Another Decision

I just decided this weekend that I'm pretty sure I am a pacifist.

It took a terrible Memorial Day sermon in church for me to finally come to this conclusion, which I've been wrestling with for a while now. When it really came down to it, I see no way to justify killing a human being that is made in God's image. No matter how just you think your cause is, God's purpose for life and redemption is a greater cause. Of course, there are still going to be gray areas, and I'm not foolish enough to assume that this is enough to satisfy all of life's questions on these issues. But I've decided that I need to start living my life and organizing my principles around this cause--fighting for life, rather than to end or harm it. From what Jesus has taught me, I see no other way for me in my life right now. I'd love to discuss it more if you're interested, because that will help me flesh out my thoughts even more.

Ironically, I just realized that I struggled with the same kind of thoughts last Memorial Day. You can read my discussion with Steve about all that here.

Return, O Wanderer

"Return, O wanderer, now return,
     And seek thy Father's face;
Those new desires which in thee burn
     Were kindled by His grace.

Return, O wanderer, now return,
     And wipe the falling tear:
The Father calls,--no longer mourn;
     'Tis love invites thee near."

-William Bence Collyer


I just rediscovered this written down in my notebook yesterday, and I can't remember where it's from or when I wrote it down, but it managed to speak to me just as much this time as it did the first time.

The Church and Postmodernism

I finally finished up the paper for my independent study, called The Church and Postmodernism. It was a tough semester, with all the research and time put into it, and I think I learned just about as much from the process of doing it as I did from the research itself. My hope is that this will be a stepping off point for more research in the future (since, even with all the work I put into this, it barely scratches the surface), and that it will help serve me (and others!) in ministry to a culture that might consider itself 'postmodern.'

It is now available online for the world to see, and I would love it if you would check it out and maybe leave your thoughts. You can see it here, or just click on the box linking to my Scribd account on the right side of the page and find it there.

All Things New

As I was driving today, I was just pondering my own sin, and it sucked. I was just in one of those moods that really gets you down for no particular reason, and it occurred to me that it’s those times that show you who you really are.

Sometimes when I get a glimpse of who I really am, I don’t like it.

I screw up all the time, and I am not who I appear to be on the outside. I am a hypocrite, a liar, a cheat, an incorrigible sinner who pursues his own desires far too often. It sucks to realize this. It does not feel good. It does not put one in a better mood.

I began to just pray about it and confess, and started listening to a song on my iPod by a friend of mine. As I prayed, I just felt God urging me to come back to Him, and I heard His gentle reminder:

“Behold, I am making all things new.”

The King is coming, and He is coming in power, and He is coming in glory. He is coming to make all things new. He is coming to dwell wholly with His people. His coming will change everything.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).

Sin will be no more.

There will be no more struggle.

There will be no more hurt.

no more pain.

no more sorrow.

no more brokenness.

no more poverty.

no more disease.

no more hatred.

no more war.

no more death.

All things, all people, will come before the One who sits on the Throne of Heaven and declare that He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Usually it’s so tough to think about the impact of this—the coming that is so far away and so far removed from the physical, tangible present that overwhelms us. But today, when I heard this whisper,

“Behold, I am making all things new,”

it hit me on a new level. God was speaking this into my life—right here, right now. It was for me. I felt the reality that not only is God making everything in His creation new, He is making me new as well. And this addendum changes everything.

“Behold, I am making all things new—even you.”

There is hope for a future. A glorious future in which we will be one with the Father and He will dwell with us. But it is not here yet.

There is hope for now. In Christ, we have been made new creations—the old is gone, and the new has come. It is here now, and it is salvation for all that believe in the name of Jesus.

Behold what the Lord is doing. Behold Him making all things new. Behold Him, our coming King and present Salvation, in whose Name is hope for all nations and all creation.

I pray that we all can know the reality of a new creation in our lives. I pray we can all hear the voice of the Lord speaking to us, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

Amen.

The Song of the Spirit

Last night I went to a Sleeping at Last concert at Taylor University with a bunch of friends, which was fantastic. Afterward, when asked how she enjoyed the concert, one of my friends commented that she had a difficult time enjoying concerts because she wasn't musically inclined, so she couldn't pick out harmonies or listen for chords and things along that line. I responded to her that those things are not what enjoying concerts is about. For me, music is something that is great to understand and be able to play and recognize what others are playing, but the real beauty of music is when you can just sit and soak it in, and let it speak to your soul. That's why music is so powerful, because it can have an emotive effect and can speak to us on a level that words or ideas cannot.

Something else occurred to me shortly after that. That is, sometimes we treat our biblical interpretation in the same way. We try to interpret what the Spirit is saying to us by looking at the historical context, the author's original intent, the original language, and a plethora of exegetical methods. I think that sometimes in all our digging around and trying to build our interpretation from the ground up, we can miss the point of what the Holy Spirit is saying to us through the Word. Not that those things aren't good or helpful--I think they are absolutely necessary for good interpretation. But we are fooling ourselves if we think that this methodical exegesis is sufficient in itself.

The beauty of Scripture is not only that we can know the historical context and the author's intent, but rather that through it, we can allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us in our context now, in our situation. Like music, the Spirit can speak to us on a level that words and facts and exegesis cannot. That's why I think meditating on Scripture (not merely studying it) is so important. In this we allow the Spirit to speak the Truth of the words to us.

It's fascinating to me how the Spirit chooses to speak through these words. There are many different theories of how He does this, but what really matters when it comes down to it is that He does. And it can be a beautiful thing, if we choose to let them be spoken to us. God is singing a song to us through His Word, the very music of Heaven. Biblical exegesis, theology, philosophy--these are things that are aimed at finding the heart of the song, but we have to remember to sit back and enjoy it as well, letting the Spirit sing to us the song of Heaven.

Soak it in. Let it fill you. Let it speak to the very core of your being as you seek God through His Word.

Meditations

A bathroom devotional I wrote for my floor--my last one as a CMC in Wright Hall and as a college student. With all the craziness going on in life, it was a reminder I needed as well.

I want to take this time to remind you to make sure you take time to simply slow down. Take some time for yourself, take time to just breathe, take time to sit and do nothing for a while. Take some time to meditate on the Lord and what he has done for you.

Take comfort in His goodness.

Find peace in His protection.

Find strength in His joy.

God has promised to never leave you nor forsake you.

He has promised this.

You have been given victory over sin in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Victory – know the power of it!

You have been given new life in the Holy Spirit—

Once dead, now alive!

You have been called by the King of kings to share in His eternal Kingdom—

A royal inheritance.

You have been adopted as a son by your Heavenly Father—

A family to which you are welcomed with open arms.

Our God has done so much for us, and has promised so much more. Claim these promises for yourselves. Claim the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. Trust in God’s goodness. Rest in His unfailing love. You who have fallen away from Him, He is calling you back. Come. Come to love and trust and serve Him once again. As when the prodigal son returned to his Father, our Father is waiting with open arms to receive you again, and overflows with joy when you return.

May these meditations refresh you and allow God to speak to you. May His strength carry you throughout the end of the year and into the summer, whatever you are doing. May His love never cease to amaze you and renew you. Amen.