Tag: Christianity

Passion Week Tuesday Reflection

On By BrianIn Holidays

Tuesday: Predictions – Take Up Your Cross

Read Luke 9:18-27, 18:31-34

Prayer: Father, your Son knew what was coming, yet he willingly gave himself up for me. He was rejected, mocked, shamefully treated, spit upon, flogged, and killed for my sins. Let me give myself for him. Help me deny myself – stop living for myself, and take up my cross – be willing to suffer for Christ, and follow him wherever he leads. Amen.

Reflect/Discuss: What are some practical daily examples of what it might look like to deny yourself for Christ?

Praise: Sing “Am I A Soldier of the Cross”

Passion Week Monday Reflection

On By BrianIn Holidays

Monday: Preaching – Give all to Him

Read Luke 19:45-21:4

Prayer: Father, they dragged buying and selling even into your house. How easy it is for me to get caught up in the buying and selling of our culture. Help me be like the widow who willingly gave all to you. All that I have is from you; it is yours – do with it as you please. Even my life is from you, and you made me in your likeness, so help me give myself to you – even as your Son gave himself for me. Amen.

Reflect/Discuss: What would it look like to live according to this prayer?

Praise: Sing “Take My Life”

Passion Week Palm Sunday Reflection

On By BrianIn Holidays

Palm Sunday: Praise – Rejoice in the Messiah

Read Luke 19:28-40

Prayer: Father, before the rocks cry out, let me lift up my voice and praise you. Thank you for your mighty works – your beautiful creation, your sustaining hand, your great salvation. Thank you for saving me. Awaken my soul to give you the glory and praise that is due you today. Amen.

Reflect/Discuss: For what mighty works can you praise the Lord?

Praise: Sing some of your favorite songs of praise to the Lord.

Examples of Grace 06

On By BrianIn Miscellaneous

One might not think of Leviticus as a book about grace, but it is.

The first third of the book deals with sacrifices – sacrifices to atone for sins and have fellowship with God.  God did not need to provide a way for them to deal with their sins and have a relationship with him, but he did.  That’s grace.  In the same way he has provided Jesus to atone for our sins once for all that we might have fellowship with God.  That’s grace.

God promises to be with the people.  Not only that but they will be his people.  What great privileges!  Through Christ we are made his people, and he dwells with us.  That’s grace.

Leviticus also deals with numerous laws to protect and help the poor and needy.  God cared about the weak, and still does today.  That’s grace.

Sins forgiven.  Fellowship with God.  His people.  His presence.  His care.  Grace….

(Taken from Leviticus)

Gospel Shaped Suffering 4

On By BrianIn Miscellaneous

How should the gospel shape our suffering?  We have looked at six ways already.  Let’s look at two final ways today.

Bearing Witness to Christ (Evangelism)

We receive the gospel by faith, but how will people hear the gospel unless we bear witness to Christ?  Suffering offers us a powerful platform to share the work of Christ in our lives.  Several people in my church have shared how they have had opportunities to tell others about Christ in the midst of their suffering.  There are records from the early church of people who witnessed the suffering and death of Christian martyrs and were saved as a result.  Courage, trust, and hope in trials leaves a lasting impression, a strong witness for Christ.  In fact, sometimes are suffering is for the purpose of bearing witness.  Jesus told his disciples that they would be taken to court, flogged, and dragged before rulers for his sake, “to bear witness before them” (Matthew 10:17-18).  Using our suffering as an opportunity to bear witness to Christ is gospel shaped sufferings.

Counting All as Loss for the Treasure of Christ (Worship)

The gospel is spread through evangelism and received by faith, but what is the goal of the gospel?  The goal is worship.  As John Piper writes in his book on missions, “Missions exists because worship doesn’t.”  We were created to glorify God, but we all sin and fall short of his glory (Romans 3:23).  The gospel exists to save us from our sins and change us back into worshippers who glorify God, worshippers who love God and serve God, who treasure God above all else.

Worshippers like Paul.  In Philippians 3:7-11, Paul says he suffers the loss of all things for Christ.  What is suffering?  Often it is loss – loss of heath, loss of a loved one, loss of comfort, loss of a relationship, loss of a dream.  Paul says he suffer the loss of all things, counts it all as loss.  Why?  Because of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus.  He will share in the sufferings of Christ because what he wants most of all is Christ.  Gospel shaped suffering means we are willing to suffer loss because in Christ we have the greatest treasure of all.

What is gospel shaped suffering? It is:

  • Following the path of Christ
  • Becoming more like Christ
  • Resting in the love of Christ
  • Rejoicing in the hope of Christ
  • Trusting God like Christ
  • Comforting others in Christ
  • Bearing witness to Christ
  • Counting all as loss for the treasure of Christ

May God help us suffer in this way for his glory.

Gospel Shaped Suffering 3

On By BrianIn Miscellaneous3 Comments

As we have already explored, the gospel shapes our suffering as we recognize that we are following the path of Christ, as we embrace his purpose of becoming more like Christ, as we rest in his love, as we rejoice in our future hope.  In this post we want to consider two more ways that the gospel shapes our suffering.

Trusting God Like Christ (Faith)

We receive the gospel by faith.  We trust in what Jesus has done for us on the cross for salvation from our sins.  But this trust in Jesus for salvation should spill into trust in Jesus in other areas of our lives – including suffering.  The devil offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would worship the devil.  But Jesus chose to trust the Father’s path for his life, a path of suffering.  In the garden, Jesus prayed that he might be spared the cross, yet he concluded – “Not my will, but yours be done.”  In other words he would trust his Father in the path of suffering.  Paul notes in II Corinthians 1:8-9, that the purpose of his suffering was “to make us rely not on ourselves but on God….”  In other words, Paul was learning to trust God in his suffering.  Suffering often doesn’t make sense to us, but God calls us to trust him like Jesus and Paul did, to trust him in our suffering as we trust him in our salvation.  That is gospel shaped suffering.

Comforting Others in Christ (Church)

The gospel is received by faith and ushers us into the body of Christ – the church.  II Corinthians 1:3-4 makes the point that God comforts us in our suffering so we can comfort others who are suffering.  The church is to be a place where I comfort others who are suffering, and where others comfort me in my suffering.  Paul says in I Corinthians 12:26, “If one member suffers, all suffer together.”  So the gospel creates the church where we comfort one another in our suffering.  This is gospel shaped suffering.

Our suffering can be shaped by the gospel as we trust God in our suffering and use our suffering to comfort others.  We’ll look at two final ways the gospel shapes our suffering in the next post.

Gospel Shaped Suffering 2

On By BrianIn Miscellaneous

How can the gospel shape our suffering?  In the last post, we considered two ways: as we recognize that we are following the path of Christ and as we embrace his purpose of becoming more like Christ through suffering.  In this post we will look at two more ways that the gospel shapes our suffering.

Resting in the Love of Christ (Perseverance)

Romans 8:31-39 reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. We are secure in Christ.  He will preserve us to the end.  This is a glorious part of the gospel.

It is also a great assurance in suffering.  These verses make clear that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ – not tribulation, distress, persecution, danger, death – nothing.  In our trials we are sometimes tempted to wonder if God still loves us.  These verses assure us that he does.  In our trials we can rest in his love.  That is gospel shaped suffering.

Rejoicing in the Hope of Christ (Resurrection and Glorification)

In the Matthew 16:21, the path of Christ which leads through suffering and death goes on to resurrection.  As we follow the path of Christ, we have the same hope.  II Corinthians 4:14, and many other passages, make clear that as Christ was raised from the dead, so we too will be raised.  And we will be raised to glory.  Romans 8:16-21 speaks of this glory that awaits us.  This hope is part of the gospel.

And this hope is a great encouragement to us in our suffering.  Paul says that our current suffering is not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed (Romans 8:18).  He calls our current suffering slight and momentary compared to the eternal weight of glory that is coming (II Corinthians 4:17).  Since suffering today often seems anything but slight and momentary, the glory that awaits us must be incredible indeed!  So in our suffering we can rejoice in our glorious hope of resurrection.  In our trials we look forward to the glory that awaits us.  Our hope is set on a day when there will be no more crying, or pain, or death, when we will dwell with the Lord forever in the new heaven and earth (Revelation 21:1-5).  This is gospel shaped suffering.

Our suffering can be shaped by the gospel as we rest in Christ’s love and rejoice in our hope.  Do we approach suffering in this way?

We’ll look at some more ways that our suffering can be shaped by the gospel in the next post.

Gospel Shaped Suffering

On By BrianIn Miscellaneous1 Comment

Everyone suffers.  Trials, struggles, sickness, loss – we all struggle.  My question today is: how can the gospel shape our suffering?

Following the Path of Christ (Cross)

In Matthew 16:21-24, Jesus predicts his death.  He is going to suffer and die on a cross.  This event is central to the gospel – Jesus died on a cross to pay for our sins.  But after predicting his death which will save us, he goes on to say that if we would come after him, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him.  In other words, when we follow Jesus, we follow his path of suffering.

Suffering is part of the normal Christian life.  If we are going to follow Jesus who suffered, then we too will suffer.  As Peter puts it in I Peter 2:21 within the context of suffering – “For to this [suffering] you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”  In our suffering, we are following the path of Christ.  This is gospel shaped suffering.

Becoming More Like Christ (Adoption and Sanctification)

Part of the gospel is that we are adopted as his children.  Hebrews 12:5-11 makes clear that as children we can expect discipline from the Lord that we might share in his holiness.  Hebrews tells us this discipline is often painful, but it yields the fruit of righteousness.  So this discipline that we must at times suffer makes us holy, righteous – it makes us more like Christ.

Part of the gospel is also our sanctification.  God is making us holy, more like Christ.  But how does he do it?  In part through suffering.  The overall context of Romans 8:18-30 includes this idea of suffering.  We suffer along with creation.  The Spirit helps us in our weakness.  All things (including suffering) work for our good.  And then we read that we are predestined “to be conformed to the image of his Son.”  How does God conform us?  The context suggests that suffering is a big part of it.

Romans 5:3-4 tells us that suffering produces endurance which produces character.  James 1:2-4 tells us that trials bring perseverance which leads to maturity.  All together these verses make clear that our suffering can make us more like Christ.  That our suffering has a glorious purpose.  Embracing this purpose is gospel shaped suffering.

Our suffering can be shaped by the gospel as we recognize that we are following the path of Christ and as we embrace his purpose of becoming more like Christ through suffering.  Do you approach suffering this way?

We’ll look at some more ways that our suffering can be shaped by the gospel in future posts.

The god of Success

On By BrianIn Idolatry2 Comments

I have been reading Timothy Keller’s book Counterfeit Gods in which he addresses idols in our lives.  Two nights ago I came to his chapter called “The Seduction of Success.”  What a challenging chapter.  Am I basing my significance on success, what I achieve or fail to achieve?  On one level I know that my significance comes from being an image-bearer of God.  It comes through what Jesus did for me.  My significance is based on who God made me to be through creation and in Christ, not on what I do.  And yet….  There is the constant temptation to base our worth on what we accomplish, what we achieve.  To love achievement, to trust achievement, to obey achievement as a god.  To do, do, do.  So I started asking questions:

Am I teaching a seminar at an upcoming conference (ironically on idols – hence the reason I am reading the book) out of a desire to serve God, or to add another level of achievement?

Do I blog to minister to people out of love for God or to be known, to achieve?  How does my intereaction with my statistics relate to this question?

Do I minister as a pastor and start up new ministries to minister to people out of a love for God, or to achieve one more success, to pastor a “successful” church?

There is nothing wrong with achievement.  As Keller notes, our idols are good things that we have turned into gods.  The issue is not achievement, but motive and goal.  Is my life about God or about what I do, what I accomplish – my achievements, my success?

What about you?

What Is Your Testimony?

On By BrianIn Book of Luke2 Comments

What is your testimony?  What legacy are you leaving?  Does it point to Christ?  Does it reveal one who has been touched by grace?

Mary was touched by grace.  The angel greeted her with the words “O favored one.”  Later the angel says she has “found favor with God.”  In both cases, the word translated favor is grace.  God graciously allowed her the privilege to bear the Messiah.  Joseph too had the great privilege of raising the Messiah.

And what is their testimony?  Obedience to God.  Mary submits to God’s plan for her.  Joseph too submits, taking Mary as his wife.  Both of them obey everything required by the Law regarding Jesus’ birth.  Obedience to God.  Is that part of our testimony?

Simeon too was touched by grace.  He is given the great privilege of seeing the Messiah before he dies.  And what is his testimony?  He is righteous, just in his actions toward others.  He is devout in his relationship with God.  He has hope in the coming Messiah.  He is led by the Spirit.  He is ready to die when God calls him.  Are these things part of our testimony?

Anna was touched by grace.  Her very name means grace, and she is given the privilege of seeing the Messiah.  And what is her testimony?  She worships with fasting and prayer.  She gives thanks, praising God for the Messiah as did Simeon, and the shepherds and the angels.  Are these things part of our testimony?

Obedience, righteousness, devotion, hope, Spirit-led, ready to die, worship, fasting and prayer, thanksgiving and praise.  Do these things characterize our lives?  We too have received grace upon grace.  Do our lives show it?  What legacy are we leaving?  What is our testimony?

(Taken from Luke 1-2)