The Beatitudes of Leadership

By / Jun 22

Released at the height of pandemic binge-listening, The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill dominated church leadership discussions throughout the back half of 2021. It seemed like everyone was discussing and dissecting Christianity Today’s incredibly popular podcast.

With the first anniversary of the show’s release approaching, what was it that made Mars Hill a rich source of conversation? More than that, why did its message resonate so deeply with listeners?

 Certainly, much of it has to do with the quality of the podcast. Mike Cosper and his team told a powerful story in a powerful way. It might also be true that part of the show’s popularity came from our cultural obsession with schadenfreude. It’s hard for us to look away when we know a train wreck is coming.

Yet, perhaps the greatest reason for its popularity comes from its relatability. If you’ve been in ministry for any time at all, chances are you’ve lived and led through your own version of the Mars Hill story. The characters and the stakes may have been different, but the drama felt all too familiar.

The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill reaffirmed our collective sense that something is broken in church leadership today.

Too many church leaders today know what it’s like to be bullied by their brothers and scarred by their fellow shepherds. Many of us have witnessed and even been wounded by power struggles within the church.

It’s not hard to see that we need a better way. We need a blessed way. We need a way of thinking about and practicing leadership that is both blessed by God and serves as a blessing to those in our care. For that reason, we must look at the Beatitudes.

While the opening words of Matthew 5 aren’t the first passage we think of when it comes to leadership, they should set the tone for all ministry. Jesus used these eight statements to define life in the kingdom. For that reason, they must also define kingdom leadership:  

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 What do these Beatitudes look like in leadership? How can we be sure they define us both as followers of Christ and leaders in His church?

  1. Jesus calls leaders to “spiritual poverty.” Jesus begins by commending those who recognize their need for God. No one is good enough or qualified enough to earn God’s favor. While there’s something to be said for knowing your strengths, Jesus would first call leaders to admit their weakness. All of us are completely and totally dependent on God. Without Him, we have little hope of leading anyone anywhere.  
  2. Jesus calls His shepherds to compassion and care. The second Beatitude reminds us to mourn over the brokenness in this world and within ourselves. Our hearts ought to break when we see our own disobedience. Our souls ought to ache when we see the cost sin imposes on God’s people. Leaders have hearts that break over the things that break God’s heart.
  3. Kingdom leadership also requires humility and submission. In God’s economy, leading other people doesn’t mean placing yourself above them. Leading means serving. True leadership is about pouring yourself out for the people under your care. “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.” (Matthew 20:26-27)
  4. Jesus also demands that His leaders hunger for Him and His righteousness more than anything else. Sadly, too many leaders seem only to hunger and thirst for numbers. They want the Word so long as it brings people through the doors. They want to worship so long as the style connects to their target demographic. We always want bigger. We always want better. But, it’s only in chasing His righteousness that we find fulfillment.
  5. Leaders who bless others also practice mercy. Their very lifestyle lavishes forgiveness, kindness, and generosity on those around them. Though people may frustrate them and let them down, kingdom leaders respond with mercy. The grace they have received in Christ becomes a fountain of generosity for those under their care.
  6. Purity of heart also defines biblical leadership. A leader’s outer life and inner life ought to be in perfect sync with one another. To say it another way, the “pure in heart” exhibit a consistency between inward purity and outward piety. We all know how easily motivations can be warped. We’ve seen people do the right thing for the wrong reason. We can’t for a minute think that sort of behavior is beneath us.
  7. Kingdom leaders should also be characterized as peacemakers. Every church faces times of conflict and chaos. In many ways, our ministries will be defined by how we responded to those seasons. Did we feed the disagreement? Did we pursue what was best for us? Or, did we long for reconciliation? Peace ought to be both a personal and a professional goal.  
  8. Kingdom leaders need the ability to see the blessing of persecution. The final Beatitude presents the biggest surprise. Persecution is a blessing? Admittedly, very few of us today know what it’s like to truly experience persecution. We do, however, know what it’s like to be challenged. How do you handle people who disagree with you? How do you respond to church members who attack your decisions? Kingdom leaders need the ability to see the blessing in disguise.

 Church leadership is at a crossroads. It’s time for us to choose a better way – the “blessed” way.



How to Understand and Apply the Old Testament: Step 9–Literary Context

By / Jun 20

God gave us his word in a book that is made up of multiple books. Whereas biblical theology (step 10) looks more at Scripture as a whole, literary context focuses on the individual parts as they come to us within their overall canonical context. It’s the difference between appreciating a whole quilt and looking carefully at one of its single squares, which itself has its own color, texture, and story.

The question in literary context is, “How does the passage contribute to the book’s overall story or argument?” To answer this, we need to have a solid grasp of the book’s thought-flow, which is best initiated by reading the whole book several times on your own, each in a single sitting, and while comparing several book outlines drafted by those who have spent far more time in the book than you have. As you examine your passage in view of the whole book, there are at least three areas you want to keep in mind: literary placement, literary function, and literary details.

Literary Placement: A Passage’s Location

Literary placement refers to your passage’s location. Is the passage part of a larger literary grouping with a discernible beginning, middle, or end? What leads up to the passage? What flows from it? How is the book organized, and how does the passage fit within the section, book, canonical division, Testament, and Bible––in that order? 

The book of Daniel, for example, is most naturally structured in two parts: (1) God’s sovereign control in the present (chs. 1–6) and (2) God’s sovereign control in the future (chs. 7–12). Part one includes a progression of court stories about the exaltation of Daniel and his three friends. Together they stress that, while not always clear in the present, Israel’s God is sovereign over all things and is working for his own against the world’s rebellion. Part two then supplies a series of apocalyptic visions about the rise and fall of succeeding empires. Together these emphasize that, while it may not always be evident in the future, Israel’s God controls all things according to his purposes and will ultimately establish his kingdom through his Messiah, destroying all evil. 

If you were studying the episode of the fiery furnace in Daniel 3, it would be good to know its placement in part one between the stories of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the image/statue in chapter 2 and the king’s punishment and restoration in chapter 4. It would also be good to know that in Jesus’ Bible, Daniel’s hope of God’s kingdom opens the final narrative portion of the Writings, which sought to remind the believers who were in exile and slavery (Ezra 9:9; Neh. 9:36) that Yahweh’s power and kingdom-purposes still stand. In this context, Daniel follows Lamentations and affirms the concluding statement, “But you, O LORD, reign forever; your throne endures to all generations” (Lam. 5:19). Furthermore, in response to the lamenter’s final cry, “Renew our days as of old––unless you have utterly rejected us, and you remain exceedingly angry with us” (5:22), Daniel declares that God had not completely rejected and would both restore and renew. Standing in the concluding portion of the Hebrew Scriptures, Daniel plays a vital role in thrusting the reader’s eyes toward the New Testament, which begins to realize God’s kingdom purposes.

Literary Function: A Passage’s Purpose

Literary function addresses your text’s purpose. What is the book’s main thrust, and how does this passage advance the book’s storyline or reasoning? Do the verses fill in, add on to, introduce, bring to completion, or counterbalance the portion or book of which it is a part? What does the passage contribute to the overall picture? What does the overall picture add to it? If this passage were missing from the book, what would be lost? 

If the book of Daniel as a whole supplies a glorious, hopeful vision of God’s kingship over all the created sphere, how does the story of Daniel 3 contribute to this message? In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a statue-like image with four parts, each of which represented earthly kingdoms that would ultimately be overthrown by God’s kingdom that would never perish (Dan. 2:44). Babylon, led by Nebuchadnezzar, was the first of these kingdoms (2:37–38). In Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar appears to have gotten caught up in his dream from chapter 2, but he is determined to be not just the head of gold but the whole. He erected a massive image that appears to have represented himself. All peoples, nations, and languages were to worship it, lest they immediately be cast into a blazing furnace (3:1–7). Daniel’s three friends––Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego––were unrelenting in their commitment to Yahweh and refused to bow down (3:16–18), thus resulting in their punishment. But they were not burnt, for one “like a son of the gods” protected them (3:25). As such, Nebuchadnezzar declared them to be “servants of the Most High God” (3:26), praised their God for his mighty act (3:28), and then decreed that none should speak against their God (3:29). 

This episode plays a key role in showing how Nebuchadnezzar grew in his awareness of Yahweh’s sovereign control of the present. This recognition would only expand until we read, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble” (4:37).

Literary Details: A Passage’s Distinctive Contributions

Literary details are the particular features or aspects of the text that set it apart and that help identify its overall contribution. How comprehensive or selective is the passage? Do any details help you decide whether the author wrote it in connection with a specific cultural or historical situation? Does the passage relay material from a distinctive perspective? What does this tell you about the author’s intentions? 

The biblical author clearly wrote Daniel 3 to remind the audience of Yahweh’s greatness and worth and of his ability to save either out of or through suffering. Nebuchadnezzar initially displayed pride when he questioned the three: “Who is the god who will deliver out of my hands?” (3:15). This stands in contrast with his later declaration, “There is no other god who is able to rescue in this way” (3:29). The king’s initial challenge is also countered by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s relentless commitment to the true God and their confidence that he was able to rescue. “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (3:17–18). The three did not presume that they fully knew Yahweh’s will, but regardless of his pleasure, they would trust and obey. Such details force readers to decide whether we will equally surrender to the supreme Sovereign and Savior in this story. 

Furthermore, when read in view of the whole book, the emphasis that one “like a son of the gods” protected the three in the furnace (3:25) likely anticipates the “one like a son of man” who will reign over God’s kingdom (7:13–14). Later this figure is probably tagged the “Messiah,” during whose ministry God intends “to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place” (9:24, 26). As such, Daniel 3 does not merely add general hope in a delivering God; it also fuels anticipation for the Messiah’s reign.

Psalm 121 in Its Literary Context

In Psalm 121 the psalmist expresses his confidence in Yahweh as his helper, and he builds his belief in God’s protection by rehearsing to himself and to others the qualities of God’s faithfulness that he has grown to know are true. Psalms like this predictively provided Christ with words to capture his own heart cries, and now, for those in Christ, they model how to remain Godward and hopeful at points of desperation, both individually and corporately. 

Psalm 121 occurs in the fifth book of the Psalms (Pss. 107–150). This section offers reflections on the restoration after exile and presents Yahweh as one who will renew his people in fulfillment of his Davidic kingdom-promises. Much like David’s own prayer in Psalm 14:7 (cf. 1 Chron. 16:35), Book 4 ended with the psalmist praying for return from exile. He cries in Psalm 106:47: “Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.” The psalmist is most likely hoping not simply for a physical return to the land (cf. Deut. 30:3–5) but for the climactic second exodus of which the prophet’s spoke and that would align with the coming messianic kingdom (e.g., Isa. 11:1–12:5; 49:1–6; Jer. 23:5–8; Ezek. 34:16, 22–24; 37:20–28; Hos. 3:5). Now Book 5 opens in Psalm 107 with praise to God for answering this prayer. We read in Psalm 107:1–3: “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.” 

After this, the remaining parts of Psalm 107, along with Psalms 108–109 emphasize Yahweh’s unrelenting affection for all who trust him (cf. Pss. 107:33–43; 108:11). With glorious messianic hope, Psalm 110 then stresses that the Davidic covenant has not been set aside. Quoting Psalm 110, Hebrews 1:13 tell us that Jesus is David’s “Lord” of whom Yahweh declared, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet” (cf. Matt. 22:41–45). Psalms 111–118 stress that the God who works on behalf of his people deserves wholehearted worship and loyalty at all times and in all circumstances. Such a call stresses the importance of God’s word, which is celebrated in Psalm 119. It also requires the centrality of Yahweh’s presence in the lives of God’s people, which is the focus of the Songs of Ascent in Psalms 120–134. It is in these Songs of Ascent that we find Psalm 121, which supplies hope-filled assurance in Yahweh’s guardianship and gives cause for enjoying his presence. Building off Psalm 121:6, Revelation 7:16 declares that, for all who die in the great Tribulation, having identified themselves with the slain Lamb, “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.” The favor that God shows his Christ becomes the favor he shows all who are identified with him. The longest of the Songs of Ascent is Psalm 132, which emphasizes the fulfillment of Yahweh’s promise to David that he would indeed have a king on the throne of Jerusalem forever. 

Psalms 135–138 summarize God’s work through creation and providence on behalf of his people, with Psalm 138 returning to psalms of David, which continue through Psalm 145. These psalms depict the anointed royal figure requesting God’s help in both in both spiritual and temporal matters (Pss. 139–144) and then celebrating Yahweh’s character and work (Ps. 145). The five books conclude with a string of five praise psalms that exalt the excellencies of God over all (Pss. 146–150). 

Standing as the second of the Songs of Ascent, Psalm 121 sets the readers’ gaze upward toward God and his holy mountain. “I lift my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?” Looking up means one thing: the psalmist was down. Nevertheless, in his pain, in his anxiety he looked Godward to the one who made heaven and earth. He says, “He will not let your foot be moved” (Ps. 121:3). Your Guardian never sleeps, and because of that you can. He was a refuge for Christ, and he will continue to guard all who find refuge in him. You can rest today, because the all satisfying Savior reigns in the person of Jesus. The Davidic hope has reached its fulfillment, and now the very psalms that Jesus drew from to clarify his own mission of triumph through tribulation can become the very cries of our hearts. “The LORD is your keeper…. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore” (Ps. 121:7–8).



The Key to Everlasting Paradise

By / Jun 18

“He openeth, and no man shutteth.”
Revelation 3:7

Jesus is the keeper of the gates of paradise and before every believing soul he setteth an open door, which no man or devil shall be able to close against it. What joy it will be to find that faith in him is the golden key to the everlasting doors. My soul, dost thou carry this key in thy bosom, or art thou trusting to some deceitful pick-lock, which will fail thee at last? Hear this parable of the preacher, and remember it. The great King has made a banquet, and he has proclaimed to all the world that none shall enter but those who bring with them the fairest flower that blooms. The spirits of men advance to the gate by thousands, and they bring each one the flower which he esteems the queen of the garden; but in crowds they are driven from the royal presence, and enter not into the festive halls. Some bear in their hand the deadly nightshade of superstition, or the flaunting poppies of Rome, or the hemlock of self- righteousness, but these are not dear to the King, the bearers are shut out of the pearly gates. My soul, hast thou gathered the rose of Sharon? Dost thou wear the lily of the valley in thy bosom constantly? If so, when thou comest up to the gates of heaven thou wilt know its value, for thou hast only to show this choicest of flowers, and the Porter will open: not for a moment will he deny thee admission, for to that rose the Porter openeth ever. Thou shalt find thy way with the rose of Sharon in thy hand up to the throne of God himself, for heaven itself possesses nothing that excels its radiant beauty, and of all the flowers that bloom in paradise there is none that can rival the lily of the valley. My soul, get Calvary’s blood-red rose into thy hand by faith, by love wear it, by communion preserve it, by daily watchfulness make it thine all in all, and thou shalt be blessed beyond all bliss, happy beyond a dream. Jesus, be mine forever, my God, my heaven, my all.



Clint Pressley on Leadership Qualities for Gospel Centrality

By / Jun 17

We asked Clint Pressley, senior pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC, “What leadership qualities are needed in transitioning a church to greater gospel-centrality?”



Above the Clouds, There is Sunshine

By / Jun 16

Our little girl hates thunder. I can hardly blame her; it’s often far too loud and surprisingly too close. I can recall one afternoon though, when her fear met its match. Her mother and I stood behind her on our covered porch, watching as her two-year old mind tried to process the quickly approaching clouds and growing darkness before her. When she realized the storm was not diminishing as she hoped and began to feel its low rumbles under her feet, she froze. We half-expected a repeat of the day before, when a similar storm evoked a cry so intense, it rivaled the volume of the thunder she so feared. But today was different.

Her concerned facial expression deceived us, as she now began to signify a calm confidence. She was afraid, but she knew also knew something. We watched as she began to nod to herself, continuing to gaze at the ominous weather, and whispered just loudly enough where we could hear, “Dada’s got me. Mama’s got me”- seemingly reminding herself of the truth she’d heard from us so many times, reassuring herself that this truth has gotten her through thus far and must be reliable enough to trust. In this moment, we could see our little girl drawing strength from our presence.

A Greater Source for Strength

We all draw strength from something- whether it be an over-zealous confidence in our abilities or something outside ourselves altogether. Christians have a unique foundation for strength which has no rival. Christians can draw strength from the One with all strength, in whom there could be no true threat.

Something I’m beginning to realize in this life, and continually struggling to remember, is that I am very weak. Our daughter standing against a thunderstorm is a tiny comparison to the situations each one of us face each day. Medical diagnoses, financial burdens, family strife, personal loss, interpersonal conflict, and a host of other circumstances reveal just how weak we are. Yet, despite our smallness, as Christians, we can stand secure no matter the circumstance, as we draw strength from Christ Himself.

Christ offers us a shelter from the storm, a foundation for strength, in His life, death, resurrection, ascension, and promise of imminent return. No matter the season, He is the only true source for our peace, hope, joy, security, stability, encouragement, and so much more.

In the best of times though, temptations abound to find my strength in circumstance and success, acting as if I am my own master and control my own destiny. In this charade though, I fail to experience that which my heart most desires. When I must control my peace, I fret. When I must realize my hopes, I agonize. When I must satisfy my longings, I endure pains. When I must encourage myself through accomplishments, I often despair over missed opportunities.

As tempting as it is to act as master of my own fate, it certainly does not offer any type of lasting rest or comfort. When you’re in control, you always have to be on– incessantly working because you don’t believe He is. In the best of times, my strength must come from outside of myself.

Even in the worst of times, I’m still tempted to draw strength outside of Christ- whether it be through empty flattering (“You deserve better.”) or vain commiseration (“I can’t believe that happened to you, that’s so unfair.”) Empty words can often take the place of responding well to our fears being realized. Godly lament recognizes that even in the midst of fear, challenge, and weakness, Christ is near. He is the Friend of failures. He loves when the weak come to Him for strength. In those moments, He gets to be for us all that He promises, and we get to enjoy His fullness. In the midst of weakness, our solace should be nothing less than Christ Himself.

And so, whether it be the best of times or the worst of times, we must continue to scour our once-rebel hearts for any felt traces of former allegiances to false strengths, so that Christ may truly be all for us, our greatest and only source of strength.

The Sunshine is Sure

The afternoon our daughter stood against the storm, the Lord was kind to quell its intensity; for just as quickly as it had come, it was gone. The clouds had rolled away, the thunder had quieted to a whisper, and the sunshine began to peer down through the sky. As the rays caught her eyes, she perked up, shouting with excitement, “Sunbeam! Sunbeam! I go play?”

Our daughter’s trials from a stormy week increased her faith in the strength of her parents, but even more importantly though, I think, she saw a resolution to her fears. And even in a situation as small as this, I was reminded- there will not always be clouds for the Christian. Perhaps in this life. But one day, there will be no more fear. We’ll enjoy His presence each day. For there is endless sunshine in the Celestial City.



The Holy Spirit and Human Flourishing

By / Jun 16

As human beings, we are most fully embodied and in our proper place when we are in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit. Thus, there is no path toward true and lasting human flourishing apart from God’s indwelling Spirit.

The Bad News: Let’s Rehearse!
Our sin, being the beast that it is (Gen 4:7), has corrupted our bodies and left deep wounds on our souls. “Claiming to be wise, [we] became fools” and severed the relationship between ourselves and the true Source of human flourishing – God (Rom 1:22). Moreover, just as Israel wandered aimlessly throughout the wilderness for forty years, so we wander through the desert of our lives and foolishly attempt to fill our hearts with all that is not God.

In Jeremiah 2:13, God describes our tragedy: “My people have committed a double evil: they have abandoned me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves – cracked cisterns that cannot hold water.” Unless our thirst for God is filled, we are destined to die both physically and spiritually, with mouths full of sand.

At this point, someone might think, When will you stop being so negative? Why can’t you see the good in people? To which I joyfully respond, Oh, friend, have you never tasted the goodness of God? Have you never truly lived? Let me explain: it is only because I have tasted the bitterness of sin and felt the weight of sin’s consequences that I have been able to give myself over to an eternal binge on the never-ending, all-satisfying feast that is God himself.

Such is the joy of every Christian, a joy which becomes all the more sweeter when we set our minds on the fact that God has decided to take up his residence in our weak, dust-fashioned bodies.

The Good News: The Spirit as Signal of New Creation
In Galatians 4:6, the Apostle Paul says that “God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts.” So, not only is God with us—He is in us! More specifically, He is in “our hearts.” Here are a few other texts which demonstrate this awesome reality:

  • “On that day you will know that I am in the Father, you are in me, and I am in you.” (John 14:20)
  • “You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.” (Rom 8:9)
  • “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Col 3:4)

You see, we humans were designed to be in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit, which is to say that we were designed to be God-in-dwelt creatures. This is what God intended from the very beginning when he breathed his “breath” – the same Hebrew word for ‘Spirit’ – into Adam, causing Adam to become “a living being” (1 Cor 15:45; cf Gen 2:7). Moreover, through Christ’s sin-atoning death, sinful humanity has been re-positioned to receive God’s life-giving breath, “the promised Spirit through faith” (Gal 3:13-14). In Christ, rebellious sinners are transformed into holy saints and thereby crafted into a fit dwelling place for God’s Spirit (Eph 2:22).

This is why Jesus, after his resurrection, breathed on the disciples. This is strange, is it not? To be breathed on by the Son of God? With the biblical narrative in mind, particularly the opening chapters of Genesis, this was a perfectly fitting thing for Christ to enact upon the disciples. As God breathed his Spirit into Adam at the beginning of the old creation, so Christ, the Word made flesh, breathed his Spirit into the new humanity at the beginning of God’s new creation. Thus, Paul explains, “If anyone is in Christ–new creation! The old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” (2 Cor 5:17).

The Holy Spirit: Our Proper Place
Consider how one ancient theologian and church father, St. Basil the Great, describes God’s indwelling Spirit: “The Spirit is truly the place of the saints, and the saint is the proper place for the Holy Spirit, as he offers himself for indwelling with God and is called a temple of God” (On the Holy Spirit, 101). In other words, to be truly human, to inhabit our true and “proper place,” we must be indwelt by God’s Spirit.

Apart from the indwelling of the Spirit, we humans are like empty tombs, wandering to and fro. We are, in the words of Augustine, “restless until we find our rest in Him.” On the other hand, when we receive the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ, we are brought from death to life and set back in our proper place — the place of God’s dwelling! By the Spirit, therefore, Christians are able to enter the fullness of God’s design for humanity. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control,” wrote Paul (Gal 5:22-23). And if that’s not true human flourishing, then I don’t know what is!

There’s a lot of talk of human “place” and “embodiment” these days. As I hope to have made clear, Christians would be gravely remiss to leave God’s indwelling Spirit out of that conversation. After all, God himself, by the Spirit, is our true and proper place and therefore the only place wherein human beings truly flourish.



Episode 164: Thomas Kidd on the Fascinating Case of Thomas Jefferson

By / Jun 15

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson talks with historian Dr. Thomas Kidd about his new biography of Thomas Jefferson, helping us separate fact from fiction in Jefferson’s life and spirituality.



Love Must Feed on Love

By / Jun 11

“We love him because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:19

There is no light in the planet but that which proceedeth from the sun; and there is no true love to Jesus in the heart but that which cometh from the Lord Jesus himself. From this overflowing fountain of the infinite love of God, all our love to God must spring. This must ever be a great and certain truth, that we love him for no other reason than because he first loved us. Our love to him is the fair offspring of his love to us. Cold admiration, when studying the works of God, anyone may have, but the warmth of love can only be kindled in the heart by God’s Spirit. How great the wonder that such as we should ever have been brought to love Jesus at all! How marvellous that when we had rebelled against him, he should, by a display of such amazing love, seek to draw us back. No! never should we have had a grain of love towards God unless it had been sown in us by the sweet seed of his love to us. Love, then, has for its parent the love of God shed abroad in the heart: but after it is thus divinely born, it must be divinely nourished. Love is an exotic; it is not a plant which will flourish naturally in human soil, it must be watered from above. Love to Jesus is a flower of a delicate nature, and if it received no nourishment but that which could be drawn from the rock of our hearts it would soon wither. As love comes from heaven, so it must feed on heavenly bread. It cannot exist in the wilderness unless it be fed by manna from on high. Love must feed on love. The very soul and life of our love to God is his love to us.

“I love thee, Lord, but with no love of mine,

For I have none to give;

I love thee, Lord; but all the love is thine,

For by thy love I live.

I am as nothing, and rejoice to be

Emptied, and lost, and swallowed up in thee.”



Afshin Ziafat on if Christians Think They’re Bad at Evangelism

By / Jun 10

Afshin Ziafat gives his advice to Cristians who simply feel they are terrible at evangelism.



On Worship

By / Jun 9

This post is an excerpt from On Worship: A Short Guide to Understanding, Participating in, and Leading Corporate Worship by H.B. Charles. The book is out now from Moody Publishers and wherever Christian books are sold.

HOW TO WORSHIP GOD

In the first word of the Ten Commandments, God commanded His people to worship Him exclusively: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3). The second word is linked to the first:

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children
to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Ex. 20:4–6)

There is some disagreement about how the Ten Commandments should be numbered. Roman Catholics and Lutherans read the first and second commandments as one commandment. To keep ten commandments, they call the preamble (Ex. 20:2) a commandment or divide the tenth commandment (Ex. 20:17) into two parts.

Exodus 20:3 and 4–6 record two different commands. They are two different sides of the same coin. The first commandment is about the proper object of worship. The second commandment is about the proper mode of worship. The first commandment addresses orthodoxy (right belief). The second commandment addresses orthopraxy (right practice). The first commandment tells us whom to worship. The second commandment tells us how to worship. God says, “Worship Me alone.” Then God says, “Worship Me this way.” How we worship matters to God.

The second commandment does not prohibit God’s people from being artistic. The Lord will instruct Moses to have artisans construct the ark of the covenant with artistic elements. The Spirit of God would inspire and empower men to creatively build the tabernacle. This is not a categorical prohibition against carved images. The Lord’s concern here is liturgical, not artistic. We must not make carved images for worship.

The second commandment warns us how misguided sincerity can be. When the children of Israel danced around the golden calf, the Lord did not respond, “Look how sincere they are!” The Lord became so angry that only the passionate intercession of Moses saved their lives. God demands proper worship.

WORSHIP GOD ON HIS TERMS

It is remarkable that the first commandment was necessary. After delivering the children of Israel from Egypt, God still needed to instruct His people not to worship false idols. The second commandment is a natural progression from the first. God disabuses His people of the assumption that it does not matter how we worship, as long as we worship the right God. Redeemed people can still offer unacceptable worship if it is not on God’s terms.

God cannot be controlled. That is what happens with carved images. A symbol makes visible what is invisible and tangible what is intangible. In so doing, the reality behind the symbol is tamed, controlled, and neutered. Why do you think there is so much controversy over the American flag? It is a symbol that points to a reality. How one treats the symbol is a statement of what one thinks about the reality it represents.

The Babylonians had to carry their gods away on wagons to flee Cyrus of Persia. Yet the Lord reminded the house of Israel that He carried them since birth and will continue to carry them and save them (Isa. 46:3–4). This is why God forbids carved images. God carries us and refuses to be put in a position where we try to carry Him.

This second word may seem irrelevant. But we need this commandment today. Many Western contemporary Christians are ancient Hebrew idolaters in disguise. We make symbols for God; then we make gods of our symbols. We profess to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus, and the church. We actually worship the God of our cause, understanding, experience, race, nation,
comfort, and success.

WORSHIP GOD BY DIVINE REVELATION

There are two primary ways finite man seeks to know the infinite God: by imagination or revelation. Seeking to know God by trying to imagine who He is does not work. The second commandment prohibits any attempts to shape an image of God according to who or what we think God is. Habakkuk asked, “What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols!” (Hab. 2:18). The only way to know God is by revelation. We cannot imagine the nature, character, attributes, purpose, or glory of God. God must reveal Himself to us.

In a general sense, God reveals Himself in the created world. Creation advertises its Creator (Ps. 19:1). Heaven and earth proclaim the reality of God. But creation cannot declare the name of God. To know God personally, we need special revelation. God has personally revealed Himself to us in the Bible (2 Tim. 3:16). We must worship God on the basis of His revelation of Himself to us. God-pleasing worship is Word-driven worship.

When Israel met with God for the first time, they heard a voice but saw no image (Deut. 4:11–12). Moses reminded Israel of this to prepare them for the non-appearance of God. In the days to come, Israel’s worship would not be in video format. There would only be audio. They would have CDs to listen to, not DVDs to watch (Deut. 4:15–18). Worship is not about images to see. It is about words to hear. True worship is Word-based, Word-saturated, and Word-driven. We are to sing the Word, read the Word, pray the Word, preach the Word, and see the Word.

WORSHIP GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST

God commands us not to make any carved images in the likeness of anything in heaven, on earth, or in the sea. Those who make images of God mar the image of God. What is the image of God? Genesis 1:26–27 says, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness . . . ’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

We are the image of God. This does not mean we have physical attributes that represent God: God is spirit (John 4:24). It means that God has given us personhood—mind, will, and emotions. We are free moral agents who can choose between good and evil, right and wrong, truth and error. Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the garden of Eden. All of humanity has fallen into sin as a result of our first parents’ original sin. Mankind was doomed to live in misery, die in sin, and suffer in hell. But God sent Jesus to save us. The Lord Jesus Christ is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3).

Jesus is God in the flesh. Truly God, truly man. Paul sang, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Col. 1:15). Paul also said, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9). To worship God is to worship Jesus. Christian worship is Christ worship. The Lord should have supremacy in everything we say and do in worship (Col. 1:18).

On the way home from church, a child told her parents she did not want to go to Sunday school anymore. When asked why, she griped, “Because they never do anything new there. Every week it’s the same thing. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.” May that little child’s complaint be the legitimate critique of our corporate worship services. No one should ever catch us doing something new when they attend our worship services. It should be the same thing every week, every month, every year. Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!