The central theme of the book of Romans...

The child can appropriate that which the philosopher cannot comprehend...

“As simple as the Bible is its message of sin and of free salvation through Christ, an incredible subtlety and profundity underlies all its doctrines. Even a child can receive Christ as his Savior, thereby appropriating the free gift of eternal life. Yet no philosopher has more than scratched the surface regarding the things that happened at the Cross. The Bible forces any reader to crash into the ceiling of his own comprehension, beyond which he cannot go until he sees the Lord face-to-face.”

-Ken Boa, Unraveling the Big Questions About God

A serendipitous blessing...

in the labor for the gospel...

“In his [Paul's] letters, we are immediately struck by the range of his friendships and the warmth of his affection. I once counted the names of about 70 people who are immortalized simply because they are mentioned as Paul’s friends. Not only was he devoted to them, willing, as he said, “to spend and be spent” for their sakes, they showed an equal devotion to him. He paid special tribute to two of them, a married couple, who risked their lives for him—Priscilla and Aquila of Corinth (Romans 16:3-4). ”

-FF Bruce, The Enigma of Paul:

One can never find this kind of friendship at the Lion's club, the PTA, the soccer team, or the grief recovery group. Only laboring in the gospel can forge the deepness of friendships that the Apostle Paul knew.

Japan Playground Slides >> US Playground Slides

And to think I thought the tunnel slide in our neighborhood park was cool...

Losing to Win

Want to read something counterintuitive?   Check out this very helpful article from Dr. Kelly Flannigan --> Marriage is for Losers.

"What are you going to do for the families?"

This is fascinating dialog from Brian Fisher (pastor of Grace Bible Church in College Station, Texas). He describes fielding a question while going through a rather lengthy round of questioning in the process of interviewing for the pastor position.

Note that Grace Bible is a 'battleship', mission focussed church with fingerprints throughout the far reaches of the world. Located only a few miles from the campus of Texas A&M University (45,000+ student enrollment), Grace is a church largely composed of college students.

“I remember at one meeting… it’s Q&A…ask him anything you want to ask him [format]… so [someone] stands up and says, 'If you become senior pastor, what are you going to do for the families? You know because the families get here a little late and they can’t park, and they’ve got kids that they can't haul in. And the families they are giving all the money to the church... they are making the budget happen. And they get here a little late and there is nowhere for them to sit because there are all the students. What are you going to do for the families?'

What I remember saying [in response] was, 'This is what I want to do for your family. I want to help you equip your family to stop thinking about itself…I want to equip you to help your family realize that it is not all about your family. That you would not be looking internally all the time, but that you would train your children to look out - to look out at their neighbors, to look out at their friends who are at school, to look out at the nations. I want to train you to get over yourself because the biggest problem with you and your family and with every family in this church is [self] - because we are born so self-centered... So when you come to church you say, ‘serve me, give to me, make programs for me and my family. What are you going to do for the family?’ I want to make your family a great commission family that does not worry about itself, but you sacrifice and you serve and you love it.' ”

-Brian Fisher, Properly Paranoid, Dallas Seminary Chapel, March 10, 2009

Whose is the Loss?

Question:   In the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15), who is the main character in the parable?   The prodigal son or the older brother?

Neither.

“In reading the story of the prodigal son most people are impressed with all the troubles the prodigal meets; they are occupied in thinking what a bad time he is having.   But that is not the point of the parable.   'My son ... was lost, and is found' - there is the heart of the story.   It is not a question of what the son suffers but what the father loses.   He is the sufferer; he is the loser.   A sheep is lost; whose is the loss?   The shepherd's.   A coin is lost; whose is the loss?   The woman's.   A son is lost; whose is the loss?   The father's.   That is the lesson of Luke chapter 15. ”

-Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life

His Sustained Initiative

“He knows me. I am graven on the palms of His hands. I am never out of His mind. All my knowledge of Him depends on His sustained initiative in knowing me. I know Him, because He first knew me, and continues to know me. He knows me as a friend, One who loves me; and there is no moment when His eye is off me, or His attention distracted from me, and no moment, therefore, when His care falters."

-J.I. Packer, Knowing God

Hitler, Madonna, Billy Graham and Jesus

In college, I distinctly remember a powerful sermon illustration that has held with me. In an auditorium of roughly 700 to 800 people, the pastor engaged the auditorium something like this…

“Ok, let me ask a question… by a show of hands, how many here think you are as righteous as Hitler?”

Most all the hands went up. The unspoken general sentiment might have gone something like this: “Dictator. Mass murderer. This is a ‘no brainer’ question; who wouldn’t be more righteous than Hitler?” Nearly all the hands went up.

“Very good… again by a show of hands, how many think you are as righteous as Madonna?”

Again, most of the hands went up. “Sexually promiscuous. Anti-Christian. Morally reprehensible. No reason to think that I am not more righteous than Madonna. Again, most all the hands went up.

“Ok,” said the pastor, “How many think that they are as righteous as Billy Graham?”

This time, only a smattering of hands were raised. “Hmmm…Billy Graham… man of conviction, integrity, faithfulness, has preached the gospel to millions. Reality set in around the room. “No, probably am not worthy to shine his shoe. Got to put my hand down on this one.” Not many hands were lifted.

“Finally, how many think that they are as righteous as Jesus Christ?”

Silence… “Whoa… he did not just ask that. Seriously?? Who would be so bold, so arrogant as to lay hold of that claim??? To say you are as righteous as Jesus borders on blasphemy… right?!?“

Two Christian’s boldly raised their hands.

At that, you could feel a tension. How would the pastor address this? Would he call these two arrogant fellows out??? Would he reprimand them for their pride on display?

Just the opposite - he commended them. They were the only two who got it right! As Christians, they actually saw themselves - their identity - in the same way that God the Father truly sees us… as the very righteousness of His own Son! Dear Christian, do you know that God is for you? Do you know that He sees you as the very white hot righteousness of His own Son? Do you know that knowing your true identity is essential to a victorious Christian life?

The Alps...The Rockies

Saw the Alps and the Rockies in the same day. How many people can say that?? Ok, maybe anyone who has flown from Milan to LAX via Frankfurt (during daylight hours and a clear day) can say that. Nevertheless... Dankeschön, Lufthansa!

The Doctrine of Revelation

A very simple, yet incredibly profound doctrine...

"Theologians might hesitate over this concentration on knowledge, for some of them would certainly prefer to define revelation in terms of the disclosure of a person. But the point on which we fasten our attention is the word 'disclosure'. Revelation is not concerned with knowledge we once had but have forgotten for the time being. Nor does it refer to the kind of knowledge that we might attain by diligent research. It is knowledge that comes to us from outside ourselves and beyond our own ability to discover."

- Leon Morris

Luther's Theology of the Cross

Drove through Heidelberg Germany today, and it brought to mind a recommendation that my brother had given to me several months ago... mainly to go back to April 1518 and study Luther's "Theology of the Cross." Wow, he was right; I've only 'dipped my toe in the water' but feel that I have stumbled upon a treasure trove.

One Sufficient Answer

"It does not matter what your personal deficiency, or whether it be a hundred and one different things, God has always one sufficient answer, His Son Jesus Christ, and he is the answer to every need.”

- Watchman Nee (倪柝聲), The Normal Christian Life