Piper on Preaching: Bible-Oriented Preaching or Entertainment?

John Piper, released a new article on Sermoncentral.com on sermons entitled 'Bible-Oriented Preaching or Entertainment?' It caught my eye this morning. You find it here. It's worth the five minutes.

The Bible tethers us to reality. We are not free to think and speak whatever might enter our minds or what might be pleasing to any given audience—except God.

By personal calling and Scripture, I am bound to the word of God and to the preaching of what the Bible says. There are few things that burden me more or refresh me more than saying what I see in the Bible. I love to see what God says in the Bible. I love to savor it. And I love to say it.

I believe with all my heart that this is the way God has appointed for me not to waste my life. His word is true. The Bible is the only completely true book in the world. It is inspired by God. Rightly understood and followed, it will lead us to everlasting joy with him. There is no greater book or greater truth.

What does this mean for us? It means that the bible is the sole authority for life and faith. Piper goes on to give wise words about the implications of this for both the preacher and the listener. Scripture over church authority, and the need to press on to the task of preaching faithfully.

The implications of this for preaching are immense. John Calvin, with the other Reformers, rescued the Scriptures from their subordination to tradition in the medieval church. The Reformation, let us thank God, was the recovery of the unique and supreme authority of Scripture over church authority. Commenting on John 17:20, Calvin wrote,

Woe to the Papists who have no other rule of faith than the tradition of the Church. As for us, let us remember that the Son of God, who alone can and ought to pronounce in this matter, approves of no other faith but that which comes from the doctrine of the Apostles, of which we find no certain testimony except in their writings.  (Commentary on John)

Calvin’s preaching inspires me to press on with this great and glorious task of heralding the word of God. I feel what he says when he writes to Cardinal Sadoleto:

O Lord, you have enlightened me with the brightness of your Spirit. You have put your Word as a lamp to my feet. The clouds which before now veiled your glory have been dispelled by it, and the blessings of your Anointed have shone clearly upon my eyes. What I have learnt from your mouth (that is to say, from your Word) I will distribute faithfully to your church. (“Letter to Cardinal Jacopo Sadoleto,” quoted in J. H. Merle d’Aubigne, Let Christ Be Magnified, Banner of Truth, 2007, p. 13).*

For Calvin, preaching was tethered to the Bible. That is why he preached through books of the Bible so relentlessly. In honor of tethered preaching, I would like to suggest the difference I hear between preaching tethered to the word of God and preaching that ranges free and leans toward entertainment.

Which brings him to the difference between preachers who are tethered to (bound to)  the word, and those who are not. He calls it the difference between entertainment oriented, and bible oriented preaching. Notice it,

The difference between an entertainment-oriented preacher and a Bible-oriented preacher is the manifest connection of the preacher’s words to the Bible as what authorizes what he says.

The difference between an entertainment-oriented preacher and a Bible-oriented preacher is the manifest connection of the preacher’s words to the Bible as what authorizes what he says.

The entertainment-oriented preacher gives the impression that he is not tethered to an authoritative book in what he says. What he says doesn’t seem to be shaped and constrained by an authority outside himself. He gives the impression that what he says has significance for reasons other than that it manifestly expresses the meaning and significance of the Bible. So he seems untethered to objective authority.

The entertainment-oriented preacher seems to be at ease talking about many things that are not drawn out of the Bible. In his message, he seems to enjoy more talking about other things than what the Bible teaches. His words seem to have a self-standing worth as interesting or fun. They are entertaining. But they don’t give the impression that this man stands as the representative of God before God’s people to deliver God’s message.

The Bible-oriented preacher, on the other hand, does see himself that way—“I am God’s representative sent to God’s people to deliver a message from God.” He knows that the only way a man can dare to assume such a position is with a trembling sense of unworthy servanthood under the authority of the Bible. He knows that the only way he can deliver God’s message to God’s people is by rooting it in and saturating it with God’s own revelation in the Bible.

The Bible-oriented preacher wants the congregation to know that his words, if they have any abiding worth, are in accord with God’s words. He wants this to be obvious to them. That is part of his humility and his authority. Therefore, he constantly tries to show the people that his ideas are coming from the Bible. He is hesitant to go too far toward points that are not demonstrable from the Bible.

His stories and illustrations are constrained and reined in by his hesitancy to lead the consciousness of his hearers away from the sense that this message is based on and expressive of what the Bible says. A sense of submission to the Bible and a sense that the Bible alone has words of true and lasting significance for our people mark the Bible-oriented preacher, but not the entertainment-oriented preacher.

People leave the preaching of the Bible-oriented preacher with a sense that the Bible is supremely authoritative and important and wonderfully good news. They feel less entertained than struck at the greatness of God and the weighty power of his word.

Lord, tether us to your mighty word. Cause me and all preachers to show the people that our word is powerless and insignificant in comparison with yours. Grant us to stand before our people as messengers sent with God’s message to God’s people in God’s name by God’s Spirit. Grant us to tremble at this responsibility. Protect us from trifling with this holy moment before your people.

I echo that prayer. May I be a preacher that is tethered to the word, and may the people of First Baptist be people who hunger not for entertainment, but for the mighty, powerful, Word of God.

Blogging the bible: Bildad's desparate argument

Bildad pushes back into the fray in chapter 18, basically he says, “Why insult us? You can’t make yourself an exception to the rule: the wicked get punished. That’s what’s happening to you.

Note that that Bildad’s argument has a hint of desperation to it. It’s a denunciation more than a dialogue, and he begins to berate Job, telling him that there’s really no point in talking till Job comes to his senses. Job has said that Eliphaz and co are not wise, Bildad says, no Job, it’s you who’s not wise. It’s a debate that is descending in quality as emotions start to get hotter. From Bildad’s perspective, Job is worse than wrong: he is perverse or insane. He’s willing to overturn the very fabric of the universe to justify himself: “You who tear yourself in your anger, shall the earth be forsaken for you, or the rock be removed out of its place?

Note also that Bildad is determined to make Job see the horrible end of the wicked. The rest of the chapter is all about the fate of the wicked. “The light of the wicked is put out, and the flame of his fire does not shine…His strong steps are shortened, and his own schemes throw him down…For he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walks on its mesh.” Bildad uses 6 Hebrew words for traps, more than in any other Old Testament passage. Whatever Job would do, Bildad says, would ultimately trap him. So Job would be terrified wherever he turned, which calamity following on him wherever and whenever he stumbles. Furthermore, in this he would suffer terrible agony. His skin would be consumed, Bildad says, referencing his skin problems. Furthermore, this is the worst of possible diseases (Diseases are deaths children, so the firstborn of death is a reference to the worst of these diseases). But that’s not the end. He would be taken from his tent, and subject to the king of terrors, i.e. death.  In the final tally, he would be cut off from the community, and be forgotten, “His memory perishes from the earth, and he has no name in the street,” he would die survivor less, as someone whose fate is appalling to people from every direction. This fate is a lesson for all around as to what happens to the wicked, Bildad thinks. The result is that all will learn see that “Surely such are the dwellings of the unrighteous, such is the place of him who knows not God.” Ultimately, what Bildad is saying is, “Job is not only wicked, but completely ignorant of God”. That’s why all this has happened. Since he refused to repent, how can he possibly be righteous, or know anything about God?” It’s the only conclusion he can come to.

What are we to make of all this. On one level, what Jobs friends are saying is completely in line with themes we find throughout scripture. God is just. Justice will be done and all will see that it is done. Someday, “ever knee will bow (Philippians 2)”; everyone will eventually be made to acknowledge that God is right—whether in the reverent submission of faith, or in the terror that cries for the rocks and the mountains to hide them from the wrath of the Lamb (Revelations 6). The theme is repeated time and again. And it must be. D.A. Carson observes that “The alternative to judgment is appalling: there is no final and perfect judgment, and therefore no justice, and therefore no meaningful distinction between right and wrong, between good and evil. Not to have judgment would be to deny the significance of evil. However, at the same time, if we apply this truth to quickly and freely, if we treat it as a mechanical cause and effect, and act as if we are omniscient and know all the facts, destroys the significance of evil from another angle. We rule out innocent suffering (as Jobs friends did). D.A. Carson notes that “To call a good man evil in order to preserve the system is not only personally heartless, but relativizes good and evil; it impugns God as surely as saying there is no difference between good and evil. Sometimes we must simply appeal to the mystery of wickedness. Carson is on to something. At times we must step back, and acknowledge that we don’t know all, we are not omniscient, we see but through a glass dimly, ultimately only God knows all, and we must be careful not to act is if we do.

Why the attack on the Catholic Church matters so much

Some of you have probably been paying attention to the Obama Administrations ordering Religious groups to go against their deeply held beliefs and bow to the government. At issue right now is the demand of the Government to pay for Abortions and Contraceptives through their insurance. While abortion is murder, contraceptives is something most Christians view as an open handed issue, and the Catholic church has come down against it. The Obama Administration has ordered them to bow. This is a big deal. Chuck Colson lays out why.

What's Really at Stake

Chuck Colson

Make no mistake. The raging controversy over the Obama administration’s refusal to exempt religious organizations from onerous health care mandates is a big deal. A very big deal.

But why? What’s really at issue here?

Despite what the media and the Obama administration are telling you, it’s not just a battle between the so-called “archaic beliefs” of the Catholic church on the one hand and advocates of women’s health on the other. It’s not just about access to abortion-inducing drugs, contraception, and sterilization, bad as that is.
And it’s even more than a battle over religious freedom. I have to say, the Obama administration’s move boggles the mind. What part of “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ...” does the administration not understand?

There is no way this outrage would survive if it has to get to the courts. And I’m grateful to see lawmakers in Congress on both sides working together to reverse the decision. Let’s hope they can succeed.

I’m even more gratified to see people of faith rallying against this violation of religious liberty. I’ve heard from ministers, rabbis, even Muslims, outraged at this threat.

That’s a point that Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, D.C., Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik of Yeshiva University, and I make together in today’s Wall Street Journal. As we say in our opinion piece, a Catholic, a Protestant, and a Jew can all agree that “under no circumstances should people of faith violate their consciences and discard their most cherished religious beliefs in order to comply with a gravely unjust law.” Come to BreakPoint.org, and we’ll link you to our Wall Street Journal article.

So why in the world would the administration brush off the Bill of Rights and antagonize people of faith — maybe 80 percent of the U.S. population?
Because what’s really at stake here is whether or not there is any limit to government power.

That’s the point made by Daniel Henninger in his excellent piece yesterday, also in the Wall Street Journal.  “The American Catholic Church,” he writes, “is now being handed a lesson in the hierarchy of raw political authority.”

But the question for all of us, Henninger writes, “is whether anyone can remain free of a U.S. government determined to do what it wants to do, at whatever cost.”
Friends, the answer to that question depends on whether we the people, and especially we Christians and people of all faiths will rise up and say, “Enough! You may not intrude on our religious beliefs, you may not prohibit us from living out our faith.”

I have said before, now is the time to speak out — and to remain vigilant in the face of the government’s enormous appetite for power over the lives and liberties of its citizens. What’s really at stake is whether we will continue to be a free country.

Colson has a great Open Letter to Evangelical Christians that every member of First Baptist should check out. 

Here are some of the highlights. 

The issue,

As you probably know by now, Obama Administration has refused to grant religious organizations an exemption from purchasing health insurance that covers abortion-inducing drugs, surgical sterilization, and contraception. The Catholic bishops in America have responded quickly, decrying the Administration's decision for what it is—an egregious, dangerous violation of religious liberty—and mobilizing a vast grassroots movement to persuade the Administration to reverse its decision. We evangelicals must stand unequivocally with our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters. Because when the government violates the religious liberty of one group, it threatens the religious liberty of all.

Many bishops have already declared that they will not obey this unjust law. The penalty for such a move would be severe. Catholic hospitals, universities, and other organizations would be forced to pay punitive fines ($2,000 per employee) for refusing to purchase insurance that violates the teaching of their church.

For some institutions, it would spell the end of their existence—and their far-reaching service to the public and the needy.

The implications for this run well beyond the Catholic church,

Catholic institutions aren't the only ones affected by this mandate. Prison Fellowship, for example, which employs 180 people, could not purchase insurance for its employees that covers abortifacients. Nor could the world's largest Christian outreach to prisoners and their families afford the fines we would incur..

 The stakes,

We would urge you, therefore, to raise your voice against this unjust mandate that violates our first freedom as Americans. . . . We do not exaggerate when we say that this is the greatest threat to religious freedom in our lifetime. We cannot help but think of the words attributed to German pastor Martin Niemoeller, reflecting on the Nazi terror:

First they came for the Socialists, and I
did not speak out —
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists,
and I did not speak out —
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did
not speak out — Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me — and there was
no one left to speak for me.

Denny Burke has some great insights in his post, It's not just a Catholic thing.

Penny Nancy Young has a good article on this issue as well entitled, We are all Catholics now.

Donald Wuerl, Colson, and Meir Y. Solovechik have a powerful article in the Wall Street Journal as well, entitled, United we stand for Religious Freedom..

Here's the question. When our turn comes, will we bow the knee to Caesar? I hope we will be able to echo these words of Warren and Colsen, who write, respectively, 

Rick Warren:

I’m not a Catholic but I stand in 100% solidarity with my brothers & sisters to practice their belief against govt pressure [...]
I’d go to jail rather than cave in to a government mandate that violates what God commands us to do. Would you? Acts 5:29.

Chuck Colson:

We have come to the point—I say this very soberly—when if there isn’t a dramatic change is circumstances, we as Christians may well be called upon to stand in civil disobedience against the actions of our own government. That would break my heart as a former Marine Captain loving my country, but I love my God more. . . . I’ve made up my mind—sober as that decision would have to be—that I will stand for the Lord regardless of what my state tells me.

Piper on Preaching

John Piper is one of my spirutal hero's, and one of the men who has shaped my thinking on preaching. Here is an article that he put up recently on churchleaders.com about preaching.

He writes powerfully,

Some of you may have little or no experience with what I mean by preaching. What I mean by preaching is expository exultation.

Preaching Is Expository

Expository means that preaching aims to exposit, or explain and apply, the meaning of the Bible. The reason for this is that the Bible is God’s word, inspired, infallible, profitable—all 66 books of it. The preacher’s job is to minimize his own opinions and deliver the truth of God. Every sermon should explain the Bible and then apply it to people's lives. The preacher should do that in a way that enables you to see that the points he is making actually come from the Bible. If you can’t see that they come from the Bible, your faith will end up resting on a man and not on God's word.

The aim of this exposition is to help you eat and digest biblical truth that will

• make your spiritual bones more like steel,
• double the capacity of your spiritual lungs,
• make the eyes of your heart dazzled with the brightness of the glory of God,
• and awaken the capacity of your soul for kinds of spiritual enjoyment you didn’t even know existed.

Preaching Is Exultation

Preaching is also exultation. This means that the preacher does not just explain what’s in the Bible, and the people do not simply try to understand what he explains. Rather, the preacher and the people exult over what is in the Bible as it is being explained and applied. Preaching does not come after worship in the order of the service. Preaching is worship. The preacher worships—exults—over the word, trying his best to draw you into a worshipful response by the power of the Holy Spirit. My job is not simply to see truth and show it to you. (The devil could do that for his own devious reasons.) My job is to see the glory of the truth and to savor it and exult over it as I explain it to you and apply it for you. That’s one of the differences between a sermon and a lecture.

Preaching Isn't Church, but It Serves the Church

Preaching is not the totality of the church. And if all you have is preaching, you don’t have the church. A church is a body of people who minister to each other. One of the purposes of preaching is to equip us for that and inspire us to love each other better. But God has created the church so that she flourishes through preaching. That’s why Paul gave young pastor Timothy one of the most serious, exalted charges in all the Bible in 2 Timothy 4: 1-2:

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word.

What to Expect from My Preaching and Why

If you're used to a twenty-minute, immediately practical, relaxed talk, you won't find that from what I've just described.

• I preach twice that long;
• I do not aim to be immediately practical but eternally helpful;
• and I am not relaxed.

I stand vigilantly on the precipice of eternity speaking to people who this week could go over the edge whether they are ready to or not. I will be called to account for what I said there. That's what I mean by preaching.

Blogging the bible: The repsonse to Bildad

The debate between Job and his friends continues in chapters nine through 10. Here Job responds, in essence; “Yes, I know all this. He’s God, and I’m not. How can I call God to account? I know I’m innocent; however, he’s destroyed me, which makes me look guilty. There is no arbitrator, who could act as a mediator between man and God? Then I could speak freely. I despise my life, and I must be honest with God about my how I feel. God, you know that I am innocent, is it right that you destroy me as if I were evil?

Notice these things.

First, Job doesn’t believe that he can stand before God’s righteous sovereignty. HE knows that he would be overwhelmed if he dared to confront him. He says “How can a man be in the right before God?  If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times. He is wise in heart and mighty in strength--who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?”

Second, Job feels boxed in. He doesn’t know what he’s done, and it is tearing him up. He knows that he hasn’t sinned, but he doesn’t have anywhere to go. He has no ability to answer God, and no one to appeal to “How then can I answer him, choosing my words with him? Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him; I must appeal for mercy to my accuser. If I summoned him and he answered me, I would not believe that he was listening to my voice. For He crushes me with a tempest and multiplies my wounds without cause; he will not let me get my breath, but fills me with bitterness. If it is a contest of strength, behold, he is mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him? Though I am in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse. I am blameless; I regard not myself; I loathe my life. It is all one; therefore I say, He destroys both the blameless and the wicked. When disaster brings sudden death, he mocks at the calamity of the innocent. Job knows he is no more evil than many who have never experienced God’s wrath, but how can he make his case?

Third, Job see’s his friends as part of the problem. I know you will not hold me innocent. I shall be condemned; why then do I labor in vain? If I wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye, yet you will plunge me into a pit, and my own clothes will abhor me. He feels that they are making things worse, because they will not see his innocence.

Fourth, Job knows he needs an arbitrator; someone to solve the problems. “He is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together. There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both. Let him take his rod away from me, and let not dread of him terrify me. Then I would speak without fear of him, for I am not so in myself. Jobs problem is, there is none. He has no arbitrator to take away the wrath. But we do, the son of God, seated at the right hand of God the father almighty.

 Fifth, ultimately, Job wants answers. He hates himself, “I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.” But while he hates himself, he wants to know why? “I will say to God, Do not condemn me; let me know why you contend against me. Does it seem good to you to oppress, to despise the work of your hands and favor the designs of the wicked?

Sixth, Job fully credits God with his life, but at the same time, he says, not only will you punish me for sin, but even if I’m innocent, you will turn my life to misery. “Your hands fashioned and made me, and now you have destroyed me altogether. Remember that you have made me like clay; and will you return me to the dust? Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese? You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit. Yet these things you hid in your heart; I know that this was your purpose. If I sin, you watch me and do not acquit me of my iniquity. If I am guilty, woe to me! If I am in the right, I cannot lift up my head, for I am filled with disgrace and look on my affliction. And were my head lifted up, you would hunt me like a lion and again work wonders against me.

Finally, in the end all Job can say is “why?” Why am I alive, why is this happening? Let me die. "Why did you bring me out from the womb? Would that I had died before any eye had seen me and were as though I had not been, carried from the womb to the grave. Are not my days few?” He ends by begging for death. “Then cease, and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer before I go--and I shall not return-- to the land of darkness and deep shadow, the land of gloom like thick darkness, like deep shadow without any order, where light is as thick darkness."

The End of the American Empire and the Political Season

Welcome to Political season. I love and hate Political seasons. I love the debating, and discussion, as we are forced to stop and think about what we hope for our nation. I love the fact that we are presented with ideas, and differing visions of the nation, and then prompted to thoughtfully cast our votes (while remembering that in the end, God appoints kings and leaders). What I hate, is the way that politicians present themselves as saviors. And here in primary season, I think it’s appropriate to beat a drum that I will beat often. In all of this, remember, our politicians are not our saviors. I watch the politicians talk, and elevate themselves, and almost proclaimed themselves to be little messiah’s that have the plan that will right the world, and I can’t help but think, ‘These guys think they can save the world, or make America able to do what no nation can do; but no politician can do that’.

Furthermore, I am firmly convinced that short of an act of God, we are very likely living through the end of the American empire. At times I can’t believe I even think this, never mind dare write. But the more that I watch the convulsions that the world is going through, and the more I watch the trends, and the politicians, I can’t help but think, we are living through a seismic shift that will leave the world radically different, and it will probably mean that America will no longer be the end of America being the lone world empire, with whatever that means for us. There are plenty of signs that point to this reality. From the general fact sense that other nations are seeking to claim their place on the worlds stage, to the fact that like it or not, we are a clash of worldviews with Islam (and the reality is that Europe may well be over 50 percent Moslem by 2050) while pluralism is reshaping the way we think and interact in the public square, to the fact that as a nation we have over-leveraged ourselves and cannot sustain the spending levels of the past (individually and nationally). 

These are just the tip of the iceberg; we can go on and on. The reality is the world is changing fast, and the landscape of 20 years from now will probably look very little like it does today. And for all, myself included, it’s a somewhat scary thing, because it means our lives will change in ways we don’t even have the ability to plan for, and it reminds us that, while we are comfortable, and safe, and secure, and we find our hope and assurance in the narrative of America’s greatness, we are always in danger of placing our faith in a functional savior, rather than the true savior.

However, as disturbing as that may sound, it is not the end of the world. It’s not. Empires rise and fall. The world is dotted with the litter of past empires, and cataclysmic cultural upheavals. From Babylon to Rome, from the Holy Roman Empire to Great Britain to the Ottoman Empire, the world is dotted with the relics of things past empires and cultures that have risen and fallen.

In the midst of this, the question that comes to mind is, how do we move forward without being paralyzed with fear, and looking to false saviors? We find ourselves asking, what now? How should we approach the future? This is a scary question. It’s basically the same question that the church asked in 410 A.D. Recently, I was talking about culture and politics with Robin (the director of the day school), and one of the things that I remarked was that we are living through a period much like that of the fall of the Roman empire.

For 1000 years there had been what was known as the Pax Romana, the Roman peace. Rome hadn’t had anyone come near it in centuries. Furthermore, by the time of the fall of the Roman Empire, the church no longer a persecuted bunch; when the Roman Emperor Constantine became a Christian, it paved the way for Christianity to become not only accepted, but eventually, to become the official state religion. And many people looked to Rome as their functional savior, the place that saw their peace and prosperity coming from. And then Rome was sacked, and it shook them. It shook them on a magnitude that makes the fall of the twin towers seem like no big deal. And the church despaired. Hearing the news, the great Saint Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin, collapsed in despair, saying “What is to become of the church now that Rome has fallen?”

Into this moment, the great church father Augustine, bishop of Hippo, wrote his famous City of God. He looked at a situation in which Christianity and civil religion had become fused. He looked at a situation that was scary, and probably heartbreaking to him as a Roman citizen, and he saw a providential opportunity to remind believers that the kingdoms of this world, and the kingdom of God, are never one and the same, and he wrote to remind believers that in the world there are always two ‘cities,’ two alternate ‘kingdoms.’ One is grounded in the love of self, and one is grounded in the love of God. One is a human society based on selfishness and gaining power, and leads to strife, war, and the desire to exercise domination over others. One is based on giving up power in order to serve and leads to genuine fellowship and a communion of mutual giving and receiving. Christians live in both kingdoms, and while this is the reason for much conflict and tension, it also is the source of our hope, our assurance, and our confidence. It is the source of energy that allows us to serve the world with joy, and live in genuine fellowship, because we know that while we live here, we are ultimately citizens of a heavenly city, a heavenly kingdom; the kingdom of God, which is a permanent reality that will not fade, even as empires and kingdoms come and go, and “the kingdom of this world” eventually fades away.

We stand on the same precipice that the Roman Christians stood on. So how should we move forward, especially during political season and Grand National debate? First, remember that you are a citizen of both kingdoms, and use your vote wisely, thoughtfully deciding for whom to vote, as your conscience leads you. Second, seek to live for the good of the community. Seek to bring Gods glory and to impact lives, and do good to all men, as you “seek the peace of the city, because as it prospers, you will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:7). Third, remember your first allegiance and live for the glory of the kingdom that your citizenship is truly found in. Finally, remember that as politicians promise the impossible, and as the world goes through the seismic shift that is playing out across the globe, our hope is found in Christ. It’s not found in the kingdoms of this world. Don’t look to politicians and the United States of America to be the ones that provide what only God can provide. Don’t look to the United States to be your functional savior, your protector, your redeemer, your ever present help in times of trouble. That job is reserved for the Lord of all creation. Don’t expect from a politician or a nation what only God can give.

The fellowship of the Unashamed

I heard someone quote from this, and fell in love with it. My hope and prayer as a pastor is that every member of my church can says this with hope, and joy, with fire in their eyes, as they seek to live for the furthering of the kingdom of God.

I am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I've preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes.

And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear for "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." (Romans 1:16)

Dr. Bob Moorehead

Jesus Verses Religion

Last week, Jefferson Bethke’s spoken-word YouTube video was uploaded; and it immediately went viral.

It's worth watching. It's not without weaknesses, but it's worth watching. Enjoy, then think through some of the wise and thoughtful responses from Jared Wilson here, and Kevin DeYoung's response here. Also, check out the interaction that DeYoung and Bethke had here. These discussions are awesome, they are, as Justin Taylor noted "a model of brotherly love", as the two recognize that they work for the same side, and are seeking the same end, rather than a win. 

Here's my take. Valid critiques aside (and they are valid), what I like is that Bethke uses the careful and artistic crafted words and impressive filmography to oppose dead, false religion that preaches self- justification and a lack of concern for the things that break God’s heart, with Jesus and His Gospel. As you watch the video, you get the sense that Bethke has understands grace up close and personal, and he has a deep desire to communicate to the world the true Jesus and the true Gospel. He gets it, and he lays out the distinction between dead religion, and true Christianity clearly.

In a sermon awhile back, I shared a list from Tim Keller (who, like Bethke, recognises false religion as present in the Bible as well as today) offering a comparison of the features of ‘religion’ and ‘the Gospel’. Here is a revision of that list (which comes from the Gospel in Life) done by Tullian Tchividjian. It’s spot on, and worth revisiting as the discussion swirls.

RELIGION: I obey-therefore I’m accepted

THE GOSPEL: I’m accepted-therefore I obey.

RELIGION: Motivation is based on fear and insecurity

THE GOSPEL: Motivation is based on grateful joy.

RELIGION: I obey God in order to get things from God

THE GOSPEL: I obey God to get to God-to delight and resemble Him.

RELIGION: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I am angry at God or my self, since I believe, like Job’s friends that anyone who is good deserves a comfortable life

THE GOSPEL: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I struggle but I know all my punishment fell on Jesus and that while he may allow this for my training, he will exercise his Fatherly love within my trial.

RELIGION: When I am criticized I am furious or devastated because it is critical that I think of myself as a ‘good person’. Threats to that self-image must be destroyed at all costs

THE GOSPEL: When I am criticized I struggle, but it is not critical for me to think of myself as a ‘good person.’ My identity is not built on my record or my performance but on God’s love for me in Christ. I can take criticism.

RELIGION: My prayer life consists largely of petition and it only heats up when I am in a time of need. My main purpose in prayer is control of the environment

THE GOSPEL: My prayer life consists of generous stretches of praise and adoration. My main purpose is fellowship with Him.

RELIGION: My self-view swings between two poles. If and when I am living up to my standards, I feel confident, but then I am prone to be proud and unsympathetic to failing people. If and when I am not living up to standards, I feel insecure and inadequate. I’m not confident. I feel like a failure

THE GOSPEL: My self-view is not based on a view of my self as a moral achiever. In Christ I am “simul iustus et peccator”—simultaneously sinful and yet accepted in Christ. I am so bad he had to die for me and I am so loved he was glad to die for me. This leads me to deeper and deeper humility and confidence at the same time. Neither swaggering nor sniveling.

RELIGION: My identity and self-worth are based mainly on how hard I work. Or how moral I am, and so I must look down on those I perceive as lazy or immoral. I disdain and feel superior to ‘the other

THE GOSPEL: My identity and self-worth are centered on the one who died for His enemies, who was excluded from the city for me. I am saved by sheer grace. So I can’t look down on those who believe or practice something different from me. Only by grace I am what I am. I’ve no inner need to win arguments.

RELIGION: Since I look to my own pedigree or performance for my spiritual acceptability, my heart manufactures idols. It may be my talents, my moral record, my personal discipline, my social status, etc. I absolutely have to have them so they serve as my main hope, meaning, happiness, security, and significance, whatever I may say I believe about God

THE GOSPEL: I have many good things in my life—family, work, spiritual disciplines, etc. But none of these good things are ultimate things to me. None of them are things I absolutely have to have, so there is a limit to how much anxiety, bitterness, and despondency they can inflict on me when they are threatened and lost.

A man I respect (although I'm glad he lost)

As a Patriots fan, I was more than happy with the results from Saturday. My heart lay with brady and the boys in Foxboro, however, read this, it will make you stand in awe of Tebpw the man, if not Tebow the quarterback. It's written by Rick Reilly. A guy who is very objective. A former Tebow naysayer. This article will amaze you. I guarantee whether you’re a sports fans or not, this is worth your time.

 I believe in Tim Tebow

I've come to believe in Tim Tebow, but not for what he does on a football field, which is still three parts Dr. Jekyll and two parts Mr. Hyde.

No, I've come to believe in Tim Tebow for what he does off a football field, which is represent the best parts of us, the parts I want to be and so rarely am.

Who among us is this selfless?

Every week, Tebow picks out someone who is suffering, or who is dying, or who is injured. He flies these people and their families to the Broncos game, rents them a car, puts them up in a nice hotel, buys them dinner (usually at a Dave & Buster's), gets them and their families pregame passes, visits with them just before kickoff (!), gets them 30-yard-line tickets down low, visits with them after the game (sometimes for an hour), has them walk him to his car, and sends them off with a basket of gifts.

Home or road, win or lose, hero or goat.

Remember last week, when the world was pulling its hair out in the hour after Tebow had stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers with an 80-yard OT touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas in the playoffs? And Twitter was exploding with 9,420 tweets about Tebow per second? When an ESPN poll was naming him the most popular athlete in America?

Tebow was spending that hour talking to 16-year-old Bailey Knaub about her 73 surgeries so far and what TV shows she likes.

"Here he'd just played the game of his life," recalls Bailey's mother, Kathy, of Loveland, Colo., "and the first thing he does after his press conference is come find Bailey and ask, 'Did you get anything to eat?' He acted like what he'd just done wasn't anything, like it was all about Bailey."

More than that, Tebow kept corralling people into the room for Bailey to meet. Hey, Demaryius, come in here a minute. Hey, Mr. Elway. Hey, Coach Fox.

Even though sometimes-fatal Wegener's granulomatosis has left Bailey with only one lung, the attention took her breath away.

"It was the best day of my life," she emailed. "It was a bright star among very gloomy and difficult days. Tim Tebow gave me the greatest gift I could ever imagine. He gave me the strength for the future. I know now that I can face any obstacle placed in front of me. Tim taught me to never give up because at the end of the day, today might seem bleak but it can't rain forever and tomorrow is a new day, with new promises."

I read that email to Tebow, and he was honestly floored. Why me? Why should I inspire her?" he said. "I just don't feel, I don't know, adequate. Really, hearing her story inspires me."

It's not just NFL defenses that get Tebowed. It's high school girls who don't know whether they'll ever go to a prom. It's adults who can hardly stand. It's kids who will die soon.

For the game at Buffalo, it was Charlottesville, Va., blue-chip high school QB Jacob Rainey, who lost his leg after a freak tackle in a scrimmage. Tebow threw three interceptions in that Buffalo game and the Broncos were crushed 40-14.

"He walked in and took a big sigh and said, 'Well, that didn't go as planned,'" Rainey remembers. "Where I'm from, people wonder how sincere and genuine he is. But I think he's the most genuine person I've ever met."

There's not an ounce of artifice or phoniness or Hollywood in this kid Tebow, and I've looked everywhere for it.

Take 9-year-old Zac Taylor, a child who lives in constant pain. Immediately after Tebow shocked the Chicago Bears with a 13-10 comeback win, Tebow spent an hour with Zac and his family. At one point, Zac, who has 10 doctors, asked Tebow whether he has a secret prayer for hospital visits. Tebow whispered it in his ear. And because Tebow still needed to be checked out by the Broncos' team doctor, he took Zac in with him, but only after they had whispered it together.

And it's not always kids. Tom Driscoll, a 55-year-old who is dying of brain cancer at a hospice in Denver, was Tebow's guest for the Cincinnati game. "The doctors took some of my brain," Driscoll says, "so my short-term memory is kind of shot. But that day I'll never forget. Tim is such a good man."

This whole thing makes no football sense, of course. Most NFL players hardly talk to teammates before a game, much less visit with the sick and dying.

Isn't that a huge distraction? 

"Just the opposite," Tebow says. "It's by far the best thing I do to get myself ready. Here you are, about to play a game that the world says is the most important thing in the world. Win and they praise you. Lose and they crush you. And here I have a chance to talk to the coolest, most courageous people. It puts it all into perspective. The game doesn't really matter. I mean, I'll give 100 percent of my heart to win it, but in the end, the thing I most want to do is not win championships or make a lot of money, it's to invest in people's lives, to make a difference."

So that's it. I've given up giving up on him. I'm a 100 percent believer. Not in his arm. Not in his skills. I believe in his heart, his there-will-definitely-be-a-pony-under-the-tree optimism, the way his love pours into people, right up to their eyeballs, until they believe they can master the hopeless comeback, too.

Remember the QB who lost his leg, Jacob Rainey? He got his prosthetic leg a few weeks ago, and he wants to play high school football next season. Yes, tackle football. He'd be the first to do that on an above-the-knee amputation.

Hmmm. Wonder where he got that crazy idea?

"Tim told me to keep fighting, no matter what," Rainey says. "I am."

Black Friday Materialism and True Contentment

I found myself thinking at times this week, I'm so glad I'm not working retail anymore. Ministry can be hard. But i think there was something about retail at Christmas, that gives you some unique insights into greed and materialism. Working Black Friday was always hellish. It was profitable as a commission salesman, but it was hellish. It was materialism on display, and people treated you like a tool to give them the "stuff" they wanted. Usually the ones that got there the earliest were the most obnoxious. It never failed.

But it didn't stop at black friday. It went on all Christmas season. At Christmas, we get some of the worst displays of obnoxious, materialistic behavior. So often we miss the reason for the season, because we are seeking stuff. But why is that? Why are we on a stuff hunt? In part, because we are looking to stuff, to provide what only God can give you. We look at stuff to stuff to get an identity, and standing, and acceptance. We give stuff to get an identity, and standing, and acceptance, as people say how wonderful you are and how much they love you, and we look to stuff, and think, how will this make me feel, and look, and if i get this, it will make me content. Consequently, we go crazy to get and give stuff.  And we become ungrateful, and materialistic. I remember one year when i was young, i looked at my Nana, who had just given me all kinds of wonderful gifts, and i turned to her and said, is that all? To my everlasting shame. I get tormented with this story at least once a Christmas season. Just so i wont forget (or something).

Unfortunatly, it doesn't do what we want it do. Stuff doesn't make us happy, or content. It wont fill the void that we are looking to fill with stuff, with materialism. What will? The only thing that will fill the void is to find the acceptance of God in Christ. Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 6:6 that "godliness with contentment is great gain". It's only when we see that Christ gave up everything, he gave up the contentment, love, and acceptance of the Father, He gave up the throneroom of heaven, so that we might gain the riches of heaven, the love and acceptace of the faither, that we will find that the center of our being that we are trying to fill with stuff, is filled. When we turn to Christ, and hold to Christ, we find that that fills us at the center of our being,  and it makes us truly contentment, frees us from materialism, changes how we approach Christmas, changes how we approach gift giving and receiving, and fills us with true hope and joy at Christmas (and it means you can be nice to the cashiers at Christmas to).