Christian Collegians: Speak Up!

The following is an article from the Southern Baptist Press in the US. I have posted it in its entirety and urge you to read to the end. If you are in university or college - this is a must read!
PWM


Moore to collegians: Proclaim what ‘makes sense of the world’ By Jeff Robinson Mar 8, 2005

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Christians must engage popular culture, not by becoming a cheap imitation of it, but by proclaiming the only story that makes sense of the fallen world -- redemption through a crucified and risen Lord, Russell D. Moore told a group of college students.Moore, dean of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s school of theology and vice president for academic administration, urged students to avoid two extremes in regard to pop culture: separating from it because they deem it evil and beyond rescue or creating a subculture that includes such pop culture rip-offs as “Christian” boy bands and “Christian” movie stars. “Built within us, there is a longing for a story that makes sense of the world,” Moore said during the fifth annual “Give Me An Answer” Collegiate Conference Feb. 18-19 at the Louisville, Ky., campus.“And what you and I often want to do as Christians is to say, ‘Let’s not talk about the Gospel story; instead, let’s talk about how the Gospel will make us better. Let’s stand up and bring out a beauty queen to talk about how Jesus has made her life and her ministry as a beauty queen that much more effective. Let’s bring out the quarterback to talk about how knowing Jesus has made him so much more effective on the field.’ When instead, what we really need to be doing is standing up to people and saying, ‘We have a different understanding of the world that focuses in on a dead body that came back to life.’”Speaking from Acts 17 –- the Apostle Paul’s sermon at Mars Hill -- Moore pointed out that Paul neither capitulated to the Greek culture nor recoiled from it in moral indignation.Instead, Paul demonstrated that the first-century Athenians did not live in a manner consistent with their own worldview, one rife with worldly philosophies and pagan deities, Moore said. “Paul is not standing back clucking his tongue saying, ‘Isn’t this awful?’” Moore said.“He comes in and starts pointing out aspects of culture that are present in Athens.... [H]e is not trying to build a bridge to the Athenians; he is trying to critique what they believe and say to them, ‘You really don’t believe what you say you believe. There are aspects in your own culture that show what you are really looking for is Christ.’”The themes that characterize contemporary sitcoms, reality shows, movies and music all point to a deep-seated search for meaning and purpose, Moore said, noting that people today are no different than the Athenians of Paul’s day; they are looking for a genuine authority with the definitive answer to life’s thorniest questions and they are longing for genuine relationships within a loving community.Only Christ and His church can fulfill these desires because God has made all people in His own triune image, Moore said. They have been created to desire authentic love and genuine relationships, he said, pointing out that pop culture has become obsessed with sex for precisely this reason.“Sexuality has been designed, [according to] Ephesians 5, to express the great mystery of the cosmos -- the relationship between Christ and His church,” Moore said. “So, when you have individuals who are longing for sexual connection, what they are doing is taking that desire that has been programmed into them to reflect Christ and His church and they are perverting it through a fallen understanding of sin and they are seeking to connect to this deep mystery of existence in ways that will never show the mystery.” Moore encouraged the collegians to be experts at evaluating pop culture in light of the Scriptures and to act on their analysis by offering a definitive story that is utterly unlike the culture, one that is wholly “other” -- the Gospel.Believers must not merely seek to make individual Christians or to live as “lone wolf” believers, Moore said. Instead, they must engage and critique the culture while living as members of the body of Christ, the visible manifestation of the Kingdom of God on earth. “The mystery of Christ is that these little gatherings of the church would be a sign, not just to the outside culture, not just to popular culture, but to the principalities and powers, to the demonic order, that the Kingdom is coming, that God is crushing the head of the serpent through Jesus Christ,” Moore said.“So the message that we have to give to pop culture is not just ‘your way isn’t working,’ and it’s not just ‘judgment is coming upon you.’ We need to say, ‘There is a new order, a new Kingdom, and if you want to know what that looks like ... come see this community of the Kingdom. See peace and love and righteousness and joy and self-control. And you cannot see them as individuals, you can only see them working together in community. “‘You will see it imperfectly and it will be messy. You have human beings involved, so you are going to see some squabbles and you are going to see some fights, but you will also see the Kingdom of Christ. You will also see an outpost of the Kingdom here. You will make sense of what you are really longing for that you can’t find out there.’

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The Old Man Said...

Our church has been getting these cool letters from an old guy named Walter. He has walked with the Lord for many years and has some excellent advice on how to follow Jesus. You can read these letters on our website here. He covers everything from being a woman to how to handle your money. You may not agree with everything he writes, but there is bound to be something there for you!
PWM

Preaching in Sarnia (and loving it!)

I had the joy of preaching at Sovereign Grace Community Church in Sarnia (Ontario) this past weekend. It is always a delight to minister the Word of God to my friends there, since they have such a delight in the Lord of Truth.
I think I can honestly say I have found this to be the case in all the churches of our asssociation (www.sgfcanada.com). What I have found in my travels are people who have grown used to solid biblical exegesis and expect that from their pastors.
Sometimes I tell my congregation, "You ought to come to church expecting to be well-fed by a man who has walked closely with His God the week before. If it is obvious that is not the case, you ought to do something about it!" I hope the first "something" they do is pray for me! But no church should be content with a man who either does not preach or does not preach from a life that is growing in grace. I think that is at least part of what Paul was saying in 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus.
PWM

Human Cloning

One website I have really appreciated is PFM's www.biotechpolicy.com (http://www.pfm.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Biotechnology_Policy). This is such a fast-changing industry, that it can be difficult to keep up with what is going on and where. We tried to bring one of their speakers to our Sovereign Grace Pastor's Fellowship once - but it was a little too difficult to work it all out. Nonetheless, I think the site is very helpful and worth visiting at least once to get up to speed on this issue.
PWM

Some Thoughts on Praying for the Sick and Dying

In many ways, sickness has become something we fear more than the devil in North America. It often takes up the brunt of our prayer meeting requests and modern science even holds symposiums on “the effectiveness of prayer” in restoring health. We often respond to the physical pains of unbelievers by assuring them we will “pray for them.” That is all good and noble, but I want to think about what it is we should pray? Does the Bible give us instructions on what the will of God is in our prayers for the sick and dying?

Although there is some precedent for praying for the good health of another, the NT is surprisingly silent by the lack of prayers for the physical health of others. (I will not address the healing passages here, but even in these passages there is a recognition that the healing comes in order to free for service… not just so that people can feel better.) Based on that fact alone, we ought to be somewhat cautious before we assume that our primary supplication for the suffering should be that God would remove the sickness or make them feel better.

Notice these two key texts:

3 John 1-4 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Philippians 2:25-30 I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

In both cases, the point of praying for physical health was for the continued working or outflow of spiritual health. So even where good health is prayed for, it appears that in the Apostles’ minds, the reason for it was that good works might be accomplished.

In other words, the greater issue is that the Lord would raise up Epaphroditus to health so that he might minister to the Philippians. In the case of Gaius, the same intention is present. Gaius is needed to extend hospitality to travelling fellow Christians – a task he can do much more effectively when his physical health mirrors his (more vital) spiritual health.

This is not to discount the pain and suffering of the elect. We can be quite assured of the fact that God is with those who are suffering and dying.

1 Peter 4:12-14 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

David said “Precious in the sight of the Lord / is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15).

Whether suffering from sickness or on the verge of death, there is no question that the Lord stays faithful and true to His people. But I think there are more important items to pray for besides their restoration to health and life.

How then should we pray for Christians who are sick and/or dying?
1. Pray that they might know the presence of Christ through His Spirit (1 Peter 4:14 / Romans 8:26-30)
2. Pray that God gives them mercy to endure the suffering in a way that glorifies Christ (1 Peter 2:18-25)
3. Pray that grace would outperform sin in their lives (Romans 6)
4. Pray for an experiential knowledge of the love of God in Christ (Eph 3:14-21)
5. Pray for a deep drawing toward God the Father through Christ that would keep the heart of the suffering very close to Him (James 4:8)
6. Pray that the sick might be blessed with the “sensible impression” of God with them (Romans 8:12-17)
7. Pray that the Lord would enable the suffering to use their mouth to glorify God through the suffering (Eph 3:25-32)
8. Pray the sick are able to “lay hold of Christ” as they think of His sufferings on their behalf for their sins on the cross (2 Timothy 1:1-13)
9. Pray for a strengthening of hope, so that the Lost would be forced to wonder and ask from whence it comes (1 Peter 3:13-17)
10. Pray that the sufferer experiences the liberty of that “peace that passes understanding” through the valley of the shadow of death (Philippians 4:7)
11. Pray that the mind of the sufferer would be turned to dwell on the hope of glory and future union with Jesus in heaven (Romans 8:18-25)

The great comfort for suffering Christians is that their Saviour will never leave nor forsake them. The sick and dying can take great encouragement from these precious words:

Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But that leaves a final question:

How then should we pray for people who are not yet Christians and are sick and/or dying?

1. Pray that God would use their suffering to force them to consider the sufferings of eternal hell, and that such considerations would lead them to cry out to Jesus in repentance and faith now.

How Does the Bible View Homosexuality?

In relation to my previous post, I thought I might include the following link which gives what I believe to be the Bible's teaching on the practice of homosexuality. It is a longish article, so I give the link instead of posting it all here.
See http://www.gfcto.com/articles/theology/Homosexuality.htm

Homosexual Clergy and Dr. Peter Jensen

Dr Peter Jensen is the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney and one of the leading voices in opposing the ordination of homosexuals to the Anglican clergy. I am not an Anglican, yet I am greatly encouraged by the logic of what Jensen is saying. I quote from a BBC News article:
"'The issue of homosexuality is putting the authority of the Bible at risk and may yet split the Anglican Church,' an Australian church leader has warned. Dr Peter Jensen said a split over gay priests and same-sex marriages would be 'painful' but could happen. And the Archbishop of Sydney urged 'a turning back to what the bible says'"(see http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4293477.stm)
In a separate article, Jensen argues:
"It may be difficult for those looking in at this Anglican debate to remember that Christians don't regard themselves as in any way free to make up their religion. What we are all doing is struggling to obey the living God who has spoken to us through the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Scriptures.
So this Anglican debate boils down essentially to the question of the authority Christians give to Scripture, and they way they read it." (http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=557)
I find these comments refreshing as they take the issue of "homosexual clergy" to the bottom line... do we believe in the authority of the Bible? If we take the Scriptures as normative and prescriptive, there is no debate. Therefore, this issue has nothing to do with "homophobia" or inclusivism, but everything to do with whether or not God is able to communicate timeless Truth in a single body of literature.
If you think God is incapable of doing that, you must understand that you have now shifted the authority to "know" anything onto yourself. This is one of the pillars of post-modernism; the idea that I can determine Truth.
If that is the case, one wonders what Jesus meant when He said, "Father, sanctify them in the truth, Your Word is truth."

Are you a Christian?

The most important question anyone can answer is whether or not they are ready to die. I am of the opinion that the only people in the world who can answer this question in the affirmative are Christians. That doesn't fly so well in a post-modern, "multi-truth" world like ours! That's why I am suggesting you read an article I wrote, "What is a Christian?" A lot of people use that word and either have no clue what it means or have very false views of what it means. This article should at least lay a foundation to some of the basics. It is not that long and you can find it here http://www.gfcto.com/WhatisaChristian.htm
PWM

Hello

Kirk did it. So why not me? (see http://redeemingthetime.blogspot.com)
A fellow pastor friend told me about these blogs, so I thought I might join in. I have various ideas as to what will go here. Most of my writings I publish on our church web page www.gfcto.com so you can always check that out if you want more in the way of articles, position papers and teachings. I think that this site will serve more as an avenue of opinion on a wider range of topics.
As for you, your comments are welcome! Most of all, I am hoping that the sovereign God will cause people who never expected it to stumble across this site and find Him.
PWM