local church. To what end? So that sin may not overcome us and harden us so that we cease to persevere. Here's the real point of all this and why the local church is crucial to our salvation: if someone has ceased to be encouraged, then their hearts may be hardened and they will not grow in faith. If they cease to grow in faith, then their justification is questionable. Because genuine faith has perseverance as one of its marks. Therefore, if someone is neglecting fellowship, it is likely that they are not in the faith. At best, they will grow weak, at worst, it reveals an unregenerate heart.

Look again at the implications of the text:

1) We are warned not to "drift away" from the things we have heard.
--->Application: We drift away from the things we have heard by not positioning ourselves to hear them.

2) These things which we heard have been passed to us from the Lord to his witnesses.
--->Application: Specifically, I believe these witnesses to be apostolic witnesses for the most part. Where do we go to hear their witness explained? The gathering of the Church!

3) We are to exhort one another continually.
--->Application: Where can we go to fulfill this command? The local church. And arriving on Sunday is not enough. The command is "daily." Therefore, we must develop relationships in the assembly of the Church and nurture them outside the assembly constantly. If you only do this once a week, then you are a once a week drifter.

4) If we are not encouraged, then sin will harden us.
--->Application: We need the nourishment of the body to aid us in our war against sin.

5) We are partakers in Christ if we continue to the end.
--->Application: We may have confidence that our faith is genuine as long as we are in a healthy relationship with one another in the Church. If we have, through neglect, removed ourselves from the body, then our faith has become weak at best and is non-existent at the least.

Conclusion: Thank God for the fellowship of the saints. Appreciate your local fellowship more, and realize that this group of imperfect people you hang with is instrumental in keeping you honest and faithful. Don't neglect the church, and if you are, repent and return immediately.

Catfish...an Abomination!

All in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water, they are an abomination to you. (Leviticus 11:10-11a).

It can be hard work getting through the Book of Leviticus. Part of the reading for today included some of the dietary laws which God gave to Israel. Much to the chagrin of God's people everywhere, Catfish did not make the edible list. They are, unfortunately, an abomination.

Catfish are not the only ones that did not make the cut. Shrimp do not qualify either. They are scavengers, I believe, and they are finless. And crawfish? They suffer the same fate as shrimp. No catfish fries, no shrimp scampi, and no crawfish boils.

Why would I make mention of something so seemingly insignificant? Especially since today's reading also contained the story of God's judgment against Nadab and Abihu? Two reasons: one is because I am thankful today for the little things, and secondly, it's Monday. I prefer mercy over judgment on Mondays.

As a good Southern boy and a South Louisiana import, I love fried catfish, shrimp, and crawfish boils. And while it may seem insignificant to some, I know that I may enjoy may fried delights because of the mercy of God. He has, for no other reason than that He is good, declared all foods kosher for me through Christ my Lord.

Food does not have to taste. God could have created the world in such a way that we would take our nourishment from nibbling sponges. But it does taste, and it tastes especially good here in Cajun country. My taste buds bulge with delight on a regular basis as I enjoy the local cuisine, and I am thankful that the Lord allows me such trivial pleasures because He is good.

Soon, it will be time for crawfish boils again. Each time I pop one of those tasty critters in my mouth, I will remember that the Lord allows me this pleasure that He never allowed Solomon, or David, or even His own Son. I will remember that they endured the taskmaster of the law, and that I, unworthy Son that I am, live in a time when grace abounds to the worst of sinners...down to the most seemingly trivial detail. And more than Shrimp scampi, I get to live in an age that looks back on the cross and the work that the Messiah accomplished there, when all of the promises of God became "yes and amen" in Jesus. The prophets longed to see and know the things that we see and know, and we have freedoms in grace that they never enjoyed. We are blessed, down to the clothes that we wear and the food that we eat.

So, dear reader, the next time you put a piece of fried catfish in your mouth, remember it as an opportunity for worship, even in the most trivial of things.

Adjusting to the Pastoral Ministry

I am in a slump lately, and I think its because my brain is tired. I'm not sure how all of this works because this is only my third year as a pastor and I'm still adjusting to the pastoral routine...whatever that is. Let me tell you my background so that perhaps you may understand.

I come from a long line of farmers. Up until my grandfather's generation, that's basically all my family did. After that, we moved to plant work. We're blue collar folks, for the most part. My dad has worked plant work his whole life. I think its bred in my blood. My favorite job ever was the landscaping job I had at the golf course, or the time I spent laboring as a National Guardsmen. I like to sweat when I work.

I don't sweat much as a pastor. I sit and stare alot. I stare at printed pages and out the window. When I'm staring out the window, I'm thinking of things I've read on printed pages. I also write. Alot. Currently, I'm writing Sunday School material and Discipleship Training material. I'm also writing for my Seminary classes, and sometimes I write for this blog. On Sundays, I teach Sunday School, preach Sunday Morning, teach Sunday Evening, and preach Sunday evening. We were also doing a Men's Bible Study on Thurs. which I also taught.

I'm not complaining, those things are my joys in life. But they don't make you sweat and you don't get dirty doing them. You can sit and look at paper all day, and the only thing that will get tired physically are your back and eyes. But neither is sore the next day, for the most part. My voice gets tired sometimes, but it works pretty good. (I also lead the singing on Sundays.)

Instead of being sore, this sort of work tends to put me into a sort of sleepy, zombie state. I've been in that state for the past few days. I want to sleep, not get up at 5am and drive to New Orleans. The rub is that my blue collar blood wonders why I'm tired. I feel like I haven't done anything. Thinking isn't work, is it? I'm learning that it is, and I'm learning that it is much harder to gauge mental fatigue than muscular.

I'm also learning that mental fatigue is not as satisfying as muscular. When I work until my muscles are worn out, say by laying sod, I sleep like a baby and feel good about it. When I read all day, I get cranky and zombie like. I stay dazed. And it isn't conducive to a good night's sleep.

Another thing about the pastoral ministry is the schedule...or general lack thereof. When is a pastor "at work"? When is he not? At my blue collar job, I'm at work when I'm at work. I'm done when I'm done. My time is my time, the rest belongs to the man. I can't really figure out when I'm off in this job. When I'm off...I read about and think about Christ and the Church. When I'm "on," I read about and think about Christ and the Church. Jogging has helped with this. In moments of intense agony when I can only think of putting one foot in front of the other, it helps shake off the zombie fog. I also sweat profusely, which is nice.

Finally, if you like to see production, ministry can be very trying. At the landscaping job, I could, after several hours of work, see that I had satisfactorily moved a pile of dirt across the golf course to make a pile of dirt on the other end. In ministry, I teach and think and preach and pray and exhort and rebuke and at the end of the day, I'm not certain if much changed. After a day of ministry, I often look back and think, "Well...what did I do today? I talked with some people; I read a book; I did my quiet time, and I wrote a section of commentary on Daniel. Oh yeah, I also spent time wondering if ton was an accusative singular definite article or if it could be a neuter nominative singular. The noun wasn't helping me because it is a 3rd declension and I've forgotten my endings again." Oh the days of, "Two pallets of sod. They go over there. Lay it green side up."

So why am I telling you all of this? Because Frank Turk loves where am I now posts, and because I just force fed myself Leviticus 5-8. (I know, I shouldn't say that, but I read it, was blessed by it, and was reminded of how serious God is about sin. But it was still a tough read.) And, I thought it might be funny for you to see through the window into my world a bit. For now, I'm going to take a nap. Enjoy.

Would They Perish or Not?

Acts 27:22-25, 30-31, "Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, saying, 'Do not be afraid Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.' Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told...But as the sailors were trying to escape from the ship and had let down the ship's boat into the sea, on the pretense of intending to lay out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, 'Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved.'"

We have a very interesting scenario presented to us in this text of Scripture. On the one hand, we have God's guarantee to Paul that every life on board the doomed ship will be saved. God, in his mercy, had granted them their lives on Paul's behalf. Yet, a mere six verses later, we see that some of these men are indeed in danger of perishing. How can this be? God has already guaranteed that everyone will survive, yet Paul warns that if they leave the ship, then they will certainly perish.

Some see this passage as a good analogy for the perseverance of the saints. That is, all the men on board will be saved if, and only if, they stay on board the ship. And we know that they will certainly stay on board because God has clearly stated to Paul that all these men will be saved. However, certain men genuinely and sincerely want to leave the ship, not knowing that the only condition by which they can be delivered is if they remain on board. Paul, sensing that they are heading for disaster, warns them of their impending doom if they proceed with their plan to abandon ship. They rightly fear his words, and they remain on board and are saved...just as God said they would be.

This seems to be a good analogy of how perseverance works in the life of the elect, and it helps make sense of certain warning passages against apostacy in the Scripture. That is, there are elect people who are dabbling with things that would disqualify them as saints. Perhaps their faith is waning, or they are tempted to deny Christ through some nefarious sin, through which they would "crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame" (Heb. 6:6). Such men, the Bible says, cannot be renewed to repentance.

So then, the impulse to abandon ship are sometimes real, and it takes the stern warnings of Scripture to keep us safe in Christ. In other words, the warnings themselves serve as the heavenly means by which we are kept by faith in Christ. For example, we know that certain people (the elect) will praise and worship the Lamb of God forever in the throne room of heaven. We know this because John has already seen them there and told us about them. Yet, we also know that none of them will come to be there unless they hear the gospel. Paul makes this clear in Romans 10:14-15. So the gospel is the means by which these saints are drawn to faith, and the warnings of Scripture are also an indispensable means of keeping them there, as are encouragements!

This is why it is so very, very important that we fellowship with one another in the gathering of the local church. If you abandon this practice, you may be utterly lost without hope. But...I thought if you were the elect then you would be saved no matter what! Yes, you will, and if you are elect then you will fear God's Word and obey it, and you will get your slack self back into the local church and stop dodging it through carnal excuses. Repent, therefore, and stop trying to jump ship through lame whinings about busyness and bad preaching and hypocrites in the church and etc.

I hope that this example helps for you to understand how I conceive of perseverance. I know that this may raise some questions, and hopefully a helpful discussion may ensue.

Statement of Call and Commitment

In order to be accepted into the Ph.D program, I have to respond to some questions on a document called: Statement of Call and Commitment. I thought I'd post my responses to these questions here for your edification, and so you might get to know me better. Here you go.

Statement of Call and Commitment

1. Explain your conversion experience. Include your age, the circumstances, etc.

I became a Christian my junior year of college at 21 years of age. I came to college with an agnostic view of the world, and admitted the probability that there was a God, but I did not believe that He was either personal or knowable with any certainty. College life served to further this agnosticism through my various encounters with people of other faiths, and the tendency towards postmodern relativism in the department of my major certainly did not help make matters clearer.

It was the logical end of radical relativism that proved to be one of the motivating factors behind my renewed interest in religious clarity. Through my philosophy classes and personal struggle with finding meaning in life, I came to the bleak conclusion that if there were no God, then life seemed devoid of any real purpose. Being agnostic was no longer a happy place for me, and it led me into a time of spiritual misery which lasted for more than a year. During this time, I began to investigate religious truth claims in earnest, hoping that I might find a truth to latch onto.

It was during this struggle that I came to Jesus Christ. In a completely unanticipated event, I came to realize that Jesus Christ was truly the Son of God, and that He had truly died for my sins, and that I was completely sinful. This awakening happened one evening while I was in my apartment talking to a couple of friends about nothing particularly profound. One moment I was chatting, the next I was in tremendous fear for my soul. All the Scriptures that I had read as a sixteen year old were instantly confirmed to me in my heart through a work of the Holy Spirit. It was simultaneously terrifying and liberating. It was terrifying because I knew, for the first time without doubt, that I had offended a holy God, and I knew that my condemnation was just. After asking one of my friends who was present to come and pray with me, I went to the bedroom and begged for the Lord’s forgiveness. For the first time, I knew without doubt that there was a God, that Jesus Christ was the Savior of the world, and that I had peace through the death and resurrection of Christ.

2. Describe your family background.

(Too personal for the internet, sorry.)

3. Share elements and facts that have influenced your spiritual development. Tell about your call to ministry.

After my conversion in college, I spent a period of time wandering from church to church. For the most part, my Christian instruction came through colleges ministries such as Campus Crusade for Christ and Reformed University Fellowship. The leader of the RUF ministries on campus, Billy Joseph, helped me tremendously by discipling me and encouraging me to read good Christian books.

Perhaps nothing affected my growth more than my call to ministry. Approximately six months after my conversion, I realized while doing devotional reading in the book of James that my ministry was to teach. Specifically, I was reading James 3:1 which states, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.” The Lord used that verse to convince me that I was both a teacher and that I had a strict judgment to look forward to. Apart from conversion, this was the most life changing moment of my life. Upon graduation from college, I began to seek a suitable seminary in which to study. The fear of God that James 3:1 put into my heart drove me to learn as much as I could so that I would be able to stand in the day of my judgment with as little shame as possible.

By God’s grace, I wound up studying at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary for my Master’s Degree in Divinity. The four years I spent there were by far the most beneficial and influential years in my Christian life. Through the seminary’s dedication to teaching the Scriptures and through the modeling of godliness by its faculty, I grew in wisdom and humility. Upon graduation, I was called to serve as pastor at First Baptist Church of Plaquemine where I currently serve.

4. To what area of service has God called you? What are your ministry goals?

In general, God has called me to equip the saints through the teaching of God’s Word. Specifically, the Lord has called my to discharge that duty at the church that I now pastor. My only ministry goal is to be found faithful in the day of the Lord’s return in all that He has given me to do. To this end, I have dedicated myself to a lifetime of studying God’s Word, to seek opportunities to place myself under the tutelage of godly men, and to pray continually that God will never allow me to trust to myself to fulfill the ministry that He has given me.

5. Give your educational goals. What is your reason for pursuing this degree?

My personal educational goal is to pursue wisdom throughout my life. I hope to become wise by the study of God’s Word and through the tutelage of godly people. As much as the Lord blesses me in this pursuit, I hope to share all that I have learned with others who have this same desire.

I am pursuing a Ph.D with a concentration in Church History for several reasons. First, I enjoy the environment of learning. It challenges me in ways that push me beyond what I might learn as a pastor of a local church. One of my fears is that I would grow stagnate in the pastorate, and so seminary is helpful to keep me learning and accountable.
Secondly, I have chosen church history to prevent me from becoming too reactionary. Many times we waste brainpower and energy reinventing the wheel. Most doctrinal challenges have already arisen in the history of the church, and it is likely that the questions being asked have been thoroughly answered by one or more of our Christian forefathers. The genius and piety of those who have gone before serves to both encourage and comfort me as I deal with the controversies of my own time.

Since it is one of my life goals to be under the tutelage of the godly, I find the writings of our forefathers immensely helpful. Being dead is no deterrent to instruction, and so by studying Church history godly men speak to me from the grave. I am often awed by their godliness, stirred by their conviction, and instructed by their doctrine. I owe more to the dead than I do the living in my spiritual formation, and they have never surprised me by suddenly losing their faith or plunging into scandalous sin.

Finally, I have a strong desire to teach the church of her heritage. I believe that the testimonies we have been handed throughout the history of the church are treasures for discipleship and encouragement. By studying church history, I will be personally enriched by the wonderful history of Christianity, and I will be equipped to pass on her legacy to others. Hopefully, my studies will result in more people embracing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and that others will be encouraged to walk in faith by the examples of those gone before.

Busy, Busy!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I am keeping up with the reading. This week, however, is extremely busy. I have to complete writing a six week course on basic apologetics, a Sunday School lesson in Daniel, a couple of sermons, homework for seminary, and attend to other duties...such as going to the Alabama/LSU basketball game Wednesday. If any of you write a devotional/exegetical thought on one of the current readings, let me know and I'll link it!

Lord, I Don't Understand

A woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet...But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." (Mark 7:25, 27).

Did Jesus really just call that woman a dog? A close examination of the text will reveal that the answer to that question is yes and no. Yes, he did just call her a dog, but not only her, he implied that anyone outside of Israel was a dog. The word is "dogs," not "dog."

Some commentators have tried to soften the blow by pointing out that the word traslated dog is dimunitive, which means that it refers to small dogs or puppies. Gee, thanks Mr. Scholar. That makes is far easier to take. The fact is that Jesus called this woman a dog and indicated that Israel had a privelged place amongst the nations.

So why did the gentle Jesus, Savior of All-Mankind, the non-Respector of Persons, call this woman a dog? Dear Sunday School Teacher, dear Pastor, how will you present this text to your people? Will you soften the blow by dismissing the insult? How will you portray Jesus who makes such a comment?

I have long wondered about this passage, and I do not have a definite answer as to why Jesus spoke this way to this woman. But I have made a few observations about this that have proven helpful in the endeavor to kill the sin of pride.

This woman's daughter has an "unclean spirit." Demons torment people in various ways throughout the New Testament. This doesn't necessarily mean that the woman's daughter's head spun around and that she spewed forth obscenities like the girl on the exorcist. Remember that Jesus once healed a woman who had "a spirit of infirmity" which made her a severe hunchback (Luke13:11-12). This could have manifested itself as a physical problem or a psychological one. The point is that this woman was desperate and feared for the life of her daughter. Jesus Christ was the only one who could help her.

When a person is at the end of their rope, when they are desperate for cure or help, pride takes a backseat to need. The proudest man who goes without bread may beg for it with humility. In the hour of desperation, the proud will overlook insult from one who can provide for the need. If my son were desperately ill, and there were only one person who could save him, that person could call me far worse than "dog" and I would take it with a smile. I would grovel at their feet for help. Whatever it took to arouse their compassion, I would be willing to debase myself to that extent.

Secondly, I know that Jesus spoke no falsehood to this woman. She was far worse than a dog, and so am I. Since when is truth and insult? Should my pride say, "Am I a dog that the Lord should treat me this way?" and thereby refuse the grace that flows from Christ? I am a dog, and I am not worthy to be counted amongst the people of God, and I should be contented even with the crumbs that roll off of Abraham's table.

So I take this passage as an example to remind me to whom I pray and how I ought to ask for the Sovereign King's mercy. I come as one unworthy of attention. I come as one who is desperate and pitiful. I can make no demands from Christ Jesus; I can only trust to His compassion towards sinners. I pray to Him as if my son's life depends upon it, for it does. I pray to Him as if my world would stop, my wife would leave, my church would fail, my friends would perish, and my life might depart if He forgot this dog for even a moment.

I do not know why the Lord spoke to this woman in this way. It could be the exact words she needed to her to bring her to faith. It could have been as an example to His disciples of the faith and humility of those outside Israel. I am not privy to the Lord's motivation and secret will. I only know that when I, the sinful dog that I am, entreat my Master for crumbs He gives me a whole loaf; that this sojourner and illegitimate son has been given a name and a home; that instead of watching the feast as an outsider, I sit in the heavenly places at the right hand of God as a son and co-heir of glory.

If only I were a dog and not a sinful man, my guilt before the Lord would not have been so great and the Christ would not have had to give His back to the scoffers for my sake. Yet He chose to bear the iniquity of one worse than any mongrel when He suffered for me. I say with Isaac Watts (In his original words):

Alas! And did my Savior bleed? And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?

(Modern hymnbooks exchanged "worm" for "sinner," ironically, it is worse to be sinner than worm. It will be more tolerable for worms in the judgment than for wicked, unrepentant sinners.) I am not, in the end, insulted as Jesus' words to this woman. I rejoice. I rejoice that His words brought about this response, and I rejoice in the truth that He cared for the dogs of this world enough to make them Sons and Daughters of God.

Which is Easier?

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven you," or to say, "Arise, take up your bed and walk?" (Mark 2:9)

I long for the miraculous as much as any charismaniac at a Benny Hinn crusade. Truly, I do. The thought of the miraculous work of God in the lives of people consumes my thoughts and fuels my dreams. When I consider the words of Isaiah, "Oh, that You would rend the heavens!That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence," I find a heart that shares my longing (Isaiah 64:1).

I am the personal recipient of a bona fide miracle, and it is this experience which began my hope of seeing it manifest in others. The miracle I have experienced is the forgiveness of sin through the power of Christ, and I have it on good authority that this is more astounding than if I had been restored from being paralyzed.

In our day of spiritual hucksters, hirelings, deceivers, displayed crutches, empty wheelchairs, and forehead slappers, one might get the idea that the greatest miracle is good health. And while I do pray for God to work wonders in the bodies of the sick, I pray far more fervently for Him to work wonders in their souls.

Jesus offended a group of men in Mark 2 by declaring the sins of the paralytic man to be forgiven. Sensing their dismay at such a pronouncement, he asked them which is easier, to forgive sins or to heal the lame? The answer is it is far, far more difficult to forgive sins. So why are we so intent to persue the lesser miracle of health for our family and friends? Why are our prayer request lists at church filled with prayers for physical healing and not with cries for God's mercy? Give me a hundred lame men with new hearts over two hundred strong legs with dead spirits any day!

So if you feel today like a "lesser" Christian because you have been duped into believing that the miraculous consists of salvation from near death experience, tongue-talking, or personal revelation from internal whisperings, think again. If you have been born-again, you are the recipient of a miracle of the highest proportion. The angels celebrate your miraculous recovery from death and your unbelievable avoidance of God's wrath...a wrath that swept away one-third of their kin without mercy. Yet you have been spared.

I hope that today you long for the miraculous. I pray that you may have the assurance that, by faith, these words have been spoken over you, "Son/daughter, your sins are forgiven you." Father, show us your glory!

The Life of Brad

This is not a devotional post, and it has no Biblical commentary. I've decided to occassionally post on the weird thoughts and experiences I have between devotional writings. So, here' the latest.

My son is potty training, and I'm afraid that it isn't going as well as I'd hoped. For some reason, he prefers poop in his pants more than poop in the potty. But that's not really a dilemma. We'll get past that.

The problem I have now is that he mostly pee-pees in the potty. That means that there are often small quantities of pee in the diaper I have to take off of him to sit him on the potty. And, by the way, the kid goes to pee on the potty around 15 times a day because every time he squeezes a drop I give him a Smartie for his trouble. So here's the deal: What am I supposed to do with this semi-wet diaper?

Instead of getting cheaper, this potty training is actually costing me more money in diapers because I feel bad about putting a semi-wet diaper on my kid. Most parents know that the average Huggie will hold about 2 lbs of water before you have to change it. Once it's sagging to the knees, its time for another one. But once I've actually seen the wetness and have taken the trouble of removing the diaper, I feel obligated to put a clean one back on even though the one I removed is still good for another 1 and 3/4 pounds.

So now, instead of going through 6 diapers a day, we're using 20. Am I being a cheap-skate by wanting to put the old diaper back on? There's only a teaspoon of tee-tee in there, after all, and the thing is good for nearly a quart. Has anyone else had this dilemma?

The Cry of the Foolish Heart

The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, No, not one (Psalm 14:1-3).

I have too often seen Psalm 14:1 applied only to the atheist. If I'm not mistaken, one snide bumper sticker calls April 1st "National Atheist Day" in reference to Psalm 14:1. Such an understanding does violence to the meaning of this Scripture in two ways: (1) It gives the impression that this verse was written to atheists exclusively, (2) It puffs up pride to believe that this verse does not speak about the "Christian" person flaunting the bumper sticker.

In truth, this verse and chapter speaks to anyone who says in their heart that their is no Elohim. In other words, they are denying the God of Israel, not that there is/are no God/gods period. In recognizing this, and by looking closely at the Psalmists application, we find, to our shame, that each and every one of us fit into this category.

Notice the words of the Psalmist: "There is none who does good...They have all turned aside...There is none who does good, No, not one." Will our pride allow us to see ourselves in the category of those who deny the God of Israel? Paul says that this is our condition, and he uses this Psalm to demonstrate our depravity before God in Romans 2:10-18.

Friend of God, don't you see that every time you sin you functionally profess that there is no God of Israel who takes note of every deed done in the flesh? Isn't it important to understand that when we linger over an underwear advertisement to lust, or dishonor someone with our lips, or covet possessions with our eyes that our heart is pretending that there is no God to whom we must give an account?

In a terrible irony, this very pride is the same pride that moves us to gloat over the atheist when we paste such rubbish on our bumpers. Can't you see the smugness of thinking that calling April 1st National Atheist Day puts the atheist in his place? Can't we see the self-righteousness of believing that God's rebuke to us is really a rebuke to someone else? How miserable we are in our folly.

So what can we say to such an indictment? We say what the Psalmist said. "Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!" Oh, that God would continue to deliver a prideful worm like me from the clutches of my own delusions of granduer. And don't forget to look at the words of Paul again, and to feel their power deeply. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith" (Romans 3:23-25). Salvation has come from God in Jesus Christ. May our foolish hearts cry to Him for rescue from sin.

Destiny is Not an Ugly Word

Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, "Please let down your pitcher that I may drink," and she says, "Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink"--let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac...And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder..." (Genesis 24:14-15).

You, dear reader, have a destiny. You will either become an abomination so hideous that you will only be fit for hell's fury, or you will become an object of such beauty that if we could see you in such splendor now, the rest of us would be tempted to fall down and worship you. Such was the assessment of C.S. Lewis, and I agree with him. And though your destiny is firmer than concrete, all of your eternity hinges on your response to the good news of the resurrection of the sin-bearer, Jesus Christ.

I have no doubt that God ordained the very moment that Rebekah would leave her home carrying that pitcher to the well. I have no doubt that God gave Abraham's servant a willing and obedient heart to faithfully fulfill his task; he knew the servant's prayer and thoughts before he uttered them. I have no doubt that God knew that Rebekah would return to Canaan with Abraham's servant, and thereby become the grandmother of all Israel. Does your knowing that God orchestrated these events ruin the romance and surprise of the story? It certainly doesn't for me. I rejoiced again as I read it this morning, and I have known the ending for years.

The reason is because the characters do not know the end, and they have real decisions to make. The servant doubts that the woman will return with him to Canaan (Gen. 24:5). He wonders if God will make his mission succesful (24:14). Rebekah has to choose for herself whether or not she will immediately return with the servant (24:57-58). She was certainly anxious, as was the servant, as was Abraham, and probably Isaac as well. But the servant and Rebekah obeyed and went in faith, and God granted the success that He had ordained from the foundation of the world.

The Master of All Lives is a compelling story teller, and He moves the drama forward with such faithless characters. He leads them in mysterious and inscrutable ways so that they are a real part of the drama. I try to imagine what joy must have been felt by Isaac, the servant, and Rebekah when they first met there in that field. I wonder how much it rejoiced the heart of God for this day to come to pass.

The story of the righteous did not end in Genesis; it continues to this day. God is crafting us into something of beauty, if only we will believe and follow. The story of God's faithfulness in your life is, I am certain, filled with drama, romance, and failure, all upheld by a powerful and loving God. We can be certain that there is always such a happy ending for the faithful, and that even though your life may seem dull and uneventful to you, for the heavenly perspective it is filled with grace and glory. I look forward to meeting you at the end of this journey and hearing the path through which the Savior brought you. There is a seat at the Master's banquet for you, beloved. It is our destiny to be there, to know each other, and to adore the King of Kings.

Abram the Fearful

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will you give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" (Gen. 15:1-2)

I am so very thankful for the Bible's honest portrayal of our forefathers in the faith. I am encouraged to know that I am not the only one who has ever doubted or been depressed because of my weak faith.

This passage comes on the heels of Abram's insult to the King of Sodom and his war-making with his neighbors. Perhaps this caused Abram to be doubtful and to fear reprisal. Maybe not. But for some reason, the Lord God visited His servant to encourage him, and to remind him that He protected Abram as a shield. God's reassurance of His kindness towards Abram provokes a very human, and somewhat startling response. Abram questions God.

I also love the mercy that God has for us frail and doubting creatures. The Lord doesn't scold Abram here; He patiently repeats Himself. Abram cries, "Lord! You've given me no heir!" The Lord replies, "Count the stars if you are able to number them...So shall your descendants be" (15:5). This isn't new revelation. God doesn't have to conjure new promises to satisfy a doubting heart. He can gently remind us of the atounding promises that He has already made. Only three short chapters ago, the Lord promised "I will make you a great nation" and "To your seed I will give this land" (12:2,7). There's nothing new in chapter 15, only a reminder that our God never forgets a promise made.

But what good is a promise if the one who promises is not able to deliver the goods? God promises to provide; does He have the resources to do so? God promises to be with us to the end; can He see us all the time? He promises to answer our prayers; can He hear us when we call?

In His compassion, God does not forget that we are slow to believe and easily discouraged. Here in this text, He not only reminds Abram of the promises He has made; He reminds Him of who made them. "I am your Shield...I am your reward...I am the LORD...I brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to inherit it."

So the LORD has promised, the Great I AM. Yet Abram still doubts.

"Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?" (15:8).

Abram wants assurance that is soul-deep. He wants to be able to see the light in the valley of shadow. He believes, but he wants help for his unbelief! Still, God is patient with His servant. He gives Him a sign. He appears to Abram as a smoking over and a burning torch. The Lord promises, again, that He will give to Abram all that He has promised.

Are you down and depressed? I believe that you may find a cure in God's promises. What has the Lord promised to those who believe like Abram? Here are a few for you to delight in:

"To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God" (Rev. 2:7).

"Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev. 2:10).

"He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels" (Rev. 3:5).

You and I both know that these hardly scratch the surface. As I reflect upon these promises, I rejoice over who it is that has made such promises. He is the LORD, and nothing is too hard for Him. Who does the Lord say that He is? How has He been faithful to you in the past?

Finally, I find that we have an assurance greater than Abram. We have the wonderful privilege of the the indwelling Holy Spirit. As we read the Word of God and the promises contained therein, the gentle Comforter whispers to us that all the promises of God are "Yes and Amen" through Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 1:20). He reminds us that this isn't a wonderful dream from which we will wake disappointed, but that we are truly and wholly sons and daughters of the Living God (Romans 8:16).

Thank God that He is so kind to us that He patiently reiterates His promises and character to us as often as we need it. Thank God that for every doubt and worry we have, He has a promise and a hope that can lift us from despair to exceeding joy if we will only linger over them and meditate upon His greatness.

Not One Sandal Strap

I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, "I have made Abram rich."

The temptation to curry favor with the powerful can ruin us. For those who have youngsters, it is a constant source of concern that your children will "fall in with" the wrong crowd. We pray that our children will not compromise the principles which we have taught them in order to impress their peers and thereby, gain reputation.

How often we fall short in this area. Instead of refusing favor and riches as Abram did, we compromise for the sake of "peace" and ease. We treat people differently according to their status and their ability to reward us with their favor. As a pastor, this temptation is particularly evident. Do we treat the poor church member the same as the one who has money? Do we treat those with little influence the same as we do those who hold sway? Would we come down more quickly and more harshly on the lesser brother for a sin we might overlook in others? Sadly, I believe that we do.

This passage represents, amongst other things, Abram's unwillingness to have others take credit for what God has promised to do. God promised to make Abram great, and at the end of the day, Abram wanted God and God alone to be able to take credit for it. His faith informed him that he did not need the King of Sodom's approval or money to help God fulfill the promise which He made to him.

It should not be our desire as Christians to be "self-made men." Nor should we credit only the benevolence of others for who we become. Rather, we should be able to say with Paul, "By the grace of God, I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10). Certainly, Paul became who he was with the help of Barnabas, but Barnabas helped Paul for the glory of God. A sincere brother reaching out a helping hand in the Name of the Lord is different than one who helps in order to puff up his own pride or to hold us as debtors. May we all trust God to make a name for us, and may we never seek to help Him out through a means that would compromise our witness or His fame.

Making a Name for Ourselves

Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scatterd abroad over the face of the whole earth. (Genesis 11:4).

You may remember this story from your early days in Sunday School. I still remember thinking that the point of this story was that these people were trying to build a tower that went into heaven, and that God had to hurry and stop them to keep them from invading. (Just to let you know, the word translated "heavens" is also the word for "sky." They were just building a tower whose top was in the sky.)

Instead of an invasion, these people simply wanted to make a name for themselves. They wanted to be "somebodies." They wanted others to marvel at what they had accomplished and to heap glory and honor on them for it. Isn't this the natural tendency of our heart? Isn't this partly why we blog?

The problem with attempting to build a name for ourselves is that it is a malfunction. We were not made to make a name for ourselves. We were made to make much of God. Instead of wishing to have our own egos exalted, we are to labor to exalt the name of Christ. I wonder if we ever do anything completely selflessly for the glory of Christ. I wonder if in every work we do there isn't embedded a seed of sinful pride and vainglory. The root of pride is deep, often subtle, and quite difficult to eradicate.

I used the example of blogging because I find this desire to build a name for myself in my efforts here. I cannot honestly say that I blog for the pure motive of exalting Jesus Christ and for the encouragement of others. Part of me wishes to display my literary genius. (Doesn't everyone with a blog think that they are a genius on any topic that they tackle?) I know that this is true because I feel envy when my work does not match the work of others. And I demonstrate my vanity by ceaselessly checking my site meter for visits. I am not so different from those people at Babel. Are you?

The irony of the story is that God did build a name for one of those early people. He did not honor them for their efforts, but rather for the sake of His promise. That man was Shem. Did you know that Shem's name in Hebrew literally means "Name"? The people of Babel said, "Let us make a "shem" for ourselves." But they failed. God confounded their efforts. Verse ten says, "This is the genealogy of 'Name'." Then it lists Shem's genealogy. Shem was the forefather of Abram, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah, the forefather of David, and ultimately, the forefather of the Lord Jesus Christ. Shem inherited the promise of the Messiah, and so he inherited glory based on God's kindness and mercy.

If we wish to be great, the Lord Jesus have given us the formula. We must love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength. We must love our neighbor as ourselves. We must love one another as Christ loved us. We must humble ourselves like little children, and we must be the slaves of all men. May God build for us a name like He did for Shem and his house, and may we cease our vain and selfish efforts at self-promotion. "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:6-7).

A Change in Format

As those who are left may have noticed, I have not been blogging much of late. Life has gotten progressively more busy, and I don't have the energy for the sort of output I used to have.

So, I have decided to change what I do here. Instead of being completely random, I'm going to try and blog with purpose and with a plan. You probably pop in here to read when you can catch a break, or when you should be doing something else. I understand that. My goal is to provide something for you in those moments that may help you during the day.

So, starting tomorrow, this blog will be dedicated to short devotional thoughts on Scripture. I will share things that occur to me during my quiet time of reading the Bible and meditating on its words. I will share the Scripture (or at least a portion of it if its too lengthy) and some of my thoughts, and I will try to keep them short enough for you to read in under 7 minutes. I will be moving through the Bible with the Discpleship Journal Book-at-a-Time Bible Reading Plan. You can download it by clicking the link. Tomorrow I will read Genesis 10-11 and Psalm 4. I will share thoughts on one or both. I hope that you will be encouraged through this, and I hope that some of you will join with me in reading through the Bible this year!