Failure

My intentions were pure, my follow through was poor.

Busy Life(excuse) < Poorly managed my time(reality)

Here's to consistency!


< A picture from our fun week hiking in Arizona February 17-26 2012.

Mortifying my Sin

I have always prayed for God to kill my sinful desires that rise up inside me. The unfortunate part about this type of prayer is my lack of will to fight. Jesus expresses in Matthew 5:29-30 if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out. Of course this is drastic, but it does serve a purpose, and is very meaningful.

To run with the Matthew 5 analogy, we will be tempted and will sin with our right eye; but we are to fight those temptations by tearing out our eye. Practically speaking, this means to eliminate those desires which cause you to sin.

Satan isn’t clever, smart, or creative. He simply knows the weaknesses of Man. We are so easily tempted, and even worse, we are so easily distracted into sin. I say distracted, since the Holy Spirit guides us. However, we are stubborn, mindless, and idiotic in our ways a part from Christ.

Sin will battle against our soul, and Peter tells us to keep away from such desires (1 Peter 2:11). We are easily lured by the enticing nature of our fleshly desires, and those desires lead to our death (James 1:14-15).

Mortifying our sins doesn’t mean to pray that God would kill them- even though that’s great and a proper step- but to actively assess your life and find the areas in which you are tempted and are more likely to give into temptation. Find ways to put to death these desires before they rise up against you.

If you are prone to watch pornography when you are alone at home then you should find ways to avoid being alone at home. If you find yourself being a glutton, get accountability from a (healthy) friend and ask them to assist your next shopping trip. If you drink excessively to the point of being considered a drunkard, be cautious, or not go around social situations where your friends who don’t know Christ might push you to have that next drink. Insert your sin here.

We are idol factories. The Holy Spirit will help us through our sins but others will take its place. We are prone to make things of creation our god, but that is what draws us back to Him. Everything in this world, in its purest form, reflects God’s glory. We are the ones that have tainted His Creation, but it’s His reflection in those things we taint which allure us to Him. As Christians we can see the purity in Creation (Thanks to the Holy Spirit), but unfortunately we also tend to enjoy the tainted version first.

Read your bibles, pray by yourself and with friends, and most importantly, be in community with the Church you attend. Love and get to know each other at a more intimate level. Trust one another, so when you’re still blind to a sin, they might come a long side you and graciously tell you to repent and forgive. We need this so badly, and it might be one of the most important part to mortifying our sins. “Judge others as you wish to be judge” is such a miss used verse. Don’t hold non-Christians to the standard of Christ. They are dead to their sin and God hasn’t begun a work in them yet. Pray, encourage, and show them Christ’s affection. As for us, Christians, one of the most loving ways we can serve each other is to hold each other to God’s commandments, even in hypocrisy. Correction, especially in hypocrisy. If there is hypocrisy than you need to talk to one another before it overcomes you both.

Have hope. We are God’s children. He has begun a work in us and has promised to see it through (Philippians 1:6). He is perfect, and to behold Him in heaven we must be too. That’s not to say we will be perfected in this life, but we will grow in likeness of Christ, and to God’s glory.

Sindependence

My sin of choice is Independence.

Most of my other sin branches from wanting or seeking independence.

It wasn't until a year ago when I was called out for my bad attitude that I was made aware my desire to be independent is a sin.

I like to be original. Knowing about bands others do not, not liking bands others do, having mannerisms different then the norm, and finding interests in the culturally uninteresting. How do I have friends?

The low point of my Sindependence was when I couldn't get my truck up a snowy hill and proceeded to walk all the way home instead of call for a ride. I got home, dried my hair, changed my clothes, and hoped no one would ask about my snow travels. Unfortunately Ryan Dix asked me that exact question. I told my story, and he called me an idiot. The words I needed to hear.

God doesn't call us to be by ourselves (Genesis 2:18). God exists in perfect community(Father, Son, Holy Spirit), and so we should seek community with fellow believers.

so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
(Romans 12:5)

We need to come together, grow together, and exalt Christ together; for our joy and God's Glory.

Luckily I have a Church and a group of friends who not only put up living with me for 2 years, but would and will call me out for this sin of mine. I desire to grow in my faith and understanding of Christ, and to do this I need my friends. I'm truly blessed and thankful to call Doxa my home and look forward to what God has in store for us!

One of My Favorite Poems

to his wife, and be

One unashaméd flesh and free."
This is the word of God today,
And we are happy to obey.
For God has given you a bride
Who answers every prayer we've cried
For over twenty years, our claim
For you, before we knew her name.

And now you ask that I should write
A poem - a risky thing, in light
Of what you know: that I am more
The preacher than the poet or
The artist. I am honored by
Your bravery, and I comply.
I do not grudge these sweet confines
Of rhyming pairs and metered lines.
They are old friends. They like it when
I bid them help me once again
To gather feelings into form
And keep them durable and warm.

And so we met in recent days,
And made the flood of love and praise
And counsel from a father's heart
To flow within the banks of art.
Here is a portion of the stream,
My son: a sermon poem. It's theme:
A double rule of love that shocks;
A doctrine in a paradox:

If you now aim your wife to bless,
Then love her more and love her less.

If in the coming years, by some
Strange providence of God, you come
To have the riches of this age,
And, painless, stride across the stage
Beside your wife, be sure in health
To love her, love her more than wealth.

And if your life is woven in
A hundred friendships, and you spin
A festal fabric out of all
Your sweet affections, great and small,
Be sure, no matter how it rends,
To love her, love her more than friends.

And if there comes a point when you
Are tired, and pity whispers, "Do
Yourself a favor. Come, be free;
Embrace the comforts here with me."
Know this! Your wife surpasses these:
So love her, love her, more than ease.

And when your marriage bed is pure,
And there is not the slightest lure
Of lust for any but your wife,
And all is ecstasy in life,
A secret all of this protects:
Go love her, love her, more than sex.

And if your taste becomes refined,
And you are moved by what the mind
Of man can make, and dazzled by
His craft, remember that the "why"
Of all this work is in the heart;
So love her, love her more than art.

And if your own should someday be
The craft that critics all agree
Is worthy of a great esteem,
And sales exceed your wildest dream,
Beware the dangers of a name.
And love her, love her more than fame.

And if, to your surprise, not mine,
God calls you by some strange design
To risk your life for some great cause,
Let neither fear nor love give pause,
And when you face the gate of death,
Then love her, love her more than breath.

Yes, love her, love her, more than life;
O, love the woman called your wife.
Go love her as your earthly best.

Beyond this venture not. But, lest
Your love become a fool's facade,
Be sure to love her less than God.

It is not wise or kind to call
An idol by sweet names, and fall,
As in humility, before
A likeness of your God. Adore
Above your best beloved on earth
The God alone who gives her worth.
And she will know in second place
That your great love is also grace,
And that your high affections now
Are flowing freely from a vow
Beneath these promises, first made
To you by God. Nor will they fade
For being rooted by the stream
Of Heaven's Joy, which you esteem
And cherish more than breath and life,
That you may give it to your wife.

The greatest gift you give your wife
Is loving God above her life.
And thus I bid you now to bless:
Go love her more by loving less.

Church Necessities

I was looking through all my notes this afternoon when I came across a sheet that was titled "Necessities". It was my thoughts on what is essential for a Christian Church. Here is what it detailed:

Jesus needs to be preached every Sunday regardless of practical application. The Bible has great practical advice but it all comes back to Christ and the Cross. Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church. (Ephesians 5:25) Fathers, lead your children with the discipline and instruction of the LORD. (Ephesians 6:4) Brothers, love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. (Romans 12:10)

We need to be more Christ like. It's great if you want to be a better Husband but it's only in Christ and with the Holy Spirit that you can do so. John Piper says it well in one of his poems:

"The greatest gift you give your wife, is loving God above her life. And thus I bid you now to bless: Go love her more by loving less."

The Bible is all about Jesus, and so should our Sunday Mornings.

-The Worship needs to exalt Christ, not ourselves. Many popular worship songs have so much more to do with us than it does about Jesus. This is the chorus of a popular worship song:

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Indeed, God loves us. "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

But, how do those lyrics bring God glory? He loves us, Comforting, but is God loving us the reason why he is worth worshiping? What about his character? What makes God worth worshiping?

He's:

Perfect (Matthew 5:48)
Holy (Luke 1:49)
Righteous (Deuteronomy 32:1-6)
Loving (1 John 4:8)
Merciful (Romans 9:14-16)
Sovereign (Psalm 135:6)

The list could go on.

Let’s honor God in our worship by making it about Him.

- A Church needs to have a written and scripturally supported Statement of Faith. It’s like “Show me the CarFax” but for Church. What a Church believes is essential to why the Church exists. A Statement of Faith should cover close-handed issues such as Scripture being the inerrant word of God, the Trinity (God eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), the fall of man, the Gospel, etc.

-Growing the congregation in community with one another is very important. Community is a primary focus for Doxa, the Church I attend, and I’ve found it to be necessary for your spiritual growth. The Bible has much to say about meeting with one another to edify each other into the image of Christ. Hebrew 10:24-25 says “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Galatians 6:2 says “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

We are one body in Christ (Romans 12:3-13) and we need to pray, serve, and support one another!

-Your Church leadership needs to be structured with scripture. You should have an organized way in which to raise young Men and Women into roles within the Church. Our generation lacks drive, especially without a structured system. As far as what the Bible says about the qualifications of an Elder, I will quote 1 Timothy 3:1-7:

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife (Must be male), sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

This concludes my notes on the Necessities of the Church. I pray God is glorified in the Churches he leads us to establish, and He would lead those who are blind to Him through the doors.

5 Misconceptions about The 5 Points of Calvinism Part II

3. Perseverance of the Saints doesn’t mean we have “Fire Insurance from Hell”. I was discussing this point with one of my close friends when he posed this question, “Do you believe you can be a Christian and still live whatever kind of life you want?” No. Scripture says once God begins a work in us He will see it through.

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”(Philippians 1:6)

“I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” (Psalm 57:2)

“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.” (Psalm 138:8)

1 Cor. 10:31 tells us to “do all thing to the glory of God”. Living a life to God’s glory isn’t one marked by accepting and living in sin; rather, we are to war against, and put sin to death with the help of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:13)

God didn’t save us to live stagnant lives. He saves us, grows us, and perseveres us until the day we die.

4. Calvinism doesn’t make God cruel and unloving. Many people I have spoken with consider that Calvinism makes God impersonal, unloving, and downright cruel. Their interpretation is that if God takes our choice out of salvation then it can’t be real genuine love.

Calvinist’s believe in what is called “The Sovereignty of God”. Sovereignty, in its simplest form means, complete control. In reference to salvation, we believe God has complete control in when and whom He saves. People are so fast to attribute a sunrise to God but cannot give all glory to God in their salvation. As I mentioned before, there is nothing in us that seeks God. (Romans 3:11). We are spiritually dead. (Ephesians 2:1) How can someone who is dead be made alive? Not on their own accord. It is God who saves us from death. Literally, God makes us alive.

^“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Where in that last verse does it state we have a say in salvation? We don’t. However, we do have a response.

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”(Romans 10:9)

God makes himself known to us, and this overwhelmingly produces a response of confession that Jesus is Lord!

I’m getting a little off track but the point I’m trying to make is:

God’s judgment is perfect, and ours is flawed. We would choose sin 10 out of 10 times, and the most loving thing God could do, and did, was to take that choice out of our hands.

5. We don’t know everything. I wanted to end on a repentant note, and with one of the most common responses I’ve had when sharing Calvinism.

Over the past several years, as I’ve been developing a deeper understanding of Calvinism, I've found myself talking about my new beliefs out of pride. I would debate rather than discuss, be harsh rather than loving, and be “right” rather than informative. I had many opportunities to share God’s love and glory in the gospel, but instead I would debate theologies and doctrines to my glory.

There’s nothing wrong with doctrines and theologies, as they lead to knowing and understanding Christ better, but when your study is in end in itself, then you have lost more than you have gained. I sincerely apologizes to anyone I might have hurt or wrongfully offended, and ask that you would extend grace to forgive me as well.

My desire and prayer is to always make more of God by making less of myself, and to glorify Him by enjoying Him forever.