Saturday, January 19, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
A Goal for 2013: Posting Every Single Day
I'm on a roll.
I've been posting something on this blog every day since December 21st.
Today, I set a goal of posting something worthwhile on each day of 2013. (Though this post notifying you just barely crosses the line of "worthwhile.")
Astute readers will note that I'm attempting to post a My Father's World photo every Saturday, a Matt's Message on Sunday, something about hope for holy sexuality on Wednesdays, blogs I read most Mondays, and sprinkling generous doses of thoughts about resisting gossip throughout the week.
I'm not sure I can keep up this pace, but I'm enjoying the challenge.
What would you like to read about here at Hot Orthodoxy?
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Ken Sande and Resisting Gossip
Ken Sande is the author of The Peacemaker, the founder of Peacemaker Ministries, and now president of the new ministry Relational Wisdom 360.
Ken's concise but helpful definition of gossip has helped countless Christians caught in conflict: “To gossip means to betray a confidence or to discuss unfavorable personal facts about another person with someone who is not part of the problem or its solution.” (The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, 3rd Edition, 121).
So I was very encouraged to receive Ken's endorsement for Resisting Gossip:
"Gossip is a spark that starts countless relational fires every day. Matt provides practical, biblical guidance on how believers can reduce this insidious problem by bringing their tongues under the Lordship of Christ." -- Ken Sande, President, Relational Wisdom 360
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| Ken Sande |
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Christopher Yuan and Homosexuality
The best book I've ever read about homosexuality isn't really about homosexuality. It's about grace.
Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son's Journey to God, A Broken Mother's Search for Hope tells the the story of Christopher Yuan and Angela Yuan (his mother).
Christopher tells his story: a struggle with same sex attraction, giving himself to his desires, falling into drugs, as well, and eventually selling drugs. Then being caught as a drug dealer, jail, finding Christ in prison (and finding out that he is HIV+), and how the Lord has changed his life now--he speaks for the Lord around the country and is now even a professor at Moody Bible Institute.
Angela tells her story of being a perfectionistic, controlling Chinese mother whose life unraveled when her son came out of the closet. Then her turn to Christ and a long journey of praying for her son. Her sections of the book are just as raw and authentic as Christopher's.
It's a great story and, while difficult at times to read because of the subject matter, brings joy to the heart. I highly recommend it. Christopher speaks from the inside of the issue and is winsome and gracious yet firmly full of truth. He is like Christ, full of grace and truth. For me, this was the most significant book I've read on homosexuality--and Heather and I kept saying as we read it, "This is the kind of book that the church needs now."
One of the best things Christopher says is that he has come to realize that the goal for human sexuality is not heterosexuality but holy sexuality. I think there is a lot of wisdom there. Jesus didn't die to make us heterosexual. He died to make us holy.
*****
Christopher recently spoke at the Urbana Student Missions Conference on the subject "A Christian Response to Homosexuality." You can listen that on this page (look at the bottom for the specific seminar to play). He and his mom talk about their stories and then he gives some wise thoughts on how to engage with homosexuals with the gospel.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
3 Recent Blogposts on Gossip by Christian Leaders
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| Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
It seems like all of sudden lots of people are talking about the problem of gossip. (This may be just because my ears always perk up when someone mentions the word!)
In the last month, several posts crossed my RSS feed about resisting gossip that were worth reading:
1. Ron Edmonson wrote: Stopping Gossip in 7 Ways (Repost).
After giving his helpful list, he says, "If my tone seems intent it’s because I am. I have little patience for gossips. My desire is to see people who live in holy and healthy community together. Gossip is a betrayer of this becoming reality."
Ron has invited me to share more about Resisting Gossip on his blog later this year.
2. John Zens wrote The Most Ignored Sin at Frank Viola's blog.
He writes, "As long as I’ve been a Christian I have watched friends and their families undergo untold pain and hurt because of the incredible power of gossip and slander. Years ago we were traveling and after speaking in a church a brother came up to me and said, 'I heard that you had quit teaching in churches and took up potato farming.' How and why such a rumor got started is anybody’s guess! This rumor was fairly innocuous, but imagine the untold harm done by vicious judgments on the life and character of others."
I might differ with Zens about some his points (or at least want to make some qualifications and nuances), but I think his zeal for truly upbuilding speech is very commendable!
Zens includes this powerful quote from A.W. Tozer (which I had never seen before in all my research on gossip):
Never pass anything on about anybody else that will hurt him. “Love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). The talebearer has no place in God’s favor. If you know something that would hinder or hurt the reputation of one of God’s children, bury it forever. Find a little garden out back — a little spot somewhere — and when somebody comes around with an evil story, take it out and bury it and say, “Here lies in peace the story about my brother.” God will take care of it. “With what judgment you judge, you shall be judged.”
If you want God to be good to you, you are going to have to be good to His children. You say, “But that’s not grace.” Well, grace gets you into the kingdom of God. That is unmerited favor. But after you are seated at the Father’s table, He expects to teach you table manners. And He won’t let you eat unless you obey the etiquette of the table. And what is that? The etiquette of the table is that you don’t tell stories about the brother who is sitting at the table with you — no matter what his denomination, or nationality, or background (from Five Vows for Spiritual Power).
3. Zens' article got Lisa Robinson thinking about Avoiding Theological Gossip at Parchment and Pen.
Theological gossip involves the airing of someone’s statements on a theological position through second or third hand information that may be partially true or even untrue, puts them in a negative light that involves assassinating their character.
It is the equivalent of going to others and saying about that author, pastor or theologian, “Hey, have you heard what so and so said or what so and so believes? I can’t believe they call themselves a Christian and take such an ungodly position!” AND without having all the facts; hearsay from others who have whispered in our ears, so to speak. I hate to say this but social media and the blogosphere can become an easy conduit for theological gossip, especially around new books. (No, I will not mention any names!)
I think that it is a good thing that Christians are talking about combating gossip. Gossip is the enemy of the gospel. It is always bad news when we have good news to share!
Monday, January 14, 2013
Your Help Needed with New Social Media
So, I need some advice. What social media networks should I be on and how much attention should I give to them?
As we get closer to the launch date of Resisting Gossip, I will want to be connecting more and more with folks who might want to know more about the book. I want to be wary of the dangers of self promotion, and at the same time do my best to get the word out on the street of the ideas in my book (a difficult balance beam to walk). I know about some of the pitfalls out there online, but I need your help to navigate this better.
I'm already here at Hot Orthodoxy, and present on Facebook and Google+. Where else should I be hanging out? What things should I avoid?
I've been on LinkedIn for a while, but I've never done much there. Dear readers, what do you recommend that I do there? Make connections? Update my profile? Post information?
I just joined up at GoodReads. Who else is there? How many books should I rate? What is the benefit of hanging out in that neighborhood?
I'm getting close to joining Twitter. Sweet Tweethead friends, what advice would you give a newbie to the Twitterverse?
Where else do you hang out online and what is the benefit of being there for you?
Sunday, January 13, 2013
[Matt's Messages] "Children of God: Part One"
“Children of God: Part One”
Essential Christianity: 1 John :: January 13, 2013
1 John 3:1-3
Last week, we learned that we are living in the last hour. We know that because many antichrists (against-christs) have come into the world. But we should not fear because we have an anointing from the Holy One, we have the truth of the gospel, we have God the Father Himself, and His promise of eternal life. In other words, we have everything, so we have no reason to fear even in these perilous last days.
And John ended chapter two with these words: “If you know that he (that is Christ who is coming again) is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.”
And that launches John into a longer section on being the children of God.
At least chapter 3, verses 1 through 10. But we won’t get that far this week, so we will call this message, “Children of God: Part One.”
I love this passage of holy Scripture, don’t you?
There is a great song about it, which sticks in your head, and we’ll sing it in just a minute. If you are like me, you can’t get that song out of your head when you read this passage!
This is a glorious passage of scripture, full of the best, most beautiful truth.
Do you remember back in December, I told you that chapter 2, verses 12-14 might be the most encouraging sermon you heard in 2012?
Well, I’m praying that, similarly, this message would be the most encouraging you hear in 2013, or at least that it gets into your bloodstream and helps you through the rest of 2013 stretching out in front of you.
The point of this passage is simply that we are the children of God.
And that’s amazing! And that makes all of the difference in our lives.
We are the children of God.
Three points of application this morning.
#1. CHILDREN OF GOD, MARVEL THAT YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD! V.1 again.
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”
Can you hear the breathless astonishment of John as he writes this?
It just takes the Apostle John’s breath away!
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”
The old King James says, “Behold! What a manner of love?!” This is an amazing love. An unheard of love. A love unlike any other.
It’s worth repeating and repeating and thinking about and thinking about.
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”
We get used to that idea. But even though he was an apostle, John never got used to that idea.
What did it take for us to become the “Children of God?”
You know that we are not naturally the children of God. We are naturally, children of wrath.
What did it take for us to become the “Children of God?”
It took the death of God’s only “natural” Son. His only begotten Son.
It took the expense of His precious blood.
It took the imputation of my sin to His shoulders.
It took the Cross.
It took the crucifixion of the Prince of Glory.
And, at that time, I couldn’t have cared less.
Paul says, “God demonstrates His own love in this, while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”
Listen to Ephesians 1 where the Apostle Paul gets caught up in talking about this lavish love. Ephesians 1:3-14.
“[He] has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will–to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment–to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession–to the praise of his glory.”
And that’s all just “theological shorthand” for the blessings tied up with becoming a child of God!
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”
And John goes on to say (v.1 still), “And that is what we are!” Exclamation mark!
John marvels. John rejoices in, relishes, revels in this lavish love God. He almost can’t believe it!
“That’s what we are!” Can you believe that?
That we [you and me!] should be called [should have the status of] the children of God! And that’s what we are! By His grace.
Do you marvel that you are child of God?
That assumes, of course, that you are one. If you are not yet a child of God, the Bible invites you to put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Rescuer and your Master.
John said in chapter one of his gospel, “to all who received [Christ], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God...” (V.12)
So, if you want to be a child of God, your part is to receive Christ and believe in His name. Believe that He is Who He said He is. Believe that He died on the Cross for your sins and came back to life to give you life and to adopt you as a child of God.
He invites you to put your faith in Him today.
And if you are child of God, do you marvel in it?
Do you revel and rejoice in this lavish love?
We can get to taking this for granted.
We can somehow lose the astounding truth of paternity.
We are the children of God!
You are a child of God. With all of the rights, privileges, and responsibilities that go with it.
You are a child of God.
Tell yourself that. “I am a child of God.”
Let that sink in.
It is not presumption to talk that way.
Don’t say, “I hope I’m a child of God.”
Say, “I am a child of God.”
Those antichrists are not children of God, and they proved it by leaving Christ and His church.
But you and I are children of God. That is what we are.
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
Of course, it doesn’t look like it, really.
If I am a son of God, why doesn’t it seem more like it?
I’m certainly not glorious to look at! Where is the family resemblance?
I don’t yet look like Jesus looks–either in body or soul.
A little bit. I look like my big brother, Jesus, a little bit by His grace.
But I’m not there yet. That’s the point of the next few sentences. Still in v.1:
“The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”
The first reason that the world does not recognize that we are the Children of God is that they didn’t recognize the only begotten Child of God the first time.
But we are. V.2
“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known [or has not yet appeared].” That is to say, we don’t yet look like Jesus in full.
We can’t grasp what that will be like...
Just think!
What will a glorified body be like?
What will a sinless nature be like?
What will a perfect love of God feel like?
We don’t know.
And we certainly don’t look like that now! V.2
“But we [do] know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”
#2. CHILDREN OF GOD, ANTICIPATE WHAT YOU WILL BE.
This is one of those already but not yet things that are so prevalent in the New Testament.
Are we the children of God already now? Yes, we are. Very truly the Children of God.
But there is coming a day when we will fully come into our inheritance. And the Bible is comfortable with using the word “adoption” for that which has not yet fully come.
Our adoption now is a down-payment on the adoption to come. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans chapter 8:
“[We] received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ [God is our Daddy.] The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory....We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved” [Romans 8:15-17, 23-24a].
There is an adoption coming that we are supposed to anticipate.
The full inheritance is coming! V.2 again.
“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”
That’s something to look forward to!
When we behold Him, we shall become like Him.
Seeing means becoming.
Our adoption will become our glorification.
We will be like Him.
A body like His.
A heart like His.
A sinless soul like His.
A glory like His.
We will be an unbroken mirror of His glory. We will be like sponges that absorb the glory of Christ and soak in it and take up its properties. We will be little-Christs. Still finite. Still creatures. Still small in comparison to His greatness.
But like Him. Because we will see Him.
Do you anticipate that day?
Do you long for that day?
Do you look for its appearing?
We need to live today in view of that Day.
We are in the last hour, and we need to be anticipating the return of Christ.
Children of God, Anticipate what you will be when He appears.
This not all there is.
This isn’t even a fraction of what is coming.
Don’t settle for this.
Don’t live for this.
Live your life for then. Live it for Him. Live it for Him whom you will be like.
“For we will see Him as He is.”
Marvel that you are a child of God right now, but more than that, marvel at what you will be come. Anticipate that.
Do you want to be like Jesus?
You will be.
Child of God, you will be like Jesus.
Tell yourself that. Let it get into your spiritual bloodstream.
“I will be like Jesus when I see Him.”
“I will be like Jesus when I see Him.”
“I will be like Jesus when I see Him.”
“I am a child of God, and I will be like Jesus when I see Him.”
#3. CHILDREN OF GOD, PURIFY YOURSELF IN HOPE. V.3
“Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”
Everyone who has this hope in him [everyone who is a child of God through faith in Christ Jesus] purifies himself, just as Christ is pure.
If you are going to, one day, look like Christ, then get started today.
Purify Yourself in Hope.
Whatever that is in you that is not like Christ needs to go.
Whatever is in you that brings shame on the family of God needs to be rooted out.
Whatever is in your heart that doesn’t look like Jesus’ heart needs to be changed.
Purify Yourself in Hope.
“Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”
We have been adopted through no merit of our own. We have been brought into God’s family and accepted just the way we are.
But we have been adopted to change.
We have been accepted to be altered.
We have been saved to be sanctified.
We have been made a child of God to look like children of God!
We are, one day, going to look like Jesus, and we need to get started right now.
Purify Yourself in Hope.
“Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”
Don’t trample the lavish love of God by deciding to take it for granted and not be conformed to the image of Christ.
Paul says, “[T]hose God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”
God went to a lot of trouble to make us His children. And He has a plan for us. To make us like His Son, Jesus Christ. We need to cooperate with that plan and purify ourselves.
So, this is a new year. What needs to be the new you in the new year?
Take a spiritual inventory.
What in your heart and life looks like Christ? Keep that.
What in your heart and life does not look like Christ? You need to go to war (in faith) against that in 2013.
You need to purify yourself in hope.
Don’t try to clean up your act so that you will become a child of God.
It doesn’t work that way.
But if you are a child of God. If you have this hope in Christ, then you will purify yourself.
Purify Yourself in Hope.
Tackle the gunk in your life because you have this hope in yourself.
Get this into your spiritual bloodstream.
I am a child of God.
I will be like Jesus when I see Him.
Because of that, I will purify myself right now.
I am a child of God.
I will be like Jesus when I see Him.
Because of that, I will purify myself right now.
I know what gunk needs to be purified in me right now.
Do you know what needs to be purified in you?
Get this into your spiritual bloodstream and flush out the gunk.
I am a child of God.
I will be like Jesus when I see Him.
Because of that, I will purify myself right now.
“Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”
Children of God,
Marvel that that is what you are!
Anticipate what you will be.
And Purify Yourself in this hope.
***
Messages about Essential Christianity
1. A Letter Arrived from John
2. The Word of Life
3. God Is Light
4. Talk and Walk
5. If You Love, You Live in the Light
6. I Write To You Because
7. Do Not Love the World
8. This Is the Last Hour
9. Children of God (Part One)
10. Children of God (Part Two)
11. Love Your Brother
12. God Is Greater Than Our Hearts
13. Test the Spirits
14. God Is Love (Part One)
15. God Is Love (Part Two)
16. Overcoming the World
17. The Testimony
18. We Know
19. Listen Again to 1 John
2. The Word of Life
3. God Is Light
4. Talk and Walk
5. If You Love, You Live in the Light
6. I Write To You Because
7. Do Not Love the World
8. This Is the Last Hour
9. Children of God (Part One)
10. Children of God (Part Two)
11. Love Your Brother
12. God Is Greater Than Our Hearts
13. Test the Spirits
14. God Is Love (Part One)
15. God Is Love (Part Two)
16. Overcoming the World
17. The Testimony
18. We Know
19. Listen Again to 1 John
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Friday, January 11, 2013
Blogs I Read: Dan Holmquist's "Just Get on the Plane"
Daniel Holmquist and I went to Trinity together. He became an EFCA pastor around the same time I did, and we have run into each other at EFCA events over the last 15 years.
Recently, Dan took on a new mission in life as a area leader with ReachGlobal, the international ministry arm of EFCA.
"Just Get on the Plane" is Dan's urgent yet winsome goad to believers in Jesus Christ to fulfill the Great Commission, and that's what he writes about.
His latest post, "Scrambling to Fill the Banquet Hall" from Luke 14, exemplifies what you will find if you read Dan's blog:
God the Father desires a full Banquet in the coming Kingdom of the Messiah to show off the extravagance of His generosity to a large multitude from every people. But, notice that now the “servant” needs to “compel” people. These people will need even more urging because they are ignorant of the Host’s identity, and His wealth and His generosity!We will have to elaborate in detail and with exuberance--in order to be “compelling.” So, it would be good to think about: What excites you about the Kingdom? About living as a Christ-follower? About being in the Church of our Great and Awesome God?!There are still openings, and so we must go and invite others! Our task from this passage should be obvious, that we as the new “servants” are to go out far and wide, find people and “compel them to come in” to the Banquet Hall of salvation and the Kingdom of God.
I encourage you to read Dan's "Just Get on the Plane," but, if you do, be ready to be challenged to get the mission done.
***
Fun story: if you ever run into Dan, ask him about the time my buddy Kipp and I juggled clubs around Linda when she was pregnant with baby #5 of 6 (I think).
