Should Christians Observe the Sabbath?
27 Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” – Mark 2:27 – 28
Should Christians Observe the Sabbath? This question comes up periodically and more recently in my circle of influence. Before writing this, I checked the opinion of a few of the more popular ministries that I follow, and as suspected, they have strong opinions for and against. The American Evangelical crowd was a hard “no” as they largely reject anything that sounds “religious”. Those of the “Great Traditions” where a hard “yes” citing the practices of historic Christianity with an emphasis on Spiritual Formation (Romans 8:29). That said, I think they all made good points! How we answer the question requires a firm understanding of salvation, sanctification and spiritual formation. That is to say that we need to understand the Biblical Narrative that God has revealed to us (Biblical Theology); we need to understand the culmination of all things in regards to God’s redemptive history (Eschatology), and we also need to understand the gift of salvation by grace through faith (Soteriology). The synthesis of these things makes the answer to the question very simple, so this writing is seeking to provide a summary view that can act as a roadmap for anyone who desires to understand this topic to enrich their faith, or may in fact be seeking saving faith. The short answer to this question is both Yes and No!
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; 40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. 41 I do not receive glory from men; 42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. – John 5:39-42
No because Christian, those who follow Jesus as the sole source of salvation are saved by grace, not by keeping the law (See Galatians 2:21). With the advent of Grace, the Mosaic Covenant no longer applies for any person as long as they put their faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus! We cannot add to our salvation as we can also not lose our salvation! That said, we also must understand that the Bible presents saving Grace to us in three Greek tenses which tells us that we are saved, we are being saved and we will be saved!! In other words, God has saved us from eternity, but He is working in us and through us to be made holy, and ultimately, God will save us at the end of time, though our experience living in time can sometimes be a struggle! So, in regards to keeping the Sabbath, we are not required to keep it, but we are invited to keep it as a practice of our hope, knowing that Sabbath keeping is a shadow of things to come, not as obligation, but as of the great promise of eternal rest; therefore we are NOT to judge anyone who does or does not keep the Sabbath (Colossians 2:15-17).
Sabbath as Invitation, not Obligation!
Yes! Some Christian may seek to observe the Sabbath, and that can be good provided the following are clearly understood and abided by: 1) Observing the Sabbath in No Way contributes to salvation; 2) Observing the Sabbath is practiced as a discipline to grow faith and cultivate a richer relationship with God; 3) Observing the Sabbath is done from a conscious conviction, not out of obligation. Along with this conviction, there is No mandate for the Christian to observe Sabbath from dusk Friday to dusk on Saturday. Paul addresses this in the book of Romans and states that one person may esteem one day better than another, while another person may accept all days as equal, but which ever you choose, a person should do it with a clear understanding in their mind (Romans 14:5).
With these two understandings, it is quite important to not overlook the salvation question in regards to the Sabbath. If observing the Sabbath brings you deeper into a relationship with Jesus Christ and is a sanctifying process, then do not neglect that conviction, but if there is an inclination in your heart that God requires one to keep the Sabbath or that you can make yourself more acceptable to God by observing the Sabbath, then you are forsaking salvation by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). The Apostle Paul, the most zealous and esteemed of the Jews (Philippians 3:4-6), who abandoned Judaism for the surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:7) warns us not to follow a different gospel (Galatians 1:8-9) by voluntarily entering into the bondage of the law, but rather stay the course of our faith in Jesus Christ because the Law cannot save anyone (Galatians 2:15-17). In short, faith in the Lord Jesus equates to eternal salvation in the presence of God and faith in the law or any other religions equates to eternal damnation in Hell apart from God! (John 14:6; Titus 2:5).
10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:10
The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath
At the Transfiguration in Matthew 17, we see that Jesus took Peter, James and John to a high mountain on the Sabbath (Matthew 17:1). The scripture says that Jesus’ face was bright like the sun (Matthew 17:2), a picture similar to the bright shining face of Moses in Exodus 34 after coming down from Mount Sinai after having time with God. Then they would see Moses and Elijah appear, Moses representing the Prophetic message of the Law and Elijah representing the Prophetic message of the Escaton or End Times (Eschatology). Then God the Father expresses His everlasting love for the Son and gives the directive that we are to listen to Jesus (Matthew 17:5). Now we have a picture of Jesus being given all authority in heaven and earth as having fulfilled the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17). When Jesus identified Himself as the Lord of the Sabbath, He was pointing to Himself as the Lord of Creation in Genesis 2 (See also Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-13; John 1:1-3; John 8:58), the One who gave us the Sabbath to begin with, and the One who gave it to us as a gift (Mark 2:27), an invitation to come to God and find rest (Matthew 11:28-30).
Prayer: Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of His Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart, through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Biblical Thinking, part 6: Saving Faith in Heart and Mind!
As Christians, we are defined as people of faith. Faith itself is made up of the characteristics of trust, confidence, reliability, fidelity, assurance, troth, evidence, and actions. Saving faith in the life of the Christian lives in our minds and our hearts, and is made up of a tandem necessity. This tandem is made up of our knowledge of the gospel (mind) and our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and the gospel (heart). This can also be described as our knowledge or intellectual consent in our minds (“to believe that…”) and our trust and commitment in our will, emotions, and visceral awareness in our heart (“to believe in…”). The cumulative effect of these of faith in mind and heart is reflected in actions.
The tandem necessity of Heart and Mind is comprised of a dynamic that is important to understand. That dynamic is first, that Christianity is propositional. That is to say that Christianity is made of a series of necessary truths that provide the knowledge of the components of the Christian faith and provide the framework for Christianity as a system of thought and a system of belief (Mind = to believe that). The second part of this dynamic operates within the established Intellectual framework to form the disposition of our soul in order that the posture of our heart be bowed in humility, strengthened in trust, and that Christ be formed in us (Romans 8:29; John 3:30) all by the practice of our faith through divine enablement (Heart = to believe in). John Calvin wrote in his Institutes of the Christian Religion that “faith is more of the heart than of the brain, and more of a disposition than of understanding.” Another way you might say this is that Christianity is first taught, then caught meaning that first our minds are informed so that we understand, then as our faith grows, eventually we “get it!”
The Apostle Paul, in speaking of our hearts (GK. kardia) describes this as the control center of the orientation of our souls that governs our loves, our longings, our desires and our affections, the sum of which is our “gut feelings” or our knowledge of visceral truth (GK. splachnon; sample texts: Phil.1:8, 2:1; Colossians 3:12). This is the place in our being where we are to direct our hearts towards Christ that God would be our first love. In our minds we know the gospel, we know our doctrines, our theology, our creeds, and our practices, but it is only in obedience to God that we grow our love and affection for Christ (John 3:36; John 15:14; Luke 6:46).
So how would a Christian perform a status check on their eternal destiny? In 2Corinthians 13:5, we are told to test ourselves to see if we have faith. This passage tells us to examine ourselves, meaning to examine our lives. Does my life reflect a transformation that we are becoming more like Jesus? In answering this question, there is an important distinction to make between a morally upright life and a transformed life. One might look at their lives and be able to check all the boxes, i.e. I go to church, I lead a small group, I tithe, I donate to charity, I lend money when I have it, etc. You get the idea, not a jerk, at least not on the surface. All of these items may be part of a transformed life, but not the sum of a transformed life by far.
The things we want to look at are the change that happens from the inside out. The test is really for heart change, not behaviour modification. In addition, we need to recognize that we are on a journey to be transformed to be like Jesus, and none of us are there yet (Romans 8:29), so give yourself and others grace in this process, the important thing is that we are continually growing in the right direction. What we really want to evaluate is the disposition of our heart. For example, do I seek to honor God in all that I do? Do I read and pray on my own outside of church? Do I seek out opportunities to give and am I a cheerful giver? Do I have a heart for people who do not know Christ? Do I pray for those people in my life that do not know Christ? How often is prayer my first response to needs or trials in life? How is my language? I do I bless and encourage people with my words? Do I use a lot of profanity? Am I harsh in my interactions with people? Do I look at others with contempt, especially those who live life in a way that violates my sensibilities? Am I a good forgiver? Can I give financially in a way that makes me uncomfortable, but trusting that God will provide?
The questions above are a short list of questions to consider when we test ourselves to see if we are living like a person of faith. The answers to these questions will show that you are either growing in pride or humility! The answers to these questions will also be an indicator of producing the fruit of the Spirit such as love, peace, kindness, gentleness, etc. The sum of all of this will inevitably produce moral goodness, but it is important for us to remember that moral goodness is to be a byproduct of the work Christ is doing in you, it is not of ourselves (John 15:5). It is in the bearing of fruit that we glorify God and prove to be disciples of Jesus (John 15:8).
Father God, may we engage the world with gladness, and singleness of heart, through Christ our Lord! Amen!
The Longing Heart!
There is a place inside my soul, where I do not feel alone…a place I have not known, a place where love is bold!
A place where I can rest and breath and let the tears flow, a place where I can let it all go!
Hunger and thirst drive my longing heart… Chasing every dream, the place where I depart!
Always longing for what I cannot reach… showered in hope, broken in time, a prayer to deep… for me to speak!
Misplaced love invites me in to feed a temporal need… But with every good intention, my soul is left to bleed!
Song of regret strum along the scars on my heart… a tune to sing alone with shadows in the dark! Fading satisfactions and memories gone by… illusions reveal a vacant heart!
The cry of every longing heart, to finally feel complete… Missing pieces unknown, searching everyone we meet!
Darkness begets darkness, with drinks that make me thirst… Wandering about, as existential sharks, my best reveals my worst!
Desires unknown pull me deeper… familiar shores begin to fade… Living water softens my heart and I am no longer afraid
Beginning to see what I could never imagine, as my faith becomes my eyes! As time expires, joy made full… not by touch or prize… it is the eyes of my heart that now reveal an eternal truth… that life does not begin until I die!
Meaningful Prayer for your Future Wife!
If you want to have a beautiful marriage and live it out the way that God intended, it is going to take prayer, lots of prayer and that prayer should start now. If you would like to be married someday, but you are not sure who that person is, you can start supporting her in prayer now.
Marriage prayer is spiritual warfare prayer. When God joins two to become one flesh and emphatically states “let no one tear apart what God has joined together”, that makes your marriage a target. The enemy roams about like a roaring lion seeking who he can devour and he will devour you and your wife if you do not put on the full armor of God.
When you pray, you should pray for a growing faith, spiritual stamina, physical health, emotional resilience and mental strength. There are many things to pray for in regards to her. This is not a wish list for what you want, but this is truly for her to blessed before you and after you.
To follow is not a verbatim prayer, but some of the things that I bring to God in prayer when thinking about my future wife. So here it goes:
Father God,
As she goes through today, please draw her close to You and help her to be mindful of Your presence (Psalm 139). If she does not know you yet, please reveal Yourself to her and prepare her heart for the seed of the gospel (Ephesians 2:4-5). If she already walks with You, please guide her to walk in a manner worthy of the calling(Ephesians 4:1).
Please giver her a holy confidence in her identity as Your daughter (Romans 8:15-17) and help her to cultivate an eternal perspective in daily life and amidst any hardship that happens upon her (Romans 8:18).
Lord, please preserve her and keep her sexually pure (1Corinthians 6:18). Give her the strength and resolve to flee temptation (1Corinthians 10:13) and to trust that Your plan for her is best(Jeremiah 29:11). I ask that she would be mindful of Your presence and seek to honor You in all that she does (Psalm 90:8).
Lord, I pray that she would put on the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation to guard her heart and mind against the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Lord, for whatever past grief or regret she has, please show her the fullness of your grace in letting go of past mistakes or poor judgment. I ask that she would have full assurance that her sin has been removed from her as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).
Lord, I ask that she would grow strong in faith and lean not on her own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6) but to faithfully seek You and trust You when things don’t make sense.
Lord, I ask for contentment in her heart to patiently wait for You (and for me). I pray that she will rest in Your presence and to understand that You are doing many things she is unaware of so that she can experience great blessings.
Lord I ask that she would not be anxious, but that she would be discipline to pray and that You would give her peace according to the kind intentions of Your will (Philippians 4:6-7).
Lord, I ask that the Peace of Christ rule in her heart that she would grow in faith (Colossians 3:15), and cast all her cares on You (1Peter 5:7). Please give her the peace that transcends understanding and be free from the worldly peace that changes with every situation.
Father God, I ask that she would be free from fear (Psalm 4:4; 23:4). I pray she would have the grace to overcome whatever may be hindering her. Lord, I ask that she would be sensitive to your Spirits leading and begin taking the steps that will bring her into my path.
Lord, plant Your Word deep in her heart and that her convictions would be grounded in your Word(John 8:31-32). I pray that she make You priority one in her life to read and to pray and to listen daily to Your Spirits leading (Isaiah 30:21).
Lord, I ask that she would hunger and thirst for Your word (John 6:35) and that she would grow up to be a true worshipper who worships you in Spirit and Truth (John 4:23 – 24).
Father God, I ask that you guard her coming and her going (Psalm 121:8), to keep her safe, keep her warm and meet her every need. Give her health and strength (Psalm 103:3) and the discipline to care for her body as well as her soul (1Corinthians 6:20).
And Lord, I ask that You give her wisdom beyond her years, to make wise choices, to pour into others, to guard what you have entrusted to her, and that she will have a heart to lovingly raise the children You have given or will gift to her!
What you have just read are ideas on what type of prayer may looks like. Whether you are currently courting her or waiting for her to show up, this will be a good model to pray for your wife now and in the future!
Christianity: The Practice of Many Practices!
8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4:8-9
Christianity has often been understood as the practice of many practices. The statement is referring to the practice of spiritual disciplines that Christians of every nation have practiced since the founding of the early church. With the goal of the Christian life to grow in Christlikeness so that we can be made holy (Hebrews 12:14), we must understand that this process of being conformed to His image (Romans 8:29) requires a dual effort comprised of dependence on God and discipline in our walk with God. The word “effort” may set-off alarm bells, so please understand that grace is not opposed to effort, but is opposed to earning. After all, we are called to workout our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13).
In Philippians 4 above, the Apostle Paul gives us a list of virtues and God honoring values, then he states, “practice these things…” A close look at this list that Paul wrote out will reveal that these are all qualities of the Lord Jesus. So, if we are going to know what is true, know what is honorable, practice what is right, embrace what is lovely, endorse what is of good repute, experience what is excellent, and know Who is worthy of praise, then we must know God. If we are going to dwell on these things and practice these things, then we must know God, which means that we much practice spiritual disciplines. Dallas Willard coined the phrase, the Law of Indirect Preparedness, which simply means that the practice of Spiritual Disciplines will prepare believers for the practice of the list in Philippians 4:8-9. Many Christians already practice the primary disciplines of reading our bibles, praying, meditation on scripture, fasting, silence and solitude, etc. A more comprehensive list of the disciplines and descriptions will be in a follow-on post, but for now just some thoughts on the value and benefit of practicing Spiritual Disciplines. This list is not comprehensive, but is designed to provide some introductory info on why every Christian should invest time in practicing our faith:
Spiritual Discipline Benefits:
- They transform our thinking. To transform our thinking, we need to have an eternal perspective and set our minds on things above (Colossians 3:20). Everything we do is either formative or counter-formative, so we need to be intentional in the transforming of our minds so that we are not conformed to this world (Romans 12:2), but conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). The way that we can be intentional is to 1) read the bible daily (Psalm 119:11), 2) we need to pray daily and often (1Thessalonians 5:17), 3) journal so that we can have a record and remember the goodness of God in our life (Psalm 63:5-7), 4) and be active in the community of faith for worship (Hebrews 10:25), accountability (James 5:16), and encouragement and edification (1Thessalonians 5:11).
- They connect us with the historic universal church through time tested practices of cultivating spiritual growth. This is a historic truth, but also a visceral truth within us as we are in the family of God that spans all of human history. We are connected by scripture which they wrote down for us (Romans 15:4), we are connected by a shared faith and the hope of glory (Hebrews 11:39-40), and we lift our voices in word and praise as we join our voices with all the company of Heaven in worship (Revelation 7:9-12)
- They direct our hearts and minds towards Christ, our magnetic North. In doing so, our lives honor God and reflect that we are in communion with God. Our hearts and minds are always directed towards something, they never stop during life, so it is important that we be intentional to direct them towards Christ as much as possible.
- They equip us in our battle against our sin nature, the world and the devil/demons. Scripture often likens that Christian to a soldier, a fighter with a defined mission and a defined enemy. In the case of every Christian, there are three enemies that seek to destroy us. Spiritual disciplines help us combat our sin nature by directing our hearts to abide in Christ in a formative way to overcome the impulses of our sin nature. Spiritual disciplines help us to become good thinkers to overcome the conventional wisdom of the world that is always anti-God, and spiritual disciplines strengthen us against the schemes of the devil by growing our faith to overcome fear, growing our discernment to overcome the lies of the devil, and to flee temptation as we seek to do all to the glory of God.
- They help us own our story, our shame and guilt, by giving us perspective; by the power of the Holy Spirit, they encourage us to embrace God’s purpose for our lives. We begin to see and understand God’s sovereignty over our lives, and we begin to have peace about what is unfolding.
- They move us to truly live in freedom and overcome sin; we abuse grace less in our daily life. Spiritual disciplines help us overcome license to sin so that we do not abuse grace. They also help us grow in mercy and compassion so that we do not become legalistic against people who sin different than we do.
- They help us live daily by a mix of grace and self-discipline
- The practice of our faith brings transformation which produces spiritual mindset, spiritual desires, attraction to godliness, a content heart, a distain for sin, and a growing sensitivity to the presence of God moment by moment.
- They replace sinful habits with godly habits
- They increase surrender, a daily willingness to consider the cost of discipleship and step into it.
To be continued…
Prayer: Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of His Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart, through Christ our Lord. Amen!
CSLI Online Study: Conformed to His Image
C. S. Lewis Institute
Summer 2023 Study Group
Conformed to His Image
Course Schedule: June 7 to August 30, 2023 (6-8pm Central)
Online Course Description
This study covers the biblical principles for spiritual formation and practical approaches to spiritual growth. We will explore and discuss the 12 facets of Christian spirituality that contribute to organic growth in our faith, deeper communion with God, spiritual maturity, and cultivating a fruitful life.
God told us the goal of the Christian life in Romans 8:29, “that we be conformed to the image of His Son!” This has been the plan of God from the foundation of the world, so as people who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, we must be intentional to practice our faith in daily life with formative, rather than counter formative living. This course will help you do this very thing, grow in your faith and formation.
Romans 8:29-30: For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
Structure: This is a 13-week study in which one facet will be discussed per week. The reading for each week should be completed prior to weekly online meeting. Each week will be conducted as an interactive lecture in which the core principles of each facet will be reviewed while students are encouraged to participate with their own observations and questions.
Optional: Participants are encouraged to form triplets or quads in which three or four people would commit to reading, meeting, and discussing the weekly content prior to weekly meeting. Since this would be a significant time commitment, this is optional, however we encourage groups to still be formed even if you cannot meet every week.
Goals: The overall Goal is that Christ be formed in us and we grow in love of God and love of people. Our spiritual formation is contingent on our communion with God and being formed by His love, then in turn being a conduit of that love to people that God brings into our lives. This will consist of the following: • Develop a greater appreciation for the unique way that God has made you.
• Become aware of a wider array of options for your spiritual journey.
• Get out of a spiritual rut of going through the motions or being mechanical in your faith.
• Grow in Desire to experience other facets of the faith.
• Grow Appreciation for the manifold legacy that has been bequeathed to us by all those who have gone before.
• Be encouraged to explore practices and aspects Christianity that you may have otherwise ignored.
• Grow greater passion for Christ and a greater desire to participate in His loving purposes for your life.
• Grow to be true worshippers who worship in spirit and truth in daily life.
Study Materials
1. Conformed to His Image (Revised Edition) by Ken Boa, Zondervan Academic
2. Holy Bible
Course Registration: There is NO COST for this course other than the textbook. To register for the course or ask questions, please send an to either info@foundationalknowledge.org OR Tom.Talamantez@Moody.edu to add your name to the class or ask a question. We will email you back a link with a discount code to purchase the Conformed to His Image book. Thanks so much!
GAFCON 2023: Affirms the Authority of the Bible and Calls for Repentance of Canterbury!
GOOD NEWS from GAFCON! Over the past few months, inquiries have been received regarding the vote of the General Synod of the Church of England in February departing from the authority of the Holy Bible. While this departure from the faith is troubling, it is well known that this vote did not represent the majority of the Global Anglican Community. This past week GAFCON, the Global Anglican Conference, met in Rwanda and issued a statement rejecting the Archbishop of Canterbury and other leadership in England, and reaffirmed the Authority of Holy Scripture for the Global Anglican Community. Leadership from 52 Countries assembled including those from the Upper Midwest Diocese here in Chicago. The Kigali Commitment below is a statement from the conference copied over here from http://www.gafcon.org
[Christ] is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. Colossians 1:18
Greetings from Kigali, Rwanda, where the fourth Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) met from 17-21 April 2023, bringing together 1,302 delegates from 52 countries, including 315 bishops, 456 other clergy and 531 laity.
We were grateful for the extraordinary hospitality extended by Archbishop Laurent Mbanda and the Anglican Church of Rwanda. We were deeply saddened to hear the news of the loss of Laurent and Chantal’s son Edwin, and we continue to offer our prayers of comfort for the Mbanda family.
We were also privileged to be welcomed and addressed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda, the Right Honourable Edouard Ngirente who spoke of the significance of our gathering.
Our conference theme for 2023 ‘To Whom Shall We Go?’ (John 6:68), along with our Bible studies in the Letter to the Colossians, focused our attention on Jesus, the one in whom all the fullness of God dwells in bodily form, the Lord of all creation and the head of his body, the church (Colossians 1:15-19; 2:9).
Our Chairman in his opening address encouraged us to be a repenting church, a reconciling church, a reproducing church and a relentlessly compassionate church. This is the church we want to be.
We were reminded that the purpose and mission of the church is to make known to a lost world the glorious riches of the gospel by proclaiming Christ crucified and risen, and living faithfully together as his disciples.
Our Fellowship Together
We gave thanks for God’s goodness and faithfulness to the Gafcon movement since its inception in 2008, as we rejoiced in a new generation of emerging leaders. It is God who unites us to himself and to one other in the power of his Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13). From the diversity of our different backgrounds and cultures we delighted in our unity in Christ and the love that we share.
Many among us are from contexts of persecution or conflict and we know that as one part of the body suffers, we all suffer. Some were unable to attend the conference because of this. We prayed for our brothers and sisters in Sudan, and for the suffering church. We also heard testimony of the power of the gospel to transform lives even in these circumstances through the prayer, kindness and compassion of Christians.
The Authority of God’s Word
The current divisions in the Anglican Communion have been caused by radical departures from the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Some within the Communion have been taken captive by hollow and deceptive philosophies of this world (Colossians 2:8). Such a failure to hear and heed God’s Word undermines the mission of the church as a whole.
The Bible is God’s Word written, breathed out by God as it was written by his faithful messengers (2 Timothy 3:16). It carries God’s own authority, is its own interpreter, and it does not need to be supplemented, nor can it ever be overturned by human wisdom.
God’s good Word is the rule of our lives as disciples of Jesus and is the final authority in the church.
It grounds, energises and directs our mission in the world. The fellowship we enjoy with our risen and ascended Lord is nourished as we trust God’s Word, obey it and encourage each other to allow it to shape each area of our lives.
This fellowship is broken when we turn aside from God’s Word or attempt to reinterpret it in any way that overturns the plain reading of the text in its canonical context and so deny its truthfulness, clarity, sufficiency, and thereby its authority (Jerusalem Declaration #2).
The Current Crisis in the Anglican Communion
Despite 25 years of persistent warnings by most Anglican Primates, repeated departures from the authority of God’s Word have torn the fabric of the Communion. These warnings were blatantly and deliberately disregarded and now without repentance this tear cannot be mended.
The latest of these departures is the majority vote by the General Synod of the Church of England in February 2023 to welcome proposals by the bishops to enable same-sex couples to receive God’s blessing. It grieves the Holy Spirit and us that the leadership of the Church of England is determined to bless sin.
Since the Lord does not bless same-sex unions, it is pastorally deceptive and blasphemous to craft prayers that invoke blessing in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Any refusal to follow the biblical teaching that the only appropriate context for sexual activity is the exclusive lifelong union of a man and a woman in marriage violates the created order (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4–6) and endangers salvation (1 Corinthians 6:9).
Public statements by the Archbishop of Canterbury and other leaders of the Church of England in support of same-sex blessings are a betrayal of their ordination and consecration vows to banish error and to uphold and defend the truth taught in Scripture.
These statements are also a repudiation of Resolution I.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference, which declared that ‘homosexual practice is incompatible with Scripture,’ and advised against the ‘legitimising or blessing of same sex unions’. This occurred despite the Archbishop of Canterbury having affirmed that ‘the validity of the resolution passed at the Lambeth Conference 1998, I.10 is not in doubt and that whole resolution is still in existence’.
The 2022 Lambeth Conference demonstrated the deep divisions in the Anglican Communion as many bishops chose not to attend and some of those who did withdrew from sharing at the Lord’s table.
The Failure of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Other Instruments of Communion
We have no confidence that the Archbishop of Canterbury nor the other Instruments of Communion led by him (the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates’ Meetings) are able to provide a godly way forward that will be acceptable to those who are committed to the truthfulness, clarity, sufficiency and authority of Scripture. The Instruments of Communion have failed to maintain true communion based on the Word of God and shared faith in Christ.
All four Instruments propose that the way ahead for the Anglican Communion is to learn to walk together in ‘good disagreement’. However we reject the claim that two contradictory positions can both be valid in matters affecting salvation. We cannot ‘walk together’ in good disagreement with those who have deliberately chosen to walk away from the ‘faith once for all delivered to the saints’ (Jude 3). The people of God ’walk in his ways’, ‘walk in the truth’, and ‘walk in the light’, all of which require that we do not walk in Christian fellowship with those in darkness (Deuteronomy 8:6; 2 John 4; 1 John 1:7).
Successive Archbishops of Canterbury have failed to guard the faith by inviting bishops to Lambeth who have embraced or promoted practices contrary to Scripture. This failure of church discipline has been compounded by the current Archbishop of Canterbury who has himself welcomed the provision of liturgical resources to bless these practices contrary to Scripture. This renders his leadership role in the Anglican Communion entirely indefensible.
Call for Repentance
Repentance defines and shapes the Christian life and the life of the church. Each day at the Conference, in response to God’s Word in Colossians, we were led in a time of repentance.
Recognising our own sins, and in humility as forgiven sinners, we pray that those who have denied the orthodox Christian faith in word or deed would repent and return to the Lord (Jerusalem Declaration #13).
Since those who teach will be judged more strictly (James 3:1), we call upon those provinces, dioceses and leaders who have departed from biblical orthodoxy to repent of their failure to uphold the Bible’s teaching. This includes matters such as human sexuality and marriage, the uniqueness and divinity of Christ, his bodily resurrection, his promised return, the summons to faith and repentance and the final judgment.
We long for this repentance but until they repent, our communion with them remains broken.
We consider that those who refuse to repent have abdicated their right to leadership within the Anglican Communion, and we commit ourselves to working with orthodox Primates and other leaders to reset the Communion on its biblical foundations.
Support for Faithful Anglicans
Since the inception of Gafcon, it has been necessary for the Gafcon Primates to recognise new orthodox jurisdictions for faithful Anglicans, such as the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), the Anglican Church in Brazil, the Anglican Network in Europe (ANiE), the Church of Confessing Anglicans Aotearoa New Zealand, and the Diocese of the Southern Cross. We encourage the Gafcon Primates to continue to provide such safe harbour for faithful Anglicans.
In view of the current crisis, we reiterate our support for those who are unable to remain in the Church of England because of the failure of its leadership. We rejoice in the growth of the ANiE and other Gafcon-aligned networks.
We also continue to stand with and pray for those faithful Anglicans who remain within the Church of England. We support their efforts to uphold biblical orthodoxy and to resist breaches of Resolution I.10.
Appropriate Pastoral Care
Aware of our own sin and frailty, we commit ourselves to providing appropriate pastoral care to all people in our churches. This is all the more necessary in the current context of sexual and gender confusion, made worse by its deliberate and systematic promotion across the world.
Appropriate pastoral care affirms faithfulness in marriage and abstinence in singleness. It is not appropriate pastoral care to mislead people, by pretending that God blesses sexually active relationships between two people of the same sex. This is unloving as it leads them into error and places a stumbling block in the way of their inheriting the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
We affirm that every person is loved by God and we are determined to love as God loves. As Resolution I.10 affirms, we oppose the vilification or demeaning of any person including those who do not follow God’s ways, since all human beings are created in God’s image.
We are thankful to God for all those who seek to live a life of faithfulness to God’s Word in the face of all forms of sexual temptation.
We pledge ourselves afresh to support and care for one another in a loving and pastorally sensitive way as members of Christ’s body, building one another up in the Word and in the Spirit, and encouraging each other to experience God’s transforming power as we walk by faith in the path of repentance and obedience that leads to fullness of life.
Resetting the Communion
We were delighted to be joined in Kigali by leaders of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) and to host a combined Gafcon-GSFA Primates meeting. Together, these Primates represent the overwhelming majority (estimated at 85%) of Anglicans worldwide.
The leadership of both groups affirmed and celebrated their complementary roles in the Anglican Communion. Gafcon is a movement focused on evangelism and mission, church planting and providing support and a home for faithful Anglicans who are pressured by or alienated from revisionist dioceses and provinces. GSFA, on the other hand, is focused on establishing doctrinally based structures within the Communion.
We rejoice in the united commitment of both groups on three fundamentals: the lordship of Jesus Christ; the authority and clarity of the Word of God; and the priority of the church’s mission to the world. We acknowledge their agreement that ‘communion’ between churches and Christians must be based on doctrine (Jerusalem Declaration #13; GSFA Covenant 2.1.6). Anglican identity is defined by this and not by recognition from the See of Canterbury.
Both GSFA and Gafcon Primates share the view that, due to the departures from orthodoxy articulated above, they can no longer recognise the Archbishop of Canterbury as an Instrument of Communion, the ‘first among equals’ of the Primates. The Church of England has chosen to impair her relationship with the orthodox provinces in the Communion.
We welcome the GSFA’s Ash Wednesday Statement of 20 February 2023, calling for a resetting and reordering of the Communion. We applaud the invitation of the GSFA Primates to collaborate with Gafcon and other orthodox Anglican groupings to work out the shape and nature of our common life together and how we are to maintain the priority of proclaiming the gospel and making disciples of all nations.
Resetting the Communion is an urgent matter. It needs an adequate and robust foundation that addresses the legal and constitutional complexities in various Provinces. The goal is that orthodox Anglicans worldwide will have a clear identity, a global ‘spiritual home’ of which they can be proud, and a strong leadership structure that gives them stability and direction as Global Anglicans. We therefore commit to pray that God will guide this process of resetting, and that Gafcon and GSFA will keep in step with the Spirit.
Our Future Together
As we considered the future of our movement we welcomed the following seven priorities articulated by the General Secretary and endorsed by the Gafcon Primates.
We will engage in a decade of discipleship, evangelism and mission (2023-2033).
We will devote ourselves to raising up the next generation of leaders in Gafcon through Bible-based theological education that will equip them to be Christ-centred and servant-hearted.
We will prioritise youth and children’s ministry that instructs them in the Word of the Lord, disciples them to maturity in Christ and equips them for a lifetime of Christian service.
We will affirm and encourage the vital and diverse ministries, including leadership roles, of Gafcon women in family, church and society, both as individuals and as groups.
We will demonstrate the compassion of Christ through the many Gafcon mercy ministries.
We will resource and support bishops’ training that produces faithful, courageous, servant leaders.
We will build the bonds of fellowship and mutual edification through interprovincial visits of our Primates.
Arising from our conference we encouraged the Primates Council also to prioritise discipleship for boys and men.
In order to pursue these priorities and to grow the work of the Gafcon movement, we endorsed the establishment of a foundation endowment. We also encouraged the Gafcon provinces to become financially self-sufficient, not only to advance mission but also to avoid being vulnerable to economic manipulation.
Most importantly of all, we commit ourselves afresh to the gospel mission of proclaiming the crucified, risen and ascended Christ, calling on all to acknowledge him as Lord in repentance and faith, and living out a joyful, faithful obedience to his Word in all areas of our lives. We will explore fresh ways to encourage each other, to pray for one another and to hold each other accountable in these things.
We commit ourselves into the hands of our almighty and loving heavenly Father with confidence that he will fulfil all his promises and, even through a time of pruning, Christ will build his church.
‘To whom shall we go?’
We go to Christ who alone has the words of eternal life (John 6:68)
and then we go with Christ to the whole world. Amen
Kigali, Rwanda 21 April 2023
***************************************************************
GAFCON stands for
- Global
- Anglican
- Future
- CONference
GAFCON is Global: It brings together Bishops and other church leaders from all over the world, with especially strong representation from Africa, Asia, and South America.
GAFCON is Anglican: It is committed to the historic doctrine and practice of Anglicanism, including the authority of the Holy Scriptures, the 39 Articles of Religion, and the Book of Common Prayer.
GAFCON is the Future: It is the future of the church, not only because it is missional and forward looking, but also because Anglicanism only has a future if it remains committed to the scriptures.
GAFCON is a CONference: It is a conference of leaders who gather every five years to guard the truth in Christ, to grow in discipleship to Christ, and to go proclaiming the gospel of Christ.
Psalm 1: The Fruitful Tree
1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.
Here we read of the contrast between the righteous and the wicked, the believing and the unbelieving, the sinner and the sinner saved by grace. We are instructed not to walk (live by), stand (honor) or sit (study) in the counsel of the wicked, sinners or scoffers. That is to say that our lives should not be guided by worldly philosophy (Colossians 2:8; 1 Corinthians 1:18 – 2:16), but rather we are to be immersed in the Word of God so it is at the forefront of our minds in all aspects of life, at all times (Colossians 3:16). God’s word in our hearts will keep us in fellowship with God (Psalm 119:11) and guide us to abide in Christ (John 15:5). Notice that being a tree firmly planted by Streams of Water is contrasted with unbelievers who are easily blown away by the winds of life because they have no firm root (v.4).
The Streams of Water is the Spirit of God who sustains us and yields fruit in its season and the leaves of the tree do not wither (v.3). Two things of note is that fruit is produced in season, but out of season we can stand firm by the power of the Spirit (2Timothy 1:7), being faithful and God will bring us through to the fruitful season. Second, we must note that the leaves do not wither which is an indicator of a healthy tree that is providing shade, oxygen.
Now let’s take a step back and look at the tree. The tree is made strong, healthy and fruitful by the word of God which is living and active to guide our convictions (Hebrews 4:12), and the word of God performs work in us (1Thessalonians 2:13). This work is done in us by the word of truth is our sanctification (John 17:17) which is the process of us being made holy. As we grow in the Word, we are no longer children tossed around by the winds of false beliefs (Ephesians 4:14), but we start to grow up to be mature believers who speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). In addition to the word of truth, we also have the Holy Spirit who is our helper (John 14:16) and the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17) who guides us in truth (John 16:13).
It is important to understand that the Holy Spirit is the one who produces fruit in the Christian (Galatians 5:22-25). The Christian on their own cannot produce any fruit (John 15:4), but fruit grows as we abide (remain faithful) in Christ (John 15:5). The abiding life is how we grow in holiness, and grow in Christ-likeness, our spiritual formation. Jesus said that by bearing much fruit, we prove that we are disciples (John 15:8) by abiding in His love (John 15:9-10). As we practice our faith and grow spiritually, fruit will be produced in our hearts. Fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control in restraint, and self-control in sexual purity. The fruit of the Spirit grows in us and forms the disposition of our heart, which is manifest in actions. So, for example, giving of your time or money may delight you, so you are proactive to contribute to needs as you encounter them, rather than obligation. Or you may exercise self-control in sexual purity. Though a man may desire to exercise this self-control to honor his Beloved, the fruit of the Spirit is in the practice of godliness.
So, as we observe the tree, here is something to consider as a Christian growing up to be a firmly rooted tree. In Mark 10:45, the Lord Jesus told us that He did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many. Jesus also told us that a tree is known by its fruit and a good tree produces good fruit (Matthew 12:33), which He elaborates on to tell us that the quality of fruit in a Christians life is a reflection of the posture of our hearts (Matthew 12:35). So, in understanding fruit and the source of fruit, this is what we need to know about the tree in Psalm 1:3. A good tree 1) provides fruit for the physical and spiritual nutrition of others. A good tree is 2) leafy providing shade for those that need to get out of the heat and rest. A good tree is 3) firmly rooted which means that it is strong to lean on for those that need comfort, and a firmly rooted tree 4) provides good counsel by the wisdom of God and not the counsel of the wicked, and lastly, the good tree is 5) genuine, as fruit must come from a fruit tree; if you want apples, you need to be an apple tree. Lastly, it is important to understand that the good tree is not selective, but rather a good tree provides fruit, shade, rest, stability and wisdom to whomever comes to it. This is important to understand because as Christians, we are called to bring the gospel to a dying world, to be the hands and feet of Jesus, to be vessels of mercy, ambassadors for Christ, salt & light, children of God, and redeemed. As we grow to be like Jesus by living the abiding life, we will find that our transformation as good fruit bearing trees will take root as our second nature, i.e. fruit grows from our being, not from our doing.
Prayer: Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of His Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart, through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Biblical Thinking, part 5: Our Eternal Identity in Christ!
“My Dear Wormwood, the real trouble about the set your patient is living in is that it is merely Christian. They all have individual interests, of course, but the bond remains mere Christianity. What we want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in a state of mind I call “Christianity And.” You know, Christianity and the Crisis, Christianity and Psychology, Christianity and the New Order, Christianity and Faith Healing, Christianity and Psychical Research…Substitute for the faith itself some Fashion with Christian coloring…. The use of Fashions in thought is to distract the attention of men from the real dangers…. The game is to have them running about with fire extinguishers whenever there is a flood…. Thus, we make it Fashionable to expose the dangers of enthusiasm at the very moment when they are really becoming worldly and lukewarm…. But the greatest triumph of all is to elevate this horror of the Same Old Thing into a philosophy so that non-sense in the intellect may reinforce corruption in the will.…” – Screwtape
The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis
In order to be consistent in Biblical Thinking and transformed in your person, we must solidify in our hearts and minds our identity. This is important, because it is through the lens of our true eternal identity that we can hold properly everything we encounter in perspective. A preacher once said that, “Christians today are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good!” I don’t know who said that, but that is incorrect (Colossians 3:2). The quote above from the Screwtape Letters demonstrates the devilish tactic that every Christian is susceptible to, and that is to compromise our true identity by setting aside the cause of Christ in exchange for a temporary cause in the name of Christ.
Where every Christian should seek to live a life of service to others, but in doing so, we must have discernment in holding every cause in perspective and seeking the eternal fruit in such encounters. We do this in two ways: 1) First, we are intentional to remember our identity in Christ in the cause; 2) Second, we ask will achieving this cause bring more people into the kingdom of God, bring more people saving faith, or propel the proclamation of the gospel? This is important because as salt and light in daily life, we seek to express the love of God in community. If we cannot do these two things, then there is a good chance that in our hearts, we have elevated the cause to the level of the gospel. For example, many Christian get wrapped around the axle on topics such as upholding traditional marriage, supporting politicians who identify as Christian, elevating civil religion to the status of Divine truth, and so on. The problem is that you can easily find church-goers who can quote chapter and verse the legislation on marriage, political platforms or the Constitution of the United States, but would be lost if asked to quote scripture on marriage, divine sovereignty over government, or liberty according to the Bible. So, we need to be mindful of seeking to cultivate eternal fruit in the endeavors we engage in, while seeing each endeavor through the lens of eternity.
Our Identity in Christ is the central truth of our existence, and therefore should drive all of our thinking to be biblically centric on a consistent, ongoing basis. Simply stated, every temporal endeavor, every temporal task, and every temporal idea, should be thought of, described and pursued within the framework of our eternal identity, so that we do not surrender ground in our identity in Christ by becoming heavily invested in things with no eternal value. This is not just doing ministry, charity or volunteer work, but also applies to our employment, our education, the marketplace, and any encounter that we engage. One verse that can be helpful is 1-Corinthians 10:31 which instructs us to do all things to glory of God. The practical application of this verse is to simply ask yourself in the moment if this activity, action or conversation is glorifying to God. When we invite God into those moments, we can be more sensitive to His Presence and be more likely to produce the eternal fruit that brings glory to God (John 15:5-8). Now it is important to understand that this is not to be drudgery, but rather the mindfulness in daily life to do your best and invite God in. It is important that we are aware that we glorify God in many things because we are His children. When we do our job well at work which is serving your corporate community, when we take notes for someone who missed class, shovel snow for our neighbors, compliment someone on their weight loss, a new dress or hairstyle, or even giving someone a glass of water (Matthew 10:42). These are all ways of loving God by loving people in a tangible way. To develop this mindset and awareness of being intentional to bring glory to God begins to deepen our faith, reinforce our identity, and practice the presence of God. From this place, we strengthen our identity in Christ in daily life.
As God has expressed love in many ways throughout creation, so do we express love in many ways, whether it is the guiding love for our children, enduring love for our friends, prayerful love for our enemies, charitable love for the stranger in distress, the romantic love when you get to marry your Beloved, or the deep affections of sacrificial love shown over many years for your wife, these are all ways in which we love because He first loved us. We are commanded to love one another (John 13:34) as a testimony of our discipleship (John 13:35); we are told that the greatest love is to lay down our lives for our friends (John 15:13); our love for each other in the church is a testimony of the incarnation of Christ (John 17:21, 23); we should love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31); and we must love our wives sacrificially as Christ loved the church by dying for her (Ephesians 5:25). As believers, we are conduits of love expressed in many ways across many relationships.
I recently heard a fun fact on the radio, in which a preacher had stated that in heaven, our new glorified bodies will be constructed very much like they are now which means we will have the ability to give hugs in heaven and will get to enjoy that for all eternity. This was something I had not considered, but as I imagined what that would be like, I found it inviting, to engage our loved ones in a perfect state, without our sin nature, sounds so exciting!
Understanding our identity is central to our life of faith and allows us to maintain spiritual stability. To have spiritual
stability enables us to stand firm against the storms of life, knowing that our root is firm in Christ and there is no circumstance, no situation, no false accusation, no trial that can uproot us from the Vine (John 15:1-5; Romans 8:31-39). Life may leave us bruised at times, but our identity transcends this life and because God has set eternity in our hearts, we can grow to spiritual maturity and experience that taste of eternity that allows us to face every circumstance with a quiet confidence that God is in control. The longer we walk with God, the more we see how big He is and how far His Hand of Providence extends way beyond the limits of our minds. We may try to contain God to what we can understand and to what we are comfortable with, but God will not be contained, and the more we learn to surrender, the more we will see His hand working in our lives. As followers of Jesus Christ, we have been made complete (Colossians 2:10) and by His divine power, we have received everything that we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
Prayer: Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of His Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart, through Christ our Lord. Amen!
2023 Bible Reading Plan
Below is a reading plan to learn and absorb whole chapters of scripture this year. The goal is build on memory verse learning to internalizing whole passages. In addition, each passage is selected for its core teaching for the Christian disciple.
This is designed to be for personal Bible Study and is not intended to take away from devotional time with God. Though this plan is intended to provide a focus in learning key passages, it is in no way comprehensive. The hardest part of developing this plan was to determine what not to include, which included who is the intended audience. After much consideration, it has been determined that the audience is Christians of any maturity level. The rationalization is two fold: 1) the Word of God is eternal (Isaiah 40:8) and contains layers of meaning that are understood as different versions of us unfold throughout our faith journey. 2) Similarly, since the Word of God never returns without accomplishing what God intended (Isaiah 55:11), it is prudent to engage in order to build on what previous versions of you have learned in order that the current version of you. This allows us to see scripture in light of expanded life experience and greater understanding in our intellect, the result will allow us to love God and love people in a more complete way, which is the goal of the Christian life.
This reading plan can be completed in parallel with other reading plans as the intention here is personal Bible study.
| Month | Passage | Psalm | Theme | Memory Verses |
| January | 1John 1 – 5 | 1 | Christian Living | Psalm 86:11 |
| Galatians 5 | Fruitful Life | |||
| February | Genesis 1 | 104 | Creation by God | Romans 1:20 |
| Genesis 2 | Creation of Family | Ephesians 5:31 | ||
| March | John 1 | 2 | Messiah | Philippians 2:5-11 |
| John 17 | Prayer of Jesus | |||
| April | 1 Corinthians 15 | 16 | Resurrection | Acts 2:23-24; 32 |
| Acts 17:30-31 | ||||
| May | Romans 3, 4, 5 | 30 | Sin and Salvation | Romans 3:23-26 |
| Ephesians 2 | Grace | Titus 3:4-7 | ||
| June | Romans 8 | 37 | Christian Identity | John 10:27-30 |
| Colossians 3 | Christian Identity | 1Corinthians 9:14 | ||
| July | Hebrews 11 | 91 | Living by Faith | John 29:20 |
| 1Corinthians 1 and 2 | Biblical Thinking | Isaiah 55:8-9 | ||
| August | Romans 12 | 26 | Discipleship | Mark 10:45 |
| Proverbs 3 | Seek Wisdom | 1Thessalonians 3:12-13 | ||
| September | Matthew 5, 6, 7 | 119 | Sermon on the Mount | James 3:8 |
| Luke 18 | Prayer | 1Timothy 1:5 | ||
| October | John 15 | 127 | The Abiding Life | Jeremiah 22:16 |
| Matthew 13 | Faith | Isaiah 58:7-8 | ||
| November | Deuteronomy 8 | 78 | Surrender | 2Corinthians 13:4-5 |
| Hebrews 13:15 | ||||
| December | Luke 1 and 2 | 131 | Advent | Matthew 1:21 |
| Matthew 1 | Advent | Luke 2:14 |
“I love you with an Everlasting Love!”
Within the body of Christendom, there are some areas that we continue to debate, and often we have friendly disagreements within the bonds of Christ! However, for those believers that wrestle with such topics, there is one topic that we agree is incomprehensible. The Love of God as described in the Bible is a doctrine that we continue to try to get our finite minds around. So, let’s begin with the understanding that the vastness and depths of the love of our Infinite God will always be more than we can comprehend. Now, though the love of God is infinite, there are some things that we can know in our mind and heart in the application of the love of God in our lives and in our spiritual formation of Christ formed in us.
In Jeremiah 31:3, we see the emphatic statement from God, “I have love you with an everlasting love.” This is a powerful statement to unpack. The Hebrew word for “Everlasting” used here has many meanings including all past time, all future time, eternity past and eternity future, from ancient times, the time before time, unmeasurable duration, and lasting forever, just to name a few. This is a strong word given to us by God so that we can know divine, infinite reality of the Love God has for you and me. Now, let’s look at the Hebrew word for “Love” used in this verse. Much like the way love is used in modern English, this word is all encompassing. It can mean to love, to like, amiable, to desire, endearing, flirting, to breathe, to delight, the pleasure of love, affection, to be a lover, and to be lovable. This love covers all the dynamics of love in human understanding. For example, the euphoric joy of meeting your dream girl and suddenly after many years, your story makes sense, perhaps it is the birth of a child and your love reaches deeper than you ever imagined, the affection for a friend who understands you, the admiration for a parent who sacrifices many things for your well-being, or the intimate, one-flesh love of husband and wife in sexual affection, the relationship that God chose to illustrate His love for His church (Bride of Christ). Love is the path by which God is seeking to make us perfect and holy (1John 4:18) and we experience love in many ways throughout our lives, all of which come from God (1John 4:19).
“I have loved you with an everlasting love. That is why I have continued to be faithful to you!” – Jeremiah 31:3 NETb
When we put together “everlasting” and “love”, we have a profound, hard to imagine loving affection of God for us. What is fascinating about this statement is that the Hebrew word in English acts both as an adjective and an adverb. Okay, so why is that fascinating? I am glad you asked. This is fascinating because the everlasting love of God spans all of time, all world history (adjective) and it also spans eternity as a constant without ever changing (adverb). That means that God’s love for us is constant, unchanging, unwavering, unlimited, and unconditional. Not only that, but this same love shared by God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit has been given to us. In the profound prayer of Jesus in John 17, Jesus prays that those who know Him (John 17:3) would receive this love (John 17:24-25). The depths of this blessing take some time to process, so it would be to the advantage of every Christian to read, contemplate, ponder, and pray through John 17 for a month or a year, because Jesus offered up this prayer filled with rich blessing for every child of God.
The doctrine of the love of God is of significant importance because it is central to our eternal identity and in becoming our true person. What does that mean? Glad you asked! It means that God has called us to be His child, to be holy, to live in eternal communion with Him, and enjoy Him forever. This message of the love of God is central to the gospel (John 3:16). Jesus told us that He came that we would have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10b), and this life is a gift we receive by faith by the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord Jesus (Romans 5:8-11). When sin entered the world in Genesis 3 and spread across humanity, it brought death, (Romans 5:12-14), the sin nature that plagues us all, but the love of God expressed in the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us so that we can be saved (Romans 5:15-21). One of the greatest characteristics of the love of God is reconciliation and we are children of the God of reconciliation, a central characteristic of the work of Jesus (Romans 5:9; Colossians 1:20) and central to the life of a Christian (Romans 12:18; 2Corinthians 5:18; Colossians 1:22). The reconciliation of God is necessary because we cannot do it on our own. Our sin nature separates us from God, so God, in His love for us, made a way for us to have life with Him. It is because of our sin that we struggle to understand the love of God, but in one of his famous sermons on the Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning issues us a challenge that we must take seriously, a dare to trust, a dare to be vulnerable, a dare to be loved, “just as we are, not as we should be, because none of us are as we should be!” The short clip below is a powerful declaration to start living into the abundant life that God has given us.
I HAVE A WORD FOR YOU. I KNOW YOUR WHOLE LIFE STORY. I KNOW EVERY SKELETON IN YOUR CLOSET. I KNOW EVERY MOMENT OF SIN AND SHAME, DISHONESTY AND DEGRADED LOVE THAT HAS DARKENED YOUR PAST. RIGHT NOW, I KNOW YOUR SHALLOW FAITH, YOUR FEEBLE PRAYER LIFE, YOUR INCONSISTENT DISCIPLESHIP, AND MY WORD TO YOU IS THIS: “I DARE YOU TO TRUST THAT I LOVE YOU, JUST AS YOU ARE, NOT AS YOU SHOULD BE, BECAUSE NONE OF US ARE AS WE SHOULD BE!” – BRENNAN MANNING
Lastly, though we struggle, though we sin, though we doubt ourselves, though we focus on our flaws, though we are our own worst critics (Romans 7:14-25), we can rest in the love of God (Romans 8:1-39). One day we will step into His Kingdom with new bodies, new minds, free of sin, free of guilt and shame, filled with grace and glory, and in our glorified state, we will enjoy eternal communion and friendship with God and the family of God. Until then, be encouraged with these words:
- God Imagined you
- God Designed you
- God Created you
- God Chose you
- God Called you
- God Redeemed you
- God Sanctified you
- God Sealed you with a promise
- God Glorified you which we will realize in Eternity
- God Created Others who Give Thanks for You!
- And GOD did it all because He has Loved you & me with an Everlasting Love!
Prayer: Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of His Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart, through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Remembering my Dad and Things He Taught me!
Happy Birthday to my Dad Peter! Remembering him today and revisiting my thoughts from that day: I can’t believe it’s been over 8 years since you departed! No doubt there will come a day when I will see you again and we can embrace, and laugh, and you will introduce me around the Kingdom. I just wish you were here today! I love you Dad and I miss you so much! 
**************************************************
Today is Saturday, October 25, 2014 and we laid my dad to rest today. It is finally the end of a two week period of planning services, notifying people, and taking care of all the legal affairs, but for me, it’s also been a time of taking inventory of my dad’s impact on my life. As time goes by, I suspect that more things will come into focus as I reflect on his life and mine.
It was a bright sunny day, so I drove out to the beach after the days events. As I sat listening to the waves and watching the sun set, all I could think about is that my dad would not be a part of anything else that I did. As I thought of the things I hope to do and achieve, the sobering reality is that he won’t be there to enjoy those things. Starting with his birthday a little over two weeks from now, then Thanksgiving, Christmas and so on, things will be different. Thinking about things to come and things we shared, I came to realize how much I had learned from my dad. I could write quite a bit, but for now I just want to share a little bit of what I learned from him over the years.
When I got older, my dad would make comments from time to time saying “I wasn’t the best dad, but at least you can see what I did wrong and know what not to do.” Sometimes he would qualify it by saying “I didn’t have a dad, so I wasn’t always sure what to do.” The truth is that he did a lot of things right and I have asked the Lord to let him know that. I did not do a good job of letting him know when he did good and tended to be short with him in the last couple of years, something very foolish on my part. I’ve learned to express myself better, but growing up I tended to keep stuff inside, not sure why. When I think about the things that matter, the values he lived and shared, he did it right. As part of his legacy, I hope to live out these values and wanted to share a few here:
Be Real – my dad was genuine and you never had to worry about what he was thinking because he would tell you. He wore his heart on his sleeve and wasn’t shy about sharing his feelings without fear of what other might think. My dad was openly affectionate towards my mom who really did not like public displays of affection. It was a dynamic that worked and he had fun with it. I watched as he was always building her up and never missed a chance to compliment her. As I look back now, I see what a great example that was, I mean they were married with three kids, no one was going anywhere, but he made it a priority to make sure she felt special. He did that with us also, acknowledging every achievement no matter how small.
Be Hopeful – My dad believed in good things, even when it seemed impossible, he was optimistic and hopeful that things would workout. Sometimes he would say “Hey, if God can convince your mom to be with me, then anything is possible.” I had not heard him say that in many years, but I always remembered it. There was a time when this simple, childlike faith was always present. I think it was this hope that influenced me in many of the choices I made.
Be Kind – my dad was very caring to anyone he encountered, he just wanted to help. He seemed to take a genuine interest in other peoples problems. I can think of a lot of examples…it might be pulling over on the side of the road to help someone push their car, talking to folks in the ER waiting room, coming up with money for other kids to go on a field trip or buy their uniforms for the season, giving food to the homeless, etc. My dad would say things like “someday we’ll need someone to help us push our car” or things to that affect. I think this impacted me deeply as I always try and put myself in the other person’s shoes and it always helps me be less annoyed or inconvenienced, and be more helpful.
Be Faithful – My dad loved my mom for well over 50 years, from the time he was 15 years old to the day he died. The idea of engaging another woman was never considered, even after they divorced, he maintained hope that she would return. I am sure he struggled with lust of the eyes or stray thoughts like we all do, but it was something that I was never aware of, he only talked about my mom. He was not shy in talking about the importance of marriage and faithfulness and that did have a huge impact on me as well.
Be Proud – My dad was very proud of everything that he was involved with. If he was in it, it was the best thing going, whether that was his baseball teams, his job, or his family. He was very proud of his kids and never missed a chance to tell someone about something that we did. Not proud in an arrogant or condescending way, but more like a cheerleader and just happy to be involved. This is something that I picked up as well. If I get involved in something, I am all in, no soft peddling.
Laughter – my dad was good at making people laugh and he always had a way of looking at a situation and finding the humor. Whether it was a commentary on common sense, public policy, or just something silly like a play on words or a double meaning. He was also good at antics. I recall one time we were at the park and he was retrieving a ball for us, but as he bent over to pick it up, he would “accidently” kick the ball just out of his reach. I don’t remember how long that went on for, I just remember we laughed hysterically as he kicked the ball all over the field. There are many other stories that involve water balloons, silly string, fire crackers and of course, food. My dad enjoyed the gift of laughter and shared it with everyone and that is one of the things that I will miss the most.
So that was my dad. If you ever met him, he would have made you laugh and you would never forget him.
****************************************************************************************
Happy Birthday Dad! The Lord has comforted me and assured me you are in His presence! I trust there is much laughter there and I will one day be there with you, and can’t wait to hear the laughter that echoes through Eternity! I love you!
Psalm 139, part 5: The Personal Love of God
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.
17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.
This is an incredible passage to help us understand the love of God. Beginning in verse 13 we see the Psalmist acknowledging that God formed his inward parts, which can be translated created. More specifically, the second line in verse 13 tells us that God “wove” me in my mother’s womb. This word wove means knit together and it is an excellent word to understand the great care with which God created the human race. When we consider what it means to knit, there is a skillset that requires precision, coordination, vision, and steadfastness as what is being knit together often requires the consideration of size, tension in the thread or yarn, design, and the coordination of colors to product an embedded design within what is being crafted. It is also noteworthy that in the field of psychiatry, doctors recognize that knitting can be helpful for patients as an ideal craft to engage in, because it requires so many parts of the brain working in concert to produce the desired end result. So, in these human terms, caste that picture back into the great care in which God created us humans. We are made up of ten systems, skeletal, muscular, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and the reproductive system. These are complex systems and often require other systems to be operational in order to work properly, contingent dependencies that require outside intelligence in order to exist. The interfacing of systems within the human body is an example of irreducible complexity, meaning that God crafted these systems to work together and their codependence demonstrates the need for a Creator.
In verse 14, we see the humility of Psalmist proclaiming being fearfully and wonderfully made. This statement is a praise as well as a recognition of our creatureliness, which includes the recognition of our soul, or body-soul dualism. This recognition is carried over to verse 15 where we read that our frame or skeletal system was formed by the Lord, then we move back to the craft of knitting. To be skillfully wrought can be translated as one who does weaving or embroidering with colored thread. It carries the idea that the Master Weaver is using colored thread to adorn or make a vibrant, lovely design.
In verse 16, we see God as sovereign over our lives, appointing our days and the destiny of our human existence. Here we have a recognition of vulnerability as the creature, yet when woven from verse 14 and 15, we receive the sense that the colored thread by which we are adorned also crafts our life. We see this vulnerability in the prayer of Hezekiah (Isaiah 38:10-20) in which he pleads that he not be deprived the rest of his years, a desperate plea in contrast to Psalm 139, but the same recognition that we are not in control, but we have a loving God who is in control. The good news is the precious thoughts of God towards us. This is a proclamation of how deeply, richly and weighty is the love of God towards us. The loving thoughts of God towards us would outnumber the sands, they are with us all day and stay with us through the night, and we do not have enough years to count all the ways in which God has love and affection for us. The word precious in verse 17 means one of the greatest rarity and the most highly esteemed. In consideration of the love of God in our finite state, if we can see past our sin, our flaws and within the limits of human thinking, we can still see that we that God first imagined us, then God carefully created us, God made us uniquely beautiful, God created us in His image, God planned a life for us, God gave us a unique ID in our fingerprints, and God made countless individual people to engage in community for love and support. On top of all of this, God has an eternal kingdom planned that will be more than we can ask or imagine.
Discipleship for Hearts and Minds 