Grumbling And Disputing

"Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain."

                                                                      (Philippians 2:14-16) 


Of all the churches the Apostle Paul sent letters to, the church at Philippi was unique in that Paul did not feel the need to sternly rebuke them for much unholy conduct. In fact, one commentator says:

"Many of Paul's letters were called fourth by the need to set things right in a given church, to oppose false teaching, or to correct lax practice. But Philippians is that comparative rarity: a letter to a church of Paul's own foundation with which he is, on the whole, well pleased."

In contrast to the other churches Paul visited, the Philippians seemed to have a lot going for them. However, they were not the "perfect church". In his letter, Paul urges them to continue to obey and to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling", suggesting that God is still at work among them (2:12-13).
   But the very next verse catches my attention. Paul says:

"Do all things without grumbling or disputing,"

The church at Philippi may not have needed much rebuke, but Paul recognizes that if their spiritual progress was being hindered it was because they were complaining and arguing among themselves. We know that this was Paul's greatest concern for them because of how he continues:

"...that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish..."

When we think about the character of the Philippians, this verse is very insightful. We can assume that they were morally upstanding, loving, prayerful, faith-filled churchgoers, who were not given to sinful practices. But if anything, they would complain and argue amongst themselves from time to time. This kind of behavior may have been subtle, and perhaps overlooked by the people. Nevertheless, it was the one thing that was inhibiting them from being blameless and innocent. 
   Paul knew that if the people could live in a peaceful and self effacing manner, it would set the church of Philippi apart from the rest of their city. He takes this idea even further by suggesting that by living this way they would "shine as lights in the world". To take this idea a little further: grumbling or disputing could have encumbered their evangelism. What a sobering thought even for the church today! We can live lives transformed by the grace of God, yet still allow our Godly witness to be diminished by our quarreling and complaining. Paul desires that that the church be "...without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation...", and that their contentment and peace with each other would be a testament of God's work among them. 

Here's a final thought that comes to mind when reading this passage. Contentment in life and peace among men is directly related to our blood-purchased identity as children of God. Because of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ in our place, and his imputed righteousness to us, we can rejoice in our newfound status of sons and daughters of God. When Paul reminds the Philippians of their identity (2:15), he is is saying, "Think for a minute how a father cares for his children and provides for their needs. This is how God cares for you". Once we realize who we are and what we've been given in Christ, we have no reason to grumble or complain.
   Lastly, this identity as "children of God" promotes peace among believers. Later in his letter, Paul urges two people to "agree in the Lord", and reminds them that they have "labored side by side with [him] in the Gospel" (4:2-3). If Paul were here today, he would exhort them by saying, "Look, we're on the same team! No dispute between you is as important as the advance of God's kingdom."

A grumbling heart can seem subtle, and often times I can find myself hell-bent on winning an argument. But God's word is clear. "Do all things without grumbling or disputing..." If Paul found it fitting to charge the Philippians with this command, I should also consider if my attitude reflects my identity as a child of God.   
   

They Knew the Scriptures, But Not the Savior

The word "believe" is used repeatedly in the book of John, and "belief in Jesus" is a constant theme throughout. But there are sections in the book where, instead of responding in belief, people refused the words of Jesus entirely. We should pay careful attention to these sections of scripture, for there awaits an important lesson for us. 

Chapter five begins with Jesus traveling to Jerusalem. When Jesus arrived, he saw a man who had been lame for thirty-eight years. He said to him, "Get up, take up your bed, and walk.", and the man was healed at once. However, the Jews received word of this and became contentious, because it was on the sabbath day that Jesus had healed the man. 

This is an interesting Chapter in the book of John. Prior chapters were filled with examples of people who had believed in Jesus (1:49, 2:11, 2:23, 4:39, 4:53). This believing in Jesus led to genuine saving faith. But in chapter five, this belief is nowhere to be found, and we have to ask the question "why not?". 

The text gives us some insight into the hearts of these Jews. When they saw the healed man carrying his bed, they rebuked him for working on the sabbath. 

   For thirty-eight years they had seen this man lying in the dust. Wouldn't they be amazed when they saw him walking down the street? Wouldn't they want to come to know the one who had healed him? Not at all. These people would rather persecute another Jew by the letter of the law than rejoice with a former paralytic who had been healed by a miracle.

Later, Jesus responds to them by saying,

"And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life... I know that you do not have the love of God within you" (John 5:37-42)

What Jesus reveals about these Jews in this passage is sobering. Despite their religious devotion and biblical astuteness, they did not know God. These were people who had placed their hope for salvation in their knowledge of the bible, and because of this they were not willing to receive Jesus. They knew the scriptures, but not the Savior.

As I've wrestled with how I might apply this to my own life, one question comes to mind: Am I more aware of my personal knowledge of the scriptures than I am of my need for an encounter with Jesus? 

This is a crucial question that I need to be asking myself even as I'm writing this. Biblical knowledge does not have the power to save anyone. Salvation comes only through belief in Jesus. For the Christian, this means that my greatest aim in life is to meet with Jesus as often as possible. Becoming a Bible scholar is a noble aspiration, but if my studies do not lead me to a deep longing to encounter the person of Jesus Christ, then all my learning would be wasted.

Jesus assumed authority over the sabbath, which only God himself could possess, when he healed the lame man. Jesus' audience, as well as John's readers, are left to wrestle with two possibilities: This is either blasphemy, or this truly is the Savior of the world. 

The Jews in this story made a critical mistake. In all of their studies, they did not ask the question "Where's the coming Savior?". Jesus even told them, "...if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me." (John 5:46) but they did not have eyes to see the Savior standing there in front of them. 

John chapter five reminds me that every time I open my Bible I need to be asking, "what does this scripture tell me about Christ?". 

Jesus, The Fiery Serpent

My church is currently studying the book of John. Last week we read through a large portion of John, chapter three. But one thing that stood out to me was this phrase in verses fourteen and fifteen,

"...as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."

Because it wasn't critical to the points in my pastor's sermon, he didn't elaborate on this particular verse. But my curiosity caused me to look a little deeper.  I wasn't understanding the correlation between Jesus, and Moses' snake. Thankfully, I have a shelf full of books where I was able to meet with a world class Bible scholar who could explain this reference to me.

Jesus is referring here to the book of Numbers, chapter twenty-one, when Israel became impatient and began to complain. Their lack of faith and ingratitude for all that the Lord had provided caused them to speak out against God and Moses. As a result of their rebellion, the Lord sent poisonous serpents to strike the people of Israel, and many died because of it. Acknowledging their sin, the people pleaded with Moses to pray for God to take away the snakes. As Moses prayed, God told Moses to make a "fiery serpent" of bronze and set it on a pole, where all who were bitten would look upon the bronze serpent and live.

Jesus was saying "Just like that serpent was lifted up to bring life, so must I be lifted up to bring eternal life".

I find it ironic that the object of salvation for Israel was formed to look like the very object of death for Israel. There was a serpent of death and a serpent of life. It was as if Moses could say, "Look at the bronze snake, and be saved from the poison of the real snake".
   There's a connection here to Jesus, as well. Though Jesus himself never sinned, he came to save us from our sins. 
   2 Corinthians 5:21 says:

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

As he walked on this earth, Jesus was the spotless Lamb of God, the image of perfection. But as he was lifted up to die on a cross, God looked down and saw his perfect son now resembling the sins of the world. Every wicked thought and perverse desire, every fit of anger, and all of our corrupt speech was now resting on the sinless Savior. All, yes, ALL of our sin was placed on Jesus in such a way that he bore the image of iniquity, and was detestable in the sight of God. Once beautiful, now covered in our filth. Jesus delivered us from our sin by taking it upon himself.  

Just as God appointed the bronze serpent to give life to those who had been struck by the sting of death, so God has appointed Christ to bring us eternal life in exchange for our fatal sin. What a compassionate God!

Thoughts about WorshipGod West: Triune

I recently attended my fourth WorshipGod conference. It was hosted by the people of Sovereign Grace Church in Orange California, and I had the privilege of joining them for a Sunday morning service as well. I was in California for an entire week, and during this time the members of SGC in Orange became like family to me. I got to know many people that faithfully served behind the scenes to make WorshipGod West a success. 

One of the distinguishing characteristics of Sovereign Grace Ministries is that in our family of churches we continually seek to serve one another through prayer and support. It was so encouraging to see so many people become excited to learn who I was and where I was from. "We've been praying for Redemption Hill Church and all of it's members!", I heard countless people say.  

I'm so grateful for the time I spent in Orange County. I met many new friends and saw lots of old friends. I got to see California beaches and experience perfect weather for a week. I learned some very practical skills that will help me as a musician, songwriter, and worship leader. But I'd like to share about what I learned of God himself. 

The main theme of the conference was the Trinity. I actually wondered if they were simply running out of creative themes when they decided to go with this one. But before the first session was over I realized that there was far more to see here that would directly apply to corporate worship. Without writing an entire book, I thought I'd share three tangible things I took away from WorshipGod: Triune.

1. The Trinity makes grace sweeter than ever before.

God the Father has, for eternity, always been in fellowship with God the Son, nevertheless he still regards me in spite of my sin. God didn’t create man out of any sense of loneliness. And when man sinned against God, severing the cords of a beautiful relationship, he didn’t need to restore us to perfect communion again. God already had perfect communion with his Son. Yet, the Son's life was freely given so that communion with the Father would be restored to us. Even while we were still dead in sin (Romans 5:8), the Spirit breathed new life into us. This is not a picture of a glory deprived deity, seeking worshippers for his own fulfillment. This is a picture of an infinite and triune God who shows sinners love out of his abundance. I can’t believe that something so unlikely could be true. But it is! 

2. The Trinity informs the way that I understand God’s family.

In his book "Delighting in the Trinity", Mike Reeves says: 

"The most foundational thing in God is not some abstract quality, but the fact that he is Father."

Before he was 'Creator', before he was 'Ruler', he was 'Father', in loving relationship with his Son (John 17:24). And this is so important for us when we ponder our salvation. You and I are not just accepted citizens, we are adopted sons and daughters, receiving the status of Christ the Son himself. 

God cares about family more than anyone. It’s no wonder the New Testament is filled with familial language like “father", “son", “brother”, “sister”, “mother”. God wants us to see that this salvation we have is more intimate than we could imagine. We are called into the family of God!

3. My heart can’t contain the wonders of the Trinity.

As the end of the conference grew near, I began to feel as if someone had handed me a live grenade, and I had no idea what I was supposed to do with it. The Trinity compels us to look at the christian life afresh. Indeed all other doctrine hinges on the doctrine of the Trinity. But there is still so much mystery that surrounds the triune God. When I began to ponder these things, It didn't take long for me to realize how inadequate I was to respond appropriately. My heart could only hold so much. Here I stood with 600 other worshippers, singing these glorious truths and thinking to myself: "I'm not able to wrap my mind around this, much less my heart". But before I started to mope over how limited my understanding was, Bob Kauflin gave me some hope with these words:

"We don’t have to fully understand the Trinity before God hears our prayers and songs.” 

We don't have the capacity to love God in the same way that he loves us. But this does't stop us from being reconciled to the Father, through union with Christ, by the work of the Holy Spirit. Until the day we die, and for a million years after, we will be singing about the grace and the mysteries of the the triune God. 

I highly recommend that you check out the recorded audio from the conference by clicking here. 

Book Review: "True Community" by Jerry Bridges

A few months ago I finished reading "True Community, the practice of biblical koinonia". This was the first Jerry Bridges book I've read, and before I had finished the first chapter I was thinking "where has this author been my whole life?". Jerry Bridges is a prolific author and a frequent visitor at the Sovereign Grace Pastors College, so naturally, I've heard many of his quotes in sermons and raves about his books by friends and pastors. After having read this short (150 pages) book I can attest to this, that he is both authoritative and humble is his writing style. Unlike many other popular authors, he does not go off on a tangent, but adheres closely to scripture. This is what makes his writing style so objective. He is a faithful exegete, with a pastoral tone, writing in simple language.

In this book, Bridges wants to restore the biblical meaning of fellowship (koinonia) to his readers. He challenges the modern definition of fellowship as mere social practices, and replaces it with this definition: Sharing of a common life in Christ. This common life which is granted to every believer is a result of the saving work of the death of Christ. This means that you and I are called into the same faith, and relate to one another on the basis of the work of Christ.
   He also makes the distinction between the objective reality of being in fellowship with one another and the experiential aspect of having fellowship with one another. As a result of our union, we can experience communion.

After laying the groundwork for what it means to be united with Christ, and to share in his life with other believers, Bridges begins to show us what this common life looks like from a biblical perspective. With many helpful examples he shows us biblical koinonia as it applies to evangelism, prayer, finances, suffering, spiritual gifts, and more.

The moment of inspiration for me was to see how God designed biblical fellowship as both a means of grace, and a necessity for our spiritual growth. God did not intend for his people to live outside of the canopy of daily prayer, encouragement, and accountability.
   Furthermore this idea of fellowship changes the way we see a brother or sister who has fallen away from the faith. It changes how we view the suffering of a fellow believer. And because we are united with fellow believers in a special way, we have a greater reason than the world does to celebrate the achievements of other christians. When one is hurting, we all hurt. When one rejoices, we all rejoice.

True Community is an easy read, yet nonetheless profound. I've highlighted or marked up about half of the book so far. I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. I can't wait to get to the other Jerry Bridges books waiting patiently on my bookshelf.

Shoulder to Shoulder

Not too long ago I overheard a conversation between two men in my church. They were talking about parenting and the attitudes of their teenage boys, and one man said something that really stuck with me. Though I cannot remember the entire conversation, I pondered the truth of what he said for a long time afterward. And as I pondered, a more complete thought started to take shape. This is my rendition of what that wise father said about parenting, but it really applies to all relationships. I chose to write it down because I wanted to never forget it.

"You can't get anything accomplished standing 'toe to toe' with someone, yelling in their face, and jabbing your finger in their shoulder. When your kids are young, you can tell them how to behave and if they don't do it, you can make them do it. But there comes a point when they grow to be as big, or bigger than you are, and standing 'toe to toe' just doesn't work no matter how you try it. They end up feeling like you think they're stupid, and they feel like you're bossing them around (because you are).  

But if you stand shoulder to shoulder... well, that's when you can really begin to influence someone. When you say 'Hey, I've been through this before. I know what you're feeling. This is what God has taught me...' it has a greater effect than getting in their face about their attitudes. When you're standing shoulder to shoulder with someone you're in the best position to wrap your arm around them and let them feel cared for. You're in the best position to point toward the horizon and show them where you're going. And because you're not standing in front of them, they can usually see clearer. They can see what they need most in that moment... what you've been pointing at all along... The Cross of Jesus Christ."

Uncertainty and the Character of God

Have you ever been excited and uncertain at the same time?

It's like that time when you were seventeen, and after three summers of hard work and savings you're finally buying your first used car. The moment you've been waiting for is finally here. You've found the right car and you love everything about it. It's even your favorite color! Sure, it needs some love and attention, but it will be a joy to vacuum the carpet and polish the wheels, and Dad says that he can make that ticking noise in the engine go away. You couldn't be more excited to spend two thousand dollars. But as you slowly hand over the jar of cash (the one that you've been hiding in your closet for as long as you can remember) you get a sinking feeling in your gut and a thousand thoughts instantly fill your mind. Is this a good investment? What if the car has serious problems? Maybe there's a better deal somewhere else.

Maybe you're moving away to college. Maybe you just signed the papers for the mortgage on a new house. Perhaps you just now found out that your wife is pregnant. Amidst great joy can also be great uncertainty, fear, impatience, or doubt.

I recently heard a pastor explain it like this in a prophetic word:

"You've just arrived at the base of a mountain and there's a fog that surrounds all that you can see right now. Eventually you will climb high enough to be past the fog, and you will clearly see the prize waiting at the top of the mountain. But until then, God wants you to know he loves you and is faithful to guide you."

For this season of life, I need that word. If you read my last blog post you'll know how I came to the decision to leave my family, my home, and my church to join a church plant in the city. When I wrote that post, I was far enough away from the mountain to see the bigger picture. In time, I will be far enough up the mountain to know what made it all worth the journey. But for now... I'm in the thick of the fog.

Tomorrow is my first Sunday to join the church plant team. I know very little about the people here, yet they will soon be the only source of weekly fellowship for me. After eight years of being in the same place, I'm used to the same routine every Sunday morning. Tomorrow all that will change. I'll even be serving in ways I've never served before. I really just don't know what tomorrow holds. The whole idea is as ambiguous as it is intriguing.

In almost every case the fog of uncertainty brings anxiety. Sometimes it brings a fearful anxiety... the kind that I'm very familiar with. Other times it brings an impatient anxiety. This is the one I'm struggling with now. I'm not overly fearful. My soul is not bereft. I just can't see as well as I used to, and I'm growing impatient for the things to come.

No one has been so influential in my anxiety battles over the years as John Piper. His insights always shed light on the darkest corners of my heart and redirect me to God, who is glorified with us being content and satisfied in him. His book "Battling Unbelief" has helped me immensely, and I highly recommend it. This is what he says about the root of anxiety:

"...Jesus says [in Matthew 6:30] that the root of anxiety is inadequate faith in our Father's future grace... [it] is a failure to trust all that God has promised to be for us in Jesus." 

He also says regarding impatience:

"It's what we begin to feel when we start to doubt the wisdom of God's timing or the goodness of God's guidance."

The wisdom, the goodness, and the grace of God. Does he really have to prove it to us again as he has done so many times? Yet, at the first sight of fog, how quick we are to doubt all of him. He has not changed. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Oh, for grace to trust him in every season!

By grace I can say that God is building faith in me. In the past two weeks, God has shown me his particular love for me, revealed in his saving work on the cross. He has also amazed me by the wisdom of his will and the goodness of his guidance. I may be uncertain of the days ahead, but I've never been more certain of his character. I don't despise the fog if he would use it to bring me closer to him.

Times of uncertainty can lead to doubt. However, they can also be wonderful opportunities that build faith in us. If you are listening, he is faithful to teach. He wishes that we waste no season of life, but bring him glory in every station. If he has proven his perfect character in times past, can't we trust that he will prove it in the future?