@MusingsOnChrist yes… thank you for saying it out loud. We see this so much as we work to provide theological education in the global church… it is almost assured when heading into particularly spiritually difficult places.
Yes, Denny. Surely a father would have a heart for a son at least as burdened as Spurgeon exhorted all believers to have for all the lost: “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for. “
In the Doctrine of God, we describe God as simple, meaning He is one nature—not divisible. This one nature manifests in all the divine attributes (love, mercy, justice, holiness, etc.). So to study the nature of God in any aspect is to consider Him in His fullness—His nature cannot be separated into component parts.
The longer I live, the more I understand that Christian Theology is very similar in this aspect. To remove one fundamental truth is not possible, because it is coherent truth, which manifests in a variety of ways. This is also very important in the field of hermeneutics. To ignore or explain away one part of scripture undermines the meaning of all the others. The written Word is also coherent. Ignoring one part undermines the nature of the whole.
Treating God, His Word, or core doctrine like a cafeteria (take what you like and ignore the rest) is increasingly common. And the church is not better for it.
I have watched this over the last 40 years… it seems more common now than it has been. I attribute it, at least partly, to the lack of actual teaching on the importance and meaning of baptism. And, I have never been a fan of the big group baptisms away from the fellowship, e.g., at camps, retreats, etc., something else I have seen more of over my lifetime.
I’ve lived long enough to see there are things I didn’t think precious soon enough but they were/are and things I thought were precious as a young man that never were. If you are young, I hope you will see this—the sooner the better.
Brothers, if we need to let folks know we are pastors so they will know we follow Jesus, we have a problem…
And if folks know we are pastors and can’t see us follow Jesus—we have a BIG problem.
An unspoken promise of Christian community is that we will bury one another, grieving but full of hope.1 In doing so, we remind ourselves to preach the gospel in word and dead while we are alive so our community has ease in declaring it when they lay us to rest.
A life lived in faith toward God is a powerful call for us to endure. Today I preached the funeral of a dear friend and valued team member at https://t.co/5wpUvDT3Y7. Her life demonstrated what endurance and unwavering faith in Jesus look like. In truth, she had already preached her own funeral before she made it home.
Any who serve as pastors know what a blessing that is…
This 🧵 is excellent (as are most musings from @MusingsOnChrist). It seems to me that Evangelicalism’s (and the SBC’s) unreasonable resistance to affirming historic creeds leaves them untethered from and unaccountable to the historic faith in dangerous ways. This produces all sorts of theological mess on a global scale.
Today, I was working from home. A technician (J_) came by to install a part (Amy was out). He was a nice guy, a veteran. I got to visit with him a bit, thanked him for serving, and I was able to share some snacks and a soda with him. I felt a strong urge to pray for J_ . I asked him when he came to mind how I could pray for him. He said he had never been asked that question. Then he proceeded to tell me that his mother died not long ago—I figured that is why the Lord had asked me to pray for him. Afterall, he said it had been difficult for him. I was glad to pray about that. THEN, he told me that he was shot last December—a criminal entered J_’s home, shot and killed his dog, then shot him. All this occurred in front of J_’s young son. The bullet hit five of J_’s organs—he coded but God raised him up. I prayed over him at some length before he left—lots to pray for, including for his son who had witnessed such horrific events.
NOTE: We rarely have any idea what people are going through. If you are a believer, you can always offer to pray for folks. In the hundreds (1000’s?) of times I have asked that question (how can I pray for you?), I have rarely gotten push back. Christians, you can make a difference if you will 1) actually care about people and 2) be willing to go out on a limb and show your care in active, tangible ways.
I will keep praying for J_ . Who might God lead you to pray for tomorrow?