Albert Mohler: Must We Believe the Virgin Birth?

Hello all,

In a day and age in which the foundational beliefs of our faith are increasingly under attack, it is necessary for us to be particularly thorough in "educating" ourselves and to develop critical thinking in the process.

Tomorrow, or perhaps the beginning of next week, we will post an article by Nancy Pearcey on the essential nature of critical thinking for the Christian, but for today we would like to share an article by Albert Mohler titled "Must We Believe the Virgin Birth?"

Enjoy!

Must We Believe the Virgin Birth?

In one of his columns for The New York Times, Nicholas Kristof once pointed to belief in the Virgin Birth as evidence that conservative Christians are “less intellectual.” Are we saddled with an untenable doctrine? Is belief in the Virgin Birth really necessary?

Kristof is absolutely aghast that so many Americans believe in the Virgin Birth. “The faith in the Virgin Birth reflects the way American Christianity is becoming less intellectual and more mystical over time,” he explains, and the percentage of Americans who believe in the Virgin Birth “actually rose five points in the latest poll.” Yikes! Is this evidence of secular backsliding?

“The Virgin Mary is an interesting prism through which to examine America’s emphasis on faith,” Kristof argues, “because most Biblical scholars regard the evidence for the Virgin Birth … as so shaky that it pretty much has to be a leap of faith.” Here’s a little hint: Anytime you hear a claim about what “most Biblical scholars” believe, check on just who these illustrious scholars really are. In Kristof’s case, he is only concerned about liberal scholars like Hans Kung, whose credentials as a Catholic theologian were revoked by the Vatican.

The list of what Hans Kung does not believe would fill a book [just look at his books!], and citing him as an authority in this area betrays Kristof’s determination to stack the evidence, or his utter ignorance that many theologians and biblical scholars vehemently disagree with Kung. Kung is the anti-Catholic’s favorite Catholic, and that is the real reason he is so loved by the liberal media.

Kristof also cites “the great Yale historian and theologian” Jaroslav Pelikan as an authority against the Virgin Birth, but this is both unfair and untenable. In Mary Through the Centuries, Pelikan does not reject the Virgin Birth, but does trace the development of the doctrine.

What are we to do with the Virgin Birth? The doctrine was among the first to be questioned and then rejected after the rise of historical criticism and the undermining of biblical authority that inevitably followed. Critics claimed that since the doctrine is taught in “only” two of the four Gospels, it must be elective. The Apostle Paul, they argued, did not mention it in his sermons in Acts, so he must not have believed it. Besides, the liberal critics argued, the doctrine is just so supernatural. Modern heretics like retired Episcopal bishop John Shelby Spong argue that the doctrine was just evidence of the early church’s over-claiming of Christ’s deity. It is, Spong tells us, the “entrance myth” to go with the resurrection, the “exit myth.” If only Spong were a myth.

Now, even some revisionist evangelicals claim that belief in the Virgin Birth is unnecessary. The meaning of the miracle is enduring, they argue, but the historical truth of the doctrine is not really important.

Must one believe in the Virgin Birth to be a Christian? This is not a hard question to answer. It is conceivable that someone might come to Christ and trust Christ as Savior without yet learning that the Bible teaches that Jesus was born of a virgin. A new believer is not yet aware of the full structure of Christian truth. The real question is this: Can a Christian, once aware of the Bible’s teaching, reject the Virgin Birth? The answer must be no.

Nicholas Kristof pointed to his grandfather as a “devout” Presbyterian elder who believed that the Virgin Birth is a “pious legend.” Follow his example, Kristof encourages, and join the modern age. But we must face the hard fact that Kristof’s grandfather denied the faith. This is a very strange and perverse definition of “devout.”

Matthew tells us that before Mary and Joseph “came together,” Mary “was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.” [Matthew 1:18] This, Matthew explains, fulfilled what Isaiah promised: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name ‘Immanuel,’ which translated means ‘God with Us’.” [Matthew 1:23, Isaiah 7:14]

Luke provides even greater detail, revealing that Mary was visited by an angel who explained that she, though a virgin, would bear the divine child: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy child shall be called the Son of God.” [Luke 1:35]

Even if the Virgin Birth was taught by only one biblical passage, that would be sufficient to obligate all Christians to the belief. We have no right to weigh the relative truthfulness of biblical teachings by their repetition in Scripture. We cannot claim to believe that the Bible is the Word of God and then turn around and cast suspicion on its teaching.

Millard Erickson states this well: “If we do not hold to the virgin birth despite the fact that the Bible asserts it, then we have compromised the authority of the Bible and there is in principle no reason why we should hold to its other teachings. Thus, rejecting the virgin birth has implications reaching far beyond the doctrine itself.”

Implications, indeed. If Jesus was not born of a virgin, who was His father? There is no answer that will leave the Gospel intact. The Virgin Birth explains how Christ could be both God and man, how He was without sin, and that the entire work of salvation is God’s gracious act. If Jesus was not born of a virgin, He had a human father. If Jesus was not born of a virgin, the Bible teaches a lie.

Carl F. H. Henry, the dean of evangelical theologians, argues that the Virgin Birth is the “essential, historical indication of the Incarnation, bearing not only an analogy to the divine and human natures of the Incarnate, but also bringing out the nature, purpose, and bearing of this work of God to salvation.” Well said, and well believed.

Nicholas Kristof and his secularist friends may find belief in the Virgin Birth to be evidence of intellectual backwardness among American Christians. But this is the faith of the Church, established in God’s perfect Word, and cherished by the true Church throughout the ages. Kristof’s grandfather, we are told, believed that the Virgin Birth is a “pious legend.” The fact that he could hold such beliefs and serve as an elder in his church is evidence of that church’s doctrinal and spiritual laxity — or worse. Those who deny the Virgin Birth affirm other doctrines only by force of whim, for they have already surrendered the authority of Scripture. They have undermined Christ’s nature and nullified the incarnation.

This much we know: All those who find salvation will be saved by the atoning work of Jesus the Christ — the virgin-born Savior. Anything less than this is just not Christianity, whatever it may call itself. A true Christian will not deny the Virgin Birth.

Originally posted December 8, 2006. Reprinted by request.

Many thanks to Mr. Mohler for his shared knowledge!

God bless!

Counter Cultural: Don't Waste Your Christmas Break

Hey all,

Camden has posted a great challenge for this Christmas time on his blog, Counter Cultural. We have featured several of Camden's post in the past owing to the general excellence of his posts. This one is no exception. :-)

We'll let Camden take it from here:

Don't Waste Your Christmas Break

It's understandable that I haven't been posting on here due to the hard press of final projects and tests due for school. It's understandable that I had to take a break from things that are otherwise considered "good" to focus my mind and attention on my school subjects. And now it's understandable that since I'm done with the pressures of writing research papers and studying for tests, I should take a long and well deserved break to simply "chilax" over the holidays.

Or is it?

I've been wrestling with the question recently of how to use this grand time between semesters. Not just how to use it, but how to use it for God's glory. And as I've hit the beginning of this break, I've come to the discovery that living out free-time for God isn't always the easiest thing. In fact, it's hard. Using our time in a way that brings God glory in and through our lives is a challenge that each and every one of us has to face each and every day. It's so easy to spend hours wasting our time, but how do we really use our time in a way that glorifies God?

For me, the answer to that question today was writing out 100 verses on 100 notecards that I want to memorize over Christmas break (verses taken from Memverse's top 100 verses). Another piece of this is finalizing and submitting my research paper and essay for my online class. Part of my day in glorifying God is even in writing this post. Please note: God gives all of us different ways to glorify Him, whether it's memorizing verses, writing, or spending time with family and friends. The key is that God doesn't want us to waste our lives, or our Christmas Break.

One last thing. If you are a child of God, then God has given purpose to your life. If He's given purpose to your life, then that means that each day is meant as a piece of that purpose fulfillment. If each day is a piece of God's purpose for your life, then that means that He has a plan for you to use your life today for His purposes. You're alive today for a reason. Strive to use it for Christ.

1 Corinthians 10:31: So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Camden

Many thanks to Camden for his challenge! A couple of the things my family is doing in order to not waste Christmas are caroling (as much as it may be out of style these days it is still immensely appreciated...especially by older people who remember when it was common practice) and helping with a community cookout for people in need of a hot meal.

It's not to late to help with something similar in your community!

God bless!

Prophecies from Isaiah: Beauty from Ashes

Hello all,

Since we are unable to post more time consuming and topical posts at this time we are simply getting back to the real fundamentals of our faith...the words of Scripture.

Why don't we do this more often? I don't know actually. Perhaps we should be posting "plain" scriptures more often so as not to stray from God's Word to our human wisdom. At any rate, here is one of the most clear and best known prophecies of Christ's coming from the Old Testament:

   
¹⁰ Moreover the LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying, ¹¹ “Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”
¹² But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!”
¹³ Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. ¹⁵ Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. ¹⁶ For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings. (Isaiah 7:10-16, New King James Version)

The prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 is startling beautiful but appropriately set in a less than beautiful context. Why is that appropriate? Because it accurately reflects the affect of Christ's coming...the ashes of our sinful state...the beauty of the fulfillment of the law...the coming of the Rose of Sharon.

 ¹ “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
      Because the LORD has anointed Me
      To preach good tidings to the poor;
      He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
      To proclaim liberty to the captives,
      And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
       ² To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
      And the day of vengeance of our God;
      To comfort all who mourn,
       ³ To console those who mourn in Zion,
      To give them beauty for ashes,
      The oil of joy for mourning,
      The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
      That they may be called trees of righteousness,
      The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
       ⁴ And they shall rebuild the old ruins,
      They shall raise up the former desolations,
      And they shall repair the ruined cities,
      The desolations of many generations.
       ⁵ Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,
      And the sons of the foreigner
      Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
       ⁶ But you shall be named the priests of the LORD,
      They shall call you the servants of our God.
      You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,
      And in their glory you shall boast.
       ⁷ Instead of your shame you shall have double honor,
      And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.
      Therefore in their land they shall possess double;
      Everlasting joy shall be theirs.
       ⁸ “ For I, the LORD, love justice;
      I hate robbery for burnt offering;
      I will direct their work in truth,
      And will make with them an everlasting covenant.
       ⁹ Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles,
      And their offspring among the people.
      All who see them shall acknowledge them,
      That they are the posterity whom the LORD has blessed.”
       ¹⁰ I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,
      My soul shall be joyful in my God;
      For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
      He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
      As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,
      And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
       ¹¹ For as the earth brings forth its bud,
      As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth,
      So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. (Isaiah 61, New King James Version)

I would strongly encourage each of you to read all of the above chapters and to meditate on them. They are rich scriptures!

God bless!

Explanation of Absence

Hello all,

As many of you have no doubt noted, we haven't been posting much. :-) The reason for this is quite simple. We have been WAY too busy! Both Hannah and I (Mark) have been overtaken with busy-ness for the time being and probably won't be able to do much here until after the Holiday's, but that's fine because all of you are busy too. :-)

Until the Holidays are over we will probably just post scriptures foretelling and giving an account of Christ and His birth, but if any of our readers have ideas or articles they would like to submit for posting on Rebelutionary Musings please feel free to do so at rebelutionarymusings@gmail.com

God bless!

THABITI ANYABWILE: Extraordinary Spiritual Awareness and Commitment in the Young

Hello all!

For those of us seeking to live a Rebelutionary lifestyle it is essential that we take the counsel of Hebrews 12:1 to heart.

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

This verse challenges us to look to the disciples gone on before us - the "great cloud of witnesses" - as inspirations and examples of the faith (see Hebrews 11) that will enable us to lay aside the things that entangle and encumber us in our walk with God. Alex and Brett call it "making friends with dead people. That doesn't have quite the same spiritual ring to it that Hebrews 12:1 does...but the point remains the same.

Thabiti Anyabwile blogged a post this past week that caught my eye, in which he recommends the book 50 People Every Christian Should Know: Learning from Spiritual Giants of the Faith.

At this point I'll just let Mr. Anyabwile speak for himself. :-)

I’ve been casually reading the short biographies of Christian men and women in Warren Wiersbe’s Fifty People Every Christian Should Know: Learning from Spiritual Giants of the Faith. Each of the biographical sketches are breezy reads rich with encouragement. One of the encouraging bits in some of the biographies is the Lord’s gracious dealing with some while they are young. We live in an age where youth is either despised or largely ignored. We don’t take young people very seriously or challenge them very effectively. Hence the appropriateness of the rebelution.

But these biographies remind us of the power of God’s word and Spirit to deep, meaningful, lasting work in the lives of the young. Two examples:

Matthew Henry (1662-1712):

Matthew was physically weak, but it was not long before his strength of intellect and character made themselves known. At the age of three, he was reading the Bible; by the time he was nine, he was competent in Latin and Greek. He spent his first eighteen years being tutored at home, in an atmosphere that was joyfully and lovingly Christian.

He loved to hear his father preach. A sermon on Psalm 51:17 first awakened in young Matthew a desire to know the Lord personally. He was only ten years old at the time, but the impression was lasting. When he was thirteen, Matthew wrote an amazingly mature analysis of his own spiritual condition, a document that reads like an ordinary paper. Often, after hearing his father preach, Matthew would hurry to his room and pray that God would seal the Word and the spiritual impressions made to his heart so that he might not lose them. God answered those youthful prayers.

Indeed God did answer those youthful prayers, not only to Matthew Henry’s benefit but to the benefit of the entire Church.

Then there is the young Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758):

Jonathan Edwards received his schooling at home; at an early age he learned Latin, and later he took on Greek and Hebrew. He had two passionate interests in those early years–science and religion. He watched spiders and wrote an amazing essay about them. He saw the mind and heart of God in creation; everything in nature revealed to him something about God.

But his interest in spiritual things was remarkable for a boy so young. He prayed five times each day. With some of his friends he built a “booth” in the swamp, and there thy would gather to discuss spiritual matters and pray.

In 1716, when he was thirteen, Edwards entered Yale college, where h invested four years in undergraduate study and then two more years studying theology. It was while he was at Yale that he had two life changing experiences. The first was his conversion when he was about seventeen years old. Since childhood he had revolted against the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. But as he read 1 Timothy 1:17, he had a remarkable experience of the sense of God’s greatness and glory, and all his theological objections disappeared.

“As I read the words,” he wrote in his personal account, “there came into my soul, and was as it were diffused through it, a sense of the glory of the divine Being; a new sense, quite different from anything I ever experienced before…. From about that time, I began to have a new kind of apprehensions and ideas of Christ, and the work of redemption, and the glorious way of salvation by Him.”

The rest is, as they say, history. We still live with the remarkable fruit of Edwards’ life and ministry, a life and ministry first evidenced in the inquisitive mind of childhood and stimulated with big, meaningful, spiritual, eternally weighty ideas.

As Wiersbe noted of himself, my boyhood clubhouses were built for playing cowboys and Indians. And most clubhouses should be built for that purpose.

But one wonders whether there ought not be more childhood clubhouses where children find themselves reflecting on the mystery of the universe and the unsearchable riches of God in Christ. And one wonders whether there ought not be more Christian homes so saturated in spiritual discussions that it would seem strange to our children to not have these times of inquiry–at once playful and sublime. I think there are enough forces designed to destroy childhood. This isn’t a plea for more of that. However, reading these biographical sketches I’m left wondering whether we do need a plea for a God-soaked, Christ-infused, Creator-glorying childhood that produces a few more Henrys and Edwardses? I’m left wondering if I’m doing this for my own children.

Methinks Mr. Anyabwile has struck a very Rebelutionary chord in his post. :-)

If you don't already do so, be sure to check out and follow (if possible) his blog. It is one of the better out there.

God bless!

Caleb Breakey: Redefining Teens into Rockstars

Hello Everyone!

I am sure you all know by now how much we love to recognize Rebelutionary endeavors and resources. Today, we present you all one of the rare findings that actually serves as both an endeavor and a resource. Caleb Breakey operates a website (consequently titled calebbreakey.com) and devotes large amounts of his time to serving teens, more specifically, teen writers. Yet, his site and his heart holds so much more than just the dedication of his time and effort to looking over teen writers' work.

First of all, let us introduce you to the man himself. Caleb is a Rebelutionay by its very definition. Homeschooled for his youth years, his passion for writing continued on to college, where he achieved a journalism degree from Western Washington University at the age of twenty. Holding steady in the journalism career, he spent a season covering the New York Yankees, freelanced for the Seattle Times, and named a finalist for Sportswriter of the Year as a reporter for the newspaper he currently writes for, Lynden Tribune. His passion for writing does not end with journalism, however. He remains enrolled in the Christian Writers Guild's Craftsman Course, being immensely privileged with meeting and working with Jerry B. Jenkins this past summer. Sitting on his likely worn laptop (from all that writing) is two manuscripts, one a work-in-progress and the other written. Besides all of this, he continues to be a devoted follower of the Lord, an avid reader, attends several writing conferences throughout the year, and enjoys a blessed marriage of about three years to his wife, Brittney Breakey.

But, if you think this Rebelutionary is done following God's calling and his passion, you are dead wrong. Just this past summer, he felt called to start a website where he would teach others all the writing knowledge that he has obtained over the past so many years. Over at CalebBreakey.com, Caleb offers teens his time and teaching in critiquing three hundred word excerpts of a novel, essay, poem, article, short story, or whatever else it may be. After taking the time to send the submission, along with answers to a few interview questions, Caleb will critique your work though a peer editing secession (where your work is posted on the site along with the interview questions and other teens can comment on it), a Vlog (a video of his thoughts on your writing and your strengths as a writer), and finally, an audio edit (an audio of him going through your submission and suggesting corrections to your writings). Basically, this is an opportunity for you, as teens, to get another person to look at your writing and gather helpful opinions on how to enhance it at no cost to you!

Well, no cost as far as money goes, that is. Being on this site does cost you something; it costs you time, heart, and humility. Caleb strives to lead by example, first encouraging, then humbly pointing out flaws sprinkled with the excellence of your writing, and finally, exhorting your piece once again. He asks you to do the same. You will get what you put into this site; you will receive what you give at this place. The order in which he critiques your work is directly based upon how many ladder jumps you obtain; and ladder jumps can only be sought by posting full sandwich and insightful comments (comments that start with praise, lead into critique and insight, and end with praise once again). As Caleb loves to point out, it is the teens that dedicate their time and their passions to Caleb's site the make it what it is, that make-up the encouraging, grace-filled, and heart-felt community thriving on CalebBreakey.com.

We (both Mark and I) highly encourage that you visit Caleb's website, leave a comment for him and the other writers, send in a submission, and/or join the forums. Caleb Breakey is a prime example of a young man who dedicated his life and passions to the Lord, exceeded the world's expectations, and followed his dreams. We cannot wait to see where the Lord takes Caleb's site and his talent in the future.

God Bless!

Kevin DeYoung: Why We Must Pursue Holiness

Hello all!

It's great to be back to blogging after a very blessed break for Thanksgiving. As fate and the usual hustle and bustle of a major holiday would have it, we weren't able to do much advance preparation for Rebelutionary Musings; so you must forgive us if we are a tad slow getting back into the full swing of things. :-)

As I contemplated the things for which I am grateful over Thanksgiving Week, pretty much all the usual things came to mind, but this year more than ever The Gospel was at the forefront of my mind. Two particular elements of The Gospel and the character of God were in the forefront of my mind: Power and Holiness. Specifically, the power and holiness of the Lamb that was slain to save me from my sin (definitely a chart topping thing I am grateful for). I was deeply struck by the realization that the power of the Lamb to overcome death and sin was a result of its holiness. Christ was the spotless lamb - without blemish - the sacrifice necessary to reconcile us to God "so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

Clearly, because we were conceived in sin we have no power of our own to overcome our sin or to renew our minds according to the holiness of our Lord, but the power to do so is available through Christ. That available power combined with the clear command to pursue holiness doesn't leave us with a whole lot of excuse not to.

However, if those two reasons to pursue holiness are insufficient motivation for us, Kevin DeYoung has written an excellent and challenging blog post titled "Why We Must Pursue Holiness" based primarily on II Peter. I definitely recommend you read it in its entirety.

For this post, I would just like to share his list of reasons absent his additional commentary.

I see in 2 Peter alone twenty motivations for holiness.

1. We pursue holiness so that we might become partakers of the divine nature (1:4).
2. We make every effort to grow in godliness because God has already set us free from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire (1:4).
3. We grow in grace so we will not be ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (1:8).
4. We pursue Christlike character so we will not be blind, having forgotten that we were cleansed from our former sins (1:9).
5. We work hard at holiness in order to make our calling and election sure, so that we will not fall (1:10).
6. We practice these godly qualities so there will be richly provided for us an entrance into the eternal kingdom (1:11).
7. We pursue godliness because Jesus is coming back again in great power, and we know this to be true because of the glory revealed on the Mount of Transfiguration and because of the prophecy of Scripture (1:16-21).
8. We walk in obedience to Christ because those who wander into sensuality are condemned and will be destroyed (2:3).
9. We are serious about holiness because we believe God knows how to judge the wicked and save the righteous (2:4-10).
10. We turn from ungodliness because those who revel in sin are ugly blots and blemishes, irrational animals, unsteady souls, and accursed children (2:10-16).
11. We pursue holiness because sin never delivers on its promises (2:17).
12. We pursue holiness because those who live in their sin again are like those returning to slavery, returning to the mire, and returning to vomit (2:19-21).
13. We must remember to be holy so we will not be drawn away by those scoffers who will come in the last days following their own sinful desires (3:3).
14. We make every effort to be godly because the world will not always continue as it does now; the heavens and the earth are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly (3:4-7).
15. We must take Christlikeness seriously right now because we do not know when the Lord will return (3:10).
16. We pursue holiness because all our works will be exposed on the last day (3:10).
17. We pursue holiness because whatever we live for in this life will be burned up and dissolved (3:11).
18. We strive to walk in obedience and repentance because in so doing we may hasten the coming of the day of God (3:12).
19. We live in righteousness now because we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness will dwell forever (3:13).
20. We pursue godliness so that Christ might be glorified both now and to the day of eternity (3:20).

I hope this list and post was of some value to you.

God bless!

Gone for Thanksgiving

Hey Everyone,

We just wanted to forewarn the readers of Rebelutionary Musings of the absence of posts and articles this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday. This week will likely be filled with the preparations for visitors (or visits), meals, traveling, and long work hours. Thus, due to the fact that we greatly want to encourage the focus to remain on our families and our friends, fellowshipping and being thankful for all the Lord has given us, we are hereby announcing a relinquish of posts throughout this entire week of Thanksgiving.

Please do know that we will have some amazing posts lined up for you all next week, though. Do not miss the return of Rebelutionary Musings on Monday, November 29th.

We pray and hope that you all will have a blessed and joy-filled Thanksgiving.

God bless!

 ¹ Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!
         Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
 ² Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
         Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
 ³ For the LORD is the great God,
         And the great King above all gods.
 ⁴ In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
         The heights of the hills are His also.
 ⁵ The sea is His, for He made it;
         And His hands formed the dry land.
          (Psalm 95:1-5, New King James Version)

 ¹ Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
 ² Serve the LORD with gladness;
         Come before His presence with singing.
 ³ Know that the LORD, He is God;
         It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
         We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
         
 ⁴ Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
         And into His courts with praise.
         Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
 ⁵ For the LORD is good;
         His mercy is everlasting,
         And His truth endures to all generations. (Psalm 100, New King James Version)

Godz Dancers: Sweet Hour of Prayer

Hello all,

Tabitha of the blog "Godz Dancers" posted a challenge that really convicted me and I thought should be passed on here.

Sweet Hour of Prayer

Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer
that calls me from a world of care.
And bids me at my Father's throne
make all my wants and wishes known!

In seasons of distress and grief
my soul has often found relief.
And oft escaped the tempter's snare
by thy return, sweet hour of prayer.

This summer I learned what an hour of prayer can do. It can clear a cluttered mind, bring peace to a stormy heart, and direction to a wayward soul. It is no wonder William Walford called it 'sweet hour of prayer' for after spending three score minutes in the Saviour's presence, or simply listening to His voice, one does not want to leave for the sweetness he has tasted. We ought to make an appointment with the Lord on our knees, and keep it. If we do not set aside the specific time for prayer we will rarely get around to praying at all.

Our lives are busy, I know. At this moment I can think of five or six things I could be doing, but if I were honest I could do nothing more effective or productive then spending this hour in prayer. To what avail are the tasks of life in comparison to communion with the Saviour?

Lord, may I thirst for thy fellowship, and thine alone, and may I increasingly discipline myself to spend 'sweet hours in prayer.'

Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer
thy wings shall my petition bear
to Him whose truth and faithfulness
engage thy waiting soul to bless

And since He bids me seek His face,
believe His Word, and trust His grace
I'll cast on Him my every care
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer.

Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer
may I thy consolation share?
Till from Mount Pisgah's lofty height
I view my home and take my flight

This robe of flesh I'll drop and rise
to seize the everlasting prize.
And shout, while passing through the air,
"Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!"

If we are honest, most of us probably (certainly) do not give the priority to prayer that we ought. That indicates how few of us desire to fellowship with the Lord as much as we think and say we do. Our desire for Him is reflected in our devotion to Him in all aspects of life. God doesn't demand perfect, but He does expect devotion and prayer is a good gauge of a person’s devotion to Him.

If I'm honest, prayer has always been a weak area in my life. However, it's strange that I should struggle in this area because, like Tabitha, when I've been faithful in prayer the fruit of that faithfulness has been very apparent. You would think the fruit I've seen would prompt me to faithfully pursue it. But, Satan and the flesh both cry out against communion with God and the pressure to do something other than prayer will always be great.

Most of us almost surely have much more time available to devote to prayer and meditation, it's just a matter of really and truly desiring to do so, and I'm speaking to myself first and foremost.

I challenge each of you reading this post to devote yourself to prayer, and I commit myself (Mark) to doing the same.

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2)

God bless!

What's Best Next: Why We Need to Give Creative and Competent Thought to Addressing Global Poverty Part I

Hello all,

I thought this post would be a good follow up to yesterdays post on productivity in which we established the connection between the Gospel, good works and productivity with the help of the Bible and Matt Perman. Today we will again turn to Mr. Perman for insight into another issue; the issue of poverty.

WHY WE NEED TO GIVE CREATIVE AND COMPETENT THOUGHT TO ADDRESSING GLOBAL POVERTY

Psalm 41:1 says “Blessed is he who considers the poor.” In his commentary on the Psalms, Derek Kidner points out: “The word considers is striking, in that it usually describes the practical wisdom of the man of affairs, and so implies giving careful thought to this person’s situation, rather than perfunctory help.”

Tim Keller draws out the implications of this in Ministries of Mercy: “God requires not only a significant expenditure of our substance on the needy. We are obligated to spend our hearts and minds as well. . . . We are to ponder the condition of the poor and seek ways to bring them to self-sufficiency. This takes a personal investment of time and of mental and emotional energy. God looks for a willing, generous heart, which freely helps those in need, and what we give with our hands is not acceptable without it (2 Cor 9:7).

So we are to be eager, not begrudging, in helping the poor and we are to give thought to how to do this in a way that helps bring them out of poverty over time, rather than merely doing a few things here and there.

Both of these are related. For if we are eager to help others, including the poor, this implies that we will give careful consideration to how we do it, even creating plans and generating ideas and initiatives to serve with insight in ways that help over the long term. And it means, when possible, we will ultimately seek to address root causes rather than give relief only — as important as relief itself is, all on its own.

Job is an example of this. In chapter 29 he mentions how he not only provided relief to those in need, but also “broke the fangs of the unrighteous and made him drop his prey from his teeth” (v. 17). As Keller points out in his article The Gospel and the Poor, the prophets also denounced “corrupt business practices (Amos 8:2-16), legal systems weighted in favor of the rich and influential (Deut. 24:17; Lev. 19:15), [and] a system of lending capital that gouges the person of modest means (Lev. 19:35-37; 25:37; Ex 22:25-27).”

So we should both seek to provide relief and have a view towards helping the poor become self-sufficient, ultimately seeking to address the root causes that keep people in poverty.

Mr. Perman makes persuasive arguments for why we should care about the issue of poverty. Often the "root cause" of poverty is based in a need for the Gospel which adds a new and extremely important dimension to the issue of global poverty. However, the Bible itself speaks to the issue so clearly that it's a sad testament to our culture and church today that we need the 'Matt Permans' of the world to make this case and stir us to action.

For instance, Isaiah 58:10 says: "if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday."

Proverbs 41:1 says: "Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him"

Proverbs 21:13 says: "Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered."

In my own life, the most convicting passage in scripture relating to poverty has to be Matthew 25:31-40.

"31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 40And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me'."

If we need more reasons for helping and caring for the poor and hungry after that we have massive heart problems. I remember as a small boy, (*does his best old man imitation*) listening to thousands of hours worth of Your Story Hour with Aunt Sue and Uncle Dan (it is now Aunt Carol and Uncle Dan). I loved them then and still love them now, as I recall many of their stories that have stuck in my mind. I remember a bunch of their stock sound effects, the voices of their actors, and most importantly - the rich truths their stories illustrated and communicated to youths such as myself. The one story that I recall most vividly though, was the one in which they illustrated the the principle of "whatsoever ye have done to these the least of thy brethren ye have done it unto me". I can't recall the name of that exact episode and can't find it in their online store (it would take to long to give the details of the story itself...perhaps digging through old cassettes will yield some fruit) but I don't have enough space to tell you how vital that understanding was to a young mind (I was probably in the 6-10 year range when I listened to them the most) in compelling me to evaluate all my actions not in light of how I felt, but in light of what I was doing to and for Christ. I can point to that realization as one of the turning points in my walk with the Lord.

The point of that story, beyond indulging my reminiscent mindset, is to say that this is a powerful and simple truth that can and should impact servants of the Gospel from a very young age.

Yet, it seems more than a little absent in our culture.

How tragically sad.

May it never be said of us that when Christ was hungry and thirsty we gave Him neither food nor drink. Or, when Christ was a stranger, we did not welcome Him. That when He was naked we did not clothe Him and when He was sick or in prison we did not visit Him.

The calling is clearly laid before us. We should feed the poor, as many as we can, because we are doing it unto Him. Now, let us each go forth and live out Matthew 25:31-40!

Tomorrow or the next day we'll explore practical elements of how to feed the poor, so be sure to come back and catch Part II! :-)

God bless!

The Importance of Productivity in Our Christian Walk

Hello all!

Productivity is something we hear a lot about in our culture...but rarely do we ask the question "why should we be productive?" Of the three pillars of the Rebelution, the second is competence (the other two being character and collaboration) and productivity is a key element of competence, so this is a question we must consider.

Speaking more broadly, not specifically to Rebelutionaries but to Christians as a whole, this oversight of consideration is unacceptable in light of the command to do all things for the glory of God. Further, it is clear that God is not glorified by unproductive servants. Proverbs speaks very pointedly and frequently in condemnation of the slothful person, pointing to foolishness as the primary cause of slothfulness (Proverbs 6:6, 13:14 and 24:30-31).

Matt Perman has put a great deal of thought into the matter, so much so that he is writing a book, and I would like to draw on his thoughts from several blog posts to help us lay the groundwork for a Biblical and Gospel-centric view of productivity.

Here are a couple of his answers to questions asked in an interview with christianitytoday.com.

Do you think Christians downplay the importance of productivity?

Yes, I think some do. Because we can think, Oh, it's not spiritual. You have to make a living and learn to do that job well. So I realized that I need to know more than theology; I need to know how to do my job well. That made me realize the importance of learning about the practical.

How does productivity fit with theology?

Theology gives significance to the practical. The practical helps advance theology. It's not that we have theology over here, here's practice, let's do these practical things that will help theology; rather, we can think theologically about the practical. That means we realize that the practical things we are doing are part of the good works that God created us in Christ Jesus to do. So when we're doing practical things, we're actually doing good works. That's a theological understanding of the things we're doing every day."

His answer to the second question brings Proverbs 22:29 to mind.

Mr. Perman makes an important connection for us in the answers above. Being productive isn't about getting ahead and glorifying our self, or shouldn't be. Being productive is about living out the Gospel in the form of good works and being competent and productive in those good works.

He further expounds in an article for his personal blog:

There are lots of reasons we care about productivity — we might want to have less stress, we might want to get more done in less time, or we might simply find the subject interesting in itself. And those are all good reasons.

But there are deeper, better reasons to care about productivity. There are, in fact, some amazing and incredible reasons to care about productivity that I am seeing almost no one ever talk about.

Chief among these reasons to care about productivity is this: Productivity is really about good works.

That’s worth saying again: Productivity is really about good works — which we were created in Christ to do (Ephesians 2:10) and which are to do eagerly and enthusiastically (Titus 2:14). That’s why productivity matters, and that’s why I write about productivity. My aim is to help Christians be effective in good works.
This changes how you think about everything.

It means that when you are getting your email inbox to zero, you aren’t just getting your email inbox to zero. You are doing good works. When you are going to a meeting, you aren’t just going to a meeting. You are doing good works. Everything that we do as Christians, in faith, is a good work.

And therefore we are doing good works all day long — and consequently need to learn how to be more effective in them so that we can be of greater service to others.

Matthew 5:16 says: "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

So it is through our works that our light is meant to shine and it is by being productive that we maximize our ability to shine the light of Christ through/by our works. It's a connected cycle of cause and effect. By being unproductive in our good works or in our callings, which (as a point of emphasis) includes all the tasks we are called to by God whether they be in the home, for our career, our education (school) or as part of our church, we are in essence "hiding our light under a bushel" (Matthew 5:15) when we are not productive disciples.

Do you see the sequence? Matthew 5:14 says" "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden." Matthew 5:15 says: "nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house." Matthew 15:16 says: ""Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

Let's simplify that one more time.

1) We are the light of the earth. God has made us to be that. 2) Why would God light a lamp and then put it under a bushel? 3. Therefore, be a light! Be productive in the work we are called to do and God will shine through us!

It's extremely important to understand that works are not in and of themselves of value in the eyes of God. To believe that would be highly legalistic for, after all, our righteousness is as "filthy garments" (Isaiah 64:6) and we are saved by grace through faith, "not by works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 82:8-10). But, we must understand that we are created for good works (Ephesians 2:8-10) and we must be productive if we are to shine brightly and not put ourselves under a bushel.

In closing, let's turn once more to Mr. Perman for his thoughts.

In a nutshell, what is the most important and fundamental principle for being productive?

I would actually say: realize that you don’t have to be productive. By this I mean: your significance does not come from your productivity. It comes from Christ, who obeyed God perfectly on our behalf such that our significance and standing before God comes from him, not anything we do. Then, on that basis, we pursue good works (which is what productivity is) and do so eagerly, as it says in Titus 2:14.
When it comes to day-to-day application, the main principle is this: The key denominator of effectiveness is not intelligence or even hard work, as important as those are. It is the discipline to put first things first. You need to operate from a center of sound principles and organize and execute around priorities. This means that instead of prioritizing your schedule, you schedule your priorities.

Many thanks to Matt Perman for his insight into this important matter! It is my hope that you were in some way challenged and/or encouraged by this post to be a brighter and more productive light in His service!

God bless!

9Marks Blog: How Members Can Serve the Church On Sunday Morning

Hello all,

As Sunday approaches, the following blog post (only linked) from 9Marks offers simple and practical advice as to how we Rebelutionaries can help with and be more active in our local church bodies.

Honestly, if you are anything like me (Hannah), I often skip the preparation time before church. I either awake running late or forgot to complete some random task or the like. My mornings are rarely, if ever, organized and accomplished. Some of you may nod and go 'Yes, those are my mornings. So, do I really have to prepare for the church service?' Yes. I have personally found it vital to setting your heart straight before hearing the words of praise from the songs and the words of wisdom from the pastor. When we leave our hearts still swimming in the messiness of our households or our mornings, we are not always as fully tapped into His spirit as we should be. Sundays are blessings. For those of us who have a welcoming church body, those are blessings as well. There are many people out there that do not have what we have, that cannot have what we have.

Most of the suggestions fall into the "small things" category, but the small things in life and church are the building blocks for greater and larger things.

Thus, while this article definitely encourages us with 'small things' that will aid us in becoming more actively and intricately involved in our church bodies, there is so much more to this message. These guidelines give us steps; we must provide the heart. Church is a gift, something that could mean death for many others. Knowing that, would we not want to savor our experiences? Would we not want to prepare our hearts to enjoy it all to the fullest? Church is not routine, and it never will be. Let this article be a reminder of that, and let us have the hearts to really tap into our church bodies with overflowing zeal and joy this Sunday.

How Members Can Serve the Church on Sunday Morning

Many thanks to 9Marks for their helpful list!

God bless your weekend!

Serving: A Distraction to Listening? (Desiring God)

Hello all,

One of the harmful tendencies Rebelutionaries need to guard against (a logical by-product of working to do hard things and rebel against low expectations) is that of miplacing our priorities. It is very important that we work diligently, but at the same time we don't want to make the mistake of Martha, as told in the following blog post from Desiring God.

Serving: A Distraction to Listening?

Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:42-42)

Jesus’ gracious rebuke to Martha haunts me.

"Martha was distracted with much serving" (Luke 10:40). But Mary "sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching" (Luke 10:39). Distraction is the enemy of listening. For Martha, at that moment, serving was a distraction. Serving became the enemy of the real good.

But that's not how it felt to Martha at the time. She thought she was doing the right thing. That's why she appealed to Jesus to exhort Mary to get off her rear and get busy serving. Martha was tired of carrying the load herself.

She was shocked to hear that Jesus didn’t value her serving as much as Mary’s listening.

A constant battle we face is letting the fragmentation of urgent demands distract us from the good of listening to Jesus. There is so much to do. If we believe things will change when we get on top of things, that we’ll finally have the time to listen more to Jesus after we’ve plowed through these demanding tasks hanging over our heads, we’re likely being deceived.

We tend to value the volume of things accomplished, and call that "productivity." God values the importance of things accomplished, and calls it "fruitfulness" (John 15:5). And here’s what’s important to God: that we listen to and believe Jesus. "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent" (John 6:29).

So beware of your perceptions. Listening often doesn’t feel like doing. But it might just be the most important thing God wants you to get done today.

Many thanks to Desiring God and Jon Bloom for the timely reminder!

God bless!

Reasons for Reason

"How do you give a reason for the hope that you have when the people asking you aren’t interested in reason?"

It's a good question and an important one. We are, after all, called to always "be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within, with gentleness and reverence" (I Peter 3:15)

Kevin DeYoung is on the front lines of the battle to give an answer that is faithful and true to the Word, and in todays featured post he relay's an encounter he had that highlights the challenge and need we face in this area.

This is a bit of an unusual post for this blog because we try to primarily put out posts that provide more answers and challenges. But, it can be hard to get a handle on the challenge ahead of us without examining it in real terms. This post was, to me, helpful in clarifying our challenge, thus my reason for passing it on. :-)

Here ye be!

Reasons for Reason

God bless!

Dye2Live4Christ: do not be blinded

Hello all,

We've featured posts from Sam Dye's blog 'Dye2Live4Christ' before and would like to do so again. We love that Sam's posts are simply studies/commentary on passages of scripture. We need so desperately to simply wash ourselves in the word and not just "hit the hot spots" but so often forget to even open our Bibles. This is especially problematic in the blog world where people contend for readership with by focusing on the "interesting", the "intriguing" and the controversial.

It's refreshing to see and read blogs like Sam. In today's featured post, Sam offers challenging thoughts on being blinded by sin and allowing it to persist in our lives. This post caught my eye not only because it is challenging and rich in truth, but because my church (Mark here) just finished a teaching series on Nehemiah. In many ways, the theme of Nehemiah is rebuilding "walls" that have been torn down and casting the product of disobedience that was allowed to persist in Jerusalem. It (Nehemiah) is an extremely challenging book, so if after reading Sam's post you desire further challenging, go read Nehemiah. ;-)

Wednesday 9-29-10

"He did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. The LORD struck the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death." (2 Kings 15:3-5)

As I read this it struck me that Azariah could be so blind to his sin. In chapter 12 and 14 we see two other Kings of Judah do the same thing. They lived right before God, only they did not remove the high places. And as I pondered how either blinded he must have been, or he didn't truly care. I was convicted, how many times has and does God show me my sin and yet I continue in it. It seems to very well coincide with what I was reading in Proverbs 29 today, it says: "A man who hardens his neck after much reproof Will suddenly be broken beyond remedy." God is so merciful, it honestly boggles my mind that time and time again I sin against Him, and I right now the wrath of God is not bearing down upon me. Even more than that, Christ took the wrath of God for me, I sinned I deserved God's wrath, Jesus died and took that wrath and punishment for me! But let me not "presume" upon grace, for Romans 6:2 says that we who are dead to sin are not to continue therein any longer.

I will be the first to admit, I've been deceived by sin, by my own lusts. In fact the natural man is nothing but deceived, because his mind is set on the flesh and not God. Satan is called the deceiver of the world in Revelation 12. We are not called to complacency or conformity with this world but rather to the renewing of our minds (Rom 12:2), that we might have that mind which was also in Christ Jesus (Phil 2:5). We are also called to encourage, exhort and even reprove other brothers (and sisters as the case may be) in Christ, that we would become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Heb 3:13). However if we attempt to not be deceived in our own strength and have the mind of Christ by our own doing, it will fail. We see in Jude 1:24 that it is only Jesus who can keep us from stumbling and present us spotless and without blame before the Father. And ultimately it will be worth it all because one day we "we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is." (1 John 3:2)

Many thanks to Sam for his challenge!

God bless!

Desiring God: Drudgery Vs. Christianity

Hello all,

Let's be honest. Doing Hard Things is a great thing and it's exciting to read about doing hard things, attend conferences about doing hard things and talking with like-minded people about doing hard things. But in the everyday reality of life, doing hard things is...hard. When serving Christ should be an indescribable joy it often feels like drudgery.

While there are many reasons that our joy is turned to drudgery, I believe one of the most common is a misunderstanding and/or misapplication of the Gospel to our everyday life. We easily fall into the trap of legalism and self- reliance without even realizing it. On this tendency, Mark Priestap offers wise words by way of the Desiring God Blog.

Drudgery Vs. Christianity

It's easy to allow slavish obedience to muddy the gospel, isn't it? We discover something beautiful about Christ and the gospel, but then after some time, instead of it remaining transforming good news that overflows in worship and good works, we turn it into a means of gaining acceptance, once again taking up the yoke of our former master.

But obedience that flows from joy is so different than obedience that flows from duty! The first is delight upon delight, while the second is drudgery leading to death.

In Mark 12 a scribe says to Jesus, "to love [God] with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." To which Jesus responds, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." This scribe saw that obedience to God was deeper than externals and required love from the heart (which is far more demanding!).

What he hadn’t realized yet was that he was also incapable of heart obedience. He understood the law in principle but had not yet used it as a mirror.

Have you looked into the mirror of the law and learned that you cannot obey it? If so, praise God! Admit it to him and repent of ever hoping you could obey on your own. Then you will find rest. Christ didn’t come to call the righteous but sinners (Mark 2:17).

"But", one says, "I still have to live my life. I am duty bound to love my wife and children, work for my employer, and worship God regardless of my feelings or motivations." Yes you are, but "fleshing it out" is not obedience. In fact, it only adds to the sin (Romans 14:23).

In Christ, slavish law-keeping counts for nothing (Philippians 3:4-8) but "only faith working through love" (Galatians 5:6). "You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace." Repent, therefore, and believe the gospel; and let the duties of your life be carried out in the love that flows from this faith.

Moralistic duty is not only drudgery; it is part of a false gospel which must be cast aside.

Let us have confidence only in Jesus, that he alone is able to complete what he started:

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

May we never forget the power and joy of the Gospel as we seek to honor God!

God bless!

Renewing Thoughts: The Purpose of Suffering

Charlie Albright has posted an excellent fundamental examination of the purpose of suffering. I would like to post some of that article with preliminary thoughts and comments prompted in my mind by Charlie's post.

When approaching the issue of suffering, if we are to benefit from suffering, we need to first think about what suffering actually is. I don't pretend or aim to have a full answer to that question, but I would suggest that there are two basic types of suffering: the physical and the spiritual, and that both these kinds of suffering are designed to accomplish common goals in our life (dealt with later in this post). One type of suffering is physical and it is usually pretty obvious. It can be sickness, injury, disease, pain, persecution and other such things. Then there is spiritual suffering, or "affliction". This can include depression, doubts, unrest, sorrow, etc.

One article on suffering I read described suffering in a way I found thought provoking and insightful: "It is a tool God uses to get our attention and to accomplish His purposes in our lives in a way that would never occur without the trial or irritation."

I personally like that definition and believe it is very much in line with Biblical teachings on suffering.

Suffering can be for disciplinary purposes. We know that God chastises those He loves (Hebrews 12:4-7) to purify them (Zechariah 13:8-9) and to bring them back to Him. We also know that what we sow will be reaped (Galatians 6:7-8). I make these points because as young Christians it's important that we understand this truth so we will know to examine ourselves (II Corinthians 13) in the face of suffering and not assume that our suffering is unrelated to our sin.

Suffering can also happen for reasons we cannot see or understand. This is where Christians can (and frequently do) become easily discouraged and disheartened. Just ask Job. He suffered more than I can imagine for reasons he never fully understood. Yet, the fruit of his suffering was clearly evident. Thank God we can always be assured by the truth of Romans 5:3-5 but must understand that we don't always know why we suffer.

Because we can't know why we suffer, it is imperative that we understand and cling to the promises of what is accomplished through suffering. That is why posts such as Charlie's are important and why we are posting it here. So, without further ado, here is an abridged version of Charlie’s post. If you would like to read the rest (and I would encourage you to) please hop over to Renewing Thoughts and read it there.

The Purpose of Suffering

Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises dead. 2 Corinthians 1:9

The suffering Paul and his companions were experiencing at this time felt like a death sentence. The burden of their suffering had driven them to the point that they had believed the time had come for them to lose their lives.

In the midst of the despair and sorrow that surround Paul and his companions the God of all comfort came to them. The experience does not end in despair. Though, it does not end in immediate physical deliverance either. Comfort comes by the means of truth. There is a truth attained by the experience which Paul explains in the last sentence, “to make us;” This tremendous burden of suffering had a purpose. There was an aim, a goal that it was set out to accomplish. No suffering is purposeless. Far be it from that! Instead the very creator and sustainer of ever molecule has a purpose in every affliction in our lives. What is that purpose?

It is theological in giving us a correct vision of God

“to make us rely not on ourselves;” The first aspect of this correction is in making us see that we are not God. We are not lords over our lives. We like to think that we are. We like to think that we are in control of each and every day. But suffering is the clearest demonstration that this is not the case. We are not in control.

“but on God;” When suffering removes our reliance from ourselves the only place that is a sufficient rock is none other than God. Suffering brings us to the place where the only stable and sure foundation is the Lord of the universe. This is why God brings suffering, that it might drives us to Him!

“who raises the dead.” It is not: rarely, maybe, sometimes. Our Lord always moves and works for His children. Our God is one who does mighty deeds and glorious works for His children. He never leaves them behind, but always fulfills the plan which he set out to do for them. Now, His plans are not our plans. Faith is holding on to this truth while waiting for the glorious plan of God to come to fruition.

Suffering is hard and painful, yet by faith we can hold to the truth that the purpose is more glorious than a life of ease. Let suffering drive us to Christ and His love!

To those words of wisdom I heartily say amen!

God bless and veritas supra omnis!

Glorifying God In Our Education

Greetings,

As Rebelutionaries we all are familiar with the challenge to “Do Hard Things” and “Rebel against Low Expectations” not because we believe in youth empowerment, but because we believe God would have us be strong and effective ambassadors of His word and the Gospel. This takes effort on our parts, and it takes a conscience effort to glorify God in whatever we do. Colossians 3:17, a verse well known to Christians, says,

“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father”

Likewise, I Corinthians 10:31 says,

"Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

This simple but powerful exhortation applies quite literally to our lives and to all our callings. One challenging calling for young people is to glorify God in and through our education.

Recently, while perusing firstthings.com, I came across an article by Stanley Hauerwas titled “Go With God: An open letter to young Christians on their way to college”. The article contains many wise truths and exhortations, but the following portion in particular caught my eye and prompted this post.

“The Christian fact is very straightforward: To be a student is a calling. Your parents are setting up accounts to pay the bills, or you are scraping together your own resources and taking out loans, or a scholarship is making college possible. Whatever the practical source, the end result is the same. You are privileged to enter a time—four years!—during which your main job is to listen to lectures, attend seminars, go to labs, and read books.

It is an extraordinary gift. In a world of deep injustice and violence, a people exists that thinks some can be given time to study. We need you to take seriously the calling that is yours by virtue of going to college. You may well be thinking, “What is he thinking? I’m just beginning my freshman year. I’m not being called to be a student. None of my peers thinks he or she is called to be a student. They’re going to college because it prepares you for life. I’m going to college so I can get a better job and have a better life than I’d have if I didn’t go to college. It’s not a calling.”

But you are a Christian. This means you cannot go to college just to get a better job. These days, people talk about college as an investment because they think of education as a bank account: You deposit the knowledge and expertise you’ve earned, and when it comes time to get a job, you make a withdrawal, putting all that stuff on a résumé and making money off the investment of your four years. Christians need jobs just like anybody else, but the years you spend as an undergraduate are like everything else in your life. They’re not yours to do with as you please. They’re Christ’s.

Christ’s call on you as a student is a calling to meet the needs of the Church, both for its own life and the life of the world. The Resurrection of Jesus, Wilken suggests, is not only the central fact of Christian worship but also the ground of all Christian thinking “about God, about human beings, about the world and history.” Somebody needs to do that thinking—and that means you.

Don’t underestimate how much the Church needs your mind. Remember your Bible-study class? Christians read Isaiah’s prophecy of a suffering servant as pointing to Christ. That seems obvious, but it’s not; or at least it wasn’t obvious to the Ethiopian eunuch to whom the Lord sent Philip to explain things. Christ is written everywhere, not only in the prophecies of the Old Testament but also in the pages of history and in the book of nature. The Church has been explaining, interpreting, and illuminating ever since it began. It takes an educated mind to do the Church’s work of thinking about and interpreting the world in light of Christ. Physics, sociology, French literary theory: All these and more—in fact, everything you study in college—is bathed in the light of Christ. It takes the eyes of faith to see that light, and it takes an educated mind to understand and articulate it."

The church does indeed need men and women of learning and education who excel in all aspects of their calling. The Bible is full of examples of people that excelled in their crafts and were used mightily of God because of that excellence.

Think of Joseph. Though treacherously sold into slavery by his brothers he purposed to excel in doing whatever task the Lord gave Him to do. Consequently, he was raised to the second highest position of the dominant empire of that time and through him God preserved His people.

Think of David. God used his skill with the harp to place him in a position of note with King Saul and there He ministered to the king.

Think of Daniel, and of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. Taken from their homeland in bondage, all served God faithfully and excelled in the ministry given to them and all made huge God honoring impacts that are remembered to this day.

The example of these Godly men brings this passage to mind:

²⁹ Do you see a man who excels in his work?
      He will stand before kings;
      He will not stand before unknown men. (Proverbs 22:29, New King James Version)

We won’t all be well known like Joseph, David, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, but if we don't pursue excellence we can be certain none of us will attain it. Even if we know with certainty that we will not be famous and widely influential persons we are all still called to serve God with the same excellence so that we can be effective and faithful tools in the hand of the Master Builder.

Many thanks to Mr. Hauerwas for his exhortations and may we all pursue excellence in our education!

God bless!

NaNoWriMo Is Here!

As the month of November approaches, we would like to promote a rather hefty yet educational challenge that occurs throughout November. It is entitled NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month. All participants begin writing on November 1st and are challenged to have a 50,000 word novel, starting from the very beginning of the entire story (you can't start writing in the middle of something you already have ;)), written by November 30th. Normally, authors of the noted length novel take a lot longer than a month to draft and completely write out their first rough draft of their manuscript. However, NaNo focuses more on our ability to simply write, not attempting to be perfect in grammar and style; the goal is to WRITE!

Any Rebelutionary reading this knows just how much we push you all to do hard things for His glory. Thus, we are presenting you with this challenge as an opportunity to write a novel, whether it be perfect or imperfect, for the glory of God and to be the shining light of Christ among the novel writing community that joins together in November and put either pens to paper or fingers to keys. In 2009, 165,000 people from around the world joined in this pursuit (non-Christian and Christian alike) with more than 30,000 people either accomplishing or exceeding the expectation of 50,000 words! Those numbers are not only amazing, but they are encouraging. If they can do it, I'm sure that many other Rebelutionaries can as well.

I fully realize that 50,000 words may seem like a monumental amount. But, I implore you to not scrap this idea simply because the word count could appear unachievable. We (other Rebelutionaries) are all here to encourage you all along the way, whether that be on the NaNo forums or through personal communication. I can tell you right now, achieving 50,000 words in a month is not impossible, but rather entirely plausible!

Currently, the known Rebelutionary participates for the 2010 NaNo are myself (Hannah Marie) (Fantasy Genre), Jay Lauser (Fantasy Genre), Melody K (Fantasy Genre), Jordan Wright (Fantasy Genre), Ashley (Fantasy Genre), Nella Camille (Allegory), Kaitland C. (Unknown), Enoria (Unknown), Beatr-x (Young Adult Genre), Princesswriter (Fantasy Genre), Galadriel (Unknown), Mattskywalker (Science Fiction Genre), Mindy E (Fantasy Genre) and Katie Lynn Daniels (Science Fiction Genre). There is even a personalized thread hidden in the NaNo forums for all Rebelutionary writers. If you are a Rebelutionary writer and I failed to mention you here, please do not hesitate to drop a comment or even better yet, drop by the thread on the NaNo forums and say 'hi!'

For those of you who are interested in learning more about this enticing challenge, please view NaNoWriMo's official website for all the details and answers to questions you may have.

Word of Caution: While this is not a Christian based organization, we do encourage the over all idea and challenge it presents to people of all ages. Hence, why we decided to feature it. But, we do not necessarily promote the ideals found within the site.

Renewing Thoughts: The Purpose of Suffering

Charlie Albright has posted (or re-posted...not sure which) an excellent fundamental examination of the purpose of suffering. I would like to post some of that article with preliminary thoughts and comments prompted in my mind by Charlie's post.

When approaching the issue of suffering, if we are to benefit from suffering, we need to first think about what suffering actually is. I don't pretend or aim to have a full answer to that question, but I would suggest that there are two basic types of suffering: the physical and the spiritual, and that both these kinds of suffering are designed to accomplish common goals in our life (dealt with later in this post). One type of suffering is physical and it is usually pretty obvious. It can be sickness, injury, disease, pain, persecution and other such things. Then there is spiritual suffering, or "affliction". This can include depression, doubts, unrest, sorrow, etc.

One article on suffering I read described suffering in a way I found thought provoking and insightful: "It is a tool God uses to get our attention and to accomplish His purposes in our lives in a way that would never occur without the trial or irritation."

I personally like that definition and believe it is very much in line with Biblical teachings on suffering.

Suffering can be for disciplinary purposes. We know that God chastises those He loves (Hebrews 12:4-7) to purify them (Zechariah 13:8-9) and to bring them back to Him. We also know that what we sow will be reaped (Galatians 6:7-8). I make these points because as young Christians it's important that we understand this truth so we will know to examine ourselves (II Corinthians 13) in the face of suffering and not assume that our suffering is unrelated to our sin.

Suffering can also happen for reasons we cannot see or understand. This is where Christians can (and frequently do) become easily discouraged and disheartened. Just ask Job. He suffered more than I can imagine for reasons he never fully understood. Yet, the fruit of his suffering was clearly evident. Thank God we can always be assured by the truth of Romans 5:3-5 but must understand that we don't always know why we suffer.

Because we can't know why we suffer, it is imperative that we understand and cling to the promises of what is accomplished through suffering. That is why posts such as Charlie's are important and why we are posting it here. So, without further ado, here is an abridged version of Charlie’s post. If you would like to read the rest (and I would encourage you to) please hop over to Renewing Thoughts and read it there.

The Purpose of Suffering

Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises dead. 2 Corinthians 1:9

The suffering Paul and his companions were experiencing at this time felt like a death sentence. The burden of their suffering had driven them to the point that they had believed the time had come for them to lose their lives.

In the midst of the despair and sorrow that surround Paul and his companions the God of all comfort came to them. The experience does not end in despair. Though, it does not end in immediate physical deliverance either. Comfort comes by the means of truth. There is a truth attained by the experience which Paul explains in the last sentence, “to make us;” This tremendous burden of suffering had a purpose. There was an aim, a goal that it was set out to accomplish. No suffering is purposeless. Far be it from that! Instead the very creator and sustainer of ever molecule has a purpose in every affliction in our lives. What is that purpose?

It is theological in giving us a correct vision of God

“to make us rely not on ourselves;” The first aspect of this correction is in making us see that we are not God. We are not lords over our lives. We like to think that we are. We like to think that we are in control of each and every day. But suffering is the clearest demonstration that this is not the case. We are not in control.

“but on God;” When suffering removes our reliance from ourselves the only place that is a sufficient rock is none other than God. Suffering brings us to the place where the only stable and sure foundation is the Lord of the universe. This is why God brings suffering, that it might drives us to Him!

“who raises the dead.” It is not: rarely, maybe, sometimes. Our Lord always moves and works for His children. Our God is one who does mighty deeds and glorious works for His children. He never leaves them behind, but always fulfills the plan which he set out to do for them. Now, His plans are not our plans. Faith is holding on to this truth while waiting for the glorious plan of God to come to fruition.

Suffering is hard and painful, yet by faith we can hold to the truth that the purpose is more glorious than a life of ease. Let suffering drive us to Christ and His love!

To those words of wisdom I heartily say amen!

God bless and veritas supra omnis!

Counter Cultural: He's Got the Whole World...

Hello all,

Camden has posted a very refreshing post on his blog, Counter Cultural. I love the fact that it's simple, to the point and based on a childrens song.

I thought about adding some commentary and additional verses to this post, but after adding them they seemed to mess with the flow of Camden's post. So, I'll just pipe down and hand things over to Camden.

He's Got the Whole World

If you grew up in Church, the chances that you know the rest of this kid's church song is about 95%. In fact, I would be shocked if you didn't. The point is, I think a lot of kid's church songs have an awesome message, but we rarely pay attention past the melody to the words themselves. A good comparison is with John 3:16 -- The words themselves are absolutely incredible, but we've said it so much that it's all but lost it's meaning entirely. So what is the message of this song?

Actually, it's not a trick question. The answer is, "He's got the whole world in His hands!" The reason this is such a huge message is because it's easy to say, but so hard to live. I think you know what I'm talking about, but let me elaborate anyways. In the midst of the star-breathing, galaxy forming, world holding God, it's sometimes hard to trust that God really does have your life in mind. In these times, worry, anxiety, or even fear come upon us. We wonder if God really knows what He's doing.

Or maybe we're just impatient. Maybe we get it -- He's got the whole world in His hands. But truthfully, if we were honest with ourselves, we think life would be a whole lot easier if we had the whole world in our hands. We could make life simple. Easy-going. We'd laugh at any problem that came our way because we could instantly fix it. So why doesn't God allow this? Why does He subject us to hardship and turmoil in our lives?

I think it has to do with faith (a close synonym for trust). See, God could give you everything you ever wanted right now, instantly. But at the end of the day, what has changed in you? You'd have everything you wanted, but you'd be exactly the same on the inside (except for maybe greedier). Your faith would be just as dormant as before. It's not faith if God instantly give us what we want (see Hebrews 11:1 and Romans 8:24-25 for more on this). We don't like to admit it, but our faith grows when we're pressed, stressed, and forced out of that all too-familiar bubble called our comfort zone.

So, the question remains. How do you want to live your life? Of course, I can't answer this question for you. When we try to orchestrate our lives, things usually don't work out so great. When we give control to God, yes, it can be hard and require patience, but it always works out better in the end. He's got the whole world in His hands. So why not give Him your life, too?


Psalm 34:4-5

I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.

Camden

Many thanks to Camden for that exhortation. I think it's very appropriate for us as we begin a new week.

God bless!

Veritas Supra Omnis: You want to help, but are you looking to help?

Apathy. Something I (Hannah) have always strived to avoid in all my dealings in life. Yet, often times I see apathy as just not getting things done when I don't want to or otherwise. I didn't really think that not taking that extra step in our dealings and meetings with people really qualified as being apathetic in life. However, Mark Hutchins' presented an excellent challenge showing us that good intentions are not enough, and good intentions without action often lead to an apathetic life style. Since he says it all much better than I, without further to do, here is Mark's original article, first written and seen on his personal blog, Veritas Supra Omnis.

Hello all,

Good intentions are wonderful. I think we can all agree with that. However, good intentions are not enough unless they translate into action. The Bible clearly teaches in Matthew 7 that the measure of a person’s intentions and heart is no less than their actions.

   
¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them. (Matthew 7:15-20, New King James Version)

I was really blessed and challenged this week by a story I ran across on lifesitenews.com about a man who exemplified the union of "intent" and action. The story begins with the following:

"They call retired salesman Don Ritchie "the watchman." Each day, as he sits in his favorite chair at his cliffside home, he looks up and scans the precipice that takes the lives of approximately 50 suicide jumpers each year, trying to discern the intentions of visitors.

When somebody seems to be lingering too long at the cliff, he walks out to talk to him.

"You can't just sit there and watch them," Ritchie told the AP in a recent interview. "You gotta try and save them. It's pretty simple.""

Later in the story:

"According to official estimates, Ritchie and his wife Moya have saved 160 lives during the 45 years they have lived near the Gap Park, a famous cliff frequented by sightseers that affords a beautiful view of the Sydney Harbor. However, the unofficial tally is closer to 400, according to the Sydney Morning Herald."

You can read the rest of the story here.

Cliff 'Watchman' Saves Hundreds From Suicide with Kindness and a Smile

When reading the story, the question posted in the post title came to my mind. I wondered, "Do I really believe the things I espouse?" You see, it's one thing to "believe" and another thing to do. For instance, many people think that to be a Christian you must only believe in God and believe in the Bible. But, even Satan and his demons believe.

¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! ²⁰ But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?^[a] (James 2:19-20, New King James Version)

Footnotes:

1. James 2:20 NU-Text reads useless.

Don Ritchie didn't have to talk to these people that most assume to be beyond help (or worse, unworthy of help). But he believes that life is precious and had a sincere love for these desperate people. When he could have sat in his house and just prayed he voluntarily gave time and effort he was under no obligation to give.

Most of us don't live on a cliff popular with suicide jumpers. But, if we care to look, all of us can and will find something we can do to live out our faith; to unify our intentions and actions into a God honoring and glorifying testimony of loving action. It could be giving a smile to a person in the store that has a downcast look (which requires actually noticing other people and thinking about them), it could be stopping to give a meal to a person obviously in need of a meal or it could be sending baby dolls to Mexico for little girls that wouldn't otherwise have them. Maybe it could be volunteering at your local Crisis Pregnancy Center or be-friending the unpopular kid at school who needs a loving friend. It could be any one of these or a million other things. The point is that belief and desires translates into action and action is inherently pro-active. You need to be looking for opportunities to minister. If you just wait for them to come to you innumerable opportunities will be missed.

As I have been challenged recently to test my own beliefs in light of what I do so I also challenge you to test your intents and desires by your deeds and fruit. Ask yourself the question, "Am I really searching for a way to live out my convictions?" And, "If I'm honest with myself...what does my inaction say about my faith?"

May God give us grace and strength to obediently and faithfully follow the path He has set before.

God bless and veritas supra omnis!

If you liked Mark's post, feel free to visit his blog and leave a comment on the post.

God bless!