Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

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by Jon Buck

But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
~ Gal 6:14

We live in an age of substantial drama. Issues come at us 100 miles per hour, whether on social media, the news, or sound bites on the radio. We’re forced to consider and deal with a host of complex moral and societal realities in quick time succession. Often, we’re left with little time to process the event that has just flown by, before another one confronts us. 

As we navigate these turbulent times, we may often find ourselves standing firmly on opinions we’ve formed on various issues. While this can be helpful, and is certainly important, Paul makes a remarkable point in Gal. 6:14. 

He tells the Galatian church that, on the cross, he was crucified to the world, and the world to him. What’s his point here? 

Paul is describing how he views the world around him. There were certainly political opinions in Paul’s day. There were riots. There were racial tensions. There were false ideologies swirling all around. 

But Paul saw himself as dead to all those things. Nothing affects a dead man, and a dead man has little or no effect on the world. In other words, Paul saw himself as severed forever from all the intrigue of his day. 

He wasn’t overly concerned about who the next Caesar would be. He wasn’t extremely concerned about the events that were around him, generally. Instead, Paul lived his life with a central aim—to proclaim and live out the cross of Christ. 

For Paul, everything else took a FAR distant second place. Of course, he probably had a host of opinions about many topics. But those things were almost entirely unimportant in his eyes compared to the Gospel, the Church, and the Glory of Christ. 

So…as we wade through the muck of our time, we need to ask ourselves, “Is the main thing still the main thing FOR ME?” If not, let’s look back to the realities of the cross, and remind ourselves that the world is dead to us, and we to it! 

Remembering Their End

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by Jon Buck

“Then they will go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched; and they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.” ~ Isa. 66:24

During polarizing political times, we need to keep in mind the stunning reality that those who die without Christ will spend eternity in hell. 

Notice - it isn’t those who die Democrat or Republican. It isn’t about your stance on any single political issue. While those things are important, the question is far simpler and more profound. The question is regarding the state of their soul. 

Anger or Pity?
When we see unbelievers acting in really obnoxious ways, it can be easy to feel anger toward them for their failures. We can feel we have the political and moral high ground, and then act out that self-righteousness in anger. 

However, the reality of Isa. 66:24 should always be in our minds. Their worm will never die. Their fire will never be quenched. 

Just listen to that reality again and again. They will suffer pain and punishment for their sins FOREVER. Ought we not feel more pity for them than anger, no matter how distasteful their political views? 

This doesn’t mean we can’t voice our disagreement. But our heart attitudes are important when it comes to expressing our opinions on political matters. Are we angry and disgusted? Or do we remember that without the Spirit, we were in the same boat, and instead feel pity? 

Is God everything to me?

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by Jason Park

Sufferings reveal whether He is or He isn’t.  When I suffer, I either doubt His goodness or I trust in it. I think Him far off, indifferent toward me or I sense His nearness and compassion. And if I’m not careful, I can feel as though living for God is all in vain, that being pure in heart is futile because…what good does that do me now

Asaph felt all of that. He tells us as much in Psalm 73. He was envious of unbelievers who were living the good life while he and other believers were “stricken all day long” (v. 14) by the taunts, blasphemies, and evil actions of wicked men (vv. 6-9). 

How did he get out of that downward spiral into unbelief and flight from God? He did it through worship; He came into the “sanctuary of God” and meditated on biblical truth. Truth about the end of all unbelievers. And truth about God’s grace and mercy toward him, even while he was acting like a senseless beast in his doubt and unbelief. 

He realized by faith what was always true: he was continually with God, God was holding onto him and guiding his life, and God would take him to glory afterward. The circumstances and people didn’t change. Asaph’s perspective did. It changed by worship – by focusing his heart’s eyes on God. That led to his repentance from unbelief and faith in the goodness of God. 

So, he ends Psalm 73 by declaring that God is all that He has and that besides Him, he desires – he takes pleasure in, he is satisfied by – God alone. He further declares that God is the strength (lit. “rock”) of his heart and his portion (“share” or “allotment” in life) forever…that the nearness of God is his good…and that he has made God his refuge so that he can tell everyone about God’s works, including helping him out of this spiritual rut. 

If your heart and your flesh were to fail tomorrow, would you say that you have nothing but God? Would you say that You desire Him alone? Could you say that His nearness is the highest good? Psalm 73 says that you would…if you took your heart before the Lord, confessed your sin of unbelief, and by even the smallest and weakest faith worshiped God as you considered who He is and what He has done for you.  

And He has done wonders for us, hasn’t He? He gave us His Son who died, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to Himself, not only as our God but also as our Father (1 Pet 3:18). There’s nothing sweeter and more radically soul-satisfying than that.        

Crying Out

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by Jason Park

You don’t have to be in a flood of deep waters to cry out to God. 

Life and death trials are not the only times of desperation for the believer. There are those times of quiet desperation when you feel spiritually dull, living in a perpetual haze. Maybe you’re in that reality right now.  

And you can’t seem to get yourself out of the rut. And maybe you’ve resigned to this feeling. But deep inside, you know this isn’t right; you know feeling dry and out of it is not the sum of the Christian life. 

There may be no serious trials in your life. But you’re joyless; you’re not feeling up for spiritual things; you’re half-heartedly listening to sermons and reading the Bible. You’re looking for something and not finding it in Christ, you turn to media or daydreaming or physical activity to fill that hole inside you…but to no avail. 

Nothing in this world satisfies. It only deepens the thirst. Pretty soon, if you’re not there yet, you will be desperate. But take heart, that’s a good thing. God is working on you to help you see in what ways you’ve bought the lies of this world and rejected the fountain of life found in Christ.  

So, if you’re feeling dry, confess it to God. To seek satisfaction in anything else beside God is a sin. Open up your heart to Him. Let Him minister His forgiving, restoring, and purifying grace to your soul. Then cry out to Him to pour out His abundant compassion and love upon you.  

Keep at it. He hears the cries of the needy. Christ’s purchase of your soul by His blood guarantees that God will never withhold His love from you. He may have you in a season of soul-lowliness to deepen your faith.  But He hasn’t forsaken You.  

Cling to Christ. Cling to the promises of the gospel. And just cry out for help. Our sympathetic great High Priest ensures that our cries for grace and mercy will be answered.   

The Need for Counseling

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by Jason Park

I had the privilege today of talking to a pastor who oversees his church’s counseling ministry. I’m preparing to teach on biblical counseling in the Fall and wanted to glean insights from a church that has had a formalized counseling ministry for several years. 

I want to share with you three highlights (with further thoughts) from our conversation: 

1.     Counseling must be presented as a humble and spiritually healthy ministry for believers to request. If Rom 7:14-25 taught us anything, it taught us that the normal Christian life is one rife with weaknesses, despite the regenerated heart that beats within each of us. To confess our sins to one another and ask for help can be terribly daunting. But it’s incredibly freeing and empowering when you ask for help for a specific sin issue (cf. James 5:16). 

2.     Though most counseling is a one-on-one interaction, the greater church body can have a great impact on the counselee. Christ has equipped His church through the Holy Spirit to care for one another in deeply substantive ways: whether it’s admonition (Rom 15:14), comfort (1 Thess 4:18), or encouragement (1 Thess 5:11; Heb 3:13). One individual may be helping another, but the one being helped can include even one other person to pray for him or her in the process. That not only adds accountability but another voice crying out to God for grace – which is the ultimate power in counseling.  

3.     Counseling/shepherding/helping someone change is often a tricky and messy thing. We’re messy people. But we deny how messy we are; we like to think the best of ourselves. But the truth is that we harbor wickedness of all shapes and sizes. Consider how often we commit the same sin we recently repented of! Plus, our sin has aggravating factors like family and spiritual backgrounds, immediate circumstances, and patterns or routines of thinking and behaving that haven’t been shepherded.   

Thankfully, the Scriptures are sufficient to deal with our mess. The Word of God is powerful to save and sanctify (2 Tim 3:15-17; 2 Pet 1:2-4) because it is the only resource that points people’s hearts to Christ, the Physician of our souls. 

Of course you can and you should ask the church leaders for help (whether you’re trying to counsel someone or want counseling) . . . Anytime! But as you do, remember to keep your nose in the Word and your heart in prayer. These two means ensure that counseling is truly Spirit-led and Christ-centered. 

Thankful for Men of Faith

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by Jon Buck

This past Sunday, I had the privilege (with the other leaders) to hear God’s word taught by a group of guys at FBC. This group is called ‘Men of Faith’, and they’re going through a theological and teaching process. 

Each of the lessons were videoed so that the guys could watch themselves, and appreciate the work they’d put in. What’s more, watching a video provides an objective perspective, after the stress of teaching to all the leaders! (Feel free to request to see those videos! The guys have to give permission. :) )

The teaching times were incredibly encouraging. They covered texts from all over the Bible, and were Spirit-led and full of honesty and truth. 

One of the greatest signs of the working of the Spirit in the church is His provision in the hearts of guys to want to teach the Word. When the Lord is moving, He identifies and empowers men to speak for Him! 

For that reason, as elders and leaders, our hearts are super encouraged to see God’s work in these guys! We’re excited to see how the Lord continues working in them, and in others!

Letting the Past Remind Us

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by Jon Buck

Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. ~ Heb. 13:7

These days, it seems there’s always something new to consider. Some new idea, some new mantra, some new philosophy. It’s easy to spend our time getting caught up in all the ‘latest’ that’s happening. 

This week, however, as I’ve prepared for Sunday, I’ve found myself reading old dead guys. Now, keep in mind that, as a pastor, I spend a lot of time reading. And most of that time is spent reading from men who have gone before me. 

But this week was unique. The sermon is focused on application of Romans 8:1, and so I spent quite a bit more time reading other books than I might normally. And hearing the thoughts of others has been remarkably helpful! 

The thing that has struck me so strongly as I’ve read is how profoundly wise previous generations have been. Where they perfect? NO! But were they wise? Yes, and more than I know. 

No wonder, then, that the author of Hebrews calls us to remember those who have led us, shared God’s word with us, and gone before us. 

Not only were they profoundly wise in many ways, but their faith weathered the trials of life, and carried them to heaven. 

While I can sometimes get caught up in the ‘now’ of life, I’m thankful that there are so many that I can remember, to learn from their wisdom, and imitate their lives! 

Inside Out

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by Jason Park

Evil is lodged deep in the heart of man. And the heart of man that holds all that evil is indeed very deep (Psa 64:6). And the evil therein, before it ever comes out in word or deed, is a false belief, a wrong attitude, a lawless thought, or a devious affection. 

Before David’s enemies in Psa 64 shot at him with the arrows of bitter speech, they held firm in their evil purpose against him (64:5). They indulged in internal and then external evil because they believed that no one, especially God, saw them. To them, no one saw what they were scheming; no one knew what was in their hearts (64:5). And holding onto that false belief drove them to keep devising and perfecting their plots against the king of Israel (64:6). 

Now, there’s a whole second half to the psalm that deals with God’s justice on David’s behalf. But for this post, I want us to focus on where our sinful words and actions come from. They come from within. That is, the secret counsel of our hearts shapes what we say and do. What’s being conceived, nurtured, and pored over on the inside will inevitably bubble up on the outside. Jesus said as much – the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart (Matt 12:34). 

Why is this crucial? Because it reminds us that our behavior is determined by what we think, feel, and intend. So, to deal with sinful behaviors or external manifestations of sin, we need to dig. We need to dig into our hearts and uncover what we really want and what makes us sad, afraid, or angry. We can’t just treat the symptoms while leaving the disease alone.  So, we need to uncover the false believing and false worshiping taking place in our hearts. 

Just changing the behavior will work, but only temporarily and superficially. We won’t have truly changed one bit. Why? Because the actual disease in our heart hasn’t been dealt with. And the only remedy for the disease hasn’t been applied.  

Sin is first and foremost an internal, heart issue. And unless we apply Christ and the glories of the gospel to the heart, we won’t change, we can’t change (cf. 2 Cor 3:18; 1 Thess 2:13). 

In a Dry and Weary Land (A Riff on Psalm 63)

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by Jason Park

I can get on these Twitter/Facebook “runs” that take up too much of my time. Coronavirus, social injustice, cancel culture, who’s right, who’s wrong…I get caught up in all the noise, and by the time I manage to slog my way out of the vortex, I’m exhausted. 

Now, I don’t think we should put our heads in the proverbial sand and not bibically deal with the issues at large. But is your heart experiencing the fatigue of everything that’s going on in our society? I know I am. And over-indulging in social media posts and following the news do not help me…except in one, unintended way: they remind me that God is the only One who can satisfy my soul. 

What am I looking for when reading all these posts? What’s my heart doing in that moment? Do I want control through knowledge? If I read enough, I can get a handle on that issue. If I get a handle on that issue, I’ll be on top of things. And I like that because it makes me feel as though I’m in control. 

OR, am I looking for something more exciting than the Bible? Is the Bible functionally dry to me? Knowing the latest Twitter trends can provide a quick surge of gratification. You feel like you’re in the in-crowd with a pulse on the nation. The Bible doesn’t specifically address the trends of the day. It can seem irrelevant. Plus, it requires meditation…faith…spiritual digestion. Twitter, Facebook, the news…they don’t. 

In all this, the Lord is convicting me that I’m looking for something else to satiate my thirst. I feel like I’m in a spiritually dry and weary land when I’m combing through the news, but like a dog returning to its vomit, I keep going back…when I should step back and see the power and glory of Christ in the gospel…when I should remember Him in on my bed…when I should remember the many times He’s satisfied my soul with His love. Because He is my God and His lovingkindness is better than life. How much truer is that for us because Christ is our God and our eternal life (1 John 5:20)? How much truer is my tasting of His kindness in saving me through the gospel (1 Pet 2:3)?  

I have every reason in Christ to sing for joy and cling to Him. He is so good. How often I fail to believe that! Thankfully, He forgives me when I confess my sins, and He restores to me the joy of my salvation.  

It’s good to stay abreast of the world’s affairs. But be careful. It can pull your heart away from Christ one post at a time. So, drink in some news. But be filled with His love and glory as you fill your heart with His Word.  

Running to Win

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by Jon Buck

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. ~ 1 Cor. 9:14

We live in an age of self indulgence. Our culture has come to a place where we really enjoy pampering ourselves. 

We have spas, nail salons, massages, rest times, vacations, comfort food, naps, ‘downtime’, etc. Why? We like the feeling of rest. We enjoy feeling pampered. 

Now, to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with any of those things, but they can lull us into a place of feeling like those are ‘needs’ rather than blessings. We’ve learned to enjoy giving the flesh what it desires. 

Paul’s perspective
The Christian life is rarely referred to with those terms. True, we’re called to rest in Christ, but that’s related to our need for righteousness from Him. 

Paul appeals to the Corinthians in this verse, and it’s context, to encourage them toward self-control for the sake of Christ. 

The metaphor of a race is common in the New Testament. Paul appeals to them here to run as those who want to win the race. 

Later in the chapter, Paul will tell them that he makes his body his slave in order to ‘win’ the race of his Christian life. His call to them, and to us, is to fight against the nature yearnings of the flesh, to turn away from our natural bent of self-service, and to labor in our Christian lives like those who are. 

Winning the race
But for Paul, his point isn’t to finish the race with the most trophies. He wanted to remain faithful. In fact, at the end of his life, he said that he had ‘finished the course’ in the same breath as saying that he had ‘kept the faith’ (2 Tim 4:7). 

For Paul, victory was remaining faithful to Christ until he entered His presence. The danger of allowing his flesh to win was ever-present in Paul’s mind, right up until his death. To win was to die in faith, and to be received into the presence of Christ. 

Fighting our flesh can be tough, but Paul’s call to us is to run our Christian lives like a race, and to train ourselves to run until we win. 

From Fear to Faith (Psalm 56)

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by Jason Park

God knows us so well, doesn’t He? The command not to fear is the most common one in the Bible. Why? Because we are fearful people. The world is an unsettling place. And our lives are often unsettled. Our lack of knowledge and control only amplifies our anxiety. 

Thankfully, the Bible provides several ways to overcome anxiety. And Psalm 56 offers a robust, multi-pronged approach. 

(1)  Ask for grace (v. 1a) David knew he didn’t deserve God’s help. He needed it. Apart from grace, we cannot fight, let alone overcome, our fears. Grace is essential to any spiritual victory over sin. It means we can never deal with sin on our own.

 (2)  Admit your fear (v. 3a) David says, “When I am afraid…” It’s reassuring to know God receives us in our weaknesses and sins. He is gracious. He is the God we can come to. And when we confess as David does, it frees us from pretending to be strong when we’re not. Before God, we can be totally open about who we are. 

(3)  Affirm God’s love (vv. 8-9) God puts David’s tears in a bottle and records them in His book. God doesn’t forget our sufferings. He will make all things right in the end. That’s why we can wait on the Lord. In the meantime, He meets us in His lovingkindness right where we’re at: suffering, afraid, doubting, and crying out to Him. 

As Israel’s king, David knows God has his back in a unique way (v. 9). But we know God is for all believers (Rom 8:31). In Christ, we know this more intimately through His Spirit. 

(4)  Trust in God (vv. 3-4, 10-11) Faith is what holds the psalm together (vv. 3-4; vv. 10-11). At first, it seems like a no-brainer. The issue, however, isn’t knowledge; it’s the spiritual response of actually putting our trust in God during a trial. 

And putting our trust in God is trusting in His word; it’s praising His word, which is filled with promises and truths that produce joy and peace in our hearts as we believe them (Rom 15:13).            

(5)  Thank God (vv. 12-13) Because God has delivered Him from the trial (and prior trials), David will thank Him with offerings. The deliverance is sweeter because it wasn’t merely out of a trial; it was into into deeper communion with Him (v. 12 – walking before God). 

Now, on this side of the cross, we’re not promised deliverance from our trials. We may be delivered, but the NT mostly speaks to enduring trials and counting them “all joy” (James 1:2).   

Trials do drive us into deeper fellowship with the Lord. As we cling to His word in trials, we taste His goodness more. We also see our trials from an eternal perspective as David did – “What can man do to me?” (vv. 4, 11). The glory of Christ starts to engulf the trial which loomed so large in our field of vision. And even if the worst were to happen, nothing that truly matters will be lost because Jesus died to deliver us from sin. Our worst-case scenario has already been dealt with on the cross. So, we can, we must, trust Christ and His word. In this way, we’re letting Him through His word do His work of helping us overcome our fears.         

Fighting the Dullness

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by Jon Buck

“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” ~ John 15:11

My natural tendency is toward idleness, and apathy creeps into my heart often. 

The recent COVID lockdown has left me a bit dull, to be honest. Everything ground to a halt, and the nation was stuck at home. At first it was frustrating, but then it became the new normal. Eventually, normal feels nice. 

Now that life is beginning to wind back up again, I find myself apathetic at times. The dullness of NOT doing things has lulled me into believing that it’s better to remain as I am—idle. 

This is terribly dangerous. 

When I find myself tempted to live in the apathy that the COVID crisis has created, I need to remind myself that God’s commands are designed for my joy. I need to remember that God loves me, and He has promised that walking in obedience to His Word will result in true happiness (John 15:11). 

Of course, everyone has a different level of comfort when it comes to the virus, and we need to love one another as we walk through this time. However, we all need to be conscious of the danger in our hearts toward dullness. 

Obeying that craving to be idle will only produce sorrow. Obeying God will produce joy!