Two Unlikely Gentiles, and a Jewish Messiah
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by Jon Buck
Good News of Great Joy for All the People
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by Jon Buck
This year, the staff is going to be publishing a blog article each day until Christmas. There are a number reasons for this, and we have lots of hopes and prayers for our worship as a church this Christmas season!
The first reason for the Advent posts is to announce the good news of the incarnation of Jesus Christ! We live in a world filled with Black Fridays and Christmas presents, and holiday traditions. Those things aren’t bad, but we need to constantly remind ourselves of the good news that Jesus has come to us. He is with us—our Immanuel.
The past two years have been massively challenging for everyone, with COVID, lockdowns, polarizing politics, and the like. Plus there are the countless other pains that each person faces—sickness, loss, financial struggles, relational pains, etc. With all this bad news, we have the joy of spending the advent season thinking of the good news - Jesus Himself.
Second, our hope is that this good news would produce just that - great joy. There is nothing that can generate lasting joy in our hearts besides Jesus Himself. A perfect Christmas, quality time with family, vacation time, financial security, and good health can all be taken away in a moment.
But the good news that Jesus came into the world, lived a perfect life, and died in our place is ours forever. Nothing can interrupt that joy. No suffering, no loss, no need, no sickness can change that God has set His glorious love on us, has adopted us into His family, and has done so through the death of His son. So - we long for you to have great joy throughout this time!
Finally, this good news that produces great joy is for all the people. We long for this news to fill your hearts and souls with such profound joy that you cannot help but share it with those around you! What better Christmas present could any of us receive than to see a child of wrath transferred into the kingdom of light?
And the good news of Jesus is the very means by which this is possible. So our prayer is that, like the angels, our church would herald Christ! That we would announce to all that Jesus has come, that God knows our sorrows, and that He has offered hope to a world in darkness through His blessed Son.
Pray with us, this season, if you would! Pray that God would accomplish these things in our hearts as a church, and in those who are impacted by our lives!
Like It or Not, You’re Called to Teach!
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by Jon Buck
We live in an age of celebrity teachers. Pastors, bible teachers, authors, and bloggers who are often venerated and followed by masses. But while these gifted men and women are helpful to the church, they don’t replace each believer’s responsibility to teach God’s Word. The Bible actually commands all believers to teach others!
Think through some of the commands in the Scripture. For example, think of the command in Romans 15:14 - “And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.”
If believers are going to admonish one other, they have to admonish with the Word of God. Any other admonishing tool is simply human wisdom. This is teaching!
Paul also calls all believers who are spiritual in Galatians 6:1 to restore the one who is caught in a trespass!
If you’re going to restore someone, it has to be with the Word of God, showing the sin as a violation of scripture.
The same idea is expressed by James when he says in 5:19-20 - “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
And the author of Hebrews is very strong in Hebrews 3:13 where he connects encouragement and sin. “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”
What are they to encourage about? Very simply, verse 12 tells them to encourage one another regarding the faith!
And lest you think this is just for men, Titus 2:3 states that older women are to teach younger women, and are to do so using the truths that are derived from God’s word.
What’s more, Paul tells parents to instruct their children in Ephesians 6:4. This command flows from the Mosaic idea of teaching and instructing children in all walks of life, in Deuteronomy 6:7. And Solomon does the same, and commands children in Prov 1:8 to listen to the instruction - the teaching - of their father and mother!
So teaching is commanded to be done by all believers. Like it or not, you’re called to teach, and your responsibility is to know God’s word in order to communicate it for the care of the body of Christ!
Cruises are Nice, But Church is Not a Cruise Ship
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by Jon Buck
For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
- Gal 5:13
While some people may hate boats or the ocean, the concept of a cruise is a very popular idea. In a sense, there’s nothing more relaxing than to be on a cruise. There are countless activities, classes, events, parties, etc. The facilities are luxurious, and the food—well, the banquets are amazing.
Cruises hit hard times during the COVID outbreak, but the allure has remained.
Cruises appeal to the deep-seated desire for relaxation—the pull to turn off our minds, serve our bodies, and have no responsibilities whatsoever.
Now - to be clear, cruises are not bad things at all! In fact, times of relaxation are important and can be valuable for our Christians lives.
But the church was never intended to be a cruise ship. We know that because of the countless commands in Scripture about our responsibility to serve one another.
Take, for example, the verse above. Paul tells the Galatian Christians that they were called to freedom through Christ. They could have chosen to use that freedom for themselves as an opportunity to serve their flesh.
But instead, Paul called them to love one another and serve one another. The call to freedom was a call to serve others, rather than to be served by others.
This is the example of Christ Himself (Mark 10:45), but is also the expectation on the church. Love for others drives us to serve them, rather than expect them to serve us!
So - where does love come from? Very simply, love that drives us to serve comes from the love of Christ for us! Jesus empowers true service. (2 Cor 5:14-15)
When our hearts feel cold to the church, we are living like we’re enjoying a cruise. But when we realize that the church is a hospital ship filled with rescued soldiers, our hearts will long to serve others, rather than to be served.
Resting in Sonship, Empowered by My Father
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by Jon Buck
"The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God…”
- Rom 8:16
“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”
- Mark 1:9-11
One of the least appreciated blessings of the Gospel is our adoption as sons in Christ. Paul, in Romans 8:16, tells his readers that the Spirit of God is testifying to them (and to him as well) that they are children of God.
The Spirit’s work is to communicate this profound reality to us. He witnesses to us that we are children of God, truly adopted, and accepted into His glorious and eternal family through the finished work of His firstborn Son, Jesus Christ.
And, fascinatingly, the Spirit is constantly doing this for us. It is His constant work in our spirits to convince us of this most glorious reality (for a similar statement, see Gal 4:1-7).
This position in the family of God comes with many blessings, but perhaps the most encouraging is that God sees us in Christ Himself. The stunning reality is that, when God looks at us, He sees Christ and His perfect life. In that sense, He is pleased with us because He is pleased with Jesus.
Now - of course, we may find ourselves struggling with sin. We may wonder how it is possible that the perfectly holy God of the universe could be pleased with us when we struggle or stumble. But the answer is clear - it is not us that He is pleased with at all! In fact, nothing in our flesh (our ‘natural man’ that remains in our unredeemed bodies) pleases Him.
No…He is pleased with Christ, and we are in Him, once and for all, and therefore God is pleased when He looks at us.
This ought to produce the most joyful sense of rest in us - a grateful sigh of relief! There is no condemnation for me, in spite of my countless failings. I can boldly come to my heavenly Father. He has chosen, adopted, and loved me with unconditional grace.
But, based on that love FROM Him, my heart must spring up in love TO Him. His kindness and mercy fill my soul with the glory of His love in such a way that I cannot help but love Him in return.
That love to Him empowers me to work for Him—to fight sin, to love others, to live for His glory. Long story short, I will be progressively sanctified by His love for me as a son!
No wonder, then, that God has sent His Spirit into our hearts crying out with a loud voice, “Abba Father!” He longs for us to be holy, as He is holy, and He empowers us to do it by His love. In every way, He receives the glory.
Distinction and Dependence—Life in the Body of Christ
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by Jon Buck
For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
~ Rom 12:4-5
In this passage, Paul explains that there are many members in the human body.
What’s that talking about? Well, of course, we have hands, arms, feet, legs, lungs, a liver, eyeballs, a spleen, etc. And then he explains that all of those members in the body do not have the same function. We don’t see with our hands, or filter our blood in our feet. All of the members have different functions. And in the same way, the church has many members, each of which function differently.
But notice Paul’s central point here - we are all members of the body in who? In Christ! When we came to Christ - when we were converted, regenerated, saved - a part of that salvation was losing something. We lost our self-will. We lost our independence. We were united to Jesus.
Salvation is a union with Jesus. But Paul tells us that our union with Christ was into His body. And what is the body of Christ? It is the church.
And we - each of us who are truly united to Christ - are truly united to one another. And this union is so complete that it links us together like members of a body.
We are members of each other and of the church, not because we signed a covenant, or because we take an oath, or because we agree to it. Of course not!
We are members of one another and of the body, the church because Jesus Himself has regenerated us and is living in EACH ONE OF US. We are members of Him, and are therefore members of each other.
Now, of course, pride can make us think that we can live without the other members, or that we are more important than the other members, or even, sadly, that we are less than other members.
But Paul’s point is clear - the members of the body are all distinct, but they are all dependent on one another. In other words, each believer is truly individual—a crucial part of the functioning body. At the same time, each believer is completely dependent—requiring the rest of the body to survive.
We are passive when we receive our membership in the body through our union with Christ. But we must be active in fulfilling our role in using our distinct gifts for the good of the rest of body.
Praying for Kings When They Are Murderers
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by Jon Buck
First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
~ 1 Tim 2:1-2
We live in a surprising era.
This week, the US House of Representatives passed H.R. 3755, a sweeping legislative act that allows for unrestricted access to abortion. The bill was passed largely in response to the Texas legislation (called the Texas Heartbeat Act) that limits abortion access to six weeks—the customary time when a heartbeat can be heard over ultrasound.
HR 3755 is designed to override individual states’ rights to limit abortion at the state level through national legislation. The Bill will likely move to the Supreme Court for adjudication, but from a Biblical perspective, abortion is murder. Passing the Bill is, without question, an act of aggression against the unborn, and is sinful.
The question, of course, is how should Christians respond when these types of situations occur? Is there an answer in the Bible about how we should deal with leaders who are murderers?
Interestingly, Paul provides a helpful answer in his first letter to Timothy. Paul tells him that the church should be instructed to pray for kings and those who are in authority. What’s fascinating about this statement is that the emperor at the time was Nero Claudius Caesar (on the throne from 54 AD to 68 AD).
Nero was a terrible king. He is notorious for murdering his enemies, Christians, and even members of his own family. He was vicious against those who contradicted him in any way. His name is literally synonymous with evil dictators and murderers.
So what did Paul call these Christians to do? What was his perspective on this situation?
He calls them to pray for their leaders and to plead with God to allow them to lead quiet and tranquil lives in godliness and dignity.
Now - to be clear, this doesn’t mean we don’t vote. It doesn’t mean we don’t make political statements. It doesn’t mean we don’t lament these sinful activities.
But what it does mean is that we remain dignified and godly in how we behave. What’s more, the verse also means that before we argue these issues publicly (whether on social media or in person), we spend time on our knees praying for our leaders.
So let’s commit ourselves to prayer. May we plead with the Lord that those who would murder children wantonly would have their eyes open to the Gospel of Christ, and that we would be able to lead godly lives in all dignity.
How COVID Reveals the Beauty of the Church
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by Jon Buck
And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. ~ 1 Cor 12:26
This past week has been an important week for our family. My wife was away last week with our daughter Maggie, and came down with COVID symptoms. We’re not sure where she picked it up, but she did receive a positive PCR test.
I had dodged the bullet, and we kept her quarantined, but after 3 days, I started feeling it too. Then one after another, our girls all got sick. The kids’ sicknesses passed relatively quickly, but Alyssa and I were both down for several days.
Thankfully, we’re getting better, and it appears we’re on our way back to health.
However, this time of sickness for both of us has served to draw attention to the mercies of God in surrounding us with a church family. In our moment of crisis, the church came to our rescue in truly glorious ways.
People brought soup, dinners, pizza, home remedies, groceries, get well cards…even coconut water! We were so kindly treated, and had so much care that we had to turn folks away from serving us! Even though we felt miserable, we were so thankful for the church and its constant care. Above all, the consistent prayers for recovery meant so much!
Paul says in 1 Cor 12:26 that when one member suffers, all the members suffer. I know it can often be difficult to ‘feel’ the suffering of others, but in the body of Christ, the love that we have for one another because of Christ makes us care for each other in this special way. We feel the suffering of those we love in a profound way.
As we recover from COVID over the next few days, and finish up our quarantine, I am so thankful for how clearly it has shown me the profundity of this verse. The church is an organism…a family…a body…and it ‘feels’ for its members. What a sweet blessing to watch this in action!
‘Exvagelicals’ and A Bad Man from Arizona
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by Jon Buck
The term ‘exvangelical’ has been making the rounds in the Christian media sphere. The basic meaning, more or less, is a person who is no longer an evangelical. It is often used with terms like ‘deconstructing faith’, or finding one’s true self. A recent Rise and Fall of Mars Hill bonus episode included an interview with one of the most famous exvangelicals—Josh Harris.
While I would not encourage this, a quick perusal of this segment of post-Christians and their writings is very revealing. The vast majority have left the church, and left the Gospel, because of sins that happened in their respective churches.
And, to be fair, the Christian church in America has not been a shining beacon of righteousness. Evangelical leaders like Mark Driscoll, James MacDonald, Tullian Tchividjian, and others have left chaos in their wakes, for various reasons.
The flaw, though, with leaving Christ because of sinful Christians can perhaps be helped by pointing out the logical fallacy of rejecting something because of one representative of that thing.
An example should help to illustrate this point.
Say you meet a person in the grocery store from Arizona. Initially he seems nice enough, but as you walk out the door of the store, he robs you, and takes your car. Obviously he is a bad man…a very bad man from Arizona.
However, it would be foolish to then decide that everyone from Arizona is a bad person, or to say that all people from Arizona are thieves and liars. Even more foolish would be to conclude that Arizona itself is a bad place that makes bad people, and therefore good people should never travel there.
Sadly, this is precisely what exvangelicals are arguing for. There are many evil people who profess Christianity. But they don’t represent all of Christianity, nor does it make any sense to reject the claims of Christianity because some professing Christians are bad. In fact, quite to the contrary, there are many good and Godly Christians, just as there are many nice people form Arizona.
People with spiritual authority can cause tremendous hurt, and those who have suffered from these circumstances deserve our care and support. Nevertheless, we need to help them understand that their rejection of Christ is irrational. This won’t save them, but it may perhaps help them to reconsider what they have abandoned.
Afghanistan: When the World Falls Apart
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by Jon Buck
“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen”
~ Rom 11:36
If you’ve been watching the news about the conflict in Afghanistan, you’ve likely seen some pretty horrific videos. Women and children cowering under gunfire, razor wire everywhere, armed militants threatening civilians, etc.
It’s not hard to look at the world these days and find ourselves feeling like God is noticeably absent.
But the Bible tells us something completely different—God is not absent. He is ever-present, and in control of the details all around us. He is sovereign over every complexity, every germ, every mask mandate, every insurrection, every world leader. Nothing stand outside of His control.
But the Bible tells us more. In Romans 11:36, Paul makes a stunning statement. He summarizes his whole point of the entire epistle in this verse.
He uses three prepositions to do it -
First - ‘from Him’ - ALL THINGS come from God. This is talking about His plans for all things from eternity past into eternity future.
Second - ‘through Him’ - ALL THINGS are happening through His sovereign control. He is carrying out these purposes in His wisdom.
And finally - ‘to Him’ - ALL THINGS - everything that is happening everywhere in the world right now are FOR HIS SAKE.
No wonder then that Paul says ‘To Him be the glory!”
Everything is planned for His glory. Everything is happening for His glory. Everything is unto His glory alone.
THAT is the purpose of the world, and that is what is in God’s mind for the universe, the world, and your life!
So as you watch the news, read articles, get tested, wear masks, remember that God is not absent. He is ever-present, ever-sovereign, and ever loving. He will bring about His good purposes in the world, and ultimately, all of it will be for His glory!
A Brief History of Time, by the Apostle Paul
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by Jon Buck
For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved.”
~ Rom 11:25-26
I'm the type of person who likes to read the last few pages of a novel first. I want to know what happens. When I do, reading is less stressful. But Paul does something similar in Rom 11:25-26.
Notice Paul says that he doesn’t want the Gentiles to be uninformed of this mystery. The word for uninformed there is ‘without knowledge’ - the Latin equivalent is ignorant. He doesn’t want them ignorant of the mystery!
And what is the mystery? He’s going to lay it out for us, isn’t he? And, in summary, Paul is going to lay out the whole history of the rest of the world until the coming of Jesus in a single sentence.
There are two components of the mystery.
The first is a partial hardening of Israel.
That’s what Paul has been talking about throughout these two chapters. This is national Israel — blood Jews — there is a partial hardening of the nation. They are blinded to the reality of their true Messiah! They can’t see Him!
And, this is partial, right? MOST of the Jews are hardened—but not all. So the nation of Israel—blood Jews—are hardened in part, and are unbelievers.
But Paul gives us a second time marker, right?
That hardening has happened UNTIL THE FULLNESS of the Gentiles has come in. Come in to what? Come into the tree that he has already identified. Come in to salvation. Come into the covenant made with Abraham and the patriarchs!
And then what will happen?
Look at v. 26 - And so all Israel will be saved.
God, in HIS providence, has a certain number of Gentiles that will be saved. It’s not a round number. It’s precise. We have NO IDEA how many that is, but it’s a number! And when the very last one is saved, THEN all Israel will be saved!
Who is All Israel? All Jews alive on the earth at that time. All Israel alive at that time WILL BE SAVED. Why? Because they’re better than other Jews? NO - Because, in God’s providence, they are elect by His gracious choice.
A Word on Pastoral Plagiarism
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by Jon Buck
Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
~ 1 Tim 4:16
pla·gia·rism - the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own. (Oxford English Dictionary)
Preparing sermons is tough work! There’s the study component, the preparation, and, most difficult of all, the spiritual dimension of prayer and wrestling over the text in light of the body of Christ where a pastor is called to serve.
With these difficulties in mind, technology has offered some shortcuts for pastors. Much study time can be saved with bible products like Logos or Bible Works, as the programs provide tools for study. But other resources, like sermon writing services and online fee-based sermon transcripts, have made plagiarism far easier as well.
There has been some recent news regarding pastoral plagiarism in the evangelical world. But what’s the problem with plagiarism, and what does the Bible have to say about it? There are at least three things that should be mentioned:
Pastoral Danger - Paul told Timothy to pay attention to himself and his teaching, and to persevere in these things. The reason for this stern encouragement is that in this way he would ensure salvation for his hearers. Perseverance in study and teaching has a direct link to the souls under the care of a pastor. If he chooses to abdicate this responsibility by plagiarizing a sermon, he is hamstringing his ability to care for the souls of his sheep, for whom he will give an account.
Personal Danger - This exhortation to Timothy includes the benefit of personal soul care. A pastor who never wrestles with the text of Scripture is limiting his own enjoyment of Christ, and putting himself in great danger. Distance from the Scripture is distance from Christ, and distance from Christ is deadly—hence Paul’s statement to Timothy about ensuring his own salvation as well.
Deceit - Apart from pastoral and personal concerns, even the secular world knows that plagiarism is wrong. The fundamental reason is that it is deceitful. The lie is that a ‘good sermon’ written by someone else will provide all the cravings of the pastor’s soul—a bigger church, more accolades, etc. But the truth is that sin never produces righteousness, and deception will eventually lead to pastoral and personal failure.
Ultimately, plagiarism’s allure is only put to death by the beauties of Christ. A pastor must know, in his heart, that a pure conscience in this area is better than anything that plagiarism offers. Only the glory of Christ and His love can eclipse the glories of ministerial success in a man’s heart.
God’s Patience with Israel is Your Hope
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by Jon Buck
“In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.” - Romans 11:5-6
Much of the New Testament is about the nation of Israel. The gospels are all dealing with Jewish issues, and Acts is heavily Jewish throughout. Paul deals heavily with Israel, and her unbelief in Romans, Ephesians. The general epistles are most often Jewish in their tone and audience.
But what does the nation of Israel have to do with us as modern Gentile Christians?
Simply put, God’s patience with Israel, and His continuing promises to her, are our basis for hope and confidence in Him!
Why?
If God promises that nothing will ever separate me from His love in Romans 8:33ff, but I know that He made promises to Israel, and they seem to be unbelieving, then how can I trust He’ll never leave me or forsake me?
Paul says that God’s choice of Israel had NOTHING to do with their works.
Notice that in v. 6 - if It is by grace, then it is NOT by works.
God didn’t look down the corridor of history and see who would choose Him.
No - HE graciously chose those who were rebels against Him.
And Paul says, if there’s any aspect to salvation that relates to works, then, guess what, grace isn’t grace anymore at all - your salvation, and the promises to Israel, are completed evacuated of any grace, and all that’s left is works—which will lead us directly to hell.
So what’s the point?
Think about the glorious promises of God’s grace to us in the first 8 chapters of Romans. What does God’s faithfulness to Israel mean to us?
Paul’s answer to the question is this - God graciously chose some among Israel to make Himself known. He’ll never change that decision. And His choice of the nation will never change, in spite of their massive failures. He is faithful.
He graciously chose to make Himself known to you, if you know Him! That will not change, anymore than He can deny His promises to the nation.
In other words, God’s faithfulness to Israel, in spite of her sin, is the great promise.
The Bible is About Jesus
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by Jon Buck
Is there a point to the whole Bible? Is there a central theme? We would say yes! The whole point of the Bible is the Messiah. Jesus is the central theme of the entire Scriptures. He told His disciples this in Luke 24:26-27 - His life and work is the POINT of the Bible.
* He is there in the beginning, in creation, according to Col 1:16-17 - For by Him all things were created - all things were created through Him and for Him!
* He is the seed of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head in Gen 3:15.
* He is the coming seed of Abraham in Gen 12.
* He is the ultimate fulfillment of the sacrificial system of Moses - the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world according to John 1:29.
* He is the Prophet who would come like Moses in Deut 18.
* He is the promised Son of David in 2 Sam 7.
* He is the true and righteous King of Israel in Zech 9:9.
* He is the one who would suffer for the sins of His people according to Isaiah 53.
Now obviously, Jesus is more clear in the Gospels, right? And Paul’s focus on Christ is the key theme that he consistently teaches. So the NT is easier to understand Jesus.
That’s why when a person first gets saved, we don’t send them to Leviticus! We could, but it would be very difficult to help them see and understand God’s plan of redemption there.
We send them to Mark, John, Acts, and then Ephesians.
Why? Because those teach about the person of Christ, and the spread of His Gospel in a clear and simple way. But that doesn’t change the reality that the Scriptures reveal Christ to us - that is their purpose, in God’s plan!
Considering Paxton Smith’s Valedictorian Speech
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by Jon Buck
Definitions matter.
Paxton Smith, valedictorian at Lake Highlands High School in Dallas, Texas, was given the platform at her graduation to offer her thoughts to the graduating class.
Her speech, promoting abortion rights against Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s ‘Heartbeat Bill’, was met with cheers from the crowd, and has since gone viral.
In it she said,
“I am terrified that if my contraceptives fail, I am terrified that if I am raped, then my hopes and aspirations and dreams and efforts for my future will no longer matter. I hope that you can feel how gut-wrenching that is. I hope you can feel how dehumanizing it is, to have the autonomy over your own body taken away from you.”
I can understand what she’s saying in this simple paragraph. If someone or something were able to intervene in her life, without her consent, and end her hopes, dreams and aspirations for the future, it would indeed be dehumanizing.
Her appeal makes perfect sense, and it is the very reason such legislation as the Heartbeat Bill are a great blessing to our nation, and to Texas.
The inconsistency in her thinking, of course, is the definition of ‘human’.
Paxton’s appeal makes sense for herself—she sees herself as a human, and therefore worthy of protection under the law. And she’s right. Her rights and freedoms should be protected.
The problem with her logic is how she views the child she might potentially be carrying. When that child is in her womb, she considers it to not be worthy of the rights she herself longs for, and in that sense, she dehumanizes that baby.
At that moment, the baby’s hopes, dreams, and aspirations for the future are meaningless. Someone could intervene in that baby’s life, without their consent, and bring those dreams to an immediate halt—not through the trauma of an unwanted birth, but through murder. While the baby may not be able to make a speech decrying this treatment, it might well make the same speech Paxton did, just 18 years later.
Paxton is correct in her demand for rights. The problem is that she has not gone far enough. She would only consider her own rights to humanitarian treatment, rather than the rights of all humans. I pray she’ll understand these definitions, and change her mind.
Which Comes First? Obedience, Love, or Faith?
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by Jon Buck
The need for obedience, both in repentance, and in action in life is so clear. But HOW? How do we obey?
For example, how can we possibly repent rightly? Have you ever been in a situation where you had sinned, and you knew you needed to repent, but you didn’t ‘FEEL’ it? You weren’t actually remorseful?
How do we get our hearts to truly obey? Even in this most basic Christian reality? The answer from Scripture is clear.
Obedience must flow from love - we know these passages, don’t we?
In John 14:15 - Jesus said, if you love me you WILL obey!
And in Matt 22:37-40 - The first and second commandments - love God and love others - are the sum of the whole law.
We obey because we love God - this is what fuels TRUE repentance and TRUE obedience - Love for GOD! That’s the only way to truly obey God.
But where does love come from? How do we love God? Because so often we don’t love Him or love others.
But the Bible tells usOUR LOVE IS A RESPONSE to HIS LOVE FOR US!
1 John 4:10 - In this is love -
And, 1 John 4:19 - We love because He first loved us.
BUT - how do we know He loves us? How can we trust that He truly does?
The answer is by FAITH - faith in His love for us is the only possible fuel for us to love Him. And love for Him is the only possible fuel for us to obey!
So if we make this immensely practical, how do you fight sin?
How do you truly repent?
How do you desire God?
How do you love Him??
All of those are acts of obedience. They are commands!
So - how do we do those things?
We do them by faith in His love for us! Anything else is fakery and hypocrisy! But faith, working through love, will fulfill the whole law (Gal 5:6).
Mind-Heart-Will
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by Jason Park
We’re covering the topic of depression in our Sunday morning equipping class, and it’s a broad term with many layers to it, making it challenging to define, discern, and deal with.
But here’s an attempt at a definition: depression is a prolonged and unremitting feeling of sadness accompanied by a sense of hopelessness and purposeless such that one is unable and unwilling to function normally. The level of inner-pain will differ among individuals, but the baseline gripping sadness is present in all depressed persons.
So, faced with someone who is truly depressed, how can we help them? For the purposes of this post, I want to share a concise biblical method that will help that depressed person in your life.
The method comes from D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s sermon “Mind, Heart and Will,” which is from his book, Spiritual Depression. The main point is simple: what you receive with the mind, engages the affections, and moves the will to act…mind to heart to will.
For the depressed Christian, the process works in this fashion. He is feeling profound sorrow and rehearsing sorrow-aggravating thoughts in the echo chamber of his mind. He is listening to himself when he needs to rehearse gospel-truths. He needs to dwell on God’s sovereignty, wisdom, and love (Rom 8:28-39, for example; cf. Phil 4:8). As he dwells on these truths by faith, he will (he must!) let them richly dwell within his heart so that his affections for Christ are enflamed. His sadness isn’t gone, but a superior delight in Christ fills his soul. That in turn inclines him to desire and do what God calls him to (Phil 4:9; Col 3:16; cf. Phil 3:12-13), and as the person implements this process, his depression will lighten, even if it’s by only a few degrees at time. The Spirit promises to work the miracle of change by this method (2 Cor 3:18).
To put this process as simply as possible – the love of God received in the gospel by faith changes the heart to seek after God’s will.
Depression, as with all spiritual issues, must be dealt with from the inside out, using God’s word and exercising the open-handed surrender of the soul to Christ that is faith. So, when dealing with a depressed believer, give the Word repeatedly. Make the person deal with Scripture. A soul’s misery cannot be properly dealt with by good deeds, by avoiding “big” sins, or by physical therapies like diet, sleep, and exercise. Let the person ponder the glories of Christ, let those glories engage the emotions, and let them direct the will to a new purpose, the only one that will satisfy and fill us with joy – to live for God’s glory.
Does God Love Everyone?
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By Jon Buck & Jason Park
Don’t Argue With God
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by Jon Buck
“If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.”
~ 1 Corinthians 14:37
We have a tendency to think that we are right. All of us. No one is predisposed to think they’re wrong all the time. And even those who tend to say they’re wrong are even trying to be right about that!
This can cause us to be blinded to our own biases. We often think that we are right about some topic, and become woefully myopic in how we understand it. We read those who agree with us, seek out echo chambers of ideas, and refuse to give ear to those who disagree.
In some ways, this can be helpful. For example, when we find ourselves in a culture of falsehood or extreme political views, it can be helpful to turn off the ‘noise’, and simply focus on truth.
But there are times when this type of action is extremely dangerous.
We see this in arguments. If you watch two people arguing for any length of time, what you’ll notice is that neither is listening to the other. They are simply preparing their next statement, thinking, of course, that they have the ‘zinger’ that will put everything to rest. There is no true exchange of ideas—there is only bitterness and pride.
Sadly, though, we can often do this with the Lord. When we come to the Bible with our own preconceived notions of truth, we can be like those who bicker in argument, but with God instead of men.
Rather than reading passages with a heart to understand, we can read with a heart preparing an answer. We push against ideas that do not conform with our views, and we can even turn away from clear truths in an effort to maintain our position.
But how foolish to argue with God! No wonder that the Apostle Paul told the Corinthians that if anyone thinks he is spiritual, he should understand that Paul’s words were from God! This should have been painfully apparent, and the readers should have submitted to his direction.
When we come to scripture, we must have a heart that is, first and foremost, submitted to God. We must come with listening ears and hearts, rather than with argumentation. Only then will we be walking in the Spirit, and only then will we learn from Him.
If we don’t like what we see, we must remind ourselves that God loves us, and has proven that love by sending Christ to die for our sins (Rom 5:8). Surely if He would do such a marvelous thing for us, He will freely lead us into truth and joy!
Local Church Details, Part 15: Rewards in Heaven?
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By Jon Buck & Jason Park