Advent: God With Us.

Found via The Village Church

I Believe in the Scriptures

a poem by David Bowden. Found via hopestreetonline (Ben Wright)

Beating Heart- Christian Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy: Abortion

Part 1: What We Believe About Abortion.

Recently on PEI, the discussion around abortion has been getting more and more tense with each day that passes.

Many on this very conservative island are against the idea of having abortion services becoming a normative part of the PEI health care system. Others are obviously elated at the possibility of not having to travel off island to have these procedures done, while feeling as though the province is progressing by offering this service to Islanders.

It goes without saying that two opposing camps have plunged their flags into their stance’s side. Both are extremely passionate about their worldview and will do any manner of slandering to show the world the stupidity of their opponent.

What concerns me however is the anti abortion rhetoric coming from the Christian community. I’m  not concerned by the fact that my community is anti abortion…I personally think the Christian community should be. What does  concerns me is that many Christians cannot answer the “why?” they are against this practice theologically.

Overhearing the conversations around this issue within the confines of my faith family, the arguments I have heard are a regurgitation of traditional truisms against abortion (Abortion is murder, God created that baby, Life starts at conception) rather than an argumentative thought process that is steeped in theological accuracy and depth.

Also, I am appalled at the slandering that the Christian community has taken part of, towards those who are pro choice and pro having abortion services provided here on PEI. While we may not agree, we are called by Christ in the scriptures to interact with those who are not part of our community very differently than some in our faith family have been surrounding this issue

What I want to accomplish within this short series of posts, is to discuss the areas of Christian orthodoxy and orthopraxy in regards to abortion and why these must be answered if we are to accomplish anything for the Gospel in this arena of our society.

Christian Orthodoxy and Abortion: Why Theology Matters.

What you believe about a particular issue will determine your actions towards it. This is why determining what we believe about abortion as a Christian community is so important. I am convinced many people within my community are against abortion because they have personalized the issue. “What if that fetus was you, your sister, your child?” Many of us look at the people we love,  people who have been created by God in His image and cannot fathom the idea of not having them, all due to the choice of an individual.

I understand this, however the foundation of this argument is not based in scripture, but rather emotionalism.

Theologically, Christian orthodoxy does not allow for the acceptance of abortion because:

1) The Bible strongly emphasizes the beginning of life as being conception.

Throughout the scriptures, the idea of conception goes hand in hand with the actual birth of a child.

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.” -Genesis 4:1

Beginning in the book of Genesis, we are introduced to the idea that the Biblical writers saw life beginning at conception. The etymology of the word “harah” (to conceived/become pregnant) in the Hebrew, refers to the idea of swelling, thus indicating the pre birth state of a woman.

For the Biblical writer to have acknowledged the parallel of conception to the birth of a child would indicate to the reader that for Jewish society, the conception of a child indicates the beginning of the life process that leads to birth. All in all throughout the entirety of scripture, this line of thought occurs approximately 32 times. In each instance, conception and birth are either mentioned side by side or they are conceptually closely tied within the contextualization of a particular text.

Thus, since this is the approach of scripture, as Christians we must hold theologically that life does not begin at birth, but rather conception. Once an egg is fertilized within a women, a new living human explodes onto the scene and begins the growth journey towards birth and the next stages of life outside of the womb.

To continue with this idea of life at conception, let me steer you to a familiar text for many of us, John 3:3.

“Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Here, Jesus compares the new spiritual life of an individual (born again) with the actual event of being physically born.

Unfortunately, evangelicals have misunderstood this idea of “born again.” For many, this is merely the moment that one decides to accept Christ as their saviour. When Jesus speaks about the second birth here, I would suggest that as he talks to Nicodemus, he is not thinking of it in the same manner that we are.

Again, for the Jews the idea of birth cannot be separated from conception. When Jesus says that one must be born again, for the Jew behind the moment of birth, there is a starting point (conception) with a growth process that leads to the birth event. While Jesus does not expand on this thought, the apostle Paul does:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” -Ephesians 1:3-5-

It was before the foundation of the world that God had called us to himself. This is essentially the spiritual conception of our “born again” experience. Thus, when Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus, He is in no way suggesting that the spiritual birth of an Individual is the beginning of their journey with God, but rather that it is the initial spiritual awakening of the individual. From the moment of awakening, a person is then thrust into a new phase of spiritual life.

Christ readily parallels the spiritual life process to that of the natural one. For the Christian then, it is vital that we understand the idea of birth found within the Biblical framework as life beginning at conception and finding its “awakening” at the moment of birth.

2) The Bible emphasizes that it is only in humanity that God’s Spirit can dwell.  

This may seem like an odd point to bring up in relation to the issue of abortion, but I tell you truly it is not.

In the beginning of Genesis, we are faced with a very unique situation within God’s creative process.

“then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” -Gen 2:7

In this instance, we are introduced to Adam. Thus far, he has been formed, but where the creation of man takes a different twist is that he is the only one of God’s creation that receives His breath or His Spirit. It not only activates him, but also fills him. From here on, we see that there is a very interesting relationship between man and the Spirit of God.

In Genesis 6 we are presented with the fact that because of sin now entering the world, the Spirit of God could no longer contend with men, thus no longer resided within humanity, but begins to act as an outside force.

throughout the Old Testament God decidedly places his Spirit upon specific people for specific functions (prophets, priests and kings). When we get to the book of Acts, after the ascension of Christ, God now places his Spirit back into His once inhabited home… regenerate (born again) humanity.

What is clear throughout the Biblical text is that the Holy Spirit only rests in or upon living humanity.

For many on the other side of the pro-life argument is the idea that the fetus within a woman’s womb is not yet alive when the abortion procedure takes place.

For the Christian however, theologically this is not the case.

In the book of Luke, we are presented with a circumstance that is opposed to this very worldview.

“For he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.”-Luke 1:15

Within his narrative, Luke tells his readers of the angelic visitation which announces the birth of John the Baptist to his father Zechariah. The angel gives a list of specific regulations that both parents and the child must follow in regards to the setting a part of their son (The nazarite regulations of Num 6:1-27) for God’s purpose of ushering the messiah into His earthly ministry.

A particularly curious portion of this text is when the angel states that the baby will be filled with the Holy Spirit from the time he is in his mother’s womb.

If truly we believe theologically that God’s Spirit only rested upon and now within animated, alive human beings, then it can be argued that while in Elizabeth’s womb God considered the fetus that occupied that space to be a fully alive and thus an apropriate vesel for His Spirit to dwell in. And, since this is the case within the confines of scripture, for the Christian then; we must see that the being within the womb of a woman, as truly human and alive. Why else would God place His Spirit inside of a fetus?

While some may say that this is not a normative occurrence, I would have to agree. However, when one crosses from Old to New Testament and primarily in light of the atoning work of Christ on the cross, the dwelling of God’s presence has now moved from temples back to people (as intended in eden). Thus, while this experience might not be normative within the pages of scripture, it does however determine for us that if a fetus can potentially house the very presence it is truly alive and is sacred.

While these are the only two arguments that have been outlined here and there could be much more said about this controversial subject, I believe that these are the strongest points within the context of scriptures’ historical narrative.

For further vantage points on the theology against abortion please supplement your reading with other balanced works.

Growing Old Together: The Great Desire.

Life has a way of wearing you down. 

 
As you begin many of its journeys, you begin each one with this invincible  attitude. You become convinced that nothing and no one will ever defeat you. That as hard as life threatens to come at you, you are determined to be the victor.
The tricky thing about life if that for most of us, it does not violently attack you, but rather it slowly breaks you down without you even knowing it. Day by day, event after event you never realize how tired and how worn you are until you stop for a moment and breathe deeply. Unfortunately many of us only takes these types of breathes after heartache, loss or rest occurs.  
 
The greatest earthly honor of my life is being the husband of the woman who captured my heart a decade ago. 
 
 This coming weekend is the first time we will be alone together since our daughter was 1. For those who don’t know…she will be 4 this year. 
 
Without even knowing it, we have let life slowly drift us apart through our responsibilities and commitments. We have tirelessly invested in our Children, in our work but have put our marriage on the back burner. 
 
The greatest fear of my life is that one day, when our children are gone and our responsibilities have diminished that we turn from the opposite sides of our bed to look into the eyes of a stranger. 
 
Being her husband is an honor. An honor that comes with much fear and trembling before God. I am honored that she has chosen me, that for the rest of our lives we have the privilege of pursuing one another and demonstrating the love that Christ has for His church.
There is no one else I would ever imagine growing old with. She is the greatest blessing of my life and with all my heart and soul I want to desperately show her that. 
 
She is the only one I want and she is the only woman who will ever satisfy me. 
 
Growing old with her is a joy. A joy that will truly never get old. 
 
 ”Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth,  
a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.” -Proverbs 5: 18 & 19

The Un-plug: Leaving Social Media…For the Most Part.

As of late I’ve been really frustrated with my social media world. I have avoided commenting on many tweets and Facebook posts because for me, I find it a total waste of time.

Over the years I have been really irresponsible and sharp with others in the area of social media. At times with I have sinned by defaming a person’s character, rudely expressing not fully thought through ideas and causing fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to be offended and hurt by some of my status updates and posts.

I have been deeply convicted lately about my roles as a follower of Jesus , a husband, father and pastor.

At times I have replaced intimate time with Christ for the affections of virtual people on twitter and Facebook.

At times I have replaced intimate time with my wife for the affections of virtual people on twitter and Facebook.

At times I have replaced intimate time with my children for the affections of virtual people on twitter and Facebook.

At times I have replaced my pastoral responsibility to my congregation for the affections of virtual people on twitter and Facebook.

I must invest all of my time with the God that is everything, the woman I love, the children of my youth and the sheep in my care.

For this reason I am unplugging.

This blog will be my only social connection to the virtual world.

This is not a statement against social media. In no way do I think that people that participate in social media are wasting their time.

I was wasting mine and it needs to end.

Off Center: Finding Our Hope in the Gospel.

Have you ever looked at something that was off center? Not very nice is it?

When a picture is off center in a room, every one has this OCD desire to put it straight again.

As of late I have noticed something off center with North American Christianity that has been literally keeping me up at night.

In the midst of all our missional methodologies, our leadership axioms, church growth models and trying to regain/ reclaim our denominational distinctive, we have gone off center from the main reason we are doing all this work: The Gospel.

In the letter of Paul to Philemon, not only are we presented with the sovereignty and grace of God, but ultimately we are show a living illustration of what the Gospel is truly all about.

In this letter you have three main Characters.

Philemon: The offended slave owner who has been wronged for no good reason.

Onesimus: Runaway slave that has stolen from and disrespected his master so that he could become his own master.

Paul: The one who presents the Gospel to Onesimus and pleads on his behalf to Philemon.

Think about it.

You and I have offended God with our sin, rebellion and depravity. As a human race, we (Adam and Eve) literally chose to give up our perfect relationship with God and leave His protection and care to become our own masters.

Philemon has the right to kill Onesimus for what he has done. Onesimus cannot return, he is now separated from his master because of his actions. In the same way, God’s wrath is justly focused towards us. On our own, we cannot approach God because of our actions (Adam and Eve). We have been marked as a race by those very actions and are separated from God in light of them…we cannot return.

Onesimus returns to Philemon’s house with a letter from the apostle Paul. On behalf of Onesimus Paul pleads for mercy and acceptance on the basis of 1) his relationship with Philemon and 2) a repayment of the goods that were stolen.

Through His death and resurrection Christ has pleaded on our behalf before God for mercy and acceptance. He pleads for these on the basis of 1) His relationship with God (As Son) and 2) because He has paid, once and for all time the debt owed on our behalf to be reconnected back to God.

Through Paul’s sacrificial Christlikeness, he redeems and restores the relationship between Philemon and Onesimus.

Through Christ’s sacrificial love on the cross, he has redeemed and restored the relationship between God and His children.

All that is required of us is to believe, to have faith in Christ and acknowledge that it is through His redemptive work on the cross that allows us the honor of being connected to God.

This my friends, is the center of our faith. For over 2000 years this has been the story that has been proclaimed. It is this message that has gotten people killed, persecuted and ostracized. It is this message that has breathed hope and new life into all those who have accepted it. It has made them new creations that see the world in a whole new light and has caused them to live in a whole new way. This is the Gospel.

The Gospel is not a denominational distinctive, a theory, formula or a just a truism. The Gospel is the foundation of the Christian faith. The Gospel is the power of God for Salvation (Rom 1:16).

It is the Gospel that the church is to proclaim, not nice moralism that leads people to “Your best life now” or ” 15 ways to be happy.” We are to lead people to Christ and what he has done through the cross…not what he can do for them as a tack on in their lives.

It is when the Gospel stops being at our center that we have been at our worst. The great schisms, the crusades, persecution of one another during reformation, colonialism, denominationalism etc. All the dark parts of our history happen when the Gospel and its life altering message are not at the center of first 1) our lives 2) our churches. We have been at our worst when we have hopped onto hobby horses or have chosen particular moral/ethical fights to become the center of our focus.

We must be centered in the message of the Gospel.

Nothing in both the Old and New Testaments makes any sense removed from the Gospel.

The good works of the church are just humanitarianism outside of the Gospel.

For me as a Pentecostal, outside of the Gospel the Baptism of the Spirit for missional empowerment is pointless.

When we lose our center, we become unattractive and unfocused.

I know I’m not the only one with OCD at the party. Let us together move our faith back to its center.

Dividing Wall: Finding Our Hope in God’s Reconciliatory Grace.

“Forgiveness is the remission of sins. For it is by this that what has been lost, and was found, is saved from being lost again.”
- St Augustine-

Reconciling with people that have wounded you is a very difficult thing. Sometimes within Christian circles there is this expectation on individuals of “Instant” forgiveness. What I mean by this is when someone hurts/offends/ mistreats you, you just need to get over it. Over the course of my short and inexperienced life, I have found the issues of grace and forgiveness to be more complicated than that.

While I do profess that we as followers of Christ are to readily and submissively forgive those who have hurt us…Biblical truth is never easy to act out in everyday life. The initial choice to forgive someone can sometimes be much easier than the daily choice to continually forgive that same person days, weeks and years later.

The reality is that as Christians we have been forgiven tremendously by God. Through Christ’s death and resurrection we are now able to approach God for the remission of our sins through the irresistible grace he provides within the confines of the gospel. However, the issue that has always blown me away is that many Christians freely receive forgiveness for themselves, but are very selfish when it comes to pouring it out to others.

Honestly…I am one of those. It is in this area I probably struggle the most.

In Paul’s letter to Philemon, we are confronted with the issue of grace and forgiveness head on.

Onesimus the slave has run away and stolen from his master Philemon. His journey from Colossae has brought him to Rome where it just so happens (Not really) is where the apostle Paul is being held as a prisoner of the state. Through God’s sovereign plan, Onesimus ends up meeting the apostle and becomes a follower of Christ.

After some time spent with Paul, it is decided that he should go back to Colossae to make right the wrongs he had committed towards his now fellow brother and continued master Philemon.

The problem in all of this is that if a run away or criminal slave returns to his/her owner, according to Roman law Philemon has the right to put to death a slave who has acted in the manner that Onesimus has.

As Onesimus stands before his master after his long journey back and hands the letter from the apostle to him, the tension in the air was probably quite thick. As Philemon read the words that had been carefully penned onto the page, he would have been quickly confront with these words:

10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment.
11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.)
12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart.
13 I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel,
14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord.
15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever,
16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother-especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me.
18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.
19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it-to say nothing of your owing me even your own self.
20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

As Paul begins to appeals to Philemon, he structures everything he says within the context of Christ and the transformative work of the Spirit.

1) The apostle addresses the progression of the relationship between Onesimus and Philemon in metamorphic language, as it relates to the saving work of Christ.

V11- “He was formerly useless to you, but now is indeed useful to you and to me.”

V16- “No longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother…”

When we stand before our brothers and sisters in Christ who have offended us, we must be reminded that our unity in Christ has not only changed us, but that it also trumps any man made Soc.- structure.

We must remind ourselves that we at one time offended God with our sin and yet because of the sacrifice of Christ, we have now been made right before God. He has forgiven us beyond what we deserve and we must also forgive others with the same free flowing grace He has shown us.

We must also be reminded that despite a specific role a brother or sister in Christ may hold (Father, mother, sister, employer, employee, in law, congregation member etc), they are united with us in Christ and this is to take first priority. It is that relationship that must be valued more than the biological, economic or ecclesial roles one may hold. Since we are all united in the grace and forgiveness of God through Christ, we must all show the same grace and forgiveness to one another, no matter how that affects the social structure that is between us and our fellow believers.

2) Paul urges Philemon that in light of Onesimus’ transformation that he should receive the slave as a dear friend/ fellow worker (V17) and that all debts should be forgotten.

Paul’s challenge to Philemon still resounds amongst the body of Christ today. When a fellow brother or sister hurts /wounds / wrongs us we are to respond with reception and not rejection. We are to receive that brother or sister with open arms, knowing that while their offenses may have been atrocious towards us, our offenses towards God were a dividing wall that was brought down only by grace and forgiveness.

The Christian community must not be made of score keepers that keep records of wrongs done to them by fellow believer. We must be the erasers of debts and releasers of debtors who always point those individuals to the Gospel and its effect in our lives.

Ultimately we do not know what the outcome between Philemon and Onesimus was. However, we do know that Paul had much faith in Philemon (V21), that the love he so openly showed to the church at Colossae would also be shown to Onesimus.

At the end of the day, is the dividing wall that is between you and your brother or sister in Christ bringing glory to God or is it causing His name to be blasphemed among the “Gentiles” because of you (Rom 2:24)?

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13: 35)

Directionally Challenged: Finding Our Hope in God’s Sovereign Plan

“Where is God?” As a pastor I hear this question a lot. As a human being I’ve asked myself this question probably more times than I’ve heard it.

Many of us struggle with seeing how God could be in the middle of horrific and overwhelming situations. We often ask ourselves how a loving God could permit certain things to happen to us and our loved ones. In the midst of these circumstances, we as follows of Christ often question whether or not God is actually in control of everything and if He is powerless to have prevented the circumstances in question.

In the apostle Paul’s letter to Philemon, a real life drama unfolds before us.

Onesimus, one of Philemon’s slaves has robbed his master and has escaped.

Philemon is an elder in the church of Colossae. The church actually meets in his home for their gatherings. Philemon by all accounts from what Paul writes (Philemon 1-7) is a loving and faithful servant of Christ. He is commended by Paul for his love towards the saints (V5), which has refreshed many of them in the faith (V7).

Onesimus is a slave who does not live up to his name. Onesimus means ‘useful’ however according to Paul, at one time he had been useless to his master, especially for the fact that he has stollen from him and ran away (V11).
At some point after arriving in Rome, this useless nobody/ slave ends up meeting the apostle Paul and getting converted to The Way (V10-16). Now that he is a fellow believer in Christ, Paul probably encourages him to go back to his master Philemon and make right the wrongs that he had caused.
And so, Onesimus makes the the long trek back to Colossae from Rome, heads to his master’s house not knowing if Philemon will have mercy on him or kill him (Roman law allowed for this to occur to a run away slave that had been apprehended) for what he had done. Upon arrival he would be face to face with Philemon and would hand him the letter from the beloved apostle.

What strikes me about the sovereignty of God in this text is found in V15 and 16.

“For this perhaps is why he has parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother- especially to me, but how much more to you, both in flesh and in the Lord.”

Nowhere in Paul’s letter to Philemon does he address the treatment of slaves. I can just imagine that if Philemon was such a man of love that he would probably have been the first master that showed Onesimus any level of dignity and care. It was a blessing for Onesimus to have arrived in the house of Philemon. And yet, despite the love shown to him, he robs his master and runs to Rome.

For the most part we could chalk up the fact that Onesimus had become Philemon’s slave to chance, however the very idea that he would then run into the apostle Paul in Rome is no coincidence at all. Paul even suggests to Philemon that perhaps what had occured in his household happened so that Onesimus would become Christ’s.

God was trying to get Onesimus’ attention and in Rome…he finally got it.

God in his sovereignty, used every step of Onesimus’ life to direct him back towards Himself.

God is trying to get your attention.

Many of our lives haven’t worked out the way we have wanted them to. Many of us have taken paths that we never thought we would be on and at times feel like mistakes.

Does God make mistakes?

You might not be on the path you thought you would be on, but you are on the path God knew you would be on. He has obviously allowed you to take some turns that may not have been the best, but ultimately…he did it so that he could get your attention. Ultimately he has allowed your life to take the turns it has for this very reason…To point you and others to Himself.

I know, that doesn’t make whatever you are going through easier, but God never promised that life would be easy. Jesus never said that if you had Him in your life that everything would go well for you. What he did promise was that he would give you His Spirit to guide you in those times and through the apostle Paul He says that “…for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purposes.” (Romans 8:28)

Ultimately this comes downs to whether or not you believe that God is sovereign, that God is in control of everything and that He directs and permits everything that occurs in this world.

If you do believe this, than you have to trust that he has your best interest at heart, whether that means blessing or discipline.

If you do believe in God’s sovereignty you have to trust that what is happening is so that God can point you and those around you to Himself.

God is trying to get your attention through the circumstances of your life.

Are you paying attention?

finally…PROUD.

Lately I’ve come to grips with the fact that I’m a pastor.

You see, I’ve been working in and have been paid by churches to do ministry since I was 17 years old.

For as long as I can remember I’ve felt called/led/ desired to be a pastor. However, in my second year of Bible college, that desired slowly started drifting away and cynicism about the church and the pastorate began to fill my heart. Even after graduating and getting my first full-time ministry gig, I struggled with the idea of being “pastor” Josh.

I can’t even begin to recall the numerous occasions I would come home to Carrie and say “I just want out of this.” Somehow though, God always seemed to cause something to happen or a conversation to occur that would renew my resolve to stay in vocational ministry.

After our last place of ministry…I left felling like a huge failure.

5 and a half years and some major healing later…

I finally enjoy my role as pastor.

I finally feel like I’m coming into my own as a speaker.

I finally feel like I’m beginning to walk into my God ordained purpose.

Finally.

Messy Room.

This picture isn’t really my room…but sometimes I feel like this is what I sleep in.

Maybe I’m alone, but I could flipping clean the whole house and at the end of the day open my door and bam…a war zone. Laundry, puzzle pieces, sippy cups, action figures in our sheets and a dog on our bed.

One day we’ll reclaim our room.

Anyone else having the same experience?

Has anyone ever retuned from the dark side? Please tell me it gets better.