FreeTruth

I've been a hold-out on Lent, and, as commonly practiced, I still am. All human traditions have a built in high-risk factor which is one reason why I try to undermine them every chance I get!

This gets me into a lot of hot water, but I believe that traditions about music, Sunday attire, men's and women's roles (other than those spelled out in God's Word), holy days, liturgies, and more, must be deliberately altered periodically, or else in time they will replace God's Law. I must intentionally change the way I've always done things or the way I've always done things will supplant God's Law in my conscience.

Spiritual growth should never depend on a tradition, but on God and all His ordained means of grace alone. All else is sand. Traditions are just tools to be used or not, as the moment may suggest, and the heart may choose.

But with all that necessarily said, I think there are helpful ways we can observe traditional holy seasons if we so choose. Regarding Lent you might choose from the following options (from various sources):

1. Take a deep repentant inventory of soul. This should happen regularly (do not wait for Lent!), but it can be helpful to use the Lenten emergence from winter as a kind of spiritual emergence from any soul-winter we may be in. You can ask questions like:

- What are my characteristic sins, and how can I work and pray for change?
- What idols have captured my imagination and cooled my love for the living God?
- In what ways is my devotion to Christ and his church less than wholehearted?

2. Memorize a gospel, cross-focused text like Isaiah 52:11-53:12.

3. Write one gospel-presenting letter each Lenten week to an unbelieving person expressing the love of Christ.

4. See Lent and the Good Friday/Resurrection Day event as a reminder of your solidarity with all true believers everywhere. It's undeniably stirring, if you have a love for the universal Church, to realize that in such "holy seasons" true Christians everywhere are united in repentance, faith, and love for Christ.

5. Read good books about the finished redeeming work of Jesus Christ--through Whom alone we have our salvation apart from works and traditions. Fill your mind with grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone themes.

6. Plan to make three visits to people who are lonely or especially needy. Read them Scripture on the death and resurrection of Christ and encourage their faith and hope in Christ.

7. Choose to fast, going without food for a meal or a day or longer, using the time and energy saved to pray and meditate.

Whatever you choose never think of your way as God's Law. Never think that your observance of Lent is penance or atonement for sin. Jesus' blood alone atones. By His blood and righteousness alone are we justified in God's sight. Trusting in Jesus alone, make your choice regarding Lent. This is an evangelical way to do Lent.

As we proceed now to offer 40+ readings on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus--His Path to Glory--the way is clear for us to reflect and worship with no legalistic strings attached.

Labels: Fasting, Holy Days, Lent, Prayer, Repentance, Spiritual disciplines

In my devotions this morning I read the last two chapters of Jeremiah which describe the invasion of Jerusalem and its destruction. Then I read all of Lamentations which expresses the prophet's grief over that destruction. As I read I found my heart crying out to God for mercy on His church today and in coming generations.

Jerusalem had once been a city of great joy and holiness as it was the place of God's dwelling and blessing. She was a place of worship, of prosperity, of the real and felt presence of God. The temple was there. The kings lived there. The manifold grace of God was there.

But sin crept in, and it hadn't taken long. David had ruled Jerusalem with a whole heart for God; His son Solomon had ruled with half a heart; his sons and grand-sons with no heart. And from there, with only a few periods of revival mixed in, each generation had become more evil than the ones before. Finally God had enough and allowed Babylon to come in and destroy.

Jerusalem was laid to ruin. And as Jeremiah walked the desolate streets of the once happy, once glorious, once filled-with-God city, he mourned what once was, but was no longer.

This past Sunday, our church building was filled with the glories and beauties of God. Worship was sweet and glad and holy. The Word was preached. The hurting were comforted; the faithful were honored; the lost were found; the glory of God was among His people.

But what will become of this in years to come? As I read this morning, God moved me to cry out for coming generations; for this generation. How quickly we can wander! How quickly we can stray! How quickly we can become complacent! How quickly we can grow spiritually fat and forget God! And how quickly God can remove His favor so that the city, the church once glorious can become a ruin.

I pictured the building in which we worship, and imagined it desolate. I imagined it silent, with no songs of praise, no preaching of the gospel, no celebrations of God's grace, no holy transactions between God and His people; a place desolate and doomed. And I realized that there is an enemy still who seeks to destroy and devour the people of God as he always has.

Lifting my eyes from the page of Scripture this morning I raised them to a picture of my children that rests in the little room where I meet God each morning, and I cried out for each of them and for all their peers: "O God keep them faithful to the covenant; keep them faithful to Your truth; keep them faithful to Your gospel and to Your law--so that Your church will not be a desolation in years to come."

Friends, whatever church you attend can become a desolation in a few short years. It can become a desolation in your lifetime. It's possible for it to happen so quickly that before you die you could walk the halls of your church building and mourn the loss of what once was.

I do not mean to spoil your day with gloom and doom. But I do mean to call you to vigilance and prayer. O pray for your church. Pray for your pastor/shepherds. Pray for your own soul that you would have no delight but in God, no truce with any sin, no infatuation with the world, no compromise with any error.

Pray for this and the coming generation, that we would not see in our day or in any day to come, the doom and desolation caused by the enemy, or by a God who has had enough with the church.

Pray that the halls of Trinity Fellowship Church--both spiritual and physical--would always be filled with the songs and sounds of a holy people who are passionate for their God, who hate sin, and who love nothing but His Name.

Labels: Church, Prayer, Repentance

Sunday morning I was sensing the need for spiritual renewal--and for a new brokenness, and a fresh filling of the life of God. The Lord convinced me of my need in the following ways.

The service began with the Lord's Table. Tim made an appeal to "walk worthy of the Gospel." While reminding us to thank God that, by His grace, we are not "what we could be," Tim pointed out that it is also right to consider, "are we where we should be?"

Brothers and sisters, what I am about to confess showed me that I am not where I should be. It shames me to tell this, but this blog is a good place for honesty. In the celebration of the Lord's Table, when the bread was distributed, there was a brief moment of silence. It was very peaceful... too peaceful. I suddenly woke to the realization that the congregation had just eaten the matzo. I then lifted my bread and also partook... a couple of seonds late. The Apostle Peter was gently rebuked by our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane because he was unable to watch with the Master for 1 hour... and here I was, not able to stay alert for just a few moments! I need "more of God."

The morning scripture texts were from the life of Abraham. In Genesis 15:1 the Lord declares to Abram: "I am your shield, and your exceeding great reward." "But Abram said, O Lord God, what will you give me...?" Am I not like Abram? God offers Himself to me... Himself, the great gift. Why do I not simply take Him, enjoy Him, love Him? He is the supreme gift. Why do I allow myself in countless ways to be distracted from Him? I need "more of God."

After the service, a dear brother began to talk with me about what was being planned in the way of summer evangelism. There were to be a few Saturday car washes, and Friday night Boardwalk Evangelism was also being planned. Once again my conscience was pricked. As I listened I realized that it's been a long time since I've considered spending my Fridays and Saturdays in this way. I was reminded that, before these kinds of Kingdom activities are going to be a joy to me, (as they are for the brother who was sharing these opportunities with me), I will need "more of God."

How about you? Is there anything in your experience telling you that you need more of God? Let's come to this Friday evening "More of God" service with expectancy, humility, and hope!

Labels: Change, Dependence on God, Growth, Guest Post, Repentance

In 2 Kings 17:15, 33 we read:

They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them ...So they feared the Lord but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.

As I read this in my devotional time this morning I was struck with a spirit of repentance and grief. I cannot escape the fact that I have fallen into some of the same sin as ancient Israel: in many ways I have followed the sins of the nations around me rather than being faithful to my God and confronting my culture by leading my neighbors away from their sins.

I know that I posted a series of cultural sins that we're in danger of committing back on March 28th, but this morning the reality of these came to me with greater clarity and precision. The question came to me like this: "Tim, what are the specific ways that you have taken on the thinking and values of the nations rather than the heart of God and ways of truth?"

Here are ten answers God gave to me (these are not at all polished, but are a raw expression of what the Lord said to me by His Spirit):

1. I've subtlely accepted the relativism and a live-and-let-live mindset of the nations as is evident by my lack of urgency in speaking to people of their sins and of their need for the gospel. The fact that I do not leave my house in the morning with one agenda: to speak to as many people as possible of Jesus Christ and of their desperate need for Him, reveals that I've bought into the world's lie that it doesn't need Him.

2. I've subtlely lived a pluralistic/relativistic mindset whenever I've hesitated to say point blank: "Jesus is the only way."

3. I've given in to the world's love of popularity and the idol that image is everything when I've held back in speaking of "Jesus' by name and of people's sins and of God's holiness with clarity and conviction, because I did not want to offend or lose a friend.

4. I've caved in to political correctness when I've been bold in the pulpit but fearful in the marketplace; when I've preached holiness and the exclusive claims of Christ to the choir, but not to the lost.

5. I've embraced worldly materialism when I've neglected needs of the church and kingdom, and have treated luxuries and extras like they were needs and even rights.

6. I've trusted in the city of man and in man's help when I've treated religious liberty as a right to be fought for when in fact Christians throughout time and around the world have not had one bit of it themselves.

7. I've embraced the worldly hedonism of the nations when I've lingered on the advertisement or enticing picture or ice cream buffet or pillow or juicy gossip too long.

8. I've followed the nations distorted values when I've treated the arts and entertainment and pop culture and even high culture as if they were worth a level of attention even beginning to approach the attention I give to personal holiness and specific, bold, sin and cross-saturated gospel witness. When I in all honesty have given more thought to enjoying or even recovering the arts than to the plight of and an active pursuit of the lost never dying souls that I meet everyday, I'm flat out worldly.

9. I've followed the nations when I treat government and politics as if they have answers for human need, and can ever be trusted to "do the right thing". When I devote more concern and care to how to fix the economy or vote for the right candidate than I do to how to reach my neighbor and rescue him from a dreadful eternity, I have--just like the world--valued this life more than the next.

10. I've followed my nation's values when I treat luxuries like multiple health care options, college education, religious liberty, a relaxing night out, snacks between meals, second helpings of food, a new shirt, and another pair of shoes as needs and rights rather than as the flat out excess they most often are.

Folks, I'm not nuancing anything here, I realize. And I realize that a thousand "buts" and qualifications come to mind for each of these points. But I am making a primary point: we are at great risk of repeating Israel's sin, and in truth, we already have. We have followed the nations rather than our God.

Let us repent and mean it. Let us confess our idolatries and turn from them. Let us renounce all that we hold dear and go hard after God as never before.

This is what God expects, and if the Old Testament record shows us anything, it is that God isn't kidding.

Labels: Culture War, Humility, Repentance, Sin, Worldliness