Monthly Wrap - February 2014

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

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Is Atheism Irrational? - Gary Gutting from The Stone provides a wonderful interview with Alvin Plantinga, an emeritus professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, a former president of both the Society of Christian Philosophers and the American Philosophical Association, and the author, most recently, of “Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism.” A tough read, but worthwhile.

10 Ways to Love Your Neighbor - "You can't love your neighbor well if you live an overscheduled life. The key is leaving margin in your life so that when the opportunity to love your neighbor arises, you're available." Another great article by Ed Stetzer which really impacted me this week. This is well worth a read and provides some very practical ideas around simple ways to best engage with people around you.

They Do It Better Than We Do - "It’s a sad commentary and indictment when little league baseball coaches are more successful and committed to training and developing boys into baseball players than disciple-makers are to making and maturing disciples of Jesus." Tim Brister writes a great article exhorting Christians to spend as much time making disciples of others as they do engaging in sporting activities each week. Some great points in this article.

Work That Makes A Difference - "The work was boring and mundane, dull and tedious, because I allowed it to be that way." Tim Challies writes a fantastic article urging Christians to glorify God as they work, noting that "...work is a stage to bring glory to my God." A great reminder and challenge for everyone who works anywhere.

Using Social Media In Your Church - "[Social media] is a tool for interaction and connection, not merely a megaphone to announce the next church program and party. Social media opens doors and opportunities to engage with people who rarely, if ever, step foot in a church building." Ed Stetzer writes a great article about the importance of people in leadership in churches being active agents for God on social media.
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February's video...

All I can say to this video is Amen! Pastor Jeff Vanderstelt shares about what the Church actually is, providing the following definition: "The church is the regenerate people of God saved by the power of God for the purposes of God in this world."

Thought for the month...

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."
— John Quincy Adams

Weekly Wrap (07/07)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

I recently came across this video from John Piper discussing the Prosperity Gospel. Somehow I don't think Piper thinks too highly of this kind of theology...

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Consumer Christianity - Marketing or Making Disciples? - "I don’t want to push the analogy too far, but for the sake of illustration, let’s think of the membership model of church as similar to the membership model of the modern health club. One becomes a member of a health club by paying dues (in a church, the monthly or weekly offering). Having paid their dues, the members expect the services of the club to be at their disposal. Exercise equipment, weight room, aerobics classes, an indoor track, swimming pool—all there for them, with a trained staff to see that they benefit by them." Are our churches about meeting people's needs or doing God's work? A challenging article from Dr Gary Thompson.

Why Gay Marriage Is Good (and Bad) For The Church - Trevin Wax writes a great piece challenging the church to hold fast to the exhortation found in Romans 8:28 amidst the apparent storm that is Gay Marriage in America.

How Much of a Pastor's Vacation Time Should He Use? - "You may begin reading this post with the idea that I will suggest how many weeks of vacation you should be given by your church, or how much you should advocate to give your pastor. Instead, I intend to answer this question a bit differently. My concern is not about how much vacation time a pastor is given, but how he uses (or doesn't use) what he is given." A great, thought-provoking article from Practical Shepherding.

Longing For God - A wonderful devotional by Charles Swindoll on Psalm 42:1-2. Well worth a read.

The Mathematics of Grace - "The world runs by ungrace. Everything depends on what I do. I have to make the shot. Jesus calls us to another way, one that depends not on our performance but his own. We do not have to achieve but merely follow. He has already earned for us the costly victory of God’s acceptance." A great article courtesy of the Gospel Coalition.
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Thought for the day...

"The Lord is kind. He is good to all who take refuge under his wings."
— John Piper

Weekly Wrap (09/06)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

"We live in a day where is means almost nothing to be a Christian. According to research almost 4 out of every 5 Americans identify themselves as Christians...But in this group of self proclaimed Christians, less than half of them are involved in church on a weekly basis. Less than half of them believe the Bible is true." David Platt discusses what it looks like to be a Christian today in this thought-provoking video.

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Bono On Jesus - "Bono’s career is unlike any other in rock history. As the lead singer of U2, Bono has sold 130 million albums, won fourteen Grammys, and played numerous sold-out world tours, but he has also lobbied and worked with world leaders from Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to Nelson Mandela on debt relief, AIDS, and other critical global issues." Frank Viola posts an interview with Bono where he shares his Christian faith.

The Church is God's Demonstrated Community - "The church exists to share the gospel, and a large part of how we demonstrate the gospel is through local outreach. As we preach the announcement of Jesus’ finished work on the cross verbally, we have to tangibly display the love of the gospel through the work of our hands." J.D. Greear provides some good thoughts in this very short blog post.

Was Bonhoeffer Right?: Is There A Cost To Discipleship? - "In his book The Cost of Discipleship Dietrich Bonhoeffer insisted, “Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.” Was he right?" Dr Gary Thompson writes a great article here - well worth a read.

The Bible As One Story - "How does the Bible hold together into a single, cohesive story? It’s an important (and intimidating) question reserved for the discipline of biblical theology, an angle of scholarship that focuses on sections of Scripture, sometimes the whole of the Bible, to show how the texts fits together within the unfolding drama of redemption and consummation in Jesus Christ." This well written book review is for those of you who appreciate theology as much as me.

7 Sexual Lines No Pastor Should Cross - John McKeever writes an interesting article outlining 7 things that people new to ministry want to steer clear of. What do you think? Should point 1 & 2 be included or is he right in listing them?
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Thought for the day...

"Fasting is abstaining from anything that hinders prayer."
— Andrew Bonar

Weekly Wrap (02/06)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

Rob Bell, Rob Bell... the slippery slope continues... check out this video of Rob Bell and Andrew Wilson discussing the issue of Homosexuality and the Bible. We need to be praying for this man and all the people who follow him... he has made it clear where he stands on his view of scripture.

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Why Every Pastor Should Read About Melissa's Suicide - "Many of us in vocational ministry want to try to fool our churches and the world. We want to act like our home has no problems. We never fight with our spouses. Our children are the embodiment of angelic beings. We are never tempted. We have no sin issues in our lives. And we certainly don’t have family members who are depressed, and perhaps, suicidal." A fantastic article by Thom Rainer - a must read!

Should I Start a Grassroots Movement to Change My Church? - Kevin DeYoung provides 7 keys to consider when you don't agree with where your church is headed.

Legalism or Love? Religious or Radical? - "If you’re struggling with legalism, don’t fight it by quitting your quiet times. That’s the good advice I remember once hearing from a pastor. In other words, there’s a temptation to presumably fight legalism by running away from good things, whether Bible reading or acts of love, because we mistake them to be part of the problem." Another great article from Desiring God.

Quit Calling Your Wife Hot - I completely agree with this article from Barnabas Piper (just not the plate throwing bit!)

We Get The Help, He Gets The Glory - "One of the unique things about God is that he displays his glory by helping rather than demanding help... This changes the way we pray. When we ask him for help, we know that he will give it for his name’s sake, not because we deserve it. His helping us highlights his riches." Yet another fantastic article from John Piper.
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Thought for the day...

"All of history is moving toward one great goal, the white-hot worship of God and His Son among all the peoples of the earth."
— John Piper

Money... The Root of All Evil?

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

Okay, so now that I've got your attention with my crafty title, let me clarify what I'm talking about. 1 Timothy 6:10a says:

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil."

Have you ever heard anyone say, "The Bible says that money is the root of all evil?" I have. And guess what? They are wrong. The bible doesn't say that. The Bible isn't against money. It isn't against believers having money. What it does teach though is this: "...the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil."

So what was Paul talking about when he wrote this rather strong word to his young charge Timothy? Why did he give Timothy and the church at Ephesus such a strong warning about money?

In the preceding verses, Paul was directly addressing false teachers in the church of Ephesus who were warping and compromising sound doctrine because of their own greed. These teachers were altering the message that Paul had previously preached to the church for their own financial gain, instead of finding their contentment and satisfaction in Christ alone. These leaders were profiting financially from the gospel, leading people astray and had ultimately "...wandered from the faith" (1 Timothy 6:10) as a result of their sin.
Paul was concerned. Really concerned. Here were people that he had previously ministered the truth of God's Word to who were wandering from the gospel message, promoting a completely different message – a radically different message. A message that was not the gospel at all. So Paul reminded Timothy that everyone comes into the world with nothing and anything that anyone has is a gift from God's hands (1 Timothy 6:7-8). Paul let Timothy know what happens to people who want to get rich: "Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction" (1 Timothy 6:9). Finally, Paul concludes his thoughts with the verse that we started with: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil."

So what does the Bible teach elsewhere about the "love of money"? Jesus addresses the love of money in his Sermon on the Mount stating in Matthew 6:24:

"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money". 

In the first commandment recorded in Exodus 20:3, God commands us to have no other Gods before Him – that is, we are not to allow anything to take "...first place in our lives other than our creator God" (Got Questions 2013). Anything that takes precedence in our lives above God effectively becomes an idol in our lives, ultimately making us guilty of breaking the first commandment (Got Questions 2013).

Jesus also addresses the issue of money with the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-30. The young man seeks Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life to which Jesus exhorts him to follow the commandments. The rich young ruler indicates to Jesus that he has kept all the commandments to which Jesus replies: "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Matthew 19:22 records the young man's response: "When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth." The young man was stuck: he couldn't do what Jesus asked him to do. It was too costly; he couldn't part with his money. His wealth was an idol and it had become the master of his life. Money was ultimately more important to this young man than relationship with Jesus himself!

Directly after this passage of scripture, Jesus addresses his disciples and uses this event to teach his disciples a very important spiritual truth. Jesus says in Matthew 19:23:

"Truly, I tell you, it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter the kingdom of God."

Jesus is effectively saying to his disciples: "Look guys, the love of money is one of the biggest obstacles to coming to faith in me!" Jesus is highlighting that wealth or the "love of money" can very quickly become an idol in our lives, driving us further and further away from trust in and relationship with God. The bible is very clear – the "love of money" is a dangerous snare that keeps believers from experiencing the fullness of relationship with Christ.

So what lessons can we learn from Paul's words to Timothy all those years ago? What of his teaching can we apply to our lives today? We can learn and apply quite a lot actually. Here are some thoughts to prayerfully think about and consider in light of Paul's words to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:10a:

• We need to be careful to not allow ourselves to be consumed with "the love of money" as this ultimately leads to behaviours that "plunge people into ruin and destruction" (1 Timothy 6:9).

• We need to learn to be content in Christ and not become preoccupied with financial gains. As 1 Timothy chapter 6 verses 7 and 8 suggest, we came into the world with nothing and everything that we do have is a gift from God. We should practice and develop grateful and thankful hearts towards God for what we have.

• We need to always be wary of being influenced by false theology. As believers we should always be prayerfully testing and discerning biblical teaching from extra-biblical theology.

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." – 1 Timothy 6:10a

God, help us to not become preoccupied with the things of this world and the pursuit of financial gain and prosperity. Help us to put our faith in you – not in what we can do, or what we think money can provide for us. May we experience the fullness of relationship with you and may you keep us from the snare of "the love of money" by the power of your Spirit. Amen.

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Note: This blog post is taken directly from my assignment submitted for Harvest Bible College in April 2013.

Sources:

http://www.gotquestions.org/love-money-root-evil.html

The Christian Hipster

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

I came across this video recently on ChurchLeaders.com and thought it was a hilarious and true commentary on the fashion culture in many popular churches today (I don't think that it is necessarily a good thing... what do you think?) 

The video shows you exactly how you can become a Christian Hipster, from clothing, to haircuts, to fashion accessories. It even assists you in choosing a hip Bible so you can look the part at church!

It's a very clever video and is well worth checking out. Enjoy!

Finding a Faith of Our Own

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

I came across a fantastic article from Relevant Magazine today and thought that I'd share it with you. The article is called "Finding a Faith of Our Own" and can be accessed here.

Brandon Ambrosino provides some wonderful and challenging insights into the modern church. In particular, he highlights the quest that many churches seem to go on in trying to shape and market themselves as hip, relevant or trendy in order to win back disgruntled, bored or indifferent people who have grown up in, but have since left, the church.

This is an issue that I've personally been wrestling with for some time - to what degree does the Church become 'like' the world, in order to attract people to Christ? After all, when you consider how Jesus was in his times, He wasn't exactly what you would call hip. In fact, He was hated, despised and persecuted because He dared to be different - He dared to stand for the Father's will. That wasn't cool, that wasn't hip. He stood out - He was different.

I'll let some quotes from Brandon speak to this issue. Here are some thoughts from Brandon's post that particularly stood out for me:

"It’s no secret that the young demographic in churches today is wearing thin. Today’s twenty- and thirtysomethings who have grown up in the Church have grown disillusioned and discontented, and churches trying to intentionally reach them should be applauded. Yet I wonder if there are drawbacks in this approach. Our generation is emerging into adulthood—we’re claiming our independence and struggling to find our place in the world of jobs, relationships, finances and faith. And during this formative time, I wonder if it is counterproductive to forge a way of our own that is shaped more by who we don’t want to be than who we want to be. Are we framing our theology in terms of what it is not—not boring, not old-school, not whatever your parents raised you on? By defining our faith in terms of what it isn’t, have we assumed the role of the marginalized hipster and so built our faith on a framework that is reactionary and defensive? If we can only gain spiritual independence by distancing ourselves from “other” faith expressions, we risk organizing the body of Christ into “us” and “them.” Sure, it might be marketable, but is this really the point?"

"Jesus once compared His generation to children sitting in the marketplace, angry with Him because He wouldn’t dance when they expected Him to (Matthew 11). His point was that He didn’t come to be the Messiah they expected Him to be. He came to be who He was—to be, in a sense, who God was. “No, no,” this Messiah said. “I’m not here to overthrow Caesar. I’m here to overcome the world. Put away your flutes, and join Me in My dance as I recreate the universe one atom at a time.”"

"...neither this Messiah nor His message was very marketable. Quite the opposite, actually. Jesus’ angry episode in the temple was horrible for business. With indignation, the Messiah looked around at those who exploited the temple for their own purposes. And as He overturned the money tables, He chastised the merchants, calling them thieves, and accused them of turning the temple into something that reflected their own agendas—not God’s."

"Certainly, we need a faith of our own. We need to rediscover the glory of the Gospel in an age that has relegated it to something of no use and no importance. Certainly, we need to engage our faith individually and in community in authentic ways."
"Behold the man nailed to a tree—that peasant, from a working family, despised and unknown. Look at Him there—the weakness of God, rejected, despised, unfashionable as ever, cursed by His own Father. If only He’d gotten with the program. But He didn’t. And that’s the point of the cross. That’s why there was a cross. Jesus didn’t ever get with the world’s program. He remained authentic to who God wanted Him to be."

This is a big challenge for all of us who are in church leadership today. We need to not be so concerned with how we might be perceived, or too focussed on developing a brand of Christianity that is marketable. We need to simply get back to basics. We need to discover what and who God wants us to be and find peace in walking in His will for our lives. We don't need to be different; we just need to be authentic.

Do you think that the church in general struggles with this issue? What do you think Jesus' response would be to the churches constant focus on being culturally relevant or hip?

Weekly Wrap (16/12)

by Joel Hawting | @jhawting

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Where's The Harm in Teaching Our Kids About Christmas? - Dale Stephenson, Pastor of Crossway provides a fantastic article on sharing the reason for the season with our children.

The Invincible, Irrefutable Joy - A wonderful piece on the joy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Should Churches Discourage Belief in Santa? - An interesting article on the jolly fat man and the church.

The God Who Cries When Children Die - Kurt Willems reflects on the recent school shooting tragedy in the USA.

Three Ways Christians Should Respond to the Horror of a Broken World - Ed Stetzer writes a timely piece on what a Christian response should be to tragedy.
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Thought for the day...

"Most people want a genie, not a Lord; an errand boy, not a king; a God to challenge their enemies, not to challenge them."
— Rev. Kevin DeYoung