A Christ-follower with a limp: February 2018

Sunday, February 25, 2018

"That's just your interpretation..."

“The shortest road to an understanding of the Bible is the acceptance of the fact that God is speaking in every line.” Donald Grey Barnhouse

As the global market opened in the 1990’s international marketers had some monumental cross-cultural miscommunication blunders concerning brand names and slogans. For example, Coca-Cola in China was first rendered as Ke-kou-ke-la. Unfortunately, the Coke company did not discover until after thousands of signs had been printed that the phrase meant, “Bite the wax tadpole.” Then, in Chinese, the Kentucky Fried Chicken slogan, “Finger-lickin’ good” came out as, “Eat your fingers off.” In Taiwan, the translation of the Pepsi slogan, “Come alive with the Pepsi Generation” came out as, “Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead.” When Parker Pen marketed a ballpoint pen in Mexico, its advertisements were supposed to say, “It won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you.” However, the company mistakenly thought the Spanish word embarazar meant embarrass. Instead the advertisement said, “It won’t leak in your pocket and make you pregnant.”

Clear communication is vital. And nowhere is it more vital than in the clear communication of God’s Word. At Grace Church, we prefer the term understanding in relation to studying the Bible rather than interpretation. We don’t want to be accused of “that’s your interpretation.” It’s why we’re committed to understanding what God has written and Scripture says. God’s Word is not soft clay to be molded, shaped or re-shaped according to our whims, presuppositions or culture. It’s God’s Word. We’re committed to understanding what He’s written, not imposing our own interpretation.

2 Timothy 2:15 commands us, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” The Bible is God’s “word of truth.” Truth is accurate, objective and knowable. If a carpenter came to your home without a level, square, tape measure or a set of plans, you’d be concerned. If you asked him about his methods and he responded, “We all have different ways of seeing things. No way is absolutely right. Who’s to say that your house has to be plumb and square?”—you’d be very concerned! You want your house built carefully and accurately according to the plans. God’s Word is not the sort of thing where one person can see it one way and another can see it another, and ultimately, it doesn’t matter because no one can really know what it means.

Every biblical text has a fixed meaning that’s true and never changes. It’s imperative that we study, seeking to discover the meaning of each text. Otherwise, we’re sloppy workmen and should be ashamed.

“Rightly handling” means “to cut a road in a straight direction, so that the traveler may go directly to his destination.” To use a farming metaphor, it means plowing a straight furrow. The idea is to focus and accurately cut through the words of Scripture, so we reach the destination of godliness.

Change doesn’t come from feeling good or liking certain ideas that we think come from Scripture. Change comes when we’re confronted with God’s truth and submit our lives to it. All of us, and especially those who teach, must be skillful and accurate so Scripture is clearly understood. How can you obey, apply and submit to God’s truth if you don’t understand it? The application of Scripture to our lives is what brings about life change.

Today we’re returning to our study of Luke’s Gospel, Finding Jesus. Because we hold a high view of Scripture, we’re committed to what’s known as “expository preaching.” Expository preaching is firmly rooted in God’s Word. It means that the text of Scripture is the starting and ending point of the message. The biblical text is the foundation for the sermon’s theme and shape. A clear understanding of the biblical text is a prerequisite. Application must be rightly related to what God intended to convey, not some pastoral hobby horse. The point of the passage must be the point of the sermon. God wants people to hear from Him, not us.

Expository preaching is not a lecture or meandering through a passage. It’s preaching that sees the goal of the sermon as conveying the truth the Holy Spirit intended in giving the Word. It’s a necessary corollary of the doctrine of the God-breathed nature (2 Timothy 3:16) of Scripture. The idea is not so much that God breathed into the Scriptures, but that the Scriptures are the product of His breathing out. Independent of what we may feel about the Bible as we read it, Scripture maintains a “breath of God” quality. The preacher must make God’s Word understandable and limit himself to Scripture without adding or subtracting to fit his own perspective. Expository preaching is the method least likely to stray from Scripture by keeping to the main thing. It also teaches the congregation how to read their Bibles and how to think through a passage to understand and apply Scripture to their own lives. It gives confidence to the preacher and authorizes the sermon. He’s not sharing his opinions. When the preacher is faithful to the text, he’s confident his message is God's message, and it forces the preacher to handle the tough truths in a text.

When Jim Elliot, the famed missionary martyr, was a student at Wheaton, he wrote in his diary, “My grades came through this week, and were, as expected, lower than last semester. However, I make no apologies, and admit I’ve let them drag a bit for study of the Bible, in which I seek the degree A.U.G., ‘approved unto God.’” May we have that same commitment of preaching, teaching and applying of God’s truth to our own lives so that we may be “approved unto God.”

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.

Sunday, February 18, 2018

We're all in the same boat

“When God’s glory alone is at the center…His presence changes us.”

Cliff Lambert

A ship is an ancient Christian symbol. It’s a picture of the Church tossed on the sea of disbelief, worldliness, and persecution yet finally reaching safe harbor with its cargo of human souls. Part of the imagery comes from the ark saving Noah’s family during the Flood, or Jesus protecting the disciples on the stormy Sea of Galilee. It was a great symbol during times when Christians needed to disguise the Cross, since the ship’s mast forms a cross in many of its depictions.

It’s not a cruise ship. It’s a work boat to take passengers safely to safety. That’s a vital distinction. Those who travel by cruise ship are passengers, a very passive role. All the important decisions and work are handled by others, trained professionals called the crew. Ancient mariners weren’t passengers; they were the crew. Raising sails. Tying knots. Pulling oars. If they didn’t know how to do such tasks, they watched and learned from others. To safely arrive at their destination, they must share the workload.

Recently, I read, The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown. In it Brown recounts the history of the 1936 American Olympic rowing team, made up students from the University of Washington. To succeed at the Berlin Olympics, they had to learn how to work together to achieve a common goal—a gold medal. Prior to going to the Olympics, the Washington team had to defeat many other stateside rowing teams.

In many ways that’s us! How exciting today to celebrate our Grand Opening~Building Dedication! To arrive here, we’ve had to win several other events, purchasing and paying for our property, raising money and finally building our new building.

Rowing is one of the most collaborative sports. On an eight-oar rowing team, all eight rowers must move in near-perfect synchronization. Even a tiny mistake can throw off the delicate rhythm of the team. Because oarsmen need to move together so precisely, they must develop a close bond of friendship and respect to succeed.

The Boys in the Boat isn’t just the story of how the 1936 Olympic rowers perfected their technique and power; it’s about how the nine teammates (eight oarsmen plus a coxswain) learned to work together and became lifelong friends in the process. And isn’t that our church? During this building process, we’ve learned to draw closer to God and learned to work together. Many have become lifelong friends. It’s stretched us spiritually. We will never be the same. We’re a mix of various personalities from varied walks of life. Some on that Washington rowing team had tragic stories of hurt and heartache. What brought them together was that they were all enrolled at the University of Washington. What bring us together is something far greater – the Cross. We’ve committed our lives to Christ. We are not just teammates, we’re brothers and sisters in Christ.

They were all poor. Each man desperately needed to make the team to win a scholarship to be able to stay in school. During the Great Depression a scholarship was critical. As believers, we’re all destitute spiritually. None of us are good or moral. Our spiritual debt is unpayable. None of us is qualified to make the team or be in the boat. It’s all of grace, God’s grace. We’re in the boat only because Jesus paid our passage for us with His own life on the Cross.

We are here today because we share a common vision. We’ve been given a new tool to make an eternal difference. We’re surrounded by those who are hopeless and drowning. All of us have family and friends who are “drowning.” They’re attempting to tread the water of their own morality or religiosity, and it’s futile. Like us, they, too, need to be rescued by the Lord Jesus, even though they may not even know they’re drowning.

We must continually adapt and have the courage to change strategy. On their way to the Olympics, this 1936 team needed to win major collegiate races first. In one decisive race, coxswain Bobby Moch hangs behind rival Cal State for the bulk of the race, waiting to strike as they close in on the finish. The coach, Al Ulbrickson, didn’t tell him to do this. It definitely wasn’t part of the race plan, but Moch read the situation as it unfolded and changed strategy on the fly. The result was an updated strategy execution and a huge win that led to Washington’s Olympic berth. We’ve had to do that with our building and must continue to adapt in the future. Our world and culture are continually changing. While the map of God’s truth never changes, the waters we’re sailing through continually change.

There are no small members on the team. Each one is essential, from the lead rower to the coxswain. In a church, there are no big or little people – just an awesome God who gives us the wisdom, grace and power we need.

We have a common Enemy. Hitler used the Berlin Olympics as a massive propaganda machine. The Olympics helped buy him time to convince the world of his “peaceful” intentions, as he rebuilt Germany’s military power for his diabolical plot. We, too, have a common Enemy. We are enlisted in the conflict of the ages and are called to storm the gates of Hell. Yet, unlike that U.S.A. Olympic rowing team, we know the outcome. We win! We may come through battered and scarred, but King Jesus already won the victory 2,000 years ago!

Today is an exciting day! It though is only the first of many victories that the Lord has for us! Let’s relish and celebrate this day! Let’s anticipate even greater things that the Lord has for us as we are faithful!

Sunday, February 11, 2018

Marriage is for Servers

“Have a good and godly marriage that shows the world Christ's love through how you sacrificially love and serve one another.” John Stange

Some years ago, as I was studying that first marriage in the book of Genesis, I stumbled on something I’d never seen before. Part of God’s original plan for the first couple, (pre-sin/pre-fall), was that they were to work together. Adam’s responsibility was to “subdue” (Genesis 1:28) the new creation and Eve was created as a “helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:19).

There are innumerable compatibility tests for couples considering marriage. Let me save you some money. If a couple is unable to work together and don’t understand sacrificial serving, it’s doubtful that they should get married. Children want to be served; adults are servants. A vital test of adulthood and maturity is whether you are a servant. A healthy marriage is not just two lovers, it’s two servants.

For the past week, Jane has been visiting her parents in Texas as she has for nearly twenty winters. The first few times, Jane didn’t want to go. Our children were young, money was tight, it added more responsibility to my already very busy life. But I insisted. Why? I knew that it was important for Jane to spend time with her parents and it was a great break from the responsibilities of motherhood.

There’s nothing that I enjoy more than serving Jane Carson. Please understand, I’m not the ideal husband. (Sometimes I think I was raised by wolves 😊). Growing up without a mother and with an addict Father, I was naïve of many basic relational skills. I didn’t have a model of what a godly husband and father are, but I have this great Book and a wonderful Holy Spirit Who continually opens my eyes to my many shortcomings. Every year I read at least one good book on marriage. Usually, I don’t learn anything new. I’m just reminded of what I’ve forgotten.

As you know, I’m not real handy. I’ve been the source of humor for many over the years for my lack of knowing how to use tools. Yet, even with my long list of ineptness, there’s a lot that I can do to serve my wife. So, I use the skills I have…and I study my favorite subject – Jane – to learn what is important to her. For example, making the bed is very important to Jane. (It’s not to me.) But nearly every morning I make the bed because I know it means something to Jane. I also know that encouragement is very important to her, so I continually look for ways to encourage her.

I look for ways to give Jane a break. When our children were younger, I loved spending time with them (still do), so I’d often take them with me as I ran errands, or we’d go on a lunch date. I like to cook so I try to do it when I can. Jane’s “love language” is serving, so Jane finds serving very fulfilling. Early on we discovered that sometimes I need to serve Jane by protecting her from herself. She doesn’t have a good “No” and would nearly kill herself serving others. There are times that I’ve been the one to say, “Honey, that’s not something you should do.”

A chronic complaint of troubled marriages is selfishness. We’ve been fed a diabolical lie by a narcissistic culture that fulfillment comes from being served. That’s not what Jesus taught. He commanded us to be a Christian counter-culture: “whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” (Matthew 20:26-28).

To be honest, Jane spoils me rotten and I work hard to do the same for her. That’s a key to a fulfilling marriage. This July it will be 35 years. It truly has been a continual Honeymoon. Have there been tough times? Absolutely, but God’s grace is always sufficient. And if you want to have a healthy marriage, you must take your instructions from the Designer’s original blueprint.

Recently, I read a wife posting on Facebook requesting advice for making her hubby “more than just sandwiches” for lunch every day at work. But she was mocked and berated for the simple act of making lunch for her husband. Feminism has flunked out when it’s now vile to make your husband a sandwich. The national media picked up on the story and reported that she was told she was nothing but a “slave” and a “1950s housewife.” She was “weird” for demeaning herself to make lunch for her husband. Then it got angry and hateful. Here are some of the other responses: “Your husband is a grown up and you’re not his mother” “I make my husband the same thing he makes me. Nothing!” “Stuff that, hubby is a grown man. I already do his laundry and keep his children alive.” “Our advice is to stop making his lunches.” “My role is childcare during working hours and that’s it.” “He’s lucky if I decide to make dinner some nights.” “I was married for 20 years and my favorite packed lunch for my husband was called a ‘Get it Yourself’ with a side order of ‘I’m not your mother’.” “I didn’t sign up for that at the altar.”

How heartbreaking! What miserable individuals. In this case, they were all women but sadly, I’ve seen the same and worse from too many men. What really weighs on me is that I’ve observed Christian husbands and wives with that type of attitude. It’s vile and unchristlike.

If your marriage is unhappy and unfulfilling, please look in the mirror first. And don’t say something childish like, “I’ll serve and be nice to them when they serve me and are nice to me.” What are you three!

A Christ-honoring marriage is one with two committed servants – a husband and wife who realize that they’re serving the Lord Jesus by serving each other. What kind of marriage do you have? Are you a servant?

Sunday, February 4, 2018

When the church fails like the NFL

“Starve your distractions. Feed your focus.”

Just when you thought that the Super Bowl couldn’t get worse or the NFL more foolish, even if you aren’t into football, there were always the commercials. Sometimes, particularly in a lopsided game, the commercials were the only redeeming feature. Yet, now one traditional commercial has been canned. Budweiser’s Clydesdales have been put out to pasture.

The NFL has successfully alienated the military and veterans as players kneeled during The Star-Spangled Banner. Flag waving Americans have been disgusted much of the season. More recently, the NFL turned down a pro-national anthem commercial by a veterans group for the Super Bowl.

The interest in the game is way down since it’s an east coast Super Bowl with one generally despised team, the Patriots (though Eagle fans do little to endear themselves). And now the non-offensive Clydesdales have been given a pink slip, irritating animal lovers. Sunday’s winner may be The Puppy Bowl XIII, that’s been dubbed the “alternative Super Bowl.”

Remember when football was about football? It wasn’t about commercials, halftime shows or political statements. It was about 22 men pouring their guts out to move a piece of pigskin down the field. Those days are gone. With increased anxiety of brain injuries, football may be headed to the dustbin of sport’s history. Yet, much of the demise is because professional football lost its focus. Football is no longer about football.

A church can do the same thing. They become distracted on nearly anything and everything beside their God-given purpose, being the church.

Some churches are little more than political action committees. Though evangelicals have recently been accused of this, it’s long been true of African-American churches. God never called us to be a voting bloc, to be consumed with political issues or endorse candidates. While the church must make a stand on biblical issues, like life ones, that is not political.

Some churches are consumed with social issues. While hunger, homelessness and poverty are serious, they’re not to be our primary focus. If all those issues were resolved, (which would be wonderful), the greatest hunger of our world wouldn’t be. Our great need is “soul hunger” and only the gospel can satisfy our world’s greatest need.

Some churches are consumed with non-biblical rules. God is holy and the Scripture commands believers to be holy. Yet, some churches teach that holiness is externalism and become obsessed with mundane non-biblical rules about dress, music, even whether someone attends a movie. Scripture’s emphasis is heart holiness. While the principles never change, culture does. It’s why God is more concerned with attitudes than actions. When a Christ-follower has a righteous attitude, right actions are the fruit of that attitude.

Some churches are focused on increasing numbers not disciples. Many churches buy into the American success myth: bodies, bucks & buildings. It’s not a biblical model of success. Ultimately, Jesus ended with eleven disciples, a failure from our world’s perspective. One of the fastest growing “churches” is the Mormon Church, yet it denies the Deity of Christ.

Some churches are self-absorbed. Jesus did not command us to come in, but to “go out.” A church must focus on those still outside of it. While Body Life is important, our passion must be on seeing the lost come to Christ. It can’t be just about our own children and families. Many churches focus the greater percentage of their resources internally. Fear of a corrupt culture can result in isolation, but we’re not to be isolated from the world. God’s power is greater! We’re to be an assault team on the gates of Hell.

Some churches are seeker driven. They’re focused only on evangelism. Our purpose is not to make converts, but disciples. The Christian life is not just having your ticket punched for Heaven. It’s wholistic. It must revolutionize your whole life. We’ve not fulfilled the Great Commission until every believer has come to the place of maturity where they too are sharing the gospel and discipling others. Our purpose is to reproduce ourselves. We’re to equip believers so they’re able to reach their world.

Some churches are just a big show. God did not call us to entertain or make people feel good. Scripture is compared to a sword for heart surgery (Hebrews 4:12). Sin lies deep, usually undetected in each of our hearts. God has called the church to be like a team preparing for the Super Bowl. We will not fulfill our purpose unless we do exhausting spiritual work and sweat “holy sweat.” We don’t gather to have our ears tickled, but to be challenged, have our souls dissected, go through pain until we rip down every idol in our hearts so that we become more and more like Jesus. God’s goal is our sanctification. That means pruning, the refiner’s fire. It’s not comfortable, yet it’s the only way to have God’s best.

Should the NFL players care about the needs of African-Americans? Absolutely! But that’s not its purpose. The purpose of the NFL is to play football. Most of the things that distract a church from its primary focus are good things. They’re not bad or sinful. It’s why they’re so attractive.
Satan doesn’t usually do a frontal assault. Instead he loves to just distract us. I’ve never heard of a church being tempted to become a strip club. Our Enemy knows that if he gets us to focus on good things, we’ll forget the best things. King Jesus gave us our marching orders. The mission has not changed: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”