Archive - February, 2012

Big Prayers to a Big God

By on February 29, 2012 in Blog with 2 Comments

Let’s begin with the obvious: God is powerful. I know, I know; you are blown away by the deep theological insight in that sentence. Let’s be real though, many of us would confess this truth with our lips, but if we really examined our prayer lives we would find ourselves denying that very truth by our minuscule requests. Here’s an example of a standard request that I often find myself going back to by habit as I pray: “Father, thank you for today. I pray that you would give me a good day. Help me to glorify you in all that I do.”

Really? A good day? That’s all? I’m speaking with a God who not only created the world, universe, atoms, and the sun, but who also loves me so much that he came in human form and died for me, and all I ask for is a good day? Maybe I redeem myself a bit by asking that I glorify Him in all that I do? In reality, when I say prayers like that, they are so rehearsed and repeated that I rarely sit on that and plead with Him that I would glorify Him. Do I really mean it? It’s just something you say in a prayer, right? Wrong.

Prayer is an incredible gift that God has given us. He allows us to cast our cares upon Him. HIM! A holy, almighty God! This is incredible, marvelous, to good to be true, but it is true! Is it hitting you yet? You have access to an all-powerful God who wants to hear your requests and petitions. He delights in answering prayers. So why, then, do we waste our time praying menial prayers that we don’t even mean half the time? We should be on our knees pleading with God for huge, monumental, ginormous, gargantuan things. Why do I miss this so often?

One of my favorite metaphors about prayer is from John Piper. He compares prayer to a wartime walkie-talkie that is being used as a domestic intercom. We have at our disposal a means of communication by which to call in reinforcements when we need them, but we use it instead as a way to ask the butler for more lemonade. We could ask for such big things if we would just elevate our vision of God. So, are you with me? Do you want to do more than just confess a belief in a big God? Then let’s do it! Comment below with what big prayer you are going to start praying. Will you pray for revival in your school, workplace, city, etc.? Will you pray for a miracle? Get creative, think big, and then….PRAY!

Book Review: Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian

By on February 28, 2012 in Book Reviews with 1 Comment

I know that I am late to review Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian. There are more bloggers out there who have said far better things than I could ever say, and I am thankful for those bloggers and reviewers. I decided to approach this review a little differently. I want to share three things concerning the book that I absolutely enjoyed.

Firstly, I love Tullian’s heart and passion for the gospel. The book from beginning to end exudes the gospel. Even the Acknowledgements are no exception. In it Tullian writes, “I have a confession to make: I’m addicted to the gospel. It burns inside of me. And it seems to get hotter every day. I can’t stop thinking about it, talking about it, writing about it, reading about it, wrestling with it, reveling in it, standing on it, and thanking God for it.” We get the meditations of a man who has thought deeply, wrestled at length, and is standing in the gospel. And the great part is this man is living the gospel. It isn’t just an idea to be rationalized for him. It is living and real and life changing. There is power in the gospel and God has chosen to move us deeper into it, not past it. As I read the book, I couldn’t stop thinking about the truths. I found myself quoting Tullian in conversations. God was using the truths of the book to shape me.

Secondly, I love Tullian’s passion and love for the doctrine of justification. Luther called the doctrine of justification “the article by which the church stands or falls”. We can never hear the doctrine of justification too much. We are prone to self-justification and thus we need to be reminded over and over of our justification by faith alone in Christ. Tullian does just this. He reminds us of our justification over and over again. He is perhaps, one of my favorite authors when it comes to writing on the subject. I never got tired of hearing this wonderful truth. Thanks, Tullian, for this.

Finally, Tullian writes with much excitement concerning the liberation found in the gospel. He begins the book by telling his story from the summer of ’09. He writes, “Never had I experienced anything so tough. I could hardly eat, had trouble sleeping, and was continually battling nausea. I felt at the absolute end of myself. God, what in the world are you doing? I needed resurrecting.” Many of us can relate to a time or period in our life where we felt like that. We were at our lowest. We were hurting. This is where Tullian was. His church plant had recently merged with the nationally known Coral Ridge Presbyterian in May 2009. By June 2009, opposition arose and false accusations were already arising. People were speaking out against Tullian. Again he writes, “There was a crescendo of misunderstandings, frustration, and pain.” Tullian was hurting. However, while on vacation, Tullian opened up to the book of Colossians and began to read. As he read, his eyes were opened and the words were jumping off the page. There was such clarity. The Spirit was active in illuminating the Scripture. It was in this moment that Tullian began to rediscover the gospel. He writes, “I sensed my miserable chains falling away. My true situation came into focus. I’d never realized before how dependent I’d become on human approval and acceptance until so much of it was taken away in the roiling controversy at Coral Ridge.” The gospel was exposing and destroying his idols and it was liberating. The chains were falling away. The gospel is so liberating, so freeing. It “doesn’t simply rescue us from the past and rescue us for the future; it also rescues us in the present from being enslaved to things like fear, insecurity, anger, self-reliance, bitterness, entitlement, and insignificance…” You can’t help but see this truth throughout Jesus + Nothing = Everything. Tullian has experienced the liberating freedom in the gospel, and he proclaims it. He wants every reader to experience it. Tullian does a masterful job detecting and defeating legalism, performancism, and moralism. The gospel frees us from those things. It is liberating!

Overall, I highly recommend reading this book. It would be hard to pick it up and not see the outworking of a man who is captured by grace. It really is Jesus + Nothing = Everything for Tullian. This truth is real and relevant for our life. I was constantly challenged, encouraged, and liberated as I read this book. Thanks again, Tullian.

I received this book free from Crossway Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

 

Free from Christian Audio: Trusting God by Jerry Bridges

By on February 27, 2012 in Blog with 0 Comments

Christian Audio is currently giving away Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges for free until Feb. 29th. Let me encourage you to go and download this Audiobook. You will not be disappointed. I have found tremendous value in Audiobooks.

What the Book is about. (Taken from Christian Audio)
“Because obeying God makes sense to us. In most cases, His laws appear reasonable and wise, and even when we don’t want to obey them, we usually concede that they are good for us. But the circumstances we find ourselves in often defy explanation.

When unexpected situations arise that appear unjust, irrational, or even dreadful, we feel confused and frustrated. And before long, we begin to doubt God’s concern for us or His control over our lives. Adversity is hard to endure and can even be harder to understand. If God were really in control, why would He allow the tragic auto accident or crucial job loss? How could He permit cancer in a loved one or the death of a child?

Grappling with His concern for us we ask, “Why is God allowing this?” or “What have I done wrong?” In an effort to strengthen his own trust in God during a time of adversity, Jerry Bridges began a lengthy Bible study on the topic of God’s sovereignty. What he learned changed his life, and he now shares the fruit of that study with you in Trusting God.

As you begin to explore the scope of God’s power over nations, nature, and the detailed lives of individuals, you’ll begin to acknowledge His loving control. And as you come to know Him better, you’ll find yourself trusting Him more completely—even when life hurts.”

Be an Active Disciple-Maker, not a Slothful Naysayer

By on February 24, 2012 in Blog with 3 Comments

In recent years I have found myself becoming more and more skeptical about many of the traditions in modern, mainstream Christianity. Having previously worked in youth ministry for two years, I became very familiar with one of these traditions in particular: the “alter call” at youth retreats. We all know the drill (especially those of us who have done youth ministry): The speaker gets up and gives a very compelling, emotional sermon and at the end he asks people to join him as he leads them in the sinners prayer. After the prayer, he asks those who have prayed it with him to raise their hands while everyone else has their eyes closed. A few people raise their hands and the alter call “staff” comes over to talk with them about their decision.

The problem I have is that in my experience as the weeks go by the “new converts” tend to fall right back into their previous lifestyle. I believe that the problem here is that these alter call type conversions result from an emotional situation where a person is either told about the dangers of hell or the potential benefits of the Christian life. They have very little understanding of what the gospel is about and they have not sought God one bit, but naturally they want to avoid Hell. As a result they pray the prayer and presume themselves to be saved. They want their life to get better, so they pray the prayer and assume that life will be great from then on. Unfortunately, much of the time, these people have no true affection for Christ. Their conversion typically results not from true love for God, but from a love for themselves, compelling them to save themselves from Hell or to accept something that they believe will improve their life. Jesus just happens to be their ticket. This is where I have become quite skeptical of these alter call conversions and I agree with Jonathan Edwards that “sudden conversions are very often false.” After seeing so many of these turn into nothing but a momentary desire to avoid hell I have often turned into a naysayer, disregarding these alter calls and expecting nothing out of them.

More recently, however, I have come to believe that even though I may well be right that church camp alter calls are not helpful and may even be harmful, the more damaging thing is my response to them. I have become prone to roll my eyes, sometimes even writing off the raised hands as an emotional response with no true conversion behind it. The problem then is that no pursuit and discipleship happens for these new believers and my skeptical assumption that the conversion was false becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as the hand-raisers now have no support system or instruction available to help them understand what it means to be disciples of Christ.

This is just a microcosm…a single example out of many areas of mainstream Christianity about which I have become slothfully skeptical, avoiding responsibility because I believe that it to be a fundamentally ineffective way of doing ministry. But then I think…what if instead of finding things to nitpick in the Christian life, we became problem solvers? What if we took the softened heart of a hand-raiser and made it into an opportunity to offer real discipleship? What if I stopped being a naysayer about these sudden conversions and turned them into an opportunity for a lasting conversion? I know that my life would be a lot more effective if I critiqued less and pursued more. I want my life to be effective.

Keep Yourselves from Idols

By on February 23, 2012 in Blog with 2 Comments

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. – 1 John 5:21

It might seem odd that John’s last words in his letter are “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” However, this can hardly be seen as a little command. John is calling us to a far greater task than we realize. Here’s why:

Our Problem.

John Calvin says the human heart is an idol factory. We are experts at creating idols.  This is our fundamental problem. We go through each day, clinging to and creating idols. As D.A. Carson points out concerning idolatry, we de-god God. We elevate our idols to the position of God and ascribe to them worship that is only due to God. This often leaves us broken-hearted. None of us are above idolatry. Idolatry plagues all of us.

Identifying our Idols

Many of us are quick to acknowledge that idolatry is the root problem. We agree with Calvin and his analysis of the human heart. A simple survey of our past attests to the idolatry that we so readily engage in. And yet, we have given no real consideration to identify any of our idols. Lest we think we are above idolatry, we should examine our hearts. It is then that we can seek to heed the command of John. When are aware of the idols that we cling to we can then obey Paul’s command to “flee idolatry” (I Cor. 10:14) for we know which idols we are so quick to run to.

So where do you start? What idols are in your life?  Ask yourself, where do you ascribe the most worship? Where do you find your affections constantly going?

There is no greater resource to identify idols than David Powlison’s X-Ray Questions. Examine your heart.

The Good News

Here is the good news. Jesus can overcome your idols. Face them with the supremacy of Christ and the Gospel. Be prayerful, as you attempt to identify and confront. Be active in the Spirit to kill your idols. Remember the Gospel, go there daily. Face your idols with the Gospel.

Clothed in Righteousness

By on February 22, 2012 in Blog with 0 Comments

“And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them“ – Genesis 3:21

The Fall

We all know the story. Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden. They wanted to be like God (the irony, they were already created in his image). Adam and Eve felt, for the first time, their sin and separation from God. The weight of the first sin crushed them. They actually hid from God. In an attempt to cover their nakedness, they sewed together fig leaves. Yet, they still felt shame. They still felt guilt. God was walking in the garden looking for them and they were hiding because of their nakedness. Their clothing was insufficient to cover their sin.

The Mercy of God

God called out to Adam and Eve as they hid. He confronted them in their guilt and shame. He wasn’t going to leave them like that.  He pronounced the judgment their sin incurred. He also, gave them a promise in Gen. 3:15, the first Gospel. God looked upon them and saw their shabby attempt to cover themselves in fig leaves. And even in the midst of their sin, he had mercy on them. God, in his grace, sacrificed an animal and made for them clothing.

Garments of Righteous

This was the first time that God, in his mercy and grace, made a sacrifice to clothe Adam and Eve in garments of skin. Today, God stands ready to clothe us in another garment because of an ultimate sacrifice. This sacrifice is Jesus and the garment is Jesus’ righteousness. On the cross, Jesus was substituted for us. Jesus took our place on the cross, clothed with our sin. God poured out his wrath on His Son so that we could be clothed with Jesus’ righteousness. By grace alone through faith alone, we are saved and clothed. Christian, you are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus.

Keeping an Eye to the Culture

By on February 21, 2012 in Blog with 0 Comments

“I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” 1 Corinthians 9:22

The gospel is a dynamic message translating across culture, racial status, social standing, ethnicity, and any other dividing line. It is the great equalizer. The apostle Paul understood this fact very well and was used in incredible ways by the Lord through that understanding. What made Paul’s ministry so effective, however, was that he understood that the hearer’s opinion of the person presenting the message of the gospel is almost as important as the message itself. A person who believes that all basketball players are criminals will not likely receive the gospel as well from a basketball player as they would from someone else. This is a fact of life, and it is something that all gospel-bearers must take to heart. Paul understood this and thus adjusted his lifestyle based on the people he interacted with. Paul had no problem abstaining from meat sacrificed to idols if it meant greater effectiveness with the gospel (1 Corinthians 9). He also had no problem working for a living so as not burden the churches and not to appear to be someone trying to make a living off of a message of hope. He had no problem adjusting his habits for the sake of the gospel, and neither should we.

As I go through life, I am continually reminding myself to keep an eye to the culture. I want to be countercultural in many ways. I want people to wonder why I am different, but I also want to maintain a cultural relevance so that I, too, may become “all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” I live in San Jose, and I have begun to learn that one of the most counter-cultural things that I can do in this area is slow down. At the same time, I am an engineer. If I were a worthless engineer who had no proficiency at his job, I would be much less effective in ministering to other engineers. To become all things to all people in my life, I need to become an excellent engineer, but I also need to slow myself down. I need to dream of ways in which I can excel at my job in a way that proclaims to my coworkers that Jesus is king, not work.

What are you seeing as you have an eye to the culture? How can you gain relevance, while remaining noticeably countercultural? It is different for everyone and every culture, but it is wise advice from the life of Paul to continually have an eye to the culture.

Why this Blog?

By on February 20, 2012 in Blog with 1 Comment

Welcome to Beholding Grace. For a little over a month now, Jeremy Georges and I  have connected many times and talked about bringing this blog to reality. We first met serving alongside each other in youth ministry. Since then we have remained great friends with the same passion, the Gospel. We love the Gospel. Our prayer is that you would see and savor the innumerable riches of the Gospel, the beauty and glory of Christ, and the loveliness of our Triune God. There is nothing better than that.

We wanted to kick it off by explaining our heart in this blog.

From Matt:

I have been blogging off and on for a couple of years now. I started blogging in college as a way to share thoughts and retell stories. It was just something that was fun and enjoyable. Over time, the blog evolved to include theological topics, book reviews, quotes, and other things all while retaining the life stories and thoughts. A couple of months ago I really had a desire for my blogging to be something deeper. After praying and thinking over it, I called up Jeremy and asked him what he thought about co-authoring a blog together on the Gospel. He was all for it and here we are.

My prayer for this blog is that it would bring us deeper into the Gospel and glorify God. I truly believe that when we understand and experience the Gospel, we can’t help but be moved. We can’t help but bring forth action. The Gospel changes us. I have experienced  and am experiencing this in my own life as well as teaching this to others. And the beautiful thing is the Gospel is deep. We can’t exhaust the riches and treasures that are found there. So my aim in writing is to go into the gospel, day after day. I pray that my writing would be a fruit of my dwelling in the Gospel.

I pray that this blog would be Gospel-centered and Christ-exalting.

If you have any ideas or want me to write on a specific topic, feel free to leave me a comment. I would love to hear your feedback.

From Jeremy:

Far too often in my Christian life I have become a by-standing critic, tending to critique what others are doing wrong, while doing nothing myself to fix it or improve it. I see this tendency a lot in young Christian men, especially in the young reformed community (of which I am a part). In this Christian sub-culture, there tends to be an overemphasis on what one is against rather than what one is for, or an emphasis on figuring out what is wrong with something rather than on how to fix that something. Nitpicky theological correctness in modern Christianity has often become more important than putting that theology into practice.

My prayer for this blog is that it becomes a catalyst to push people from a state of desire for mere theological correctness and understanding to a state of desire to put that theological correctness and understanding into practice in real life. I hope that this blog becomes a place where the ideas expressed lead to real life action. The gospel is not merely a thing to be discussed and analyzed; it is a truth to be proclaimed. Theology is not merely a list of concepts that are disconnected from life, but a set of truths about the nature of God that, when understood correctly, should lead men to action. I want this blog to herald that truth.

I see this blog as a response to the tendency in my life to critique. I want to get away from my by-standing critic role! I love the gospel. It is a precious gift that I want to defend. I want the truth of it and correct theological understanding of it to be discussed through this blog, yes, but in a way that is sure to show people that it is a gift that should lead to action, not just analysis.