Takin' It To the Home

Jeremy started this monthly “Taking It to the Streets” column (as printed in EBC monthly newsletter) as sort of a journal to share his successes and failures in taking the gospel outside the four walls of the church as to be an encouragement to each one of us to do the same. And I am sure many people who have read through it have felt discouraged because they don’t feel they have the right gift or enough opportunities to evangelize. So we are going to look at evangelism, this month, from a different perspective; perhaps helping you realize an opportunity right in front of you.

One day as I was relating an evangelism opportunity at work to Molly (my wife), our conversation led to how I am exposed to more unbelievers so I have more evangelism opportunities. It seemed somewhat discouraging at first, but as the discussion developed, we quickly learned that she has been given a much greater evangelism opportunity; the awesome privilege to be a full-time evangelist to our children. And I have a full-time secular job that supports the mission field right in our home.

Before we address an application for you, let’s go back in time a few-thousand years to the creation of the world and to the beginning of God’s revelation of Himself. In the book of Genesis we are told that God created Adam and Eve to rule over the earth and then He tells them to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” We know that this is a more poetic way of saying, “make lots of babies.” But for what reason?

The reasoning becomes clearer as God’s revelation of His plan unfolds. The psalmist in Psalm 73:24-26 desired a good thing in finding his satisfaction in unity with God. Jesus prayed in John 17:22 that His people may be one with Him. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-18) tells us that our mission as Christians is to make disciples (Evangelism!); bring people into a relationship with the Savior. So as history progresses, we begin to see that God creating people and commanding them to “be fruitful and multiply” wasn’t simply to fill the earth with warm bodies, but it parallels the New Testament command to “make disciples of all nations.” The reason we have children is to make Christians!

For many of us, this will be our mission field. Some people are called to be foreign missionaries; some street evangelists; some full-time pastors; and most of us are called to be evangelists right in our own homes by bringing children up in the “discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). The call to be fruitful and multiply didn’t go away in the New Testament, it was magnified; even clarified.

What a great responsibility and opportunity we have been given. We often get discouraged when we think we can’t be as bold sharing the gospel, but we are missing such a great opportunity. God has provided many of us with the fantastic privilege of being full-time evangelists right in our own homes. What other evangelist has eighteen years to teach and to model the gospel to his hearers? What greater responsibility do we have than to teach the gospel to those whose lives are completely dependent on us?

We Christians have far too easily followed the cultural norms in pursuit of the “American Dream” instead of living like foreigners in this world (1 Peter 1:1). We pursue worldly entertainment, wealth, and comfort while neglecting our call to be a peculiar people (1 Corinthians 1:18-28), sold out to making worshippers of God. The world sees children as a burden on their personal pursuits, a commodity to be set aside when convenient, a symbol of pride, or simply the next thing to do. The world doesn’t want to have too many children because it might cost too much money or interrupt career pursuits. Some will say, “A boy for me and a girl for you, then praise the Lord, we’re finally through!” We joke with people who have many children by asking, “Haven’t you figured out how that works yet?” But we don’t celebrate the honor we have to bring life into this world and to be lifelong evangelists in our home. Keeping up with the culture too easily distracts us from such a wonderful calling.

We should recognize the great blessing that children are from God and seize the opportunity God has given us to be witnesses in our own home. It was God’s created order for a man and a woman to marry and spend their marriage modeling Christ’s love for the church and making children who will come to know Jesus Christ. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you should have ten kids, but you should be asking, “How can I make it a priority for my marriage to fulfill the Great Commission in the lives of children?”

Here are a few ideas to spark your creativity:
If you are starting a family, consider what sacrifices may be required to make it a priority for creating worshippers of Christ in your home.
If you have children already, ask what efforts are needed to make the gospel the focus of your parenting.
If your children are gone, seek ways to support your children’s efforts in gospel-centered parenting and also encourage those in the church who still have children.
Everyone can be involved in children’s ministry. We are kidding ourselves if we believe all of the children in the church are believers. Become a gospel mentor to them. Children’s ministry is a mission field.
Seek ways to relieve the suffering caused by children being brought into this world outside of God’s design. Can you bring a child into your home through adoption? Can you provide support to a young mom who can’t afford a child?

When we hear of evangelism, we think of “Go, and make disciples of all nations” but for many of us it starts at home with “Be fruitful and multiply.”

"these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:6-9

Book Review - The Potter's Freedom

Since the beginning of man’s existence we have tried to understand the relationship between the responsibility of man and the absolute sovereignty of God. On one hand we understand through Scripture that God is in complete control over every circumstance most notably in the death of Christ for the redemption of a sinful people. On the other hand we also see in the Bible that each person will be held personally responsible for his own actions. Harmonizing the two concepts in the human mind has been a challenge throughout history since right after the time of Christ with Augustine and up to the Reformation with John Calvin developing what today is a debate between Calvinism and Arminianism.

In 1999, Norman Geisler made an attempt to reconcile these challenging truths in his book Chosen But Free. He put forward his understanding of God’s sovereignty in what he labeled “moderate Calvinism.” A year later, James White responded to Geisler’s book with The Potter’s Freedom: A Defense of the Reformation and the Rebuttal of Norman Geisler’s Chosen But Free. White, and many who hold to Reformed theology, felt that Geisler misrepresented the Reformed viewpoint, thereby making it look foolish in order to make Geisler’s view appear to be more generous. White says Chosen But Free presents itself as “moderate Calvinism” but actually expresses itself as an Arminian attack on Reformed doctrine (pg. 336)

The Potter’s Freedom is very well written and easy to follow for casual readers. While discussing a very in-depth theological topic, it is written in a way that is simple to follow, especially if the reader keeps a Bible open along side. The chapters are organized to discuss four of the five points of Calvinism (Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Particular Redemption, and Irresistible Grace) and compare the viewpoints of Geisler’s and White’s in light of the verses that both men address. One chapter explains the Reformed view of the doctrine, then the following chapter answers the objections and questions many have with Calvinism. White does this with great detail in examining the debated verses by explaining the context and the meaning of the words in question. All of this detail is very understandable and helpful to most readers.

James White begins The Potter’s Freedom with an explanation of what he believes is the “vital issue”; who is the only being in the universe that is truly “free”? We like to believe that we have a “free will,” but White says God is the only one who is totally free to choose as he pleases. “God is the absolutely free Creator, the Potter, who has complete sovereignty over the pots, humans, who, as fallen creatures, find their wills enslaved to sin, in bondage and unable to ‘cooperate’ with any offered grace.” (pg. 36)

What does this matter to the Christian? Why should we care about such theological discussions? White says, “The Potter’s freedom is precious to the Christian, for it is the very basis of salvation itself. Our sovereign Creator is free to be the good, holy, merciful, loving God that He is.” (pg. 337) It is comforting to us to know that despite the wretchedness of our evil hearts which were at enmity with God, He freely chose to lavish us with goodness anyway. And since He changed our hearts from God-hating to God-loving we can be confident that it is His power that will keep us to the end and through eternity, where nobody can boast that the strength of their own faith is what saved them, but the absolutely free choice of a loving God who gave us what we did not deserve through the substitution of His Son paying our death penalty.

Book Review - The Gospel and Personal Evangelism

You may be thinking, “Oh great; another guilt trip coming from another book telling me how much I fail at evangelism.” There have been many books written on evangelism and every time we see it we are simply reminded how much we fail at the Great Commission. Books range from different styles of personal evangelism to church programs to supplement evangelism to how to make your church more appealing to “seekers.” The Gospel and Personal Evangelism by Mark Dever is different; and quite refreshing.

This book is different in that while it does admit our failures, it doesn’t try to offer another program to throw in the arsenal. Dever simply takes a look at the basics of evangelism in chapters answering some simple questions: Why Don’t We Evangelize, What is the Gospel, Who Should Evangelize, How Should We Evangelize, What Isn’t Evangelism, What Should We Do After We Evangelize, and Why Should We Evangelize. The book simply explains what is so often ignored or at best assumed in most other evangelism books in order to “be an encouragement, a clarification, an instruction, a rebuke, and a challenge all rolled up into several short chapters.” (pg. 16)

The first chapter takes a look at the various excuses and complaints that keep us from evangelism. Instead of just offering a Bible verse to show where the excuse fails, Dever offers many practical steps to overcome our fears and move toward better obedience. It is not so much a rebuke as it is a gentle push in the right direction.

By far the best and most important chapter in The Gospel and Personal Evangelism is the second chapter detailing what the gospel is. Too often in evangelism discussions the gospel is assumed or lost in a sea of Christian clichés. After enough clichés are thrown around the message loses its meaning and ceases to be the gospel. Dever addresses many of these misunderstanding a paints a clear picture of the message, “our problems aren’t fundamentally that we have messed up our own lives, or have simply failed to reach our full potential, but that we have sinned against God. And so it begins to dawn on us that we are rightly the objects of God’s wrath and his judgment, and that we deserve death, separation from God, and spiritual alienation from him now and even forever.” (pg. 35)

“Christ isn’t just our friend. To call him supremely that is to damn him with faint praise. He is our friend, but he is so much more! By his death on the cross Christ has become the lamb that was slain for us, our redeemer, the one who has made peace between us and God, who has taken our guilt on himself, who has conquered our most deadly enemies and has assuaged the personal, just wrath of God.” (pg. 39)

And the response to this good news is often confused in our messages to the world. We like to tell people to “ask Jesus into your heart” or “accept Christ” while these are not the response commanded so often in Scripture. These may have elements of truth in them, but throughout the New Testament the response to the gospel message is to repent of your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Another helpful segment of the book is Dever’s chapter on How We Should Evangelize. Too often we get bogged down in discussions on which program is best or which method works for what personality style you have. Mark Dever explains here that it doesn’t matter as much which method you use but it is the message that must be clear, biblical and bathed in much prayer. We must strive to verbally (that means with words, no matter how much you try to state a falsely attributed St. Francis of Assisi quote) explain the gospel to all who will listen so that it provokes deep self-reflection.

Other chapters take a look at why evangelism is important, what should accompany evangelism, and how our witnessing attempts get distracted by things that aren’t evangelism; imposition, social action, public involvement, apologetics, and pragmatic numbers counting. In the end, The Gospel and Personal Evangelism simply encourages the believer to be faithful to tell the message no matter what the result: “The redemption of an eternal soul is one sale that we, in our own strength, cannot accomplish. And we need to know it, not so that we won’t preach the gospel, but so that we won’t allow the gospel that is preached to be molded by what finally gets a response!” (pg. 109)

“We do not fail in our evangelism if we faithfully tell the gospel to someone who is not subsequently converted; we fail only if we do not faithfully tell the gospel at all.” (pg. 112)

Book Review - Found: God's Will

Most believers, at some time or another, have wondered what direction God would like them to go. Which school should I go to? Which career should I pursue? Who should I marry? It gets even more confusing when all of the choices we are confronted with are actually good choices. When neither alternative is sinful and both would be godly decisions, which one will ensure that we are in God’s will. “Most of us acknowledge that God has a plan for the life of every believer, but often there seems to be some trouble in finding just which way this plan goes at a particular juncture.” (pg. 5)

In the book, Found: God’s Will, John MacArthur believes that everything we need to know about the will of God can be found in the pages of Scripture. The responsibility we have, then, is to pore over its pages to find out what it is. Through this book, MacArthur provides a short summary of his research into God’s will and encourages the believer in using it to help make the big decisions in life.

Found: God’s Will is more of a booklet as it is seven short chapters covered in about 60 small pages, but it offers simple guidance into making decisions and assurance that you can understand God’s will. It begins by sympathizing with the believer because every Christian truly wants to follow what God says is best for them. Nobody wants to be left outside of the will of God, so we often become stagnant as we wait for a “word from God” or a “nudging from the Spirit” to guide us in the right direction.

As you read through the book, it becomes clear that the will of God has less to do about making right decisions and more to do with becoming the right person. “I’ll tell you what [God’s will] is. First, that you know Christ and then that your neighbors hear about Christ.” (pg. 15) MacArthur develops the theme from the first step of actually being a Christian and then becoming more Christ-like.

Becoming more Christ-like starts with becoming a Christian and being Spirit-filled. A Spirit-filled believer is a Christian whose mind is saturated with God and His word. The more you fill your mind with the word of God, the more you grow in your faith and wisdom and your decisions become more godly. A consistent biblical lifestyle is then created in you as you pursue purity, control your flesh, act mercifully toward others, and develop a submissive, servant-like attitude. A Spirit-filled, Bible-saturated believer grows tremendously in faith that is willing and able to confront the world and withstand the resulting persecution. “Are you willing to suffer for Him who suffered for you? Are you willing to confront the world? That is the will of God.” (pg. 53)

Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” In Found: God’s Will, John MacArthur explains that God’s will isn’t about revealing the right decisions to you, but about who you are to become. This is done by studying Scripture passionately and obeying what He clearly commands. That is what it means to “delight yourself in the LORD.” Then, when you find your joy in Christ through His word you are already being led by God and you can choose the path you desire, trusting that He is the one who placed the desire in you. “The will of God is not, first of all, for you to go there or work here. The will of God concerns you as a person. If you are the right you, you can follow your desires and you will fulfill His will.” (pg. 60)

Book Review - One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven

“Why is it that when we are in church or in a good worship time, God is so big and Satan is so small; but when we go out witnessing, Satan is so big and God seems so small?” (pg. 185) Mark Cahill, in his book One Thing You Can’t Do in Heaven, encourages believers with personal testimonies and motivating anecdotes to be more confident in sharing the gospel. We often find ourselves caught up in a wave of excuses when we don’t boldly stand up for Christ. Cahill tackles our excuses and replaces them with great excitement to be bold in our witness.

Each chapter contains a short lesson given to change the reader’s perspective on evangelism. Many times we convince ourselves that God would simply prefer us to sing praises to Him and have fellowship with other believers while we ignore obedience to the Great Commission. “I can guarantee that there is one thing you cannot do in heaven that you can do on earth. You can worship God in heaven. You can praise God in heaven. You can sing songs to God in heaven. You can learn God’s Word in heaven. But one thing you cannot do in heaven is share your faith with a nonbeliever. Why? Because everyone in heaven is a believer.” (pg. 17)

We often see evangelism as a duty that we must grit our teeth and bear through until we get to Heaven. Cahill encourages us with a story changing our attitudes from duty to privilege. He says that we must see evangelism not as something we have GOT to do, but something we GET to do. And when we understand that when we are persecuted for the name of Christ we earn crowns in Heaven. This helps us to realize that every time we share the gospel it is a win-win situation. No matter the response of our hearers, God is glorified by our obedience and we will be rewarded in heaven.

Not only does Cahill teach on evangelism, but he lives it. He has made it a personal goal to witness to every person he talks to. At a restaurant, on a plane, in the mall, Cahill sees the need for Jesus in every soul and he shares dozens of his personal experiences in the book including former basketball stars Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan. “How do you see people? Everyone around you is either dying and going to heaven or dying and going to hell. That is biblically true. What do you want to do about it?” (pg. 197)

Cahill says that the Apostle Paul tells Timothy “that there are only two times to share the gospel with people: in season and out of season. Any other time would be wrong.” (pg. 20). Every church member knows it is their responsibility to share Christ with the world, but we too often get distracted or afraid and convince ourselves that the time just is not right to witness. One Thing You Can’t Do in Heaven is a very motivating book to help you take your next step in being more obedient in evangelism. “Every breathing person you will ever meet needs Jesus. Those who are believers already realize how much they need Him in their life. Those who are nonbelievers most definitely need Him, for the rest of this life and for the eternal life to come. Since all these breathing people need Jesus, and you know Him personally…just go ahead and tell everyone you meet about the Son of God until you draw your last breath!” (pg. 90)

“In Matthew 4:19, Jesus said, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’…Remember that if you are not fishing, you are not following.” (pg. 174)

Great Witness Example

Recently, Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow has received some attention from national media types not only for his great athleticism, but also for his bold faith. It seems that these columnists, while respecting Tebow's athletic ability and his charitible nature, can't stand the the quarterback is so "intolerant" to believe that people who don't turn from their sins and trust in Christ are going to find themselves to be found guilty on judgment day.

Albert Mohler has a nice article discussing the interesting contradiction that the authors find themselves in as they claim to represent a tolerant attitude while being intolerant of unashamed Christians. While I found this to be both frustrating and somewhat humorous, what struck me is the fantastic, faithful witness of Tim Tebow is a great example to all believers.

We often find ourselves in a struggle to be a good witness at work. We want to be peaceable and respectful in the places God has put us, but we also want to be courageous to share some hard truths with those around us. We want to be known for our kindness and our strong performances at work, but we are failing as Christians if we don't take it another step and proclaim Christ to be Lord and Savior. Some people may be on the opposite end of the spectrum, only being known for their constant disruption as they always talk about Jesus and fail to accomplish anything significant for their employer.

Tim Tebow has given us a great example that we can follow. We should be throwing those around us into a great contradiction as they wonder, "He is such a nice guy and a great worker, but I can't stand how unashamed he is in his faith."

Overcoming Bad habits

Life is battle. There is an enemy, some soldiers, and a commander in chief. The enemy is the devil and his legions who fight to destroy all that God our captain values. The soldiers are the Christians, who fight to trust God and be Holy before him. The good soldiers follow and trust the captain to give them what they need, to set the rules of combat, and to encourage and sustain them through to the promised victory. Sometimes, while fighting for holiness and obedience to God, the enemy gets a foothold, and we find ourselves regularly defeated in certain areas of the skirmish. These sins continue to defeat us and they become habits-- bad habits. Habits are hard to break. How can we fight the good fight? How can we defeat the enemy, not just in the end, but now, day to day, in the battle? How can we overcome bad habits? Consider and combine the following 12 helpful strategies.

1) Remember who wins
Begin a war you expect to win. Every true Christian is an ultimate overcomer. At the end of life, when God calls everyone to account for their life, the Christian claims the forgiveness offered by Christ who paid the price for our sin. We win the war against sin, God claims his own who have received him, and Satan is defeated forever and no longer will have any influence. Hebrews 10:14 says that God has perfected forever those who are sanctified. The battle is over forever. Praise God the battle term of life is short compared to the eternal length of celebrated victory. I am much strengthened in difficult situations when I know the outcome, and the outcome of the Christian is certain victory. Remember who wins.

2) Clean the slate
Repent of past failures. There is one kind of forgiveness offered by God through Christ and that is forgiveness of sin, by God, through Christ. Forgiveness is cleansing. Forgiveness is healing. Forgiveness is comforting. The forgiveness that God offers restores health to the soul and joy to the heart. That is why 1 John 1:9 says that when we confess, he “cleanses us from all impurities.” We fail in the battle, and we feel the sting. God, who is the final judge of our lives, forgives the repentant sinner of mistakes made in battle. He offers us cleanness instead. Sometimes, the guilt that follows sinful behavior actually pushes someone toward more sinful behavior or habits or addictions. Confession removes the guilt, cleans the slate. Confess your sin to God, keep the slate clean.

3) Stay connected to the captain
No soldier lasts long in the battle if there is not some ongoing communication from the general or captain or commander. A soldier would not know what to do, where to go, who is with him, and how the battle is going. Another has said well that prayer is not a peacetime walkie-talkie, but a vital life saving connection to the one who is in the process of securing victory for each true soldier. Talk often with the Lord. Seek him with your friends in battle. Listen for his voice in the quite moments. Know that if the communication with God fails, we will fail. The conclusion of the section in Ephesians telling Christian soldiers to put on the full armor of God says to “..pray at all times and stay alert…(Eph 6:18). Be sure to get your armor, don’t miss that, but get your instructions personally be staying connected to the captain.

4) Fight on the front line
Remove the pictures and memories from your mind. The real battle over habitual sin happens in the mind. The mind considers options. The intellect weighs out the options. The heart makes a choice, and the body acts on it. James 1:14 says we are tempted by
evil desires, then dragged away.” Desire is the battle field of the mind. We all have wrong desires. We are born with them. Most sins are contemplated and considered and desired in the mind before they are committed. That is why 2 Corinthians 10:5 says we have to “demolish” the arguments the mind uses to defend sin, and “take every thought captive.” We can change our thoughts. We can think about and direct out thoughts to something else. We can dismantle the false arguments the mind sets up to justify sin. Remember, “all a man's ways seem right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the motives. (Prov 16:2) Don’t always trust your thoughts, but always trust the truth. Take control of your thoughts and fight the battle on the front line.


5) Hold the right weapon
The scripture is the Holy Spirit’s most aggressive weapon in the battle against sin. Hebrew 4:12 says “The word is powerful (KJV) effective (HCSB) active (NIV). Scripture is profitable for training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). The Bible uses the metaphor of being washed by the water of the word (Eph 5). So, what truths are contained in God’s armory?
Sin happens Rom 3:23
Sin is very dangerous Rom 6:23
Sin can be forgiven 1 John 1:9
We must fight against sin 1 Timothy 6:10
We fight the same sins as others 1 Cor 10:13
We can say no to sin Rom 6:6
We get help from the Holy Spirit Rom 8:26-27
We can walk in the Spirit Gal 5:16 ff
We can deliberately place our affections Col 3:1-2
God prepares good works for us Eph 2:10
God is the place to find true pleasure Psalm 16:11
God is seen by those who are pure Matt 5:8
God can deliver from temptation if we ask Matt 6:13
Nothing separates us from the love of God Romans 8:39
We must know the truth of scripture to combat the lies of the enemy in our lives as we fight the battle for holiness. To win the battle for holiness, know the scripture to be your weapon, and hold the right weapon.

6) Remove obstacles to progress
Get rid of present physical causes of defeat. In battle, many obstacles make the victory more difficult. In the Christian life, the same is true. Some situations provide heightened temptation. This could be person, a group of persons, a lack of persons, a relationship, a store, a restaurant, a car, a magazine subscription, a collection, a hobby, a website, or a combination of these. If any person or object causes your downfall, remove or avoid the obstacle as possible. That is why Jesus said if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off (Matt 5:30). In other words, it is better to lose a good thing than to have it cause you to sin. To win the battle over sin, remove obstacles to progress.


7) Limit the availability of distractions
There are physical deterrents to victory in battle as described in point number 6. There are also distractions that come more in the thoughts than in the physical. If I have the goal of holiness, I must plan and think of a pathway that accomplishes that goal. Church attendance is good. Fishing is good. If my fishing consistently keeps me out of church, then my fishing is distracting me from my higher goal. Sometimes, we have competing goals, and one is a distraction to the other. Always choose to follow the goal that best honors God, even if the distraction is not a bad thing. This is why Rom 16:19 tells us to be wise about what is good. And that wisdom will teach us to limit the availability of distractions

8) Fight with a friend
Life can be a lonely place and even when you are with others. Loneliness is not overcome by being with other people, but in knowing others and being known. Get the accountability of a friend to fight well on the front lines. The problem with secret sin is that it is secret sin. Find someone you can share with in the progress of sanctification, and battle together. Ask them to help you do better. Ask them to tell you what you cannot see in yourself. A very wise person said that the wounds of a friend can be trusted (Prov 27:6) Make sure you have someone like that in your life, make sure you fight with a friend.

9) Prepare for a long battle
Sometimes I wish we came to know the Lord, and then he just took us to heaven, but he doesn’t. The battle is long and hard. The way is narrow, and few find it. Know this up front. There is no magic age where sin and temptation go away. They never go away, they just change their approach. Don’t lose heart. Progress in the area of lust may lead to a downfall in the area of pride. Progress in the area of distraction may lead to unloving attitudes. You get the idea. There are no quick fixes in the battle for holiness. The final battle for the soul is over, praise God! But the skirmishes last a life time. “So, we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don't give up. (Gal 6:9-10) Friends, get your gear on, look to the captain, and let’s prepare for a long battle.

10) Know the heart of the Captain
It is critical to remember that God hates sin. Imagine if you will, you are out in a harsh battle. People are giving their lives for the cause and maimed and bloodied friends are the model of courage and faithfulness. Why all the dedication? Because, the enemy is very bad, and the captain is very serious. Jesus fought “the good fight.” Sin was so terrible and serious to God that Jesus gave his life to spare our lives. The same God who traded the life of his son for your forgiveness, does not now suddenly wink at sin. God hates sin. God punishes sin, and he has not changed his mind. To come to God for salvation is to begin a quest to know and love God. To love God, will be to share his heart—which is love for people, and hatred for sin. That is why the Bible says that one turns from evil by the fear of the Lord (Prov 16:6). We must never relax and think sin is not big deal. Sin was and is a very big deal for God. You will be helped to overcome in the battle as you know the heart of the Captain.

11) Bounce well
In the battle for lust, author Steve Arterburn coined the phrase “bouncing the eyes.” Every soldier in the battle against bad habits may be helped by learning to bounce. Not just the eyes, but the thoughts, and even the body. The same way a person prone to lustful looks makes a covenant with his eyes to bounce away from images wrong to gaze on, another could bounce away from a line of thought, or a piece of pie, or binge and purging, or a website prone to waste time. We are able to “bounce” from anything. A habitual over spender can bounce away from stores or the shopping channel. When the impulse hits, bounce!! Turn your impulse to feed a bad habit into an impulse to break it, an impulse to form a good habit.

12) Find a greater pleasure
We do what we do because we think it will make us happy. Pascal said “every man constantly chooses what he perceives to be in the interest of his own happiness; even the man who hangs himself.” We sin because we think it will bring us pleasure, and for a moment it may. But, the result of sin is not pleasure. Sin brings sadness, guilt, shame, and defeat. So the issue is not whether I am able to choose pleasure or not, but I do I tell my self the truth about pleasure? The truth is, life is found in God, his presence is joy, and in his hand are pleasures forever, not just a moment (Psalm 16:11). When I take more pleasure in obeying God and saying no to a bad habit, I am well on my way to victory over a bad habit. Pleasure is a slippery goal. Do I seek pleasure for the moment followed by guilt? Or, do I choose pleasure for later followed by …. pleasure? To overcome bad habits, tell your self the truth and find a greater pleasure.


So, now what? Maybe you don’t have any bad habits. If so, you need to find a friend to tell you the truth—right away! Seriously! So, maybe take a day to reflect on each one of these points. Maybe find an area to work on that will help the most. Maybe look for the lie you are believing and embrace the truth of scripture. Maybe find someone to battle with. Maybe, just go before the Lord and say, I want to fight the good fight, Lord, tell me what to do next and I will do it. And then, do exactly what he says. Now, there’s a good habit to get into!

PK

What's in the Shack?"

William P. Young wrote a controversial book about his brokenness and how God reached into that pain and pulled him out. Since no publisher would take it, Young formed Windblown Media Company with a $300.00 budget and self published The Shack in 2007.

The book was not an overnight success, but after a slow start, advertised largely by word of mouth, The Shack made it to the New York Times bestseller list for paperback trade fiction, and has stayed there for nearly a year. Christian publishers apparently thought it was too controversial. Secular publishers passed because the content put it clearly in the ‘Christian’ marketplace.

Christian, secular, or otherwise, Shack reader’s opinions are usually passionate, and rarely consistent. The books polarizing effect is not uncommon in Christian or religious writing. One reader said, “I read and wept and slept and read again. Your work is a masterpiece! There are tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat.” Another wrote, “I got to the point where God is a woman, and I quit reading.”

William P. Young, who goes by Paul, said he wrote The Shack as a gift for his six children. A 12 year old girl said “This is my most favorite book that I have ever read,” others say “If you haven’t read the book, don’t.” One national commentator says “Stay out of the Shack.”

I admit I read the book mostly because of the controversy. I think Young is a good writer, and a not so good theologian. But, in his defense, I am not sure that he was trying to be a good theologian. If the book is a metaphor, as Young calls it, then it is a metaphor of his personal Christian experience. The book may be an accurate recounting of his experience, even if his experience contains theological inaccuracies. Some of Young’s analogies are helpful in understanding a relationship with God, others I think are not, because they do not echo the words and heart of God from the Bible.

My purpose here is not to discuss the doctrinal discussions common to reviews of the book, although I think I could make some defendable arguments. I wrote because I am fascinated by the controversy! The bloggers, the polarization, the debate over the book (even by some who haven’t read it) intrigues me. Windblown Media’s website even has their response to “Is the book heresy?” I want to suggest four truths we can learn, not from the book, but from the controversy about it.

First, faith matters. There is a general sense among many that faith is an important issue, and what I decide about faith does indeed matter. A book written as a metaphor of the best fast food french fries available would gather little debate, even if you hate the fries the author likes, because french fries are not significant enough to argue about. But faith is. The truth claims of most religions are considered to determine the eternal destiny of a soul, or a person. The passionate polarizing debate over a book like The Shack reminds us of the seriousness of faith related issues, and that faith does indeed matter.

Second, discernment matters. A book cannot be the best book about God and the worst book about God at the same time. The claims are simply contradictory. But to say the book contains some helpful truths about God, and the book contains some potentially harmful errors about God at the same time is not a contradiction. The way to know the difference between the two is discernment—that is, the ability to sort out and recognize the difference between truth and error. Truth is not what you decide is true, truth is what actually is true. The reading of any book requires discernment, and especially regarding issues as important as God.

Third, the Bible matters. The Bible is the best book ever written about God and the Bible is the best book I’ve ever read about God. The Shack is not. While some will certainly argue, the general consensus among Christians is that the Bible is the truth about God for man. The Bible reveals what God has done, what he is doing, what he plans to do and often why he does it. Those who argue against the Bible’s incredible claims have a hard time producing a more credible option. The primary source of information about God comes from the Bible, and Young certainly gathered some of his knowledge of God from the Bible. The Christian Bible is the best book ever written about God. The closer another book about God comes to echoing the truth in the Bible, the better that book becomes.

Fourth and last, popularity does not matter. The popularity of a book or a truth claim does not make it true. Simple history alone is enough to prove that entire populations have proposed and embraced serious error. The popularity of a book may have little to do with the accuracy or benefit of it. Christianity has historically understood that truth is usually unpopular. Jesus, the savior and model in the Christian faith, was unpopular enough to be hated by evil men who plotted and effected his death. The religion that is popular with all men is more likely to be false than true. One preacher said, “You cannot be faithful [true] and popular at the same time, you have to choose.” Whether or not The Shack is popular, does not determine its credibility.

So, what about the polarizing effect of The Shack? Jesus certainly polarized his audience. Many loved him. Many hated him. Polarization in religious circles can result from truth or error. Jesus’ audience was polarized by the eternal seriousness of his message, and he was the real deal. He was truth. Is The Shack polarizing its readers because it is true? Or because it is contains error? Discerning readers will have to decide. And remember, because faith matters, your conclusion matters, but the popularity of that conclusion does not.