What a Way to Go...

A student at my church asked me yesterday, "Kevin, how would you want to die?" I answered like many people would, "In my sleep. That way I would wake up and see Jesus." Then I read the account of Polycarp's Martyrdom. Needless to say, I changed my mind.

Hearing his captors had arrived one evening, Polycarp left his bed to welcome them, ordered a meal prepared for them, and then asked for an hour alone to pray. The soldiers were so impressed by Polycarp’s advanced age and composure that they began to wonder why they had been sent to take him, but as soon as he had finished his prayers, they put him on a donkey and brought him to the city. Brought before the tribunal and the crowd, Polycarp refused to deny Christ, although the proconsul begged him to ‘consider yourself and have pity on your great age. Reproach Christ and I will release you.’

Polycarp replied, ‘Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He has never once wronged me. How can I blaspheme my King, who saved me?’ Threatened with wild beasts and fire, Polycarp stood his ground. ‘What are you waiting for? Do whatever you please.’ The crowd demanded Polycarp’s death, gathering wood for the fire and preparing to tie him to the stake. ‘Leave me,’ he said. ‘He who will give me strength to sustain the fire will help me not to flinch from the pile.’ So they bound him but didn’t nail him to the stake.

As soon as Polycarp finished his prayer, the fire was lit, but it leaped up around him, leaving him unburned, until the people convinced a soldier to plunge a sword into him. When he did, so much blood gushed out that the fire was extinguished. The soldiers then placed his body into a fire and burned it to ashes, which some Christians later gathered up and buried properly.(From Foxe's Book of Martyrs

(From: Tullian Tchividjian. His new book looks sweet.)

Piper Thug

eyes, ears, belief...

I'm a wanderer
looking for the road when the map's there in my hand

I'm a thirsty man
begging for a drink out in the pouring rain

When the hand gives
I fall to my knees and I thank the God of grace

But when the hand takes
my faith blows far off with the rushing wind

I stepped out on the water and sank
I stared upon the bread and fish and wondered what to think

I'm a faithless man of a faithful God
and the world calls out my name

give me eyes, give me ears, give me belief

I'm a doubter
I've had to feel the wounds too many times before

I'm a traitor
turning you in for a sack of cash and thrill

When the cross looks
I turn my head and wish You wouldn't stare

But when the cross speaks
I hear my name as I run to open arms


I stepped out on the water and sank
I stared upon the bread and fish and wondered what to think

I'm a faithless man of a faithful God
and the world calls out my name

give me eyes, give me ears, give me belief

Song-writing and Lessons from Brainerd

"Oh, that all my late distresses and awful apprehensions might prove but Christ's school to make me fit for greater service, by teaching me the great lesson of humility." The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, April 10, 1742

Without getting into too much detail, this quote struck a chord with me in my present circumstances. It also seems that during these times the creative juices are flowing. The following is a song I wrote regarding the struggles of believing that God will provide.


Provider

I feel weak
from trying to figure out these things
on my own
I am lost on this long road

It seems that weak
is right where You want me to be
for there I see
the Sovereign God above all things

There I know
that the birds who never sow are satisfied
There I know
that my God on high is the One who will provide

So take my faithless heart
and teach me of Your ways
Your people never move or breathe
apart from Sovereign Grace
Take away my pride
You alone are the God who will provide

How foolish of me
to see the God who parts the seas
and not believe
that He is above these petty things

Who am I
to tell the Potter how to design
I praise You God
that Your grace is not fair at all

Art and God...

One June 30th Crossway will release Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life. This (which I'm very excited about) and a recent post by Matt Johnson on the Doxologist Blog, has sparked my thinking in regards to art (specifically music) and God.

I went through a brief legalistic phase in high school, throwing away my secular CDs and refusing to watch R rated movies... then I read my Bible. I realized an important truth that Schaeffer points out so eloquently... when creativity is expressed, it is God's creativity. When an unbeliever paints a beautiful landscape he/she is expressing the goodness of God's creation. Of course, these creative expressions are damaged by sin... but that does not mean that God cannot be seen or heard in them.

I think many Christians miss out on the beauty of God's creation because so much of it is not under the label: "CHRISTIAN"

Colossians 1:16-17 "For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."

Don't misread. I am fully aware of the fact that much of the music and art in the world is blatantly dishonoring to God. Christians have to be discerning. But to limit your CD selection to only what they sell at Lifeway is to ignore the fact that the sovereign God of the universe is revealing himself in soooo many other ways!

With a discerning spirit, let us acknowledge the One True Creative Being in all things... music, paintings, poetry, novels, etc.

Random thoughts from T-Rex on legalism (fits the discussion)

How do we Really View Worship?

In church, I have always been the guy with the guitar. Worship Leading came about when Student Pastor forced me to lead at summer camp. Now that I am an 'official' Worship Leader (whatever that means!) I have been studying what it means to truly worship God. The following is from a little document for the Worship Ministry at our church. This is what the Bible says. Does it sound like this is how most churches and Christians view worship?


Worship Is…
Definition: “Worship is the extravagant, open enjoyment of God as the fountain of life. And therefore it is a public declaration that God is more to be desired than all the pleasures of this world.”


1.Life

In 1 Corinthians 10:31 the Apostles Paul gives the goal of the Christian life: So, “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” We are not to merely glorify God when we sing songs to Him on Sunday mornings. We are not merely to glorify God when we pray or read His word. We are to glorify God in ALL things. When we are driving to work, when we are jogging in the morning, when we are eating dinner, when we are putting the kids to bed, when we are doing homework, when we are giving our tithes and offerings, when we are hearing the word expounded… we are to glorify God.
Isaiah 43:6-7 says, “I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, Whom I formed and made.” When the believer is living a lifestyle of worship to the living God he/she is fulfilling the purpose of life.


2.Corporate

While the New Testament rarely discuss corporate worship in the way we imagine it, the scriptures very clearly point out the importance of gathering regularly to fellowship and lift high the name of Jesus:

1 Corinthians 14:23 speaks of “the whole church gathering together.”

Acts 2:46 speaks of the early church “attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes.”

Hebrews 10:25 speaks of “not neglecting to meet together.”

While corporate worship is important, the believer must never forget that the deciding factor of true worship is one’s inward condition.

Ephesians 5:18-20: And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

John 4:23-24 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.


3.Fuel For Evangelism and Missions

One of the greatest pictures of worship in the Bible is found in Revelation:

Revelation 7:9-12 “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Since God’s goal is His glory, He longs for the people of all nations to praise His name. With this in mind, worship should not simply be a personal thing. It should stand as the goal of our evangelism and missionary efforts. We should stand before God as Isaiah did in Isaiah 6. After peeking into a heavenly worship session, he responds as every believer should:

Isaiah 6:8 “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’”

Fortunately, we don’t have to sit around and wonder what God wants is to do. Jesus made it very clear:

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

In his book Let the Nations be Glad, John Piper points out:

“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man… Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal of missions. It’s the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God’s glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God… But worship is also the fuel of missions. Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching… Missions begins and ends in worship.”

Also, see Bob Kauflin's blog for some great resources and thoughts on worship.

Anonymous or Accountable?

Tim Challies has recently posted two entries on his blog about the importance of accountability in an increasingly anonymous society.

1. Drawing Out the Infection
2. Behind Closed Doors

An Excerpt from Drawing out the Infection:

"I thought of this principle while sitting with the men of my church last Wednesday night. No, none of the men there had a huge blight on his face or anything unsightly like that. We’ve been reading through Josh Harris’ Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is) and came to the chapter dealing with accountability and the kind of friendship that asks the tough questions. We talked together for quite some time about the kind of relationship that allows for deep and probing questions—the kind of relationship that offers a real level of accountability. We soon came to see that almost all of us desire to be in this kind of relationship—one where we can speak with other Christian men and have them both challenge us to put sin aside and preach the gospel to us in those times where we’ve committed that sin yet again. This is not just accountability that focuses on sexual sins, but on all kinds of sin and transgression. But though it seems that all of us felt we could benefit from this kind of relationship, I believe that very few of us actually are."