You will often hear Christians negatively referring to "the world". What they are talking about is any desire or propagated belief that influences our thinking or perception of how things should be that isn't heavenly, holy or of God. Anything we do in life to feel happiness, joy, acceptance, purpose, etc. which replaces God and His abundant blessings is "the world". Glorifying the gifts above the Giver is "the world".
The world could be characterized by messages the media puts forth about how we should look, feel or act. What society respects and lives for (wealth, intelligence, fame, social standing, etc.) could also reveal the world's influence on our thinking. This concept is so over-arching, so ingrained into the fabric of our lives and beliefs, that a characterization as expansive as "the world" became necessary to articulate or personify this reality.
Perhaps the best thing I can do to help you understand this concept is show you an example of what "the world" does. My deepest thanks to Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty for exposing this. The World's Influence...
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
The Gospel
There is so much to say about the Gospel. One could spend their lifetime interacting with and pondering the meaning of the gospel and still never fully grasp the depth of it all. It is simple enough for a child to understand, yet so contrary to our human nature that adults strive to fully comprehend it. Charles Spurgeon is famously quoted for saying that we need to preach the gospel to ourselves daily!
The word "Gospel" literally means "good news" and it really is!
I figured the easiest way for me to explain what the gospel is and what it teaches would be to quote the lyrics to 3 songs that outline and communicate the message clearly. Here they are!
The Gospel Song
Lyrics by Drew Jones (brackets mine)
Music by Bob Kauflin
Holy God, in love, became
Perfect Man to bear my blame
On the cross He took my sin
By His death [and resurrection] I live again
The Power of the Cross
Words and Music by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.
CHORUS:
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev'ry bitter thought,
Ev'ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.
Now the daylight flees;
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
"Finished!" the vict'ry cry.
Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.
FINAL CHORUS:
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.
In Christ Alone (vs. 2-4)
Words and Music by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty
In Christ alone! who took on flesh
Fulness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied -
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.
end song quotations
If you want to learn even more about the gospel go here!
The word "Gospel" literally means "good news" and it really is!
I figured the easiest way for me to explain what the gospel is and what it teaches would be to quote the lyrics to 3 songs that outline and communicate the message clearly. Here they are!
The Gospel Song
Lyrics by Drew Jones (brackets mine)
Music by Bob Kauflin
Holy God, in love, became
Perfect Man to bear my blame
On the cross He took my sin
By His death [and resurrection] I live again
The Power of the Cross
Words and Music by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.
CHORUS:
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.
Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev'ry bitter thought,
Ev'ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.
Now the daylight flees;
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
"Finished!" the vict'ry cry.
Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.
FINAL CHORUS:
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.
In Christ Alone (vs. 2-4)
Words and Music by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty
In Christ alone! who took on flesh
Fulness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied -
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.
end song quotations
If you want to learn even more about the gospel go here!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sin
God is holy and perfect. Hence His standard for living is holiness and perfection. It is impossible for us to be perfect and everyone knows it. Anyone who is honest with themselves admits to not being perfect. This imperfection we all experience on a daily basis is what the Bible is talking about when it refers to "sin".
The word "sin" actually comes from a Greek word that was used as a measurement in archery. Essentially people would measure the distance from where the arrow hit the target to the bulls-eye in sins. Imperfection...get it? However, author Randy Newman in his book Questioning Evangelism states that the archery analogy is an incomplete one (and I agree with him). He gave me permission to quote him:
“Sin is simply missing the mark,” they say. “The same Greek word for sin is used as an archery term, so we’re all just ‘target-missers.’”
Well, the same Greek word might be used, but the two concepts couldn’t be further apart. When the Bible describes the nature of our rebellion against God, it paints an uglier picture than our simply missing a bull’s eye (see Rom. 3:10–18). Rather than aiming carefully at God’s target, we turn our backs and shoot arrows everywhere else. Wanting to please ourselves, we ignore the true bull’s eye and set our affections on seductive targets that cannot satisfy, sanctify, or save. We are not primarily target-missers; we are self-centered false-target worshippers.
I wouldn’t suggest saying any of that to a non-Christian, but I would avoid the archery illustration. Following such faulty reasoning, a thoughtful seeker might wonder why God would go to all of the trouble of the Cross simply because we aren’t spiritual Robin Hoods.
That's pretty clear. Thanks Randy! One could be passively indifferent toward God's standard (unaware of or apathetic towards it) or actively rebellious against it (you know and understand it, yet choose to reject it) and be classified as a sinner.
I know this seems bleak, but hang in there. I think the next phrase I'll define is "the Gospel." That's where the good news comes in!
The word "sin" actually comes from a Greek word that was used as a measurement in archery. Essentially people would measure the distance from where the arrow hit the target to the bulls-eye in sins. Imperfection...get it? However, author Randy Newman in his book Questioning Evangelism states that the archery analogy is an incomplete one (and I agree with him). He gave me permission to quote him:
“Sin is simply missing the mark,” they say. “The same Greek word for sin is used as an archery term, so we’re all just ‘target-missers.’”
Well, the same Greek word might be used, but the two concepts couldn’t be further apart. When the Bible describes the nature of our rebellion against God, it paints an uglier picture than our simply missing a bull’s eye (see Rom. 3:10–18). Rather than aiming carefully at God’s target, we turn our backs and shoot arrows everywhere else. Wanting to please ourselves, we ignore the true bull’s eye and set our affections on seductive targets that cannot satisfy, sanctify, or save. We are not primarily target-missers; we are self-centered false-target worshippers.
I wouldn’t suggest saying any of that to a non-Christian, but I would avoid the archery illustration. Following such faulty reasoning, a thoughtful seeker might wonder why God would go to all of the trouble of the Cross simply because we aren’t spiritual Robin Hoods.
That's pretty clear. Thanks Randy! One could be passively indifferent toward God's standard (unaware of or apathetic towards it) or actively rebellious against it (you know and understand it, yet choose to reject it) and be classified as a sinner.
I know this seems bleak, but hang in there. I think the next phrase I'll define is "the Gospel." That's where the good news comes in!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Christian
A Christian is anyone who realizes that they are not good, and subsequently fully trusts in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of all they've done wrong and for their assurance of eternity in Heaven with God. Once someone realizes how much God loves them in providing a way for them to be forgiven from all the wrong they've done, and trusts Christ to forgive them from their sins and rescue them from eternal separation from Him and torment in Hell, he or she then strives to become more like Christ as their life goes on. Doing so should be a thankful response to the grace that they have been shown in being forgiven by God and through God, and not as a means for obtaining salvation by their own merit. Even the very ability or power to do anything pleasing to God comes from God (namely the Holy Spirit. Don't worry, we'll get to defining the Trinity)! It is impossible for mankind to be "good enough". We need the perfection of Christ to be applied to our lives in order to have a personal relationship with, or be in the presence of, a Holy God. This is what a person who claims to be a Christian is affirming whether they realize it or not.
The word Christian literally means "follower of Christ" or "little Christ".
I feel like there's way more the say here, but I'll leave it at this for now.
Two additions based off your responses:
1. To be a Christian one must acknowledge the deity of Jesus Christ (know that He was, is, and always will be God).
2. To be a Christian one must also believe that Jesus Christ was resurrected bodily (He came back to life after being dead for 3 days). He was confirmed dead by a professional executioner, was buried for 3 days, and after He came back to life more than 512 people saw Him in person before He ascended to heaven. That is a lot of people to back up a claim!
The word Christian literally means "follower of Christ" or "little Christ".
I feel like there's way more the say here, but I'll leave it at this for now.
Two additions based off your responses:
1. To be a Christian one must acknowledge the deity of Jesus Christ (know that He was, is, and always will be God).
2. To be a Christian one must also believe that Jesus Christ was resurrected bodily (He came back to life after being dead for 3 days). He was confirmed dead by a professional executioner, was buried for 3 days, and after He came back to life more than 512 people saw Him in person before He ascended to heaven. That is a lot of people to back up a claim!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Theology
The study of God.
Theologian - one who studies (and often writes or teaches about) God for a living.
You will often hear people talking about bad theology vs. good theology. Basically bad theology is arrived at when someone approaches their study of God with an agenda or a preconceived notion of who or what they want God to be. They pick and choose Scriptures or quotations (often out of context) that support what they believe. Good theology is arrived at when people examine and study the whole Bible and wrestle with who God is, regardless of their own perceptions and biases, trying to understand Him.
To our shame, Christians often get hostile with each other over theological issues. At the same time it is biblical to challenge our fellow Christians in love when they are in error. i.e. Acts 17:11, Galatians 2:11-21. The hardest part is doing it in love.
Theologian - one who studies (and often writes or teaches about) God for a living.
You will often hear people talking about bad theology vs. good theology. Basically bad theology is arrived at when someone approaches their study of God with an agenda or a preconceived notion of who or what they want God to be. They pick and choose Scriptures or quotations (often out of context) that support what they believe. Good theology is arrived at when people examine and study the whole Bible and wrestle with who God is, regardless of their own perceptions and biases, trying to understand Him.
To our shame, Christians often get hostile with each other over theological issues. At the same time it is biblical to challenge our fellow Christians in love when they are in error. i.e. Acts 17:11, Galatians 2:11-21. The hardest part is doing it in love.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Amen
When said at the end of praying, it means so be it.
When other people say it to you, it means, "I agree with that!"
What else you may hear
"Amen and AMEN" = "I REALLY agree with that!"
"Amen brother (or sister)!" = "I agree with you fellow Christian! I'm glad we can agree on this issue!"
When other people say it to you, it means, "I agree with that!"
What else you may hear
"Amen and AMEN" = "I REALLY agree with that!"
"Amen brother (or sister)!" = "I agree with you fellow Christian! I'm glad we can agree on this issue!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)