Archive for March, 2010
Hostility, Heresy, & C.S. Lewis
Mar 16th
My wife Heidi and I had the pleasure of attending The C. S. Lewis Institute conference a few weeks ago. Lewis’ book Mere Christianity was the topic. It had been a few years since I’d read the book, and it seemed like a good way to get a refresher course on one of the 20th century’s great Christian thinkers.
Dr. Chris Mitchell, a professor at Wheaton College, led us through five fascinating lectures. I had not realized that Mere Christianity was originally a series of radio addresses that were given over the BBC during World War II. I also hadn’t previously known what it cost Lewis to clearly proclaim his faith to over a million listeners.
We often think that the world’s hostility toward faith in Christ is worse now than in our parents’ day. Not so. In 1947, Lewis’ picture appeared on the front cover of Time magazine. The headline read:
“OXFORD’S C.S. LEWIS, His Heresy: Christianity.”
Lewis was disdained by many at Oxford because he spoke publicly of his faith in Christ. Their attitude seemed to be it’s fine to be a Christian, but not to speak of it in public – and certainly not in academia.
Dr. Mitchell also read a startling quote from authoress Virginia Woolf. After a meeting with T. S. Elliot during which he told her he was now a follower of Christ, she wrote:
“I have had a most shameful and distressing interview with dear Tom Elliot, who may be called dead to us all from this day forward. He has become an Anglo-Catholic believer in God and immortality and goes to church. I was shocked. A corpse would seem to me more credible than he is. I mean, there’s something obscene in a living person sitting by the fire and believing in God.”
That quote is from the year 1928. I was reminded of Jesus words in John 15:18 – 20, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’”
How to Encourage
Mar 15th
“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works” ~Hebrews 10:24
1. Learn to encourage daily.
Remember—a person’s self worth hangs on the thin thread of encouragement, and some are at the end of their rope. Don’t wait to give words of comfort.
2. Learn to relate to those who have similar needs.
Be sensitive to those who are going through a trial similar to what you have already experienced. How did you weather the storm? Let them know how God used that difficulty in your life.
3. Learn to be a good listener.
We all need to learn to read between the lines. People rarely unload their problems in bulk. They usually deliver them in small packages just to see if you’re concerned enough to open it. If you do, they will likely make another delivery. No one will expose their deeper feelings to people who show little or no interest. Be a person who cares!
It will never be the nature of a man to encourage, but it will forever be his need.
People of the Spirit
Mar 12th
Is it just me, or is there a certain elusiveness to that third member of the Trinity? You know the one. Father, Son and… who? Ah, yes. Holy Spirit. While I can perceive (faintly, dimly) of the awesomeness of God the Father through the majestic revelation of Jesus the Son, I often feel like I draw a mental blank in relating to the Spirit. My brain knows the theology of this third co-equal, co-eternal Person, but do I really know? You know?
About six years ago, I was handed the keys to our Young Adults ministry here at RBC. As a young, nervous wannabe pastor, I thought an appropriate first teaching series would be a boot-camp style basics of Christianity. The week before Halloween it just so happened that the topic was the Holy Spirit, and I cleverly titled my message “Ghost Story” – which turned out to be a rather embarrassing foreshadowing of my own shallow grasp of the Holy Spirit. About halfway through my message, I noticed that I kept referring to the Holy Spirit as “it” rather than “He.” Convicting? Believe it. After publicly repenting several times in the middle of my sermon, it’s not a mistake I’ve (knowingly) made since – but it did reveal something that has stuck with me: The Holy Spirit makes me nervous. I might go as far to say that I’m a even a little afraid of Him. More >
A Living Room Testimony: Bridget
Mar 12th
Bridget Goetz shares her story of God’s faithfulness as He drew her out of self-reliance to deep dependence on Christ. This video was originally shown at the 2010 Reston Bible Church Women’s Retreat.
Remember the Gospel
Mar 11th
REMEMBER THE GOSPEL: Reflections on the Lord’s Supper from 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
I just finished listening to Leighann Marquiss share her family’s story (God’s story) of their son, Ryan. What a great God we serve! Leighann said, “…During this time, I realized that God doesn’t only love me to get me to heaven – God loves me today, where I am. ” This reminded me again of the power of the Gospel to impact us in our everyday life, no matter the situation.
Two times in 1 Cor. 11:23-26, Jesus tells his disciples, “Do this in remembrance of me.” What, specifically, does Jesus want us to remember in the partaking of communion? For many years, I thought He wanted me to reflect on and remember His suffering and death. While true, this is not the complete answer. Jesus didn’t just say “this is my body” but “this is my body which is for you; do this in remembrance of me”. Jesus is not just saying “remember my death,” but “remember my death, which is for you.” In short, He is saying remember the Gospel. Likewise, in reference to His shed blood, He didn’t tell us to just remember His shed blood, but to remember His shed blood and what it accomplished, the New Covenant. In short, He is saying remember what I have done for you – remember the Gospel.
We could spend an eternity reflecting on the depths of the Gospel and I trust we will, but for the sake of my fingers (and the fact that dinner is just about ready), let me highlight a few truths of the Gospel. We who have placed our trust in Christ, are:
- Loved by God (always)
- Forgiven (always)
- Righteous in His sight (always)
- Cared for by Him (always)
- The apple of His eye (always)
- Never abandoned by Him (never)
- Never away from His presence (never)
- His children (always)
- Brothers/sisters of the Lord (always)
- Indwelt/empowered by the Spirit of God (always)
This is good news. Scratch that – this is great news. Often times, we (myself included) fall woefully short in seeing and believing the Gospel for our daily lives. The result is that we do not experience the power of the Gospel on a daily basis. Yes, we see the relevance of Christ’s death on the cross for our salvation and our future departure from this world, but what about the time in between? Twice in four verses, the Lord tells his disciples, remember the Gospel, remember what I have done for you. Just as the Gospel impacted Leighann where she “was”, the power of the Gospel can and will impact us where “we are” right now.
Remember and believe the Gospel.
