Recklessness, Responsibility, and the Sovereignty of God

I ride a motorcycle, and if that were not already sufficiently high-risk, I ride a motorcycle as my daily use vehicle, not for recreation. Periodically I hear concerns about this, and I appreciate that people don’t want me to get hurt (or worse). But my answer is simple. I do not take unnecessary risks, I am not reckless, and since I believe God has ordained all things and works them for the ultimate (saving) good of his people (Rom. 8:28), I don’t worry about it.

We should not mistake foolishness for faith. Though we trust in God’s protection, this is no excuse for irresponsible behavior. “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Matt. 4:7; Deut. 6:16). Recklessness is not an act of faith; it is sinful presumption, daring God to guard us from the consequences of our stupidity, something he never promises to do.

At the same time, we can rest confidently in the overarching sovereignty and perfect decree of God “who works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:11). Acting in faith will often appear reckless to outsiders, as David (1Sam. 17), Daniel (Dan. 6:10), and Paul (Acts 21:10-14) would all agree. Recklessness is inexcusable, but risk is unavoidable. Each of us assumes a significant amount of risk when we get out of bed each morning. But we can trust the ultimate power, purpose, and providence of God. We should devote our energy each day to doing God’s will, not worrying about how to prolong our lives. It is appropriate to take reasonable precautions (which is why I always wear a helmet when I ride), but it is not appropriate to think that by our actions we will somehow change the will of God. If I die in a motorcycle accident, so be it. Unless the Lord returns first, all of us will die somehow, sometime. -JME

Seeing Our Sinfulness

I do not claim to have perfect knowledge of my own heart (1Cor. 4:4), but what I do know frustrates me greatly. My family knows how easily discouraged I often am, how quickly I become impatient when under stress, and how much pride resides in me. I spend most of my waking hours every week working in the text of Scripture, but the more I learn and the more I teach, the more convinced I am of how far short of God’s standard I truly fall. It gets easier every week to confess with the congregation, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost!” As frustrating as this experience is for me, I am convinced it is the way it ought to be. True growth in grace should be paralleled by an increasing awareness of our need for that grace, a growing sense of our own inadequacy and a greater resting in the righteousness of Christ.

Growth in Christ should make us more humble, not arrogant. The more arrogant we are, the more we reveal how little we truly know, both of God’s holy standard and of ourselves. A child who first learns to play Chopsticks on the piano may think much of his or her ability, but an accomplished pianist winces at timing errors an untrained ear could not even detect. This is the function of the law and of a growing understanding of it. The increase of law means an increase in human sinfulness (Rom. 5:20), and increased awareness of the divine law means increased awareness of our failure to measure up to it (cf. Psa. 19:11-14).

This becomes a helpful test of whether we are actually growing in grace or simply increasing our theological knowledge. Is study and religious devotion making me more humble or haughty? Am I filled with an increasingly awareness of my own lingering sinfulness or by awe at my holiness and spirituality? “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1Cor. 8:1-3), and what matters is the true knowledge of God that refers to knowing and being known by Him and walking together in love. This is the knowledge that will matter in eternity, not how many Bible or theology questions one can answer eloquently, but whether one knows God and is known by Him. We do not want to dismiss the importance (nay, necessity) of a sufficient doctrinal knowledge for saving faith, but neither do we want to equate knowing religious facts with knowing God. True growth in grace involves seeing our sinfulness more clearly and seeing the Savior as most precious of all. –JME

He Was Born to Die.. and Rise... and Reign

It is easy to get distracted at this time of year. There are plans and parties, garland and gifts, family and friends, all of which occupy our time and attention. Even those determined to “Keep Christ in Christmas” can easily find themselves swept up in the materialism of the age or the busyness of the season. If we attempt to re-focus our hearts on Christ’s Incarnation, the redemptive-historical event being celebrated, we may be distracted in another way. The baby Jesus transfixes us. We imagine the sweetness of the scene—a rather unhistorical perspective on events that were bloody, frightening, and occurred in close proximity to animals. We may think of Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and angels, the wise men and their gifts, or the few stories we have in Matthew and Luke of Christ’s childhood. But in our reflections, as appropriate as they may be, we are in danger of forgetting the real point of the Incarnation.

Jesus was born in order to die. The Incarnation was necessary because Man was appointed to death because of sin and only God could pay the appointed penalty. Jesus was not born in Bethlehem so that we could have a winter holiday and erect trees inside our homes. He was born so “that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Heb. 2:14-15). He was born to save us from our sins, to save us from wrath and Hell. He was born to die, and rise, and reign over all His enemies (cf. John 12:23-28; 18:37).

It is not wrong for us to celebrate the birth of Jesus or the historical event of the Incarnation. But we must be diligent to keep it in its biblical and theological context. The birth of Christ is not an isolated event in the pages of Scripture; it is the antepenultimate event in God’s redemptive plan. The Incarnation is preceded by centuries of preparation. “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:4-5). This is the context within which we must see the birth of Christ. This is the larger perspective we need to properly celebrate Christmas. We must see it in light of God’s sovereignty and our need of redemption. The climatic moment of the Incarnation is not the manger; it is the cross and tomb.–JME

The End of an Era, the Dawn of a New Day

Next Sunday, December 13, 2015, is the last Lord’s Day our congregation will be meeting on this campus. Community Christian Church moved onto this property on November 18, 1973. The church began meeting in Building A (our current worship center) in January 1977. Community Christian Church met and ministered here a long time. But much has changed. The vast majority of those worshipping with us today were not part of the church two years ago. In the last 27 months our congregation has gone through extraordinary transition, including significant changes in our doctrinal and ministerial focus, strategy, and leadership. We experienced great division; many long-time and part-time members left, while many new believers have come and made this church their home. Our new name is quite fitting since we truly have gone through a period of reformation catalyzed by the teaching of the Bible.

It is appropriate for there to be mixed feelings about leaving this campus. There always are in situations like this. We are excited about the future but somewhat anxious. None of us had any idea what God had in store for us two years ago, and none of us know for sure what lies ahead. This church has seen good times and bad times in forty-two years on this property. Long-time members will take away good memories, and all of us should look forward to the open doors for ministry that lie ahead.

Transitions are always a little scary. Even Israel second-guessed the exodus and wished they were still slaves in Egypt. How silly we are as human beings, preferring the misery of the familiar for the blessing of the future. It is okay to be a little scared or uncertain about what lies ahead. But let’s not allow the Adversary to rob us of our joy and convince us the best years are behind us. That is never the case for a Christian.

This is a time to be thankful. We should be thankful for past blessings. We should be thankful for God’s faithfulness in the last two years. We should be thankful for the provision He has made for our future, not only temporally as a congregation on earth, but eternally as part of the Body of Christ. There may be some tears; there may be some heaviness in our hearts, but there should also be hope as we look ahead. All things in this life change, but we trust One who never changes. He holds our future in His hands. –JME

We Preach Exclamation Points, Not Question Marks

One of my heroes growing up in the Churches of Christ was a gentle, godly man who was known for saying, “We preach exclamation points, not question marks.” Now there is a sense in which we ought to be more than a little skeptical of this statement. We ought to be sensitive to the fact that while Scripture is sufficient in matters of life and godliness (2Tim. 3:16-17; 2Pet. 1:3-4), there are many areas where we must exercise judgment and caution (e.g. Rom. 14). It is not virtuous to be dogmatic when we ought to be reserved. Speaking more loudly does not make what one says more true.

Having made that qualification, there is much to commend in the original statement. Far too many preachers and pastors have exercised a teaching ministry of thinking out loud when they should have been proclaiming “Thus says the Lord.” It may be easier and less controversial to speculate, rarely taking a side, to simply facilitate conversation, but it is not the task to which ministers of the Word are called (cf. Acts 20:28-32; 1Cor. 1:22-29; Eph. 4:11-16; 2Tim. 4:1-5). It is not speculation that will call men out of darkness and into God’s marvelous light; the gospel is the Spirit’s instrument for doing so (Rom. 10:17; 1Pet. 2:9).

There are times for a preacher, pastor, or teacher to be cautious, charitable, and to give others the benefit of the doubt. But there are times to name names, denounce false doctrine, and identify soul-damning error for what it is (e.g. Matt. 23; Gal. 2:2-6; 5:12; 1Tim. 1:5-11, 19-20). We need wisdom to distinguish exclamation points from legitimate question marks, and we need to spend the greater part of our time and energy proclaiming the former rather than the latter. Unfortunately it often seems as though some Christians are more willing to divide over tertiary issues than to rightly draw lines over primary issues. It is just as wrong to be dogmatic about matters of judgment as it is to refuse to draw lines where Scripture is emphatic and clear.

A faithful teacher of the Word will raise thoughtful questions and help hearers to think more carefully through issues of Scripture and theology. But merely raising questions is not the teacher’s ultimate role. We are called to proclaim truth, not question it. May God grant us the wisdom and courage to do so faithfully and effectively. –JME

Living in a Foreign City

"You know that you who are the servants of God dwell in a strange land; for your city is far away from this one…. Have a care, therefore: as one living in a foreign land…. Have a care, then, ye who serve the Lord, and have Him in your heart, that ye work the works of God, remembering His commands and promises which He promised, and believe that He will bring them to pass if His commandments be observed. Instead of lands, therefore, buy afflicted souls, according as each one is able, and visit widows and orphans, and do not overlook them; and spend your wealth and all your preparations, which ye received from the Lord, upon such lands and houses. For to this end did the Master make you rich, that you might perform these services unto Him; and it is much better to purchase such lands, and possessions, and houses, as you will find in your own city, when you come to reside in it." 

–The Shepherd of Hermas 50.1, 6-10 (mid-2^nd century)

I have traveled to foreign countries for missions work twice, once to Eastern Europe and once to Central America. There was never a moment during either trip when I forgot that I was not at home. The entire time I knew I was a stranger in a strange land. The language, customs, and culture that surrounded me were very different than my own. This does not mean they were wrong or bad. I enjoyed eating the local food, meeting the people, and, in the case of the first trip, studying the language. But it was still foreign to me. I was an outsider, and I knew I would soon be leaving and returning to my own people and land.

The NT uses similar ideas to describe our place in this world. Peter refers to Christians as “elect exiles” and implores them “as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh” (1Pet. 1:1; 2:11). Paul reminds his readers they ought to “deal with this world as though they had no dealings with it” because it is passing away (1Cor. 7:31).

We can and should enjoy the wholesome things of this world as gifts of a good and loving God (Ecc. 3:11-13). We are not to separate from the world; we are to be salt and light within it (Matt. 5:13-16). But we must bear in mind “This world is not my home; I’m just a passin’ through. My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue.” This world is not our home, and we must beware becoming too comfortable in it. Enjoy life, and use what God provides for His glory. But know who you are, where you belong, and where you are going. –JME

Antithesis amid Commonality

For Christians are not distinguished from the rest of mankind either in locality or in speech or in customs. For they dwell not somewhere in cities of their own, neither do they use some different language, nor practise an extraordinary kind of life. Nor again do they possess any invention discovered by any intelligence or study of ingenious men, nor are they masters of any human dogma as some are. But while they dwell in cities of Greeks and barbarians as the lot of each is cast, and follow the native customs in dress and food and the other arrangements of life, yet the constitution of their own citizenship, which they set forth, is marvellous, and confessedly contradicts expectation. They dwell in their own countries, but only as sojourners; they bear their share in all things as citizens, and they endure all hardships as strangers. Every foreign country is a fatherland to them, and every fatherland is foreign. They marry like all other men and they beget children; but they do not cast away their offspring. They have their meals in common, but not their wives. They find themselves in the flesh, and yet they live not after the flesh. Their existence is on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven.

-Epistle to Diognetus 5.1-9 (mid-2^nd century)

Antithesis and commonality are two words that describe a lot about our relationship as Christians to the world in which we live. We are in the world, but not of the world, at least, not in the truest sense. “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Php. 3:20). We are citizens of an earthly nation (Acts 22:26-28), but this is only temporary since one day the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of Christ (Rev. 11:15-19). One day “the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” and judged by God (2Pet. 3:10).

We stand in contrast to the world in which we live, yet we share much in common with it. What distinguishes us as Christians is our relation to God by grace through faith. Outwardly we appear ordinary. We marry and raise children. We go to school and have jobs. We buy houses, plant gardens, go on vacations, buy new clothes, attend movies, socialize with friends, watch sports, vote in elections, and live like most others in our society. But fundamentally there is a radical difference, because none of these things define us; Christ does. We are more than the sum of our activities. Our significance is the result of God’s love. –JME