I’m currently working through a commentary on the book of Romans by John Stott and here is what he had to say on this small, but very important phrase:

“Why did Paul desire to bring the nations to the obedience of faith? It was for the sake of the glory and honour of Christ’s name. For God had ‘exalted him to the highest place’ and had given him ‘the name that is above every name’, in order that ‘at the name of Jesus every knee should bow … and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord’. If, therefore, God desires every knee to bow to Jesus and every tongue to confess him, so should we. We should be ‘jealous’ (as Scripture sometimes puts it) for the honour of his name – troubled when it remains unknown, hurt when it is ignored, indignant when it is blasphemed, and all the time anxious and determined that it shall be given the honour and glory which are due it.”

Take the time to re-read that last sentence, for it’s the most convicting one. Whe you’re done, I’ll let John continue:

“The highest of all missionary motives is neither obedience to the Great Commission (important as that is), nor love for sinners who are alienated and perishing (strong as that incentive is, especially when we contemplate the wrath of God), but rather zeal – burning passionate zeal – for the glory of Jesus Christ.”

Go ahead. Let that one sink in for a moment. He continues:

“Some evangelism, to be sure, is no better than a thinly disguised form of imperialism, whenever our real ambition is for the honour of our nation, church, organization, or ourselves. Only one imperialism is Christian, however, and that is concern for His Imperial Majesty Jesus Christ, and for the glory of his empire or kingdom. The earliest Christians, John tells us, went out ‘for the sake of the Name’. He does not specify to which name he is referring. But we know. And Paul tells us. It is the incomparable name of Jesus. Before this supreme goal of the Christian mission, all unworthy motives wither and die.

“To sum up, here are six fundamental truths about the gospel. Its origin is God the Father and its substance Jesus Christ his Son. Its attestation is Old Testament Scripture and it’s scope all the nations. Our immediate purpose in proclaiming it is to bring people to the obedience of faith, but our ultimate goal is the greater glory of the name of Jesus Christ. Or, to simplify these truths by the use of six prepositions, we cans say that the good news is the gospel of God, about Christ, according to Scripture, for the nations, unto the obedience of faith, and for the sake of the Name.”

I’ve been pondering on what John Stott says here for a few weeks now. It has fueled the foundation for two lessons and several conversations. John’s main focus here is missions but I cannot help but bring his insight into daily-life. Will I boldly honor the name of Jesus Christ?

Will I be “anxious and determined that it shall be given the honour and glory which are due it”?

When I first got back from Africa, we had a Christmas party for our youth group. When I was told last minute that instead of party games we’d be sitting down to watch a sermon, I was pretty bummed. But then I heard the name Louie Giglio come from the other room and my ears perked up. Louie’s name is not common to our normal church name-dropping cycle and he’s personal favorite so I arranged a plate of chips and salsa and sat down.

This section is at the tail end of a sermon he preached at a Passion conference (you can buy the DVD here) . The whole message was eye-opening and incredibly edifying, but this Laminin section blew me away.

Watching this came during a time of reflection on my two weeks in Nigeria and hit me hard. Some of the scripture mentioned in this video made it into some thank you letters and helped solidify what God actually did with me out there.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.  –Colossians 1:15-20

It’s been two months since we arrived back from Nigeria and for some reason I can’t get the trip out of my mind this week. I am overwhelmed with memories, so you will probably see some of my thoughts purged here sometime soon.

Thanks for watching. A double thanks for reading.

I recently had a conversation with a friend about the term “cool.” She proceeded by telling me a theory she developed in high school that has continued to stand the test of time.

People fit into two categories: Nerd Cool and Jerk Cool. She said that on some level, people fit into either category. The jerk-cool folks relying on other people and self-presentation to make them cool and the nerd-cool folks being cool because of their passions. For example, the guy in your high school that was passionate about chess and didn’t care what you thought about it; that was his thing.

This got me thinking. It never crossed my mind to ponder over which category I’m in; I’m clearly a nerd. But what am I passionate about?

The Gospel
This passion is growing in me every day. If you’ve had a conversation with me recently about the majesty behind the cross, you’d see this; I get so excited that I can’t even communicate properly. I recently spent 2 weeks teaching on the gospel and probably spent 75% of those two lessons on the glories of being brought near by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13). I most-likely spent most of that time with my voice raised in excitement (read: I was probably yelling).

The Word of God
This goes hand in hand with the gospel, but holds a significant place in my life. Without the Word, we would have no understanding of the gospel. This is God’s truth, His letter to us so that we might, in turn, walk in His precepts. It is our key to understanding God and oh boy, do I love it.

Righteous Living
Someone once said to me that everyone reads the Word through a different lens. Some people can read Genesis and see “missions.” Some people read Leviticus and see “relationships.” I read everything through the lens of “personal holiness.” By the power of the gospel and through the word of God I can please the Holy One through my actions and attitudes. I will note, however, that even though I’m passionate about holiness, the passion doesn’t promise me that I’m good at it. This, I suppose, will have to be another post for another day.

People
I’m an extrovert, through and through. Over Christmas, I went to a party where I knew one person; I had a blast. I pull my energy from others (especially the ones I care deeply for). I also love to study people; someone once called me a micro-anthropologist.

There are other things that I’m passionate about, that don’t define me as much as the items listed above: black coffee, literature, sewing, paper crafts, Macintosh, photography, games and music.

Then there are some things that I love, but am way too self conscious about to place in my “passions” category: rock climbing, giving gifts, graphic design and blogging.

What makes you a nerd?

Thoughts and meditations on different passages of scripture:

The Beatitudes

I recently started memorizing the Sermon on the Mount and since the Beatitudes are first-up in that section, I’ve been saying them a lot. One morning, while in the shower a thought hit me and almost brought me to tears. Jesus spoke these words. Not only did He speak them, but he knew them to be true. I imagine that as he was saying these words to His disciples, He found immense comfort  in them. These words were not only reassuring to the ears they fell upon, but I imagine that this is what Jesus was pondering over and finding comfort in Himself. With the cross of Calvary ever-looming in His mind, He spoke these words:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3-10, ESV)

40 days in the wilderness

I read this this morning during a study on spiritual warfare, and realized that I had never comprehended the weight of the first part of this passage. Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days and we give a lot of attention to Satan’s 3 temptations at the end of those days, and rightly so; there’s a lot of information to pull from them. But here are the verses preceding those 3 temptations:

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. (Luke 4:1-2, ESV)

What hits me is that the devil wasn’t just tempting Jesus after his 40-day fast. The entire 40 days he was being tempted by the devil. Then it completes this thought by saying, “And when they were ended, he was hungry.” Can you imagine being tempted for 40 days straight and never giving in?

When we think of the suffering of Christ, we automatically think of the torment He experienced on the cross. While this is true and it is that very suffering that allows me to even ponder over these things, I often add His temptation to His suffering. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

We have a lazy-man’s view of temptation because we so easily give into it. Jesus, was tempted in every respect for 33(ish) years and never. once. gave in.

To finish this thought, here is a C.S. Lewis quote:
“Christ, because He was the only Man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only Man who knows to the full what temptation means,” (Today in the Word, November 1998, p. 24).

My 25th birthday stunk. I remember crying on the phone with my best friend hoping that the awful day wasn’t a reflection of the year to come. It was my birthday and I was sitting at home; alone.

If you have read my birthday post, you may remember that I alluded to some pain that I was writhing in. The day before (Friday, the 26th) I was diagnosed with shingles. Shingles is the old chicken pox virus (that never leaves your system) waking up and wreaking havoc on one nerve stem in your body. While it’s mainly a nerve-thing (complete with knife-wielding, sharp pain), a common side effect is a rash on the skin where that particular nerve system ends (I suppose this is where the name for the disorder comes from).

Another side effect happens to be depression. When I was reading up on shingles, I didn’t really think that this could be possible. I even told my discipler this and she promptly gave me a look (and rightly so) that said 1) that’s ridiculous and 2) you will not blame your sin on this. But, after a conversation with a friend I’ve found that I’m not the only one with shingles who was uncharacteristically melancholy.

I digress. While I’m not 100% back to normal on the emotional scale, I am on the other side of my 48-hour depression. Through a conversation today at lunch, I came to an eye-opening conclusion: this was an amazing experience. While everyone at some point in time deals with depression on different levels, clinical depression is a different ball game.  And while I never wish those feelings of despondency upon someone else or myself again, tons of lessons can be gleaned from it and used to encourage others.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, the fight of faith can be won even with clinical, non-circumstantial depression. The ability to honor God in all situations is given to every believer at the point of salvation. Faith is the outworking of that power when all our emotions are screaming against it. I am convinced that this is where the power of God is most revealed. It is only by His power in us that we are able to say no to our flesh, no to those feelings of selfishness and lack of life-certainty and walk in a manner worthy of the gospel.

I spent most of my birthday fighting. With every shovel-full of snow, with every phone call, with every knife in my side I was desperately reminded that I was very alone. And while I had no desire whatsoever to do anything but take a bath in those emotions, I forced my self to take them to the cross. I praise the Lord that through His Spirit, I have trained myself to run to the Completer of my faith on a regular basis. That day, while my default was bathing, I ran against everything inside me, blindly running to the cross.

While I didn’t find immediate peace and joy, comfort in doing the Christ-exalting thing or even comfort in God’s Word, I had hope. I had a hope that God’s Word was true; I would eventually see the light at the end of my dark and dreary tunnel. I had a hope that honoring God then would bring great joy now.

In conclusion, exercising faith is a daily habit. I believe that God is most-honored when we don’t want to honor Him but do regardless of our feelings. Honoring God during a mountain-top, emotional high is easy. Honoring Him and His word while in the valley of the shadow of death is hard and impossible without the power of the Holy Spirit. This brings me great joy.

Of all the non-circumstantial promises found in the Bible, this is my favorite:

2 Peter 1:3
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.

Today is the day I set aside every year to celebrate my birth. Some years, I’m home sharing it with my twin, some years I’m not. This year is a case of the latter. Today, on my 25th birthday, I am in Speculator.

Things I’m doing today:

• Studying my Bible
• Prepping some Bible lessons for next month
• Writhing in pain
• Shoveling 3 feet of wet, heavy snow
• Chipping away at 3 inches of ice underneath that snow
• Dinner at Tracy’s
• Catching up with friends after dinner

So for the most part, the day will be similar to other days off, except today I’m getting more emails and phone calls. I am forced, however (especially with the time it’s taking to chip away at ice), to remember my 24th year of life. The Lord has brought me through much, molded me greatly and sustained me every step of the way.

While I was in Africa, I spent most of my quite time reading through the Psalms. While I’m waiting for my Bible study to kick back up, I’ve continued this reading pattern. This morning, on December 27th, I read through the 27th Psalm. It’s always interesting when you find a section of scripture that you identify with. As a believer, those sections are everywhere and are particularly neat on your birthday:

Psalms 27
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.
4 One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.
6 And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the LORD.
7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
8 You have said, Seek my face.
My heart says to you,
Your face, LORD, do I seek.
9 Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!
10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the LORD will take me in.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.
13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living!
14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!

Cheers!

This past week, we played a game called Christians vs. Centurions. It’s probably the coolest game ever for the age range we work with. Depending on their age level, they add their own strategies and twists to the game. I always get excited to see how the girls interact with the rules and how the game evolves. I’m an anthropologist at heart, I suppose.

The gist: There is a group of Christians whose main goal is to read aloud the entire chapter of John 3. They are given one Bible, a flashlight, a walkie talkie and a large building to run amok in. Depending on the size of the group, there are 2-4 Centurions. They get to run around and tag people and bring them to jail. The Christians win when they successfully hide and read through John 3. The Centurions win when they successfully capture all the Christians. The game is a mash-up of tag, hide-and-seek and, depending on the girls, sardines. It rocks.

Last Monday, however, I was appalled with how the game ended up. It was going on forever and ever, so I went in search of the Bible to see how the girls were doing. At the far end of the building, up a flight of stairs and a dark, lonely hallway later, I found the Bible sitting in a corner. Alone. With no one reading from it. No one fighting for it. And no one cared.

After I called the game a draw, I sat the girls down and shared a bit with them. I was probably a bit too passionate about it, but I was concerned that no one wanted to read, if even for the sake of winning the game. The were just content on hiding from the Centurions and relying on someone else to make progress for them.

I honestly laid in bed that night thinking about it more, unable to get the foul taste of complacency out of my mouth. I was upset with the girls and confused as to why those feelings were tugging at me so. Then it hit me.

I do the same thing.

I often catch myself standing by, while someone else  is doing all the fighting. I often hide from productivity for the sake of being comfortable. I often leave my Bible hiding in a dark corner with no intention of taking risks for it.

I ought to be as passionate for the word of God as I am about these games we play.

Revelation 7:9-10

There is a pastor in Texas who comes up to our little world in Upstate NY and preaches every summer. His passion for Jesus is contagious, encouraging and more often than not, very convicting. His name is Garrett Kell and he is quite young to be on our roster of speakers here at the Hood. In the anticipation of his first child, he wrote the following on his blog:

Living In Anticipation

I’d like to say that every morning I begin my day with a bended knee crying out to the Father to send His Son Jesus. There are days I purpose to do this and it provides a fresh perspective on life and sanctified direction for my day…but far too often this isn’t the foremost thought on my mind. As a believer I know seeing the Firstborn of heaven should be my greatest longing and deepest desire. Left to myself, my heat drifts from this desire, but recently He has mercifully kindled it in me again.

Its truly amazing how hidden in all of life’s little blessings there is a constant reminder of Him who makes all of life worth living. I do not mean to sound more spiritual than I am in this blog, but God is stirring something deep within me that for some reason has been lacking lately. I pray His great grace will continue to stir and continue to help me look with anticipation of the First Born from heaven. Come soon Lord Jesus.