Politics

A Gen-Xer’s Hope to Recalibrate

Last Saturday, July 13 a troubled young man attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump. We should not write this off as just another crazy moment in an otherwise crazy season of American politics. An attempted assassination is next level depravity that should force our entire country to pause and recalibrate. America has a political problem. We need to have a conversation about the tone of our politics.

 

When I was a student our country had a conversation about the “n-word.” I first heard the “n-word” in 90’s rap music. I also heard it periodically from other kids at school as well as some extended family members. A case was made that the “n-word” should be treated as a cuss word that should never be said. The case was persuasive and the conversation worked. I rarely heard it back in the 90s, but now only hear it today in rap music and from African-American comedians. Today I never hear the “n-word” in private conversations. We got to this improved place by having a conversation about it. More specifically, people became convinced that even when joking around it was wrong to use the “n-word.” There was social pressure amongst ordinary Americans that the “n-word” was not appropriate to use even in private conversations.

 

We need a similar conversation regarding how we speak about politics. I have heard politicians, journalists, and then ordinary Americans compare Donald Trump to Hitler, that he is a threat to democracy, that he is racist, that he has colluded with the Russians, and that he is somehow scheming to become some sort of authoritarian dictator. Those comments by politicians, journalists, and ordinary Americans are both untrue and unhinged. They are irresponsible and inappropriate. They should not be allowed in polite society and in personal conversations.

 

It would be hypocritical to claim these sorts of unhinged comments are only on the left. Donald Trump is guilty of saying very ugly and untrue things. He has broken norms. However, I maintain that the response to Donald Trump has been much worse than anything Trump has done. Again, I think both sides are guilty of unhinged and untrue comments.

 

However, my little article is a plea to tone down the rhetoric as well as a hopeful way to get to a more civil society. The “n-word” is no longer used in polite society and any personal conversation that I have had in over thirty years. My plea is that when people on the right hear untrue and unhinged comments from their friends on the right that they say something. My plea is that when people on the left hear untrue and unhinged comments from their friends on the left that they say something. Ordinary American, your political leaders and journalists are not going to lead you in this direction. We need to do it on our own. We need to force them to follow our lead.

 

I don’t care if you like Trump or not. This article is not an attempt to get you to vote for him or not. However, in my presence I don’t allow people to use the “n-word.” I am no longer going to allow people in my presence to try and compare Donald Trump to Hitler, or claim that he is a threat to democracy, or that he is a racist, or that he somehow colluded with the Russians, or that he is somehow scheming to become some sort of authoritarian dictator. There are many fair criticisms you can make of Trump, but those comments are untrue and unhinged. Those comments are inappropriate as public comments or in private conversations.

 

We don’t yet know the motives as to why that troubled 20-year-old tried to assassinate President Trump. However, I look back in history and praise people as heroes that tried to assassinate Hitler. There is a logic to political violence if someone believes a politician is in the same sphere as Hitler. That logic is why we must recalibrate the tone of our political rhetoric. Again, our politicians and journalists are not going to do it unless we lead them in that direction.

 

Moving forward, here is my little plan. If I hear something from a friend that I think is dangerously untrue and unhinged I am going to try and talk about it. I am going to try and say that I believe what they just said was untrue and unhinged and I fear has the potential to fuel a troubled person to do something dangerous. I will try to do it politely, but I will also try to do it clearly. I want people around me to know that those types of political hot takes are not welcome in my presence.

 

Friends, I’m not perfect on these issues. I also have strong political opinions. However, I firmly believe the assassination attempt is a moment to recalibrate our political rhetoric even in ordinary conversations. But I’m also encouraged. As a Gen-Xer I saw change in our use of the “n-word.” As the famous theologian Townie has taught us, “you can do it!”

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Greidanus’ Ways to Christ, part 2

Sidney Greidanus is a retired preaching professor from Calvin Seminary. Greidanus’ Preaching Christ from the Old Testament: A Contemporary Hermeneutical Method is an argument for Christocentric preaching and a history of how Christ has been preached from the OT. It is also an explanation of a biblical method for preaching Christ from the OT. Greidanus describes Christocentric preaching as “preaching sermons which authentically integrate the message of the text with the climax of God’s revelation in the person, work, and/or teaching of Jesus Christ as revealed in the New Testament.”[1] This integration is done using his seven ways to Christ. Previously I explained his first three ways. Below is an explanation of his fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh ways to interpret Christ from the Old Testament.

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Greidanus’ fourth way is the way of analogy. Analogy is transferring meaning from a source subject to a target subject. This way links the goal of the original author’s message to the goal or goals of one or more of Jesus’ messages. Analogies can be found when connecting what God does, teaches, and demands of Israel in the OT to the church in the NT.[2] As an example, “God guided and protected Israel through the cloud (Exodus 13:21–22), so God guides and protects his church through Christ ‘to the end of the age’ (Matthew 28:20).”[3]

 

Greidanus’ fifth way is the way of longitudinal themes, an approach that traces biblical themes from the OT into the NT. The biblical theology process is closely linked to the way of longitudinal themes.[4] It develops a theme through the history of redemption, to make applications for the contemporary church. One example Greidanus provides is the theme of the presence of God with his people that he traces from Jacob at Bethel in Genesis 28:10–22 to Jesus as Immanuel in Matthew 1:23.[5]

 

Greidanus’ sixth way is the way of NT references. This way is found when NT authors cite OT passages to support their own specific message. However, this message is not wholly distinct from the OT message. These messages can provide a bridge to Christ. An example cited by Greidanus is the reference in Mark 15:34 to Psalm 22:1. If a preacher is expounding Psalm 22, he will need to reference Mark 15:34. But the preacher can also bridge the messages and thus make Christocentric applications.

 

Greidanus’ seventh is the way of contrast. This final approach highlights distinctions between the OT and the NT. The emphasis is on how Jesus, not any human, changes a message. Greidanus changes a message by highlighting the problems in the OT, which then find their solution in Christ.[6] In one example, Greidanus highlights the difference in the closeness of the individual to the glory of God in Ezekiel 1:28 and John 1:14. Ezekiel is two-steps removed from the glory of God, but by contrast, God himself dwells as a human with his people in the NT.

 

Greidanus’ ways to Christ are useful tools to train church leaders to interpret Christ from the OT minor prophets. Greidanus’ concern is not to stick to “precise perimeters of a particular way”[7] but rather to be confident that any sermon from the OT has preached Christ. Every preacher of the prophets should share this same goal when using Greidanus’ ways.

 

*This material was originally published in chapter three of “The Gospel According to Micah: A Christocentric Commentary.” HERE



[1]Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 10.

[2]Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 263.

[3]Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 263–64.

[4]Greidanus explains, “Today it is especially the discipline of biblical theology that helps us trace longitudinal themes from the Old Testament to the New.” Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 267.

[5]Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 267.

[6]Greidanus observes, “Under the way of contrast we can also include a road to Christ frequently traveled by Spurgeon—a road which begins with the problems encountered in the Old Testament and leads to the solution in Jesus Christ.” Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 272.

[7]Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 276.

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Greidanus’ Ways to Christ, part 1

Sidney Greidanus is a retired preaching professor from Calvin Seminary. Greidanus’ Preaching Christ from the Old Testament: A Contemporary Hermeneutical Method is an argument for Christocentric preaching and a history of how Christ has been preached from the OT. It is also an explanation of a biblical method for preaching Christ from the OT. Greidanus describes Christocentric preaching as “preaching sermons which authentically integrate the message of the text with the climax of God’s revelation in the person, work, and/or teaching of Jesus Christ as revealed in the New Testament.”[1] This integration is done using his seven ways to Christ. Below is an explanation of his first three ways to interpret Christ from the Old Testament.

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First, he explains the way of redemptive-historical progression: “Redemptive history, or kingdom history, is the bedrock which supports all the other ways that lead to Christ in the New Testament. Today redemptive history is called the ‘metanarrative,’ or ‘The Story.’”[2] As opposed to creation, fall, redemption, and consummation, he describes the metanarrative of scripture as creation, redemption in OT times, redemption though Jesus Christ, and new creation.[3] Like all biblical theology proponents, he emphasizes a “unified history.”[4] The first way is seeing “every Old Testament text and its addressees in the context of God’s dynamic history, which progresses steadily and reaches its climax in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and ultimately in the new creation.”[5] The story of David and Goliath is used to explain that every OT narrative can be understood as a personal story, a national history, but also as redemptive history.[6]He goes on to describe that the account of David and Goliath is “more than Israel’s king defeating the enemy; the essence is that the Lord himself defeats the enemy of his people.”[7] Utilizing this first way of redemptive-historical progression and applying it to David and Goliath, he writes, “Thus the battle between David and Goliath is more than a personal scrap; it is more than Israel’s king defeating a powerful enemy; it is a small chapter in the battle between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent—a battle which reaches its climax in Jesus’ victory over Satan, first with his death and resurrection, and finally at his Second Coming when Satan will be thrown ‘into the lake of fire and sulfur’” (Revelation 20:10).[8]

 

Second is the way of promise-fulfillment, which is when the OT is interpreted in light of Christ’s fulfillment. Greidanus gives two rules for this method: “First, take into account that God usually fills up his promises progressively—in installments, as it were … Second, in interpreting the text, move from the promise of the Old Testament to the fulfillment in Christ and back again to the Old Testament text.”[9] As an example, he cites the promise of Isaiah 61:1–4 and how it finds fulfillment in the return of the remnant in 583 BC, then its greater fulfillment in Jesus’ first coming as dawn of Jubilee, and finally its ultimate fulfillment in the Day of Judgment.[10] The way of promise-fulfillment is about how a text “was fulfilled, is being fulfilled and will be fulfilled.”[11]

 

Third is the way of typology. Types are most often people, but can also be institutions and events, which serve as prerepresentations or prefigures of Christ. Of course, the links show Christ to be the perfect escalation and extreme type. Greidanus admits that the original audience would not have recognized most OT types as predictive, but only later does the church recognize the typology.[12] He also warns against the error of typologizing, which is when every detail of the type is interpreted as a type. An example of typologizing is viewing blue, purple, and red in the tabernacle as types pointing to Christ’s heavenliness, kingship, and death.[13] Six rules are provided to protect against typologizing: proceed with using literary-historical interpretation, look for types in the central message not details, determine symbolic meaning, note points of contrast, carry forward the meaning of the symbol, and do more than just draw a typological line to Christ in order to preach Christ.[14] Moses, Joshua, the exodus event, and the institution of the tabernacle are all examples of typology.

 

Greidanus’ ways to Christ are useful tools to train church leaders to interpret Christ from the OT minor prophets. Greidanus’ concern is not to stick to “precise perimeters of a particular way”[15] but rather to be confident that any sermon from the OT has preached Christ. Every preacher of the prophets should share this same goal when using Greidanus’ ways.

 

*This material was originally published in chapter three of “The Gospel According to Micah: A Christocentric Commentary.”  HERE



[1]Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 10.

[2]Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 234.

[3]Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 235.

[4]Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 236.

[5]Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 237.

[6]Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 238.

[7]Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 239.

[8]Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 239.

[9]Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 242.

[10]Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 243.

[11]Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 242.

[12]Greidanus writes, “The answer, I think, is not an either-or but a both-and: some Old Testament types are predictive and others are not. I suspect that most types are not predictive, but specific persons or events are later seen to have typological significance.” Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 251.

[13]Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 252.

[14]Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 257–60.

[15]Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 276.

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Read Homiletical Commentaries

Pastors, read homiletical commentaries. Well, you might respond with the question, “what is a homiletical commentary?” Brother, I’m glad you asked!

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There are numerous types of commentaries on the Bible. Exegetical commentaries delve deep into the original languages. Theological commentaries delve deep into how the particular book fits within the larger theology of the Bible. Homiletical commentaries are how a particular pastor not only explains but applies the text. As a pastor, my approach is to use all three types in my sermon preparation.

The need for exegetical commentaries is very obvious to most pastors. Pastors who have not attended seminary might not know Greek and Hebrew. Seminary trained pastors most likely have a working knowledge of the biblical languages. However, even a seminary trained pastor does not have expertise to the degree of the professors writing exegetical commentaries. Therefore, all preachers should do the diligent work of engaging a robust exegetical treatment of the passage they are preaching.

I recommend the Baker Exegetical Commentary series, the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary series, Eerdman’s New International Greek Commentary series, as well as the Word Biblical Commentary series. All four series provide in-depth scholarship that the vast majority of pastors are unable to develop on their own. As a pastor I view these scholars and their books as a gift to the church. They enable me to wrestle with the text to degrees otherwise unattainable for me even though I have a working knowledge of the languages.

The need for theological commentaries is probably obvious to most pastors. Most pastors (seminary trained or not) have a deeper knowledge of theology than the biblical languages. However, there is still a need for pastors to humbly learn from those who have greater expertise. Further, these commentaries tend to make observations and connections that we might miss. At the very least, these works stir the thinking of a busy pastor.

I recommend B&H’s New American Commentary series, IVP’s Tyndale Commentary Series, Eerdman’s classic New International Commentaries on the Old and New Testaments, as well as P&R’s Reformed Expository Commentary series. I have a conviction that you ought to purchase the author not the series. However, by in large, these series are written by scholars and pastors from a sound evangelical perspective. Further, these authors always provide helpful knowledge about the text that I would not have had otherwise.

The need for homiletical commentaries might not be as apparent for most pastors. These commentaries are typically the reworking of a pastor’s sermons on a book of the Bible. These books have a more pastoral tone than exegetical or theological commentaries. They are demonstrations of not only how to explain a text but also apply a text. They are helpful to bridge a pastor from thinking about what the text means to how it can help his congregation.

I recommend Crossway’s Preaching the Word series, Ligonier Ministries’ Expositional Commentary series, and The Bible Exposition Commentary series. My recent book The Gospel According to Micah: A Christocentric Commentary is in the vein of a homiletical commentary. These commentaries are a particular blessing because they link the exegetical work of understanding to the pastoral work of application. They drive the preacher to intentionally think through how his passage ministers to his church.

Finally, I advocate the need for a pastor to read widely a diversity of commentaries. Certainly, a pastor should study sound evangelical works. However, pastors should not be afraid to venture outside the camp. Further, more academically minded brothers should diversify their study to include homiletical works. Likewise, brothers focused more on practical concerns should do the work of studying their text at a more academic level. In the end, I urge pastors to include homiletical works in their rhythms because it will ensure their preaching moves from the theoretical realm to the practical realm. Your church will thank you for this type of pastoral care.

 

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The Prophets, Jesus, and Justice

How does Jesus relate to justice? Two extremes should be avoided when answering this question. One extreme argues that Jesus has nothing to do with justice. Another extreme answer is that Jesus is primarily about justice.

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Of course, the terms should be defined. What is justice? Today the term “social justice” is thrown around. Technically, social justice is about the unfair distribution of wealth or opportunity or privilege in a society. Did Jesus care about the fair distribution of wealth? Was he a revolutionary who came to bring about a classless society? Does he have anything to say regarding topics like white privilege?

Again, one extreme would argue that if this is the meaning of justice then Jesus has nothing to do with justice. However, again, another extreme would argue that Jesus was primarily concerned with bringing about a more just society.

Preachers have long turned to the prophets in order to speak to justice. For example, the great civil rights preacher Martin Luther King Jr. regularly turned to the prophets for images in his sermons. He quoted Amos 5:24 in his “I Have a Dream” speech when he said he would not be satisfied until “justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.” In the same speech he referenced Isaiah 40:4-5 when he spoke of a dream where “every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.” In his “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” he wrote, “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the eighth-century prophets left their little villages and carried their ‘thus saith the Lord’ far beyond the boundaries of their hometowns.” Further, the night before he died, he preached at Memphis’ Masonic Temple and said, “But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And he’s allowed me to go to the mountain, and I’ve looked over. And I have seen the Promised Land.”

It is natural and right for Christians to go to those images and to the prophets when advocating for justice. After all, the prophets did more forthtelling than foretelling. Their voices still ring in the face of contemporary injustices. Following the example of Martin Luther King Jr., preachers should use their voices to advocate for a more just society. But it matters how we use those passages. Sound hermeneutical principles and biblical theology still apply when preaching the prophets. Contemporary preachers must demonstrate how they get from a verse like Amos 5:24 to tax policy.

For example, Micah 6:8 reads, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” The social justice warriors love the “do justice” part of this verse. They are right that this verse has something to say regarding tort reform and length of jail sentences. However, do social justice warriors have the same love for the “love kindness” and “walk humbly with your God” parts? Further, what does it mean to “walk humbly with your God?” Even further still, how does walking humbly with God relate to doing justice? Sound hermeneutical principles and biblical theology help answer those questions.

You see, the way Jesus relates to justice is through a Christocentric interpretation and application of the prophets. When Jesus was given the chance to interpret “all the Prophets” (Luke 24:27) he interpreted them according to himself and his works. Luke 24:27 says he interpreted the prophets “concerning himself.” He did not interpret the prophets disconnected from himself and his gospel works.

Likewise, when contemporary preachers try to jump from Micah 6:8 to marginal tax rates, they must first connect Micah 6:8 to Jesus and the gospel. For example, what does it mean to “walk humbly with your God?” Romans 6:4 says, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised form the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” A preacher cannot go straight from Micah 6:8 to tax codes without first addressing our new life in Christ. The interpretation and application are more profound than just voting a certain way. Faithful preaching on justice must include clarity on how someone is born again through faith in Christ and then how they live new lives united to Christ.

Does Jesus have something to say about injustices? Yes, but it is more profound than a political rant to vote a particular issue. Jesus’ ethics are connected to his person and works. He wants us to work for justice, but according to our new life in him. Further, true humility toward God recognizes that he is the only one to really bring about perfect lasting justice. Eternal justice will not ultimately come until he returns. However, the call is to work for it here while we are here. But, when preaching the prophets, never forget that something glorious happened after the prophets that gives new illumination to the prophets. Jesus does speak to injustice, but his sermon is more beautiful radical and profound than any politician’s speech.

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Preach Jesus from the Old Testament

Sight is a clear literary theme in the Road to Emmaus story (Luke 24:13-35). Cleopas and his buddies saw Jesus, but don’t really see him. They saw a man coming down the road. They had an in-depth conversation with him as they walked together. However, they don’t perceive that the man was Jesus. They don’t see Jesus, even though they most likely knew him before Jesus’ death and resurrection. They had certainly seen him teach and knew what he looked like. Their lack of perception that the man was Jesus is connected to their lack of spiritual perception. They physically didn’t recognize him, and they also spiritually didn’t recognize him. What is so terrifying about the Road to Emmaus account is that these men claimed to be followers of Christ! The Road to Emmaus story teaches us that even Christians might now fully perceive Jesus.

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This reality is no truer than when we are studying and preaching the Old Testament. It is easy to see Jesus in the Gospel narratives. It is red meat for a pastor to preach Christ from an epistle like Galatians. However, Jesus is harder to see in books like Joel or Haggai. However, the command to “preach the Word” (2 Timothy 4:2) and Jesus’ example on the Road to Emmaus call us to preach Christ from the Old Testament.

Paul famously told his younger disciple to “preach the Word” (2 Timothy 4:2). Every pastor should heed this command. Every pastor has a call on his life to preach or proclaim the Word. Of course, that begs the question, “what is the Word?” John 1:1 calls Jesus the Word. All of Scripture can be understood as God’s communication or Word (2 Timothy 3:16). The Word can be understood as the good news or the gospel. However, all three of these aspects of the meaning of the Word are intertwined. Jesus cannot be rightly understood separate from the whole counsel of God or the gospel. The Bible as a whole must be understood according to the person and work of Christ, specifically the good news of salvation through faith in his atoning work on the cross. The gospel is only good news unless it is linked to both the Old and New Testaments. As a result, Timothy (and contemporary pastors) are to preach the Bible, the gospel, and Jesus. Further, we are to intertwine them in our preaching.

Jesus models this approach on the Road to Emmaus. Luke 24:27 says, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Of course, this verse cannot mean a couple of obvious things. First, Jesus did not read the entire Old Testament and show how each verse concerned him. He simply would not have had the time to it. Second, clearly not every verse in the Old Testament was some sort of direct reference or foretelling prophecy about Jesus. However, Luke 24:27 does provide a broad interpretive grid by which Jesus understood each genre of the Old Testament. At some level, and maybe it was a broad macro level, every passage points to Jesus. Every passage from Genesis to Malachi says something concerning Jesus. At least that is how Jesus saw it!

The fun twist to the Road to Emmaus story is that when Jesus showed them how to see Jesus in the Old Testament, the men were then able to see Jesus physically. In other words, interpreting Christ from the books of Moses and the Prophets is how we actually perceive Christ. Tomes are written on how to preach like Jesus and interpret Christ from the Old Testament. There are certainly appropriate ways to do it and inappropriate ways to do it. However, the general principle is that when pastors preach the Old Testament, they are to preach Jesus.

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Preach Hard Books

Brothers, preach hard books. During our church’s new members class our pastors make the case for expository preaching. It is one of our church’s deepest convictions. During the class we explain our strategy of preaching from both Old Testament and New Testament books. We talk about the importance we place on preaching the Psalms and the Gospels. I always add we want to be experts on Jesus and we want to be a worshipping people. But we also explain that expository preaching actually protects the church from the pastor. Eyes usually get big at the thought. However, we explain how every pastor has soap boxes. Further, every pastor has texts and truths he tends to avoid. Therefore, preaching the whole counsel of God protects the church from a pastor’s soap boxes as well as forces him into truths he might otherwise avoid.

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That is how expository preaching should work in an ideal world. However, that is not always the case. For example, I attended a seminary that had an amazing class that was an in-depth exegesis of the book of Ephesians. We all joked how pastors from that seminary taught heavily from Ephesians at their first pastorate. However, many times, hard books are overlooked. For example, book like Ephesians is profound but also linear in its logic, but what about Isaiah? I assume many pastors prefer to preach an easier to understand book like Ephesians over the swirling imagery of Isaiah. Calvinists love Romans, but might be tempted to preach less from the warning passages in Hebrews. Arminian leaning brothers might love the Gospel of John, but find it more difficult to preach Romans or Ephesians. It is a mark of a mature pastor and a healthy church if sermons are preached from hard books. This claim is true for a number of reasons.

First, preaching hard books demonstrates a commitment to the authority and power of the Word. Malachi is “God breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16) just like Luke. Isaiah is “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12) just like Galatians. When pastors preach hard books, it demonstrates the authority of God’s Word to the church. It helps people understand how to apply those texts to their lives. By preaching hard passages I have seen our people embrace all of God’s Word and not just cherry pick well known texts. When God’s people understand and apply God’s Word, they also unleash its power. By preaching difficult books like Micah, it opens the flood gates of God’s power. I have seen God do powerful things in the lives of his people when they reflect on rarely studied texts.

Second, preaching hard books spiritually grows the pastor and the congregation. I’m reformed and preaching the warning passages from Hebrews has forced me to do the hard work of clarifying my theology in light of God’s Word. By preaching those passages I grew by creating in my spiritual life a place for genuine warning. I emphasize God’s grace, but I also shouldn’t avoid a genuine call to fear the Lord. Our church was greatly challenged by our study of the book of Micah. The paradoxical Day of the Lord is a consistent theme in Micah’s book. The Day of the Lord became a hope and a motivation for our church. Personally, I have benefited from doing the challenging work of wadding into hard passages, but more importantly our church has also spiritually matured.

Third, preaching hard books illumines a beautiful and lofty gospel. Brothers, I’m with you in having soap boxes. Particular themes and passages stir my soul over and over again. However, if I stick to my tried-and-true texts I limit the beauty of the gospel for myself and our church. For example, diving into the prophet’s foreshadowing prophecies about Jesus was like holding up a diamond to the light and examining its beauty from multiple angles. We might have head knowledge of certain truths, but preaching even the hard texts helps us ponder afresh stirring of the gospel. Further, I’ve found hard texts broaden my understanding in a way that makes the gospel loftier and God more glorious. For example, OT narratives can provide layers of meaning that protect us from putting God in a box.

Years ago, I heard an older pastor say that he tries to bounce back and forth from the Old Testament to the New Testament in his expositional series. Initially his approach seemed too formulaic to me. However, as years have passed, I have found that pattern helps me into difficult Old Testament books that I might naturally avoid. Preaching those hard texts have helped me see how God’s Word is truly powerful to save and sanctify. Preaching those hard texts have matured me and our church. Preaching those hard texts have given us a delight in the God of the gospel.

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Saddened and Sobered

Last Sunday, August 28th, 2022 The Village Church (TVC) in Flower Mound announced their pastor Matt Chandler was going on a leave of absence for discipline and developmental reasons related to inappropriate direct messaging interactions with a woman in the church. I am saddened and sobered by this development.

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I am saddened due to the esteem I have for Matt Chandler and the affection I have for TVC. The church is part of the Acts 29 Network and the Southern Baptist Convention. Redeemer Church is also part of both. I will always be grateful for the financial support Redeemer Church received from TVC in our early years. TVC is like-minded to our church in many ways. Like us, they hold to conservative, evangelical, baptistic, and reformed convictions. Like us, they have a genuine desire to shepherd and disciple their congregation. Like us, they have a heart to love and serve their community with the gospel. There are distinctions between our churches, but I really love TVC and am grateful for their leadership. Matt is a brother and pastor that I truly respect.

 

I am also sobered because I know the burden of striving to live an “above reproach” (1 Timothy 3:2) lifestyle while knowing my imperfections and struggles. The Bible charges pastors to “keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching” (1 Timothy 4:16). Any time I hear an account like I heard this weekend, it is healthy for me to back up and do an evaluation of my heart and life. This week Kristen and I have done a heart check and I’ve asked for her wisdom on these types of issues. With the support of Kristen and the Elders, I have long standing common sense boundaries for how I relate with women. I know in some working environments these boundaries might seem stiff, outdated, or even rude. However, I strongly believe they help preserve my personal integrity, as well as the integrity of our church and our teaching. Further, this situation has led me to have some helpful discussions amongst our staff. Shannon has been a gift to our staff on a number of levels. When we first hired Shannon the staff was made up of only young men. At the time I felt there were moments we were joking in ways that were on the line of being inappropriate for pastors. When Shannon came into the room she helped us immediately raise the bar of maturity and godliness. This week her reflections have helped Grant and I further think through what is appropriate behavior for how pastors relate to women. Friends, we desire godly brother sister relationships within the church. We desire to do those relationships in ways that are healthy, appropriate, and edifying.

 

I am thankful for the courage of the woman at TVC who approached her pastor about her concerns, the conviction of their Elders for pushing into this issue, and the humility of Matt Chandler for embracing this rebuke and being willing to grow in the Lord even when it is embarrassing. Please glorify God in this moment by being saddened and sobered. Please soberly do an evaluation of yourself including having some discussions with your spouse and close friends. Please pray for TVC and Matt Chandler. Please pray for the spiritual health of our staff, our Elders, and me personally. May God be glorified through these discussions and prayers.

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Bible, Church, Gospel Spirituality, Jesus, Missional Living, Politics, Redeemer Church

Comments on Dobbs

Micah 6:8 says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” God’s People are called to “do justice” but not in a way that is divorced from loving kindness or walking humbly with God.

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Today, by God’s grace, the United States Supreme Court has overturned their 1973 Roe v.s. Wade decision with their Dobbs v.s. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision. I was born in 1978 and this is the most just moment in my nation’s history during my lifetime. I wonder what Abolitionist Christians felt when President Lincoln gave his Emancipation Proclamation. I feel a range of emotions and have a series of thoughts running through my head.

 

First, this is a moment for Christians in America to praise God. This decision is good and right. This decision is ultimately a grace of God. The Dobbs decision makes our nation more just and kind.

 

Second, this decision is the result of a half century of work. This is how a contentious issue should work. It should be debated and discussed. Abortion is not the sort of issue that should be mandated. The Court is right in rebuking the 1973 ruling and thus sending this issue to elected state legislators. I live in Texas. We will treat it differently than those in New York or California. As a result, Dobbs is a better settlement than Roe. This is a better settlement for those on both sides of the issue. It enables genuine discussion and compromise. This decision is the result of a half century of work, but the debates and the work will continue.

 

Third, again, this decision is the result of a half century of work. Christians need to understand that history and be thankful for it. In the early 1980s my parents worked with a group of people to start a Crisis Pregnancy Center. Normal people like my father worked for this day. He died of COVID-19 in 2020. I really miss him today because I had envisioned getting to celebrate this moment with him. ProLife workers have been shamefully demonized by the left in this country, but Christians should esteem the work they have done. I’m proud of my father’s work and look forward to carrying on the work of caring for women who experience an unplanned pregnancy. Ordinary ProLife workers should be thanked today. ProLife politicians should also be thanked. Senator Mitch McConnell should be thanked. ProLife judges should also be thanked. President Donald Trump should also be thanked. I did not vote for either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump in 2016 because I believed both were so morally flawed I could not in good conscience vote for either. Related, I did not believe President Trump would truly be a ProLife President. However, I was wrong. In fact, he ended up being the most ProLife President. I ended up voting for him in the 2020 election based primarily on his ProLife work. Even though I believe President Trump has obvious moral flaws, on this day I am especially thankful for him and his presidency.

 

Fourth, Americans should be clear about what this decision means. The Handmaid’s Tale is not our future and those who try to paint that picture are either misinformed or dishonest. What this decision means is that the issue of abortion will now be sent to state legislatures like it was before 1973. The people of each state, through public debate and elections, will make abortion decisions. Texas is a ProLife state and thus there will be more restrictions on abortions than a ProChoice state like New York. However, ProChoice Texans will have and should have the freedom to make their case and vote their consciences. Similarly, ProLife Californians will have and should have the freedom to make their case and vote their consciences.

 

Fifth, and related, how people behave on both sides of this debate (including this weekend) will either be persuasive to their side or not. For example, if we see more Jane’s Revenge bullying, threatening and vandalism, I believe it will only serve to convince people of the virtues of the ProLife camp and the nastiness of the ProChoice camp.

 

Sixth, and related, my prayer is for a civil debate this weekend and moving forward. Personally, I hear the concern of a woman feeling like taking away abortion in her state makes her feel like a second class citizen because her pregnancy impacts her body and thus her life in more extreme ways than it does the father of the baby. Unplanned pregnancies make women’s lives more difficult. It impacts their schooling and careers. They deal with shameful judgments that men don’t have to experience. An unplanned pregnancy for a young woman is terrifying. I do not believe abortion is the answer, but I do hear the fear. My prayer is that all of us (no matter where we are on this issue) can genuinely listen to the other side and hear the concerns. My prayer is for understanding and civility not screaming, bullying, and vandalism. Dobbs does end one important aspect of this discussion, but it does not end all the discussions. Americans, let’s do this with civility and kindness so that people can actually be persuaded.

 

Seventh, I believe most Americans desire civility and to discuss this issue with kindness. However, I am not naive to believe that all will respond with self-control and kindness. Jane’s Revenge has made their intentions clear. Crisis Pregnancy Centers and churches need to be mindful of threats and ensure their security measures are in place this weekend. I am also calling on local police to ensure violence and vandalism are not allowed to happen this weekend.

 

Eighth, and finally, Christians in this moment are to walk humbly with our God. Praise Him today for enabling our nation to be a more just place. Dobbs is His grace upon us. However, the conversations I have had today have only briefly been celebratory in nature, but have then quickly turned to fears over the responses of ProChoice people. Those fears are also an opportunity to walk humbly with God and cast our fears upon Him. ProLife Christians still have much work to do persuading neighbors toward our position as well as caring for scared ladies experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. We need to humbly walk with God in order to know how to persuade and care. We need God’s grace.

 

God is good. God is just. God is merciful and kind. Please be safe. Please do not allow your anger to think you are justified in bullying or harming others or committing acts of violence and vandalism. Please continue to pray. Please commit to work for the care of women who have an unplanned pregnancy. Please reach out if you want to have a civil conversation.

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Bible, Church, Counseling, Gospel Spirituality, Jesus, Missional Living, Preaching, Redeemer Church

Advice for Listening to Preaching (Part 4)

Preaching is explaining and applying the Bible. The Bible calls us to “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2). We need to read the Bible, but sitting at home alone reading it is not sufficient for a healthy spiritual life. Every Christian needs the preaching of God’s Word. Therefore, we need a renewed understanding of preaching as a spiritual discipline or a means of grace. Spiritual disciplines are biblical habits that promote spiritual growth. These biblical habits are how God pours out his grace in order to conform us to the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29). If preaching is a means of grace, how can everyday Christians be equipped through listening to the preaching of God’s Word?

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First, be prayerful to prepare your heart to hear God’s Word. Most Christians do not pop out of bed in the morning excited to hear a sermon. Therefore, we need the Spirit’s help. We need to pray to God to give us a heart to hear what we need to hear from the upcoming sermon.

Second, learn how you learn. Some people are classified as audible learners while others are visual learners. Some are active learners while others are reflective learners. While some learn through sequential steps others are called global learners. Learning how you are wired can help you develop proactive strategies to better hear God’s Word.

Third, take notes. The sermon is primarily an audible experience. However, even if you are a visual learner take notes on what you are hearing. Pastors should develop sermon notes and ways for the congregation to fill in blanks. Related, preachers should make the main points clear. However, preachers should not make the note taking too obvious. Sequential learners need to see the flow of thought, but global learners need to figure some things out for themselves. Even if your pastor does not provide sermon notes, everyone learns best with a pen in their hand writing down key concepts as well as notable truths.

Fourth, listening to a sermon and taking notes will require someone to develop their concentration abilities. The success of apps like Tic Tock and the success of TED Talks highlight our generation’s short attention spans. Pray for God to help you concentrate. Make it a game to see how long you can focus. Remember, concentration can be developed.

Fifth, in your mind or on your sermon notes, ask the “so, what?” questions. Educators understand that one of the best ways to motivate students to learn is to quickly show the relevance and usefulness of their lesson. God is communicating through every verse in the Bible, therefore our role is to determine the relevance of the passage. When we are listening to a sermon we need to ask questions like: what do I need to believe, what do I need to turn from, how does this passage convict me, how does this verse encourage me, what does this say about my heart, what does this Scripture teach me about Jesus and his gospel grace? Keep your mind active by discovering how your pastor’s sermon can transform your thinking, emotions, and behaviors.

During the pandemic we have all been reminded of the charge from Hebrews 10:25 to not neglect the habit of meeting together. For a season we had to neglect this habit. However, one of the main reasons we meet together is to hear the preaching of God’s Word. The sermon is meant to be a communal experience. Everyday Christians are designed to come together and collectively hear the Word preached. Together we are to learn and be admonished and encouraged. Together we are to believe and repent. Together we are to remember the good news of the gospel. Brothers and sister, do not neglect the hearing of God’s Word preached. We all need it. It is a gift, a means of God’s grace. I pray your pastor sees you this Sunday with your Bible open and your pen in hand!

 

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