In Essentials - Unity, In non-Essentials - Liberty, in All Things - Charity

In Essentials - Unity
In non-Essentials - Liberty
In all things - Charity

Attributed to Saint Augustine

What an important reminder for the life of the church today.

The devil loves it when the church doesn't know how to distinguish between essentials and non-essentials.

Essentials are worth dying over, let alone splitting over. Essentials - that Jesus is the only way to salvation, that the Bible is authoritative, that Jesus died for us and rose again from the grave - are worth dying for. We need unity in the essentials.

However, there are many areas in which people of good faith differ. These are best described as family squabbles. They may be about how we set the table, or how we celebrate holidays, etc. but these are internal disagreements. And they show up in the life of the church in disagreements of all sorts - worship style preferences, who is welcome to receive communion, infant baptism, role of women, how to tackle tough issues like pornography, addictions, drugs, and alcohol - do we address them head on or skirt around them - etc.

In these areas of non-essentials, the church must practice liberty. Because when the church fights to the death and splits over these issues, it totally undermines the ministry and the mission of the church of Jesus Christ in the world.

And when this happens, the devil has a field day with the impotence of the church.

Because what we are to demonstrate in all things is the spirit of Christ in how we handle disagreements. We are to demonstrate charity in all things.

More than ever, as the church finds herself at the crossroads in many different areas, we need to recover how to distinguish between essentials and non-essentials, and listen once again to one of the giants of the faith.

How About the Centrality of Jesus Christ?

The PC(USA) is great - great at making pronouncements about all kinds of stuff.

Anyone who has ever seen first hand the General Assembly at work, and in particular the Social Witness Committee and ACSWP (Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy), knows from experience the incredibly complicated matters, we believe we have the right and the responsibility to let the world know what we think.

In the last decade, we have voiced our opinions through resolutions and declarations on:
- the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
- made a resolution "Calling for a Comprehensive Legalization Program for Immigrants Living and Working in the United States",
- NAFTA and CAFTA,
- declaring that our commitment to "Creating a more just economy is essential to the integrity of the Christian faith",
- Global Warming, 
- The War in Iraq
- The Medical Use of Marijuana,
- and the list goes on and on and on.

Two observations:

First, why do we think anyone else cares about what we think? We represent less than 1% of the population of the US - and that percentage is being generous.

Second, when was the last time you remember the PC(USA) making a clear declaration on any of the following:
- our commitment to the centrality and the supremacy of Jesus Christ,
- our commitment to the absolute authority of scripture

I think something's wrong when we're willing to say a bunch of stuff about even the "experts" aren't sure about, when we can't say something about stuff that Christ calls us to proclaim.

I think something's gone terribly wrong when we cannot and will not censure and discipline ourselves when ministers ignore and even flaunt their ordination vows.



--
James <><
Check out what God is doing @
www.trinitypresbyterian.us

Gospel - Opposing the World in Order to be For the World

C S Lewis said, "I have some definite views about the de-Chrisitianizing of the church. I believe that there are many accomodating preachers, and too many practitioners in the church who are not believers. Jesus Christ did not say, 'Go into to all the world and tell the world that it is quite right.' The Gospel is something completely different. In fact, it is directly opposed to the world."



In order for the good news of Jesus Christ on the cross to be good news, the gospel message must first confront each of us as condemned sinners in need of God's grace and forgiveness. Only when we see ourselves as sinners is the sacrifice of Jesus good news.



Jesus is gospel - good news because God did in Jesus what no one could ever do for themselves.



This means - in a very practical sense - that the church must be opposed to the world in order that it may be for the world.



The church must oppose the ways of the world - and its self-help, I can do it my way philosophy - and proclaim our absolute inability to do anything to earn our way into a right relationship with God.



The good news is that God acted. God sent His Son to die in our stead. Period.



Take it or leave it. That's the gospel. The gospel is all about what God has already done. And all that we ever do is in response to a God who has already finished everything that is required for salvation.

James <><

Check out what God is doing @

www.trinitypresbyterian.us



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Dads - A Father's Day Gift We Can Give to our Families

On holidays like Father's Day, who'sever day it is always thinking about getting and receiving.

How about for a change, we dads and men think about what we can give to our ladies and our families?

What am I talking about? What gift could we give to our families and ladies?

Mental purity and fidelity.

In practical English - a life without porn.

The sad reality is that with the internet, access to porn is easier than its ever been. And if there is a man out there who claims that they don't have issues with purity and fidelity in this area, that man's got a problem.

The first step in finding freedom in this area is to name it and declaring that we struggle. And finding a group of men who can pray with you and walk along with you. Finally, do something smart - install a program like Eye Covenant or some other program to build a hedge in your mental and spiritual life.

Men, it's time that we step up and be men of God - the type of dads that our wives and children ought to be proud of.

Let us make this our solemn vow.

"I will set no worthless thing before my eyes...It shall not fasten its grip on me" Psalm 101:3.

Happy Father's Day!

How the Noah's Ark is Kind of like the Church

I am sure the ark had its glorious moments, but I imagine that most of the time the ark was smelly, messy, dirty, crowded, hot, and chaotic.

I mean you've got animals all over the place, pooping and peeing and eating and sleeping and just stinking up the joint.

The place had to have been crowded with all the food they were carrying, the tight living quarters.

Tempers must have flared as things were not ideal.

I'm sure there were arguments that needed mending, squabbles and confrontations between the animals that you had to squelch.

But you know what? The ark was the only vehicle for salvation that God provided.

That's the church!

We are messy, dirty, smelly. Our lives are chaotic. And because its people like me who make up the church, there are going to be some flare ups and some misunderstandings. There will be times when arguments and fights need to be mended.

But you know what? The church - for better or worse - is the body of Christ and it is the only vehicle God's given to humanity to carry the work and the ministry of Jesus Christ.

So you find yourself going throiugh a rough spot in ministry and church? Don't be surprised by it - that is ministry. That is church.
James <><
Check out what God is doing @
www.trinitypresbyterian.us

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A Worship That Pleases God

When will we move beyond what we're wanting from our worship services to begin focusing on what God might want in our worship?

When will we move beyond, "The music is too loud," "It's not loud enough," to asking, "did my worship please God this morning?"

When will we stop insisting for our preferences and start thinking for once about what kind o spirit and attitude that might actually attract people who don't know Jesus to desire Him more?

The moment the church focuses on pleasing it's members and doesn't give attention to what might actually grow new Christ-followers and more faithful disciples of Jesus Christ is the moment that church begins to die.

We ought to be more concerned about our next 100 members than we are about what pleases us. Because if we only behave in ways that please us, we will find ourselves displeasing God.

What would you be willing to do in order to see your children and grand-children fall in love with Jesus Christ? What would you be willing to give up in order to see your loved ones come to know and love our Savior?

That ought to be the attitude and spirit people see in our church.
James <><
Check out what God is doing @
www.trinitypresbyterian.us

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Sincerity or Truth?

When it comes to Christianity, the post-moderns are not asking, "Is it true?", they want to know, "Do I want to be like you?"

They are wanting to see a difference in the way we live and treat others. They want to see that Christ is making a difference.

Because if our lives are not worth imitating, they will move on.

This is just the way it is.

However, there are some inherent flaws with evaluating Christianity, or any other religion in this way. Because the thing that determines the genuineness and the truth-ness of a religion is sincerity, not whether it is true.

And that is dangerous.

There are many sincere people who are wrong.

While I believe late-term abortions are wrong, killing a doctor who performs them is just as wrong. And the people who support such action, while they may be sincere, are wrong - not because I think so, but because Bible tells me that murder in all its forms is wrong.

Don't confuse truth with sincerity. While its nice to hvae some passion and be sincere, the more important question to ask is, "Is it true?" "Is that what God says in the Bible?"
James <><
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Nice Jesus - A Christ Without A Cross

Very few people object to Jesus. It's just Christianity most people object to.

I think there are at least a couple of reasons for this.

First, the reason why so few people object to Jesus is because to many Jesus is such a nice guy. He loved people. He healed people. He was wise. What's there not to like about Jesus.

The problem with this Jesus is that this Jesus is no different than Mr. Rogers. We could say all the same things about Mr. Rogers.

Nothing wrong with Mr. Rogers. I think he's pretty cool too. But, while Mr. Rogers was a nice guy and he represented Jesus well - even though many people may not know that Mr. Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian pastor - Mr. Rogers never pretended that he could save people from sin and its consequences.

Only a Savior who died, descended into hell to rise again could do that.

But in order for the Savior to do that, there must be a holy God who holds everyone accountable, and a Savior who would take the place of sinners to pay the penalty of sinners.

And that is the gospel. That is the good news.

But this is the Jesus many people have problems with because this Jesus confronts all of us as sinners. And we don't like to think of ourselves in that way.

Whether we like it or not, that is simply the truth.

The second reason why so few people object to Jesus is because Christians and churches have moved away from proclaiming this simple gospel truth. We would rather talk about only about a loving God who wants to make us better people.

While this message may not be popular, it is true. And because this is true, the message of the cross of Jesus is truly amazing good news.

Richard Niebhur criticized the church's movement away from this simple gospel truth. He said, "A God without wrath brought men without sin into a world without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross."
And such a Jesus is not good news at all.
James <><
Check out what God is doing @
www.trinitypresbyterian.us

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Nice Jesus - A Christ Without A Cross

Very few people object to Jesus. It's just Christianity most people object to.

I think there are at least a couple of reasons for this.

First, the reason why so few people object to Jesus is because to many Jesus is such a nice guy. He loved people. He healed people. He was wise. What's there not to like about Jesus.

The problem with this Jesus is that this Jesus is no different than Mr. Rogers. We could say all the same things about Mr. Rogers.

Nothing wrong with Mr. Rogers. I think he's pretty cool too. But, while Mr. Rogers was a nice guy and he represented Jesus well - even though many people may not know that Mr. Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian pastor - Mr. Rogers never pretended that he could save people from sin and its consequences.

Only a Savior who died, descended into hell to rise again could do that.

But in order for the Savior to do that, there must be a holy God who holds everyone accountable, and a Savior who would take the place of sinners to pay the penalty of sinners.

And that is the gospel. That is the good news.

But this is the Jesus many people have problems with because this Jesus confronts all of us as sinners. And we don't like to think of ourselves in that way.

Whether we like it or not, that is simply the truth.

The second reason why so few people object to Jesus is because Christians and churches have moved away from proclaiming this simple gospel truth. We would rather talk about only about a loving God who wants to make us better people.

While this message may not be popular, it is true. And because this is true, the message of the cross of Jesus is truly amazing good news.

Richard Niebhur criticized the church's movement away from this simple gospel truth. He said, "A God without wrath brought men without sin into a world without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross."
And such a Jesus is not good news at all.
James <><
Check out what God is doing @
www.trinitypresbyterian.us

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Quote from "The Jesus Way" by Eugene Peterson

My concern is provoked by the observation that so many who understand themselves to be followers of Jesus, without hesitation, and apparently without thinking, embrace the ways and means of the culture as they go about their daily living "in Jesus' name.". But the ways that dominate our culture have been developed either in ignorance or in defiance of the ways that Jesus uses to lead us as we walk the streets and alleys, hike the trails, and drive the roads in this God-created, God-saved, God-blessed, God-ruled world in which we find ourselves. They seem to suppose that "getting on in the world" means getting on in the world on the world's terms, and that the ways of Jesus are useful only in a compartmentalized area of life labeled "religious."

This is wrong thinking, and wrong living. Jesus is an alternative to the dominant ways of the world, not a supplement to them.
James <><
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www.trinitypresbyterian.us

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Guilt-Grace-Gratitude - The Story of the Gospel

In C. S. Lewis' masterful work, "The Screwtape Letters," Screwtape (the devil) instructs his minion, Wormwood, to keep the Christians distracted from Christ and God's wrath. Rather than announce his presence with direct attacks, Wormwood should try to get the church and Christians to become what he calls, "Christianity and _____." Christianity and the war. Christianity and poverty. Christianity and marriage. Christianity and how to be happy.

Many people argue that we are to make Christ relevant to our world as if Christ is not. Many stay away from preaching God's wrath and sin because it's a turn off.

The good news is precisely good news because we are guilty, but God did not leave us that way.

The good news is good news because while we are guilty, God sent His Son to take our place and die in our place - that's called grace.

And the good news is good news because while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Therefore, we cannot help but be grateful.

That is the progression of the Gospel - Guilt-Grace-Gratitude.

And when we don't get this right, all we have is some platitudes and niceties about how we can live better lives and have better marriages. And this is critical because it's not only the church who can dispense such information. In fact, many times, the professional counselors and experts can give just as good, if not better, advice on how to live life.

But what only the church of Jesus Christ can share with the world is the good news of Jesus Christ. That we are all guilty, but through God's grace He made a way for us to be set free from condemnation, and because of what God has done, we are to live a life of gratitude.

There is way too much emphasis amongst Christians today on "What Would Jesus Do?" and not enough on "What has God already done in Jesus Christ?"

Thank God that Jesus saved this guilty sinner by His grace demonstrated in Jesus Christ. I am forever grateful!

Praise be to God!

Prayer of Saint Francis Drake

"Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves. When our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little. When we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord."

Review of "Up"

One of the things that a daddy of four young children get to do is to watch pretty much every single G-rated movie that's in the theaters. Fortunately for daddies of recent history companies like pixar have made some fantastic kid's movies.

When Nemo first came out - I thought to myself, "Good Lord! I'm going to have to sit through a movie about some fish for two hours. And then when I actually saw it, it was fantastic.

And when they made a movie about Cars, I thought to myself, "I don't even like Nascar." How could they possibily make this thing interesting? And o course they did. Because I absolutley loved it.

The same thing happened with Walle.

I had heard that "Up" was a pretty good movie, but I have to say this is Pixar's finest story-telling to date.

The movie opens with one of the most tender and moving scenes I've ever seen in the movies. It's that good.

I don't want to give anything else away. But you really should see this movie. It will give you a new appreciation of people - old and young. It will help you celebrate fidelity and loyalty and deep loving relationships.

There is so much about the movie that I liked.

Up, Pixar's finest. Go see for yourself.
James <><
Check out what God is doing @
www.trinitypresbyterian.us

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Institutional Church Must Change or Die

Today's Presbytery meeting was a perfect example of why the institutional church must die.

Had a person walked in from the the street and heard what we were talking about and what we were debating about, I don't think they would have had a clue that God gave to the world the church to be a light and hope for them.

In fact, had the average church person walked into that Presbytery meeting, I don't think they would have known that the structures of the church exists to equip and enable Christ-followers.

And that's the problem - the institutional church has acted and behaved as if the people and the local congregations to serve them - when in actuality the only reason and purpose for the institution is to help local churches and every Christ-followers to serve God and transform the world.

As long as the institutional church continues to ct as if it's existence is for itself, it must die.
James <><
Check out what God is doing @
www.trinitypresbyterian.us

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