Historically Informed

Made Low

2009-11-05T14:10:00.000-05:00

So it has been a few days. How are you?

I've been really busy working on some stuff that pertains to my family and I's future. God has stirred some things in my heart and we are taking a 'step of faith' (as they say--whoever 'they' is) to see what God might be doing. Pray for us won't you?

Something that's been really encouraging through this time of patience is how God uses these times to discipline us (Hebrews 12:6-7). I suppose that sometimes we have to be made low in order to experience things in perspective. It would seem that every time this has happened in my life, I've cried out in agony, pleading with God to restore me--and he does.

Psalm 42:5-6a

Why are you cast down, O my soul?
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

Six Critical Questions for Preaching

2009-10-15T14:35:00.001-04:00

1.) What does the text mean?

2.) How do I know what the text means?

3.) What concerns caused the text to be written?

4.) What do we share in common with those to (or about) whom the text was written and/or the one by whom the text was written?

5.) How should people now respond to the truths of the text?

6.) What is the most effective way I can communicate the meaning of the text?

-taken from "Christ-Centered Preaching" by Bryan Chapell (link over there) —>

The Future of Christian Eschatology

2009-10-13T15:32:00.000-04:00

Over on the Jesus Creed blog (written by Scot McKnight) there were a few posts that I discovered (somehow missing them in my RSS?) regarding Eschatology and the partial-preterist view. I found these posts enormously helpful.

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Philippians!

2009-10-12T14:17:00.000-04:00

I'm really excited to be teaching through Philippians with our youth group (starting this week!). I've always liked Philippians because it isn't a book that Paul had to write to straighten people out (like 1&2 Corinthians). It was a book of encouragement and love and passion for the Gospel and Jesus. Paul is in prison (probably Rome), yet he's rejoicing! (Philippians 1:18; 4:10). Amidst the troubles and persecution, Paul's love for Jesus shattered all elements of frustration and selfishness. I love it. Be encouraged friends.

Christians Trying to Convert Non-Christians

2009-10-08T09:57:00.000-04:00

HT: rethink mission

Ed Stetzer and David Fitch on "Missional"

2009-10-02T13:56:00.000-04:00

Ed Stetzer and David Fitch - a missional conversation.

Ed Stetzer and Dave Fitch - a missional conversation.

(HT: Bill Kinnon)

P.S. - I strongly recommend you picking up David Fitch's book The Great Giveaway. It's good.

Expository Preaching?

2009-10-01T08:47:00.000-04:00

I've started my journey through Bryan Chapell's book Christ-Centered Preaching and already in the first chapter I have been challenged greatly. I thought about posting some thoughts as I go through the book but that gets daunting sometimes so I figured that maybe I'll pull some quotes that stuck out. Here is one of them:

An expository sermon may be defined as a message whose structure and thought are derived from a biblical text, that covers the scope of the text, and that explains the features and context of the text in order to disclose the enduring principles for faithful thinking, living, and worship intended by the Spirit, who inspired the text. The expository sermon uses the features of the text and its context to explain what that portion of the Bible means. (pg. 31)

HILARIOUS!

2009-09-30T08:15:00.001-04:00

Blogs I've Added to My Reader:

2009-09-29T11:59:00.001-04:00

Meet the Puritans - Who doesn't like a good Puritan?

Stuff Christians Like - Humorous look at the Christian Sub-Culture.

Stuff Fundies Like - Need I say more?

Shored Fragments - A blog by Steve Holmes, a Baptist minister, presently teaching theology at St Mary’s College, St Andrews, Scotland.

Re::Think Mission - "Inspiring Gospel-Centered Missional Churches."

Out of Ur - Weblog of Christianity Today.

PublicLens - "Bizzare, Beautiful, Befuddling: Real Cell Phone Camera Photos." // Hilarious.

There, I Fixed It - We men know how to fix stuff.

NT Gateway - Your source for New Testament Biblical Studies (I love this site).

NT Pod - Short New Testament podcasts by Mark Goodacre from Duke University.

Dan Kimball::Vintage Faith - Dan's Blog.

Euangelion - "The Biblioblog Euangelion exists for the purpose of promoting the gospel by commenting on issues relating to the study of the Christian Scriptures in the academy and the church." (GREAT blog).

The Danger of Ending Every Sermon with Application

2009-09-28T17:43:00.000-04:00

The following post was written by Kevin DeYoung from his blog DeYoung, Restless, and Reformed. (It was not altered in any way). I thank Kevin for this post because most pastors "think" this, and few seem to talk about it. Here it goes:

The standard sermon ends with several points of application. I have nothing wrong with this. Many of my sermons end with some “now what” points that relate the text to everyday life. But congregations should not expect every sermon to end with three “take home” points. And pastors should not fall into the habit of giving application at the end of every sermon.

I’ve been preaching regularly for over seven years now. I know the routine of preparing sermons. I know the struggles. The introduction and the conclusion are the hardest parts for me, especially the conclusion. Landing the plane is not easy, even for seasoned preachers. Whether it’s by training or instinct, most preachers think about concluding with application. It may be explicit application ("here are three points of application from our text...") or implicit ("God doesn’t want us to be hearers of the word only, but doers, so in conclusion..."), but most sermons end with some thoughts on what to do as a result of what’s been heard.

This is often appropriate. If I’m preaching on showing hospitality to strangers I may finish with some practical suggestions on how to be more welcoming as a congregation. Strip every sermon of application and you won’t be a very good preacher. But some (many?) sermons should not end with application. Why? Because the point of the text is not always to get you to go do something. I know, application doesn’t have to be in the form of imperatives. Application can be a probing question or something to remember or believe. But I think most preachers revert to imperatives. Especially for conservatives, it just feels better to end a sermon with some strong exhortations. Maybe it’s laziness in preparation. Maybe it’s a dearth of creativity. Maybe it’s a fear of antinomianism. For whatever reason, so many of our sermons end with a stirring call to stop doing these bad things, try these good things, start feeling more joyful, etc. But many texts are not about oughts.

Last week I was preaching on Mark 1:9-11, the story of Jesus’ baptism. I struggled with how to end the sermon. The point of the passage is pretty obvious. Mark wants us to see the unique identity of Jesus Christ. Having announced Jesus as the Son of God in verse 1, Mark then tries to demonstrate in the rest of the prologue why he is the Son of God and what this means. John the Baptist predicts a mightier one to come after him in verses 7-8. Then in the next scene we see Jesus’ baptism, with three attendant signs that point to his unique identity (the heavens opening, the Spirit descending, a voice commending). The point of verses 9-11 is straightforward: Jesus is the new revelation from God, the bringer of the Spirit, the Son of the Father.

So how would you end a sermon like this? You could say “Look at the idols in your hearts. You need to love this Christ more.” Or, “This Jesus is worthy of all our obedience. Go live for him and keep his commandments.” Or, “Why don’t we share the good news about such a great Savior? Tell your neighbors this week about the Son of God.” All of those are fair points and it would not be wrong to connect the text to these thoughts at some point during the sermon. But if we land the plane on these points I fear we are missing the point of the passage. These three verses are here to give a glimpse of the glory of Christ. My fellow preachers and I should not hesitate to land right there. Are we so afraid of not being relevant or prophetic that we can’t end a sermon by exalting in the person of Christ? No application is needed to finish off this sermon. The last word ringing in people’s hears should be something along the lines of, “Behold your God!”

Maybe we just aren’t as passionate about the person and work of Christ as we are about getting in people's faces (which, trust me, I also do). Or maybe we think people will be bored if they don’t get some good practical advice on their way out the door (and it’s possible they are more eager to hear three points of application than ponder the glory of Christ). Again, I’m not saying no text can end with imperatives. "Repent," "believe," "obey" are all biblical injunctions. But we must let the text determine the mood of the sermon and not tack on honey-do lists at the end of every message. Preachers ought to rebuke when necessary, when the text calls for it. But it makes for bad preaching and beat-up congregations when every sermon concludes with exhortation. Sometimes it’s ok to end the sermon by simply telling the people about Jesus.

Yom Kippur

2009-09-27T20:09:00.001-04:00

Yom Kippur started last night at sundown and is one of the most important Jewish holidays on the calendar. The central purpose is for the atonement (and by implication, repentance) of sin. This "Day of Atonement" is observed by fasting, prayer, and time in synagogue services. According to Leviticus 23:27, it is on the tenth day of the seventh month (Tishrei). The main text that is dealt with for the prescription of events for this day (that I will focus on) is in Leviticus 16:7-11.
Aaron, the priest, was to have a bull for the sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. Following this, he was to take two male goats from the people for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. Aaron needed to be consecrated first, himself and his house. After this came the two goats. The lots were cast and the process began.

Gary Schnittjer , in his book called The Torah Story , writes:

The Day of Atonement was a significant annual ceremony. Within the context of the community in the wilderness it made possible their ability to dwell with the presence of God's glory and survive. The alternatives were unthinkable-death or his departure from them. The Day of Atonement was the definitive necessary cleansing for the relationship...the motion of verses 11-22 depicts the purification, from sin and uncleanness, beginning in the inmost part of the camp-the holy of holies-and extending across all of the borderlines of holiness. The scapegoat bore the sin of the chosen people and was expelled outside the limits of the community. The annual commemoration reinforced the symbolic and real differences between the holiness within the community and the hostile wilderness within which the people lived.

At the heart of the Day of Atonement practices were two goats. As determined by casting lots, perhaps similar to dice, one goat was slaughtered and the blood was sprinkled on and before the "mercy seat" of the ark-the lid with the humble cherubim. The other was the "scapegoat," a term aptly coined by the early English translator William Tyndale and used in the King James Version. The idea of the term "scapegoat" follows the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew word zazel as "the one sent away."

The term zazel is used in two different ways in Leviticus 16. It is used of the scapegoat itself, which was sent into the wilderness, and it was used of the one to whom the goat was sent.

Schnittjer goes on:

Jesus proclaimed new torah regarding the clean and unclean by the power and authority of his word.

I would add to all of this the significance of the Cross. The sacrifice that was made for the forgiveness of sins and the expiation, or removal of sins, was done by Jesus on the Cross.

John MacArthur comments on Leviticus 16:8, referring to the scapegoat:

This goat (literally Azazel or "escape goat") pictured the substitutionary bearing and total removal of sin which would later be fully accomplished by Jesus Christ (cf. Matthew 20:28; John 1:29; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 1:4; 3:13; Hebrews 8:28; 10:1-10; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:2).

This "sin offering of atonement" (Numbers 29:11) portrayed Christ's substitutionary sacrifice (vv. 21, 22) with the result that the sinner's sins were removed (v. 22)...Christ lived out this representation when He cried from the cross, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46)

Yom Kippur is, for the Christian, more of a remembrance of what Christ has/had done. The forgiveness of sins is available. The Atonement has been made. And like a friend said on Twitter...it's about Jesus Christ.

Wright and Dunn on the NPP

2009-09-24T18:16:00.000-04:00

HT: Michael F. Bird and Euangelion.

RAPTURE = TODAY!

2009-09-21T15:26:00.000-04:00

Unless you live in a cave, you probably already realized that today marked the date for the Rapture. Or at least that's what this website is arguing. Apparently even though Jesus does not know the Hour, we as the Bride of Christ do (Jesus never understood the Bible of course). While I don't want to completely dismantle the hundreds of problems with the "Rapture," (someday I will take on this daunting task) I want to at least encourage you to NOT try and figure out when Jesus will return -- which presents another set of problems...does he actually "return" when "the Rapture" "happens"? Moving on; I find it disturbing how many people get sucked in to eschatology. I find it disturbing because I was one of those people. I was obsessed with the End Times and of course, when reading Scripture, rather than looking to Jesus, I was looking to an "event." I read my bible with a newspaper in my hand (as if today is "worse" than the 1st Century atrocities in Jerusalem). My hermeneutic was always the future. It ruined how I functioned in the here and now. While spending all my time and energy reading end-times novels (and movies!) and watching Perry Stone, I somehow missed my purpose here on earth, namely, to be a gospel-centered, Jesus exalting participant in His mission to the world here and now. Stop trying to figure out when the "end times" will happen. Instead, go feed the hungry, comfort the oppressed and disciple someone to be a leader.

The Good Fight

2009-09-18T15:10:00.000-04:00

If you have about 8 minutes, head over to Christianity Astray Today dot Com (here) and read an article/interview with Matt Chandler, Lead Pastor of The Village Church in Texas.

Politics & Religion:

2009-09-11T13:06:00.000-04:00

Thoughts?

About Me

2009-09-09T13:45:00.000-04:00

Hi.

My name is Jason. Welcome.

This blog is my faith journey as I explore the Scriptures and learn more about Jesus.

It is my hope that by learning about Jesus, I can know Him and enjoy Him more.

I'm a husband. I love my wife very much. Her name is Mary.

I'm a father. Wouldn't trade this for anything. My son's name is Elijah.

I'm a pastor. I want to see the Gospel change everything.

Thanks for stopping in!

Just Some Stuff

2009-08-27T21:18:00.005-04:00

So things have been wicked busy in a holy way lately. I've no time to blog and certainly haven't had much time to Twitter. I'm putting the finishing touches on the sermon I am preaching in Michigan on September 6th. Pray for this opportunity to serve these wonderful folks (this is an interview). I thought I'd just post a couple thoughts regarding this passage in Mark 4:1-20. Here's some (random) stuff from my manuscript:

So Jesus is able to get away from the crowds and speaks only to his disciples and the others in the messianic community. They ask him what he was talking about and he responds in a most peculiar way (vs. 11). Jesus admits his coded teachings to the “outsiders” however, those “inside” (i.e., his messianic community) are given the “secret” (musterion) or “hidden revelation” regarding the gospel of God’s reign.

God’s Kingdom initiation project in Jesus doesn’t come like people were 1) Hoping for, and 2) Expecting of him. Only some get it and others don’t. This is key to what Jesus means by telling this story. And the verse he quotes here is from Isaiah 6:9-10 which speaks of the hardness of Israel’s hearts towards the message of God’s restorative justice. Jesus is taking this prophetic remark in Isaiah and putting it up against what he is doing right now. Undoubtedly the disciples were curious as to why so many different people had so many different reactions to what Jesus was doing and what this Kingdom was all about. Jesus’ answer is this parable. The Kingdom comes like a farmer sowing seed.

Let’s revisit what a parable is and does. Parables function like codes. The codes, these political cartoons of sorts, are often taken from Jesus’ own (Jewish) biblical background. A sower sowing a seed isn’t simply a Galilean farming illustration. What Jesus is doing is explaining how God is sowing Israel again in her home land after 600 years of exile. It’s about God restoring the fruit of his people after the thorns and thistles have taken care of business for too long. Isaiah 40:8 reads,

“The grass withers, and the flower fades, but the word of God will stand forever.”

Since the beginning of time, God’s mission is to restore Eden to Earth and he does so by using his people. The problem however is that the vision of a first century Jew was altogether different from what Jesus was doing. In fact, it was politically (and apparently religiously) incorrect. People were expecting one final and great moment of renewal (the Day of the Lord) when God would restore Israel to her rightful place in Canaan and the nations would bow down to Yahweh. Of course Jesus was pushing a Kingdom Movement but it was not this catastrophic shift of sizable proportions. In fact, Jesus directly challenges this view head on by explaining that it is more like a farmer sowing a seed.

But how do we incarnate the Gospel? I think we have to do it fresh ways with fresh expressions of what it means to be followers of Jesus in the 21st Century. Sometimes it is going back to the basics before Jesus was at the center of the town square. Sometimes it is taking risks for the sake of the gospel. Sometimes we must recall what it means to suffer for the Kingdom of God. If we are to be disciples, we must take up our cross and be about Jesus and his mission. Sometimes though, it's not comfortable.

Jesus the American?

2009-08-21T19:13:00.000-04:00

What are your thoughts on this video?

A Missional Reading of the Bible

2009-08-18T19:25:00.000-04:00

Over the course of the past several years, the seminary where I teach has transitioned from one (among many) that prepares Christian leaders for ministry to one (among few) that expressly prepares “missional” Christian leaders for ministry. Despite what may appear as an innocuous shift in focus, the transition has proved controversial. Notwithstanding those who criticize the new and uncharted direction of the seminary, those who support the school’s direction are faced with exciting yet difficult questions about—among other important things—changes in curriculum that reflect the seminary’s new emphasis.

One of the recurring issues that I encounter as one who teaches biblical interpretation is how to explain in simple terms what a “missional” reading of Scripture entails and how to answer a whole host of important questions that relate to a missional interpretation of the Bible: How do you define a missional hermeneutic? How do you read the Bible missionally? What are the biblical foundations for doing so? What are the implications of a missional reading of the Bible in the everyday life of the church? And how is a missional reading of Scripture different from any other reading?

Although seemingly uncomplicated, these are not necessarily easy questions to answer. This is because the term missional carries various nuances and meanings that different people emphasize in different ways. For some, the term refers to social ministry; for others, to an interest in missions. Due to the different (and competing) emphases as well as the general ambiguity of the term missional in contemporary discussions, you may reasonably ask whether it is possible to accurately describe what a missional reading of Scripture is. Although there are risks involved in defining the term so concretely, I would like to suggest the following definition:

A missional interpretation of Scripture reads the Bible as a unified narrative that records God’s intention to reconcile the world to himself. This narrative reveals that God accomplishes this intention by commissioning the nation of Israel to reflect God’s image to the world; by sending God the Son to restore Israel and inaugurate God’s universal blessing to the Gentiles; by sending God the Spirit to form the church into a holy people who embody God’s coming kingdom; and by sending the church into the world to proclaim the gospel and engage the culture.

This definition, though cumbersome, reflects what I believe to be the most basic features of a missional reading of Scripture, which are:

i. The Bible as a unified and coherent narrative

ii. God’s universal mission to reconcile the world to himself

iii. Israel as the nation chosen to bless the world by reflecting God’s image

iv. Jesus as the climax of the biblical narrative who restored Israel and inaugurated God’s blessing to the entire world

v. The church as an incarnation of God’s coming kingdom, its proclamation of the gospel, and its engagement with the culture

Is this definition perfect? Certainly not, but it’s a start—and hopefully a good one.

---

I'm not sure who wrote this (I think it was by Dr. Derek Cooper, a professor - and friend! - from Biblical Theological Seminary), but here's my source.

I think this is a wonderful definition and one that I have adopted as well. What do you think?

Hear Us From Heaven

2009-08-16T16:04:00.002-04:00

I absolutely LOVE this song.

666?

2009-08-12T10:05:00.000-04:00

Was John "predicting" the End of Time in Revelation or was this an attack on Rome to help encourage the Johannine Community?

Revelation 13:18

(HT: Mark Goodacre and the NT Pod)

You Might Be a Proponent of...

2009-08-10T13:06:00.000-04:00

...the New Perspective on Paul if:

1) You're aware that Paul's view of Judaism (along with the rest of Second Temple Judaism) isn't about Jews trying to "earn" their way to God by "doing religion," (i.e., a view that Judaism is a "self-righteousness" merit-based religion) rather, it is about God's covenant people living out Torah as it brings life to the community thus meaning certain blessings and cursings (e.g., Deuteronomy 28).

2) You understand that Paul's arguments (Romans, Galatians, etc.) are about the status of Gentiles in the New People of God (aka, "Church") not simply how an individual can get to heaven.

3) You understand that Judaism is not the antithesis to Christianity. As if Judaism was "earthly, carnal and proud" while Christianity was "heavenly, spiritual and humble." (Mark Mattison). To the contrary, Christ is the fulfillment of the entire Story of Judaism (viz., the Old Testament and all of Jewish history). Paul's argument is that God's covenant faithfulness has been revealed in the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16-17).

4) You can distinguish between Roman Catholic Theology and Judaism. (Luther took his beef with the RCC and their "earning" of Salvation theology and applied it to what Paul was talking about in his letters...a theological "no-no" within historical exegesis). "Works of the Law" refer to nationalistic identity (e.g., circumcision, Sabbath-keeping, etc.) and are those things that distinguish God's Covenant people (Israel) from the rest of the World. Paul's emphasis here is saying that one need not "do" Torah to become "in Christ."

5) You know what "covenantal nomism" refers to. Jewish people were brought into covenant by God's Sovereign Election (Abrahamic Covenant) and THEN given the Law. Obedience to the Law (which was indeed possible! - Deuteronomy 30:11) is the way Jews keep their status in the covenant with its emphasis on grace and forgiveness (Sacrificial Economy). God always held up his end of the bargain (or, covenant); the Jews did not always do so (thus we have Exile all the way into Jesus' time).

Here are some other thoughts from other people on this important issue.

You're Not That Big of a Deal...

2009-08-04T15:25:00.000-04:00

I really enjoy the smell of cookies. (I keep asking my wife when I'm going to get that Yankee Candle cookie-smelling candle!) I guess I'm just a sucker for baked goods. Anyhow, while I'm sitting here in Barnes & Noble (with the smell of cookies all around me!), I noticed a tweet that was sent by a pastor who I follow (someone locally here near Philly) on Twitter. It read, "You aren't as big of a deal as you think you are." Awesome I say, simply awesome. In fact, I've written about the benefits of Twitter before, and just a few days ago I saw another quote that slapped me in the mouth heart. It read, (paraphrasing of course), "humility isn't thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less." It's tweets like this that God uses to make me decrease so Jesus can increase (John 3:30). Hopefully these two tweets can kill your pride too.

Michael Bird on Osteen and Wright...

2009-08-03T19:44:00.000-04:00

...and other funny stuff.

Paranoid Discernment Ministries

2009-07-30T11:43:00.002-04:00