How To Overcome Boring Bible Reading

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Why is reading the Bible sometimes boring? For most of us reading the Bible begins to get boring when we reach a kind of plateau. We know most of the stories in the Bible, we have a basic understanding of its theology, and we have a few key verses memorized.

But what if God intended us to do more–more than just read the Bible? What if Bible reading was really just the beginning of the meal and not the main course?

For me the Bible moved from old hat to a chest of treasure when I moved from merely reading the Bible to studying the Bible. As I have learned to study the Bible, there has been no end to the depth of riches I can plunder.

But how does someone study the Bible? Isn’t it complicated? It can be. But recently I have come across two  great resources that can help.

The first is a book (which we’re currently using in our summer Sunday School class) entitled, Dig Deeper: Tools for Understanding God’s Word.  This is a very user friendly book that provides a wealth of information. I’ve seriously been impressed with it, and would recommend it to any one wanting to get more out the Bible.

The second resources is coming out in the Fall. It’s a video teaching series by John Piper called Look at the Book. Here’s what he had to say about it on his website:

 This fall we plan to launch Look at the Book, a new online method of teaching the Bible. Look at the Book is an ongoing series of 5–8 minute video interactions with the Bible in which the camera is on the text, not the teacher. You will hear my voice and watch my pen work its way into the meaning of the text. I’ll point and circle and underline in the passage, all the while talking through how I’m seeing what I’m seeing.

Our main aim will be to create habits of mind and ways of seeing the Bible that help you find the riches of Scripture for yourselves. We really believe that serious Christians can see more wonders in God’s word than they ever thought they could. Look at the Book is our effort to bring that belief to life for you.

I honestly expect this to be a great resource. If you’re interested in studying the Bible I would encourage you to keep an eye out for it. Here’s a trailer that might get you a little more excited:

And here’s a sample of a Look at the Book session.

Whether you’ve read the Bible a few times or regularly for many years (or you’re just curious about what the Bible is about), I would encourage you to take advantage of these resources. I would encourage you to move from a person who just reads the Bible to a person who studies the Bible.

If you are willing to prayerfully pursue this with a teachable heart, and a desire to know God, I assure you the Bible will never be boring again.

Prayer Requests

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As many of you know, this week I’m serving on a mission trip with 31 other awesome people from Fellowship EPC. We’ll be up in Sault Ste Marie (pronounced Soo-Saint-Marie) MI, doing a variety of tasks.

Our group will be repairing homes, serving the elderly, facilitating a children’s ministry, and working on a farm that uses animals and nature to reach out to and educate local children. It should be a great week!

But I’m very aware that when it comes to mission trips, even short ones, great weeks don’t just happen. God shows up when his people call on him and depend on him. And that happens when people pray.

We’ve been praying for this trip for months now, and there are many great people who will continue to pray for us this week. But I would be very grateful if you’d join them and pray for us as well.

What can you be praying for? (I’m glad you asked)

Pray that:

  • God would be glorified and Jesus would be made known by EVERY aspect of our trip.
  • Each of us, as well as those with whom we work and share, would have a powerful encounter with God.
  • The unconditional love of God would radiate in and through each of our lives.
  • God would put a hedge of protection around the entire trip.
  • Satan would be bound from anything that would hinder anyone coming to know and grow with Jesus this week.
  • All participating on this trip would be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
  • God’s Word would be proclaimed with power and produce life change.
  • God would give us strength and good health throughout the trip.
  • God would protect and provide for family members back home.
  • Divine appointments, both with those with whom we share as well as others we might encounter throughout the week.

If you would pray for any one of those things, I know it would make a big difference on our trip. I don’t always know exactly how prayer works, I just know the more people pray, the more God moves. And this week we really want to see God move, both in our lives and in the lives of those we serve.

Thanks in advance for you support!

 

 

Why Make Jesus Known?

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Why make Jesus known?

Because he is often misunderstood.
Because he does not conform to our expectations.
Because he transcends political affiliations.
Because he is bigger than any of us imagine.
Because he is more complicated than any one of us can describe.
Because he is infinitely interesting.

Why make Jesus known?

Because he is very other.
Because he cannot be manipulated, or tricked.
Because he does not give into whining.
Because he has no insecurities.
Because he is the King who does not bow down to another.
Because he is reigning now.

Why make Jesus known?

Because he is the creator of science and art.
Because he is the source of goodness, truth, and beauty.
Because he is Reality incarnate.
Because he is The Privileged Perspective we long for.
Because his knowledge is infinite.

Why make Jesus known?

Because in him is hope.
Because in him is security.
Because in him is justice.
Because in him is peace.
Because in him is life.
Because in him is joy.

Why make Jesus known?

Because he has made himself known.
Because he must be known.
Because he is knowable.

 

 

Grace In The Midst of Genocide

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Mass killings in the Bible are always hard to deal with. This morning I read the uncomfortable story of Joshua chapter 8. If you’re unfamiliar with it, it’s the story of God giving the city of Ai to Joshua and the people of Israel. The only problem was that, in order to take the city, Joshua and his army of 30, 000 men had to burn the city and slaughter its 12,000 residents. The text even makes a point to tell us that the 12,000 included men and women (Josh. 8:25). It sounds like an act of genocide.

When I was younger, stories like this made me cheer for God. God’s army is the best. No one can stand in his way.

But now stories like this make me squirm. Killing 12,000 people…. really?

The story is brutal in its matter of fact description of the events. No emotion from God, no giving the people of Ai a way out, no love for the lost.

Instead it is just the story of God (through Joshua and his army) setting an ambush, burning the city, killing its inhabitants, and taking its plunder.

And yet, when seen in the greater narrative of the whole Bible, the story is also about grace. Not the grace given to the people of Ai, but the grace given to us.

The story reminds us that:

  1. All those who live in opposition to God’s kingdom and laws are subject to his wrath and face certain death (Rom. 6:23). And that God’s wrath is thorough.
  2. In a way we all, at one time, were citizens of the city of Ai (a kingdom opposed to God). Therefore we all were objects deserving of God’s wrath (Eph. 2:1-3).
  3. But God in his mercy called us out of the “condemned city” and he gave us the opportunity to repent, and to enter into “his city”. He gave us (the rebels) the opportunity to live under his sovereign protection and care (Eph. 2:4-9), able to live not just as aliens among his people, but as full citizens (Eph. 2:19), even as adopted sons and daughters of the King (Eph. 1:5).

But even in the midst of the grace, the story still has an edge. Because it points us to the future. A future which still includes wrath. Wrath not for us, but for all those who are still living in their own city of Ai (kingdoms opposed to God’s kingdom). For a time has been appointed by God, for Jesus (the better and more perfect Joshua) to judge, to conquer, and to lay waste to all those who oppose his kingdom.

Therefore those of us who are citizens of God’s city, recipients of God grace, should still pray for God’s mercy on all those we know. That they too, while they still can, will respond to the grace offered to them through Jesus, and turn from their opposition to his kingdom.

The idea of God ordering the slaughter of 12,000 people still doesn’t sit well with me. It is a dark story. But it is against the darkness where we find gratitude for the light. The story of Ai reminds us that God’s wrath and judgment are real. Yet through his son Jesus Christ he has made a way for us to escape that wrath and enter into his love. And knowing what could have been makes his grace, his forgiveness, and his protection that much sweeter.

 

Today, may we appreciate the grace given to us. And may we pray for those we know to receive and respond to that same grace.

I don’t think that means what you think it means…

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In the last post I wrote about overcoming the comparison trap.  I said that when we understand that in God’s eyes we are blessed, we will be freed from temptation to compare ourselves with others.

But there was one problem with that post.

I never actually defined what it means to be “blessed”.

And the idea of being “blessed” is kind of abstract. We throw around the term in a variety of ways. We say things like:

“I feel blessed…”

“Bless you…”

“What a blessing that is…”

“I pray that God would bless…”

But what are we thinking when we speak of being blessed? What should we be thinking when we think of Christian blessings?

The truth is, “being blessed” likely doesn’t mean what you (and I) think it means.

In the BibleIsaac_Blessing_Jacob_-_Govert_Flinck

God blesses people when he gives them some kind of physical or spiritual gifts (Gen. 1:22; 24:35; Job 42:12; Ps. 45:2; 104:24, 35). A person blesses God when he shows God gratitude (Ps. 103:1, 2; 145:1, 2). A person blesses himself  when he rejoices in God’s goodness to him (Deut. 29:19; Ps. 49:18). And one person blesses another person when he expresses good wishes or prays to God for the welfare of the other person (Gen. 24:60; 31:55; 1 Sam. 2:20). [1]

So far this sounds like what we’d expect.

But in the New testament things get a little more interesting. The most common Greek word for “blessed” is makarios (see The Beatitudes). This word means “happy”.

But this is not the  Pharrell Williams kind of happy (nothing against the song). Being “blessed” is not based on a feeling. Rather makarios (“being blessed”) is based on a person’s status from the point of view of others. [2] In other words a person is “blessed” when they are favored by someone else. And it is the knowledge of that favor which brings about the person’s happiness.

This is the key to understanding being “blessed” in the Christian worldview. 

Being blessed is not something that comes from inside of us. Nor is it based on anything we do or have in and of ourselves. To be blessed is to be favored by someone else. When Jesus calls people “blessed” (again, see The Beatitudes) he is telling them they are favored by the greatest someone else— God himself.

This is the good news: through Jesus Christ any person can receive the favor of God!

Having the favor of God trumps all other favor. It’s the favor that levels the playing field. It is not about what a person has been given in relation to someone else. One gift from God is not better than another. The only thing that matters is that a person has the favor of God. For the favor of God is the blessing, not just the manifestations of that favor.

This is hard for us in the United States. We often equate being “blessed” with our allotment of physical goods — money, beauty, health, or other material things.

But God’s primary concern is not our financial and material well-being. The example of Paul in Phil 4:12-13 shows us that much.  Sometimes God blesses us with material resources and sometimes he doesn’t. So then, what is the big deal about God’s favor?

What good is God’s favor in our world?

Romans 8:31-35 answers that question well:

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Despite who we are or what we have done. Despite our social-economic condition or family’s colored past. Despite our failures, or sins. Despite our insecurities or weakness.

If we have the favor of God,  we are free from all condemnation. We have a new social status. We are members of a new family. We have a new inheritance waiting for us. We have been made into a new creation. We have been forgiven. We have the Spirit of God within us, and are able to draw on his security and strength.

To have the favor of God is to know, despite our external circumstances, that God is always for us. That He is always working things out for our good according to his purpose. That our story is (because of our relationship to God) always significant.

To have the favor of God is to know that the perfect, unconditional, eternal, incomprehensible love of God displayed through Jesus Christ is yours forever.

And the more we understand what that means we will understand what it means to be “blessed”.

 

 

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[1] Easton, M. G. (1893). Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers.

[2] Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke (F. E. Gaebelein, Ed.) (131). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

 

 

 

Overcoming “The Other” Internet Addiction

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I don’t mean to do it. But sometimes it is so hard to stop.  A few minutes in and my thoughts are engrossed in it.

It used to be easier not to think about, but now it seems like the internet and particularly social media has made it so much easier to get lost in.

The comparison trap.

Asking myself consciously or unconsciously “how is my life in comparison to others?”

Has this happened to you?  It’s a common problem. In fact, it’s so common TIME magazine wrote an article about it.

So how do we overcome it?

We don’t. At least not on our own.

The only way out of this trap is to get an outside perspective. We need a new reality from an expert that transcends our subjective opinions on what makes for a good life. We need an objective answer to the question, “am I blessed?”

The Bible give us that outside perspective.

It tells us what kind of people are, in God’s eyes, objectively blessed. For example, here are 42 kinds of people the Bible calls blessed:

  1. Those whom God chooses. Ps 65:4; Eph 1:3, 4.
  2. Those whom God calls. Isa 51:2; Re 19:9.
  3. Those who know Christ. Mt 16:16, 17.
  4. Those who know the gospel. Ps 89:15.
  5. Those who are not offended at Christ. Mt 11:6.
  6. Those who believe. Lu 1:45; Ga 3:9.
  7. Those whose sins are forgiven. Ps 32:1, 2; Ro 4:7.
  8. Those to whom God imputes righteousness without works. Ro 4:6–9.
  9. Those whom God chastens. Job 5:17; Ps 94:12.
  10. Those who suffer for Christ. Lu 6:22.
  11. Those who have the Lord for their God. Ps 144:15.
  12. Those who trust in God. Ps 2:12; 34:8; 40:4; 84:12; Jer 17:7.
  13. Those who fear God. Ps 112:1; 128:1, 4.
  14. Those who hear and keep the word of God. Ps 119:2; Jas 1:24; Mt 13:16; Lu 11:28; Re 1:3; 22:7.
  15. Those who delight in the commandments of God. Ps 112:1.
  16. Those who keep the commandments of God. Re 22:14.
  17. Those who wait for the Lord. Isa 30:18.
  18. Those whose strength is in the Lord. Ps 84:5.
  19. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Mt 5:6.
  20. Those who frequent the house of God. Ps 65:4; 84:5.
  21. Those who avoid the wicked. Ps 1:1.
  22. Those who endure temptation. Jas 1:12.
  23. Those who watch against sin. Re 16:15.
  24. Those who rebuke sinners. Pr 24:25.
  25. Those who watch for the Lord. Lu 12:37.
  26. Those who die in the Lord. Re 14:13.
  27. Those who have part in the first resurrection. Re 20:6.
  28. Those who favor saints. Ge 12:3; Ru 2:10.
  29. Those who are undefiled. Ps 119:1.
  30. Those who are pure in heart. Mt 5:8.
  31. Those who are just. Ps 106:3; 10:6.
  32. Those who are the children of the just. Pr 20:7.
  33. Those who are righteous. Ps 5:12.
  34. Those who are the generation of the upright. Ps 112:2.
  35. Those who are faithful. Pr 28:20.
  36. Those who are poor in spirit. Mt 5:3.
  37. Those who are meek. Mt 5:5.
  38. Those who are merciful. Mt 5:7.
  39. Those who are bountiful. De 15:10; Ps 41:1; Pr 22:9; Lu 14:13, 14.
  40. Those who are peace-makers. Mt 5:9.
  41. Those who are holy mourners. Mt 5:4; Lu 6:21.
  42. Those who are saints at the judgment day. Mt 25:34.

Now you might be tempted to think that most of this list doesn’t apply to you. And based on your own merit, you’d be right.

But if you’re a follower of Jesus, you’re in luck.  In Jesus Christ, and through Jesus Christ, and because of what Jesus Christ has done on your behalf, you are (in the eyes of God) every one of these kinds of people.

Therefore in the eyes of God you are truly blessed.

Because this status comes from God it can’t be changed. Because of your relationship to Jesus, it is your permanent condition.

We might not feel it. But that is only because we are so accustomed to using our own standard for what makes us feel blessed.

Our feelings will change when we accept that what God says about us is really true. And when we do, we we will be free from the addiction of comparing ourselves to others. We will be free from the comparison trap.

 

May we embrace our God-given status of being blessed today!

 

 

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The list is adapted from: R. Torrey’s. The new topical text book…. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Bible Software (2001).

True Identity

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The other night I went with our high school students to watch How to Train your Dragon 2. As I watched the movie, I was reminded just how significant the question of identity is to each of us.

In the movie, the main character Hiccup seeks to answer the question, who am I?  He wonders if he could become the new village chief, even though he is nothing like the current chief–his father. He wonders where his spirit of curiosity, peace, and exploration comes from. In Hiccup’s mind, understanding who he is will determine what he should do.

For Hiccup, even though he is told to look within himself,  the answers to his questions of identity come from outside himself. Through the encouragement and wisdom of his family, friends, and community, he discovers who he is.

The movie reminds us that we all desire to know who we are.  That who we are will drive our actions. And that the answer to who am I? is actually found outside of ourselves.

This is the way God made us.

God made us to desire an answer to the question who am I? God made us so that our actions would be dependent on our identity. And God made us to search for our identity in things and people outside of ourselves.

Why?

God made us this way because it is his desire to give us our identity. And it is his desire that our actions be dependent (or motivated) by our God-given identity.

What is our God-given identity?

For those who have been adopted into the family of God through Jesus Christ, God says to them:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:9-12:)

Notice, first God reminds his people who they are:

(1) Chosen race, (2) a royal priesthood, (3) a holy nation, (4) God’s possession, (5) God’s people, (6) receivers of mercy

Then he encourages them to act in manner that flows from that identity…

(1) Abstain from passions of the flesh, (2) keep your conduct honorable, (3) do good deeds.

Of course, the verses in 1 Peter are just a small sample of our God-given identity. In his book, Victory Over the Darkness: Realizing the Power of Your Identity in Christ, Neil Anderson provides us with a fuller picture of  our identity in Christ.  Take a moment and watch this video inspired by Anderson’s book:

Click here for a print version of “Who I Am In Christ”

Because of what Jesus Christ has done for us, we no longer have to wonder who am I? We are free from this existential crisis. In Christ, we are given an identity that is bigger, stronger, and more worthwhile than anything we can find in our family, friends, or community. In Christ, we are given an identity that will last forever.

In Christ, we find an identity that guarantees our acceptance by God. In Christ, we find an identity that guarantees our security of self. And in Christ, we find an identity that guarantees our significance in the world.

Only in Christ do we discover who we were truly made to be. Only in Christ do we discover our true identity.

What Is The Right Kind of Life?

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George Fox was an interesting preacher. But despite his quirks he understood that the Christian life at its core was quite simple. The Christian life was about living the right kind of life. What did that mean? In his Letters he wrotes:

“So, this is the word of the Lord God to you all. Do rightly, whether you be tradesmen, of what calling or profession or sort so ever, or husbandmen. Do rightly, justly, truly, holily, equally to all people in all things; and that is according to that of God in everyone, and the witness of God, and the wisdom of God, and the life of God in yourselves.

Whatever your calling, live in the power of Truth and wisdom of God to answer that just principle of God in all people upon the earth. So, let your lives preach, let your light shine, that your works may be seen, that your Father may be glorified. This has the praise of God, and they who do so come to answer that which God requires, to love mercy, do justly, and to walk humbly with God.

So everyone strive to be rich in the Life, and the thing of the Kingdom that has no end; for the person that covets to be rich in the things of this world falls into many snares and hurtful lusts. Therefore, let the one that buys, or sells, or possesses, or uses this world be as if he did not. Let them be masters over the world in the power of the Spirit of God, and let them know that they owe no one anything but love; yet serve God in Truth, and one another in their generation.”

For George Fox, the right kind of life was a life that lived for Truth and served God and others. For us, this may seem rather ambiguous until we remember that Jesus Christ is the Truth. Therefore to know Jesus Christ is to know the Truth. To live in the power of Truth is to live in the power of Christ. And to serve God in Truth is to serve God in Christ.

The right kind of life is the kind of life that seeks Christ. It is the kind of life that serves Christ. And it is the kind of life that desires to see Christ displayed to others. The right kind of life is not about being perfect or getting everything we want. Rather it is simply about letting Christ use us for his glory and the glory of God the Father.

May God give all of us the desire to live this kind of life!