Why All Of Us Need A Barnabas

~ Chuck Lawless

More than one writer has noted that all of us need three relationships: a Paul (a mentor), a Timothy (a mentee), and a Barnabas (a peer/friend). In my own teaching, I argue that all of us need a fourth relationship: that is, a relationship with a lost person with whom we are seeking to share the gospel. If we can’t name that person, we’re likely not burdened enough or intentional enough in sharing the gospel.

For this post, though, I want to focus on why we need a Barnabas – a friend who just walks with us. Here’s why I think all of us need such a brother or sister in Christ:

1. We need someone who hangs out with us regularly to help us grow. Others can influence us from a distance, but all of us need somebody who’s face-to-face with us regularly. We need someone who comes beside us and walks the gospel around us at all times; in fact, that person is often the best one to incarnate the gospel for us.

2. We need someone who understands our struggles. The person who can best pray with us and help us fight our battles is the person who has fought, or is fighting, the same battles. Ideally, that friend is also one who is winning those battles.

3. We need someone who pushes us to play. Beginning with me, many of us are workaholics who make an idol of our work or ministries. We don’t rest enough, and we certainly don’t relax enough. Thus, all of us need a friend who pushes us to play more.

4. We need someone who can best read our eyes and our body language. By that phrase, I mean someone who knows when our words don’t match truth – that is, when we’re lying. It’s usually the person who is around the most who learns to do that.

5. All of us need an encourager. That’s the essence of being a “Barnabas.” It’s saying to a friend, “We’re in this together, so let’s keep going forward.” It’s spurring us on to good works, commending us in faithfulness, rejoicing with us in victories, and picking us up when we fall. Even if we think we don’t need this person today, we will need this person some day.

May I be honest with you about why I’ve written this post? I have a Paul, a Timothy, and a lost person.  I have great colleagues (some with whom I meet regularly), but I’m not sure I have enough brothers who help me to play. Would you pray with me that God might connect me with those folks?

Slow Down to Meet God

In our fast-paced world, where every second is filled by something, is it any wonder we don’t have time to hear the voice of God?

In the hurry to get tasks done, we neglect the glorious calling to direct our gaze heavenwards.

Even the ‘quiet time’ can degenerate into one more task to tick off our list, rather than a time to linger in God’s presence, and hear him in his Word.

On a diet of tweets and soundbites we lose the sublime that cannot be expressed in words.

When life feels meaningless, merely running on a wearisome treadmill, we must hear God’s call to come aside and rest a while.

We are trapped in a superficial merry-go-round which never satisfies our deepest longings.

“When the ocean of life is experienced mainly on the surface, or focus will be on foam and splash. If we live at depth, we are centred in our undercurrent, or soul. This current is strong enough enough to keep flowing in its chosen direction – sometimes against the prevailing tide . . . a rich inner life as the basis for all that we say and do . . .

In attitude and in behaviour, people in contemporary Western society tend to be one-sidedly extrovert: mind and body and senses intoxicated way the ‘busy dance of things that pass away’ (Wordsworth) . . . never shaking our thirst for more and more stimulus.” (Robin Daniels, The Virgin Eye, page 27-28)

What are we called to replace this yearning with?

Continue: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/adrianwarnock/2018/06/slow-down-to-meet-god/

Will We Recognize Family and Friends In The Kingdom Of Heaven?

Lazarus and the Rich Man

Does the Bible tell us that we can know our lost family members and friends once we enter the kingdom of heaven? Not exactly, but there are strong indications that we will know those we’ve lost once we see them again and they will now us. One of Jesus’ most powerful stories is that of Lazarus and the Rich Man. Let’s read the account to see if this gives us any help as to whether we will recognize people on the other side of eternity. It is found in Luke 16:19-31 where Jesus said, “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores” (Luke 6:19-21), then “The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side” (Luke 16:22-23). Abraham responded by saying, “’Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house — for I have five brothers so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment’” (Luke 16:25-28). The point to all this is that after death, we will still have feelings, we will be aware of our surroundings, and we will remember those who are still living after we’ve been judged, but we’ll have no place of escape from hell. The rich man wanted his family to know that there truly is a hell. He wanted to go back to warn them, so after death, the rich man (as with all of us) had memories, recollection, feelings, love for his family, and senses (he thirsted), so there is an awareness after death, but the thing is, there is no possible escape for those who’ve rejected Christ.

Read more: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2018/06/18/will-we-recognize-family-and-friends-in-the-kingdom-of-heaven/

What Is Discernment?

Someone I know recently expressed an opinion that surprised and in some ways disappointed me. I said to myself, “I thought he would have more discernment than that.”

The experience caused me to reflect on the importance of discernment and the lack of it in our world. We know that people often do not see issues clearly and are easily misled because they do not think biblically. But, sadly, one cannot help reflecting on how true this is of the church community, too.

Most of us doubtless want to distance ourselves from what might be regarded as “the lunatic fringe” of contemporary Christianity. We are on our guard against being led astray by false teachers. But there is more to discernment than this. True discernment means not only distinguishing the right from the wrong; it means distinguishing the primary from the secondary, the essential from the indifferent, and the permanent from the transient. And, yes, it means distinguishing between the good and the better, and even between the better and the best.

Thus, discernment is like the physical senses; to some it is given in unusual measure as a special grace gift (1 Cor. 12:10), but some measure of it is essential for us all and must be constantly nourished. The Christian must take care to develop his “sixth sense” of spiritual discernment. This is why the psalmist prays, “Teach me good judgment and knowledge” (Ps. 119:66).

There is more at: https://www.ligonier.org/blog/discernment-thinking-gods-thoughts/

fauxnerability in the church: what is it? what do we do about it?

By Chuck DeGroat

25 years ago when I was just getting in the seminary/church/pastor game, vulnerability was not a high value. Things have changed. But with a higher value on transparency, authenticity and vulnerability in the church, there is a dark ‘flip-side’ that we need to be aware of.

Read more: https://chuckdegroat.net/2018/06/11/fauxnerability-in-the-church-what-is-it-what-do-we-do-about-it/?platform=hootsuite

We Are Not Meant To Be Awesome

by Scott Sauls June 13, 2018

Sometime in 2014, the former Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, made a pretty stunning statement. It was in the middle of a speech in which he was reflecting on his own legacy at the age of 72. He spoke about initiatives he had spearheaded in to reduce obesity, eliminate second-hand smoke from public spaces, and neuter gun violence on the streets. In each instance, Mayor Bloomberg had demonstrated a desire to promote human health, safety, and flourishing.

The surprising part of his speech was the takeaway, in which he speculated about the afterlife. He said, and I quote, “I’m telling you if there is a God, when I get to heaven I’m not stopping to be interviewed. I’m heading straight in. I have earned my place in heaven. It’s not even close.”

After first hearing the Mayor’s statement, a thought dawned on me: Whatever we might think about Christianity, it is by far the most utterly unique religion that the world has ever known. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that unlike every other religion ever known to humanity, Christianity has an entirely different view of the afterlife than Michael Bloomberg.

Because with Jesus, and only with Jesus, the door of heaven’s entry is presented to us at the beginning of our journey, not at the end. The door is Jesus himself. He lived the life we should have lived but didn’t, and he died the death we should have died but will never have to…because he lived and died in our place. And he rose from the dead to seal it.

Besides Christianity, other religions say what Mayor Bloomberg said on account of himself: If you want to make it to heaven, you have to accomplish something. You have to live up to something. You have to bring it.

For honest people, this is a terrifying thought. Even Karl Marx recognized this. In a rare moment of transparency, Marx disclosed an inner thought that no doubt had a lot to do with the destructive worldview he would come to espouse. Reflecting on his own struggle for “salvation” or “significance” or “identity” or whatever we want to call it, Marx said, “I am nothing and I should be everything. Man, the poor, denuded creature, must repress his smallness.”

Michael Bloomberg and Karl Marx are really saying the same thing, just from different angles — Bloomberg from a place of superiority and feeling big, and Marx from a place of inferiority and feeling small. Both are saying that the way to salvation is through work. Through exertion. Through human effort. Through fulfilled expectations. We start off small and we become whatever it is that we make of ourselves. In the end, that will be our salvation or our judgment, depending on how we have performed. In the end, that will be our ticket to being accepted by God (if we believe he exists), by others, and by ourselves.

Have you ever wondered where the insatiable ache comes from? You know, the one that longs to have our name remembered on a building, or in a history book, or on a donor list, or on a book or album cover, or by an industry, or by our descendants? Have you ever wondered where the drive to accomplish something comes from, or the desire to leave a legacy?

But what if your name has already been given to you, and your legacy has already been achieved? What if it is God who has already given you that name and that legacy?

He has.

Jesus Christ lived and died — he made himself nothing — so you would never have to feel like a nothing. He became small so you would never have to “repress your smallness” as a poor, denuded creature. And he rose from the dead so you could get to heaven and walk right in and not have to stop for an interview because your trial has already occurred and your record of accomplishment has already been established by another.

The door of heaven’s entry is opened to you at the beginning of your journey, not at the end.

Another way to put this is that God has not called you to be awesome. Rather, he has called you to be humble, faithful, forgiven, and free.

We can all leave the awesome to Jesus. When we do, we will also become the best version of ourselves. But without the pressure.

Editor’s Note: This originally published at ScottSauls.com

Joseph Smith, Mormons and the Godhead

I always prefer hearing directly from people what they believe about God rather than just a summary by a critic. So, how do Mormons and Christians compare when it comes to an understanding of God? We both use the term “Godhead” but don’t necessarily use it in the same way. Historical Christianity has understood the Godhead as a Trinity, one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. What did Joseph Smith, Jr. teach? This is from his Lectures on Faith: Q. How many personages are there in the Godhead? A. Two: the Father and the Son. Q. How do you prove that there are two personages in the Godhead? A. By the Scriptures: Genesis 1:27 (Inspired Version); “And I, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and it was so.” …. (Lecture Five) It should be clarified that the “Inspired Version,” also known as the Joseph Smith Translation, it is not really a Bible translation, not even like the Jehovah’s Witnesses’s New World Translation. The JST is more of a midrash, that is a paraphrase and interpretation and it is not based on translating Hebrew and Greek. Interestingly, the official translation of the Bible for Mormons is the King James Version and not the Joseph Smith Translation. This is what Genesis 1:26-27 says in a recognized translation, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [a]sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Aside from differences in how the Father and Son relate to each other, Joseph Smith taught that only the Father and the Son were a part of the Godhead. However, in the same lecture, Smith claims that the mind that is shared by the Father and the Son is the Holy Spirit. He then says: Q. Do the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit constitute the Godhead? A. They do. This seeming contradiction is because Smith saw the Godhead as comprising two persons (Father and Son) and their shared mind (Holy Spirit). This is far from historical Christianity that claims that Father, Son and Spirit are all person and comprise the same God.

Can We Really Know What the Bible Actually Says?

https://churchleaders.com/pastors/videos-for-pastors/245025-dr-michael-horton-can-really-know-bible-actually-says.html

The 4 Questions the Church Must Answer to Be Relevant

https://churchleaders.com/pastors/videos-for-pastors/326557-the-4-questions-the-church-must-answer-to-be-relevant.html

Bible Reading And Box Checking

Our guest blogger today is Todd Brady, Vice President for University Ministries at Union University in Jackson, TN. 

This summer, I hit the half-way mark. Since January 1, 2018 I’ve checked box after box, marking my progress toward the goal of reading through the entire Bible again this year.  I’ve journeyed with the children of Israel through the Pentateuch (trudging through Leviticus), witnessed the books of Kings, Chronicles, and Samuel, walked with Jesus through the Gospels, read much of Paul’s writings and have been inspired by the Psalms along the way.

As a list-maker and list-checker, I admit that it feels good to see that marked-up Bible reading plan tucked in my Bible. Yes, I get behind and sometimes have to read several days at once to catch up. I admit I might be satisfying compulsive tendencies by my daily box-checking, but I’ve come to realize that something significant is going on as I read: God is doing an unseen work of sanctification in me, conforming me into the image of Jesus (Rom. 8:29). I am being reminded that:

1. Spiritual growth is not optional. Peter tells us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18).  Growth is not merely a suggestion; it’s a commandment.  A non-growing Christian is an oxymoron.  If we are not growing, we are sinning—and Bible reading helps us grow.
2. Discipleship is for everybody. In the same way that evangelism and missions are not reserved for certain people with particular personalities or gifts or likings, neither is discipleship something that serious Christians engage in while nominal Christians do not. Bible reading is an imperative part of discipleship, and God uses it to make us more faithful disciples.
3. Bible reading produces faith. Paul wrote, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17).  Faith is a miraculous gift, but it comes when something else happens: hearing the word of Christ. Therefore, if we want to experience God’s work of faith, we must put ourselves in places where the word of Christ is going into our heads.
4. Bible reading simply matters. I agree with Don Whitney that, “No Spiritual Discipline is more important than the intake of God’s Word. Nothing can substitute for it. There simply is no healthy Christian life apart from a diet of the milk and meat of Scripture. . . .  if we would know God and be godly, we must know the Word of God—intimately.”¹

So, my checking Bible reading boxes every day is not legalistic. It’s not about the boxes, but they’re a daily reminder that God is working in my life.

I need those boxes.  My soul depends on them.

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¹Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life with Bonus Content (Pilgrimage Growth Guide) (p. 28). Navpress. Kindle Edition.