For the Sake of His Name

We are reading this book in my Theology of Missions class and I have found it to be riveting. In between studying for Hebrew, which I am not exactly enjoying at the moment, I rewarded myself with time slots to read it this morning. The thing is, I don't even totally agree with all that he is writing about the philosophy of missions (although part of the reason for that is that I just need to process what he's saying more), but I love his God-centeredness and his exposition of the great commission in Matthew 28 and what that means for missions. I love how he shows that man-centered philosophies of missions may produce big numbers, but they may in fact be big numbers of false converts if they aren't given the God-centered gospel. Or even if they are true converts, they may be left ankle deep in their theology the rest of their lives because they aren't ever taught all that Jesus commanded, which is the command of the great commission. Getting people converted is only the first step towards fulfilling the goal of discipleship.

Silliness

I imagine the angels must be in wonder at how often we as redeemed children of God, bought with the blood of Jesus Christ wallow in self-pity and disappointment when things we THOUGHT would be good for us don't turn out like we hoped. God KNOWS it would be bad for us and so he doesn't let us have it and yet we get so disappointed. I know that he is gentle with us in our childishness and isn't a frustrated Father, but it is still ponderous why we behave the way we do with the promises we have...that are all true for us in Christ Jesus.

Something More Sure

"For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,' we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation." II Peter 1:16-20

In Sunday School we discussed this passage a little and I found it to be very encouraging. In it Peter tells about when he and James and John went up with Jesus on a mountain and they saw Jesus in his glory and heard his Father lovingly affirm him. As fantastic as that was, Peter didn't trust in his experiences as a foundation for his faith. He says, "And we have something more sure, the prophetic word" which in verse 20 he calls "Scripture". He found Scripture, God's written word, to be more sure than an experience he had. What tremendous encouragement for us today, that we don't have to rely on our experiences or feelings as the bedrock of our faith. Are they good? Sure, definitely. But when you aren't feeling his joy or you aren't feeling his presence, it is a safe feeling to know that even more sure than your feelings and experiences is God's Word. As Peter writes in his first letter, "I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it." (I Peter 5:12b) Stand firm in the grace of God which is found in God's "written" word. It's the only Rock we have to stand on when it feels as if all else is sinking.

Some may say, but that is just what a mere man wrote, so how can you say that it is God's word? Peter himself said he "wrote briefly"! So where to we get away with saying that it is God speaking? II Peter 1:21 says, "For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." There's mystery here for sure. But it's clear that although Peter was cognitive of what he himself was writing, God was carrying him along through the Holy Spirit so that we can trust that it is God's word written through man. That's why it is a sure word.

Where I live

Here is a picture of me and my roommate, Brian, and some of his condo which is where we live now. I'll spare you a picture of my room because it's...well...just filled with boxes basically. Brian is a good roommate, but I rarely see him at home (that's not why he's a good roommate!) because he is generally either at work, school, church or with his fiance. But when we do get a chance to talk at home, it's nice because he is wise and godly.

Familiar Faces

My friends Charlie and Pat from Birmingham came to West Palm Beach a couple of weeks ago - not specifically to visit me, but nonetheless, they took a large chunk out of one of their days of vacation to visit with me and take me out to eat. The other guy in the picture is a new friend of mine, Lee, who Charlie actually got me in contact with when I got here. It was nice to see some familiar faces, that's for sure.

St. Louis

I went to St. Louis with several friends in December for a missions conference called Urbana, that's held every three years. I like this shot of us at the arch. Special thanks to Ping for laying on the ground to take it!