CHURCH PLANTING MOVEMENTS-- a book review
Author David Garrison
There are some necessary components that must be present for the occurrence of a church planting movement. The Holy Spirit is the intangible. In order for North America to experience a church planting movement, North America will have to experience a fear in the face of its own stability.
First, the Holy Spirit is the one Who grows churches. He began the church as is seen in Acts 2. He also grew the church as is seen throughout Acts and in all of Paul’s epistles. The lack of the Holy Spirit’s presence is not always the deciding factor in whether or not a church planting movement is to be. "Sometimes we find that God is all too willing but that the uncooperative partner is us . . . at the end of the day, Church Planting Movements require the cooperation of three partners: God, ourselves and our community (Garrison, 272)." In North America today, I believe that the Holy Spirit is willing but the church and the community are shutting the door. The road to heaven is markedly narrower then we have been taught in the Southern Baptist Convention. The lackadaisical church member who is hoping to sneak into heaven on his own interpretation of John 3:16 probably is not going to make it. Americans have not had to deal with adversity on our own soil or even a threat of it since the 1940’s. September 11, 2001 proved that a hint of need drives us to fear and fear is the beginning of wisdom and Wisdom is Jesus Christ. We have been wandering in the desert for nearly seventy years just like the children of Israel. There is so little difference between a Christian and 70% of America that calls themselves Christian that there is no room for the Holy Spirit to work. There is no pocket in any corner for the Holy Spirit to begin a movement.
The United States does not see the need for prayer. We have every worldly need. America has gone the way of a kind of Mormonism. We think that we are good enough to not need Jesus Christ. We are self sufficient and all-knowing so why would we need Him?
We need persecution. We need suffering. We need fear. I am not just talking about persecution amongst Christians for being Christian. I mean the United States of America needs to have foreign enemies on our soil. We need a Great Depression. We need a seven-year drought. We need famine and disease. Should we pray to that end? My parents prayed "whatever it takes for Birch to come to You, O Lord. Take his job, take his home, take his family, take his limbs. . . anything but his life before he knows You." I am at this point. I am at the pinnacle of loving me friends and neighbors so much that I pray catastrophe upon us so we can see our need for a Saviour.
The World Church Planting Movements have experienced several common elements. These elements include, but are not limited to, this climate of uncertainty or societal unrest, persecution, which produces an uncanny boldness in those who commit to Christ. The world has experienced complete families coming to Christ as well as divine signs and wonders similar to the New Testament days.
These movements around the world do not produce large, Americanized, traditional buildings. These churches made up of twenty to thirty people are a self-sufficient church family that is self-teaching and self-theologizing. They cling to God’s Word. They evangelize at the point of re-birth because they cannot help it. They join God in what He is doing. They are lizard churches who are intentional about hunting the hell bound. There are members in every church that are a direct product of the Church Planting Movement who appreciates the way God has chosen to expand the gospel. These people are the ones who continue planting . These are the dominoes.
The American church does not realize that the average adult who comes to Christ in America today knows far more about apologetics and theology then they do. The typical longtime church member that has grown up in the church has never had to think out their theology or defend it. Let me give an example of what I am writing about. A young couple gets saved and is wholly committed to walking for and with Jesus for the rest of their days because of the price that He has paid for them. They are ready to pay a price and live an adventuresome life with Christ at the helm, leading them down the perfect path. They are ready to win the world to Christ. They are ready to tell the world who Jesus is and what He has done for them. Then they go to church and find that they are all alone.
The Western Church tames the new zealous Christian with one verse. "These men must be first tested (1 Timothy 4:1)." We also say leaders must not be new to the faith. Where is our faith. Who is our faith in? Is our faith in the person or in the Holy Spirit? What are we teaching? That maturity is shutting your mouth and sitting on your hands? Let the new believer tell God’s story through him. The best way for an immature Christian to become mature is to walk on his own depending on the Holy Spirit. We must walk through fire before we are tested and we must be tested before we know whether or not we will trust Him! Go back and read 1 Timothy 4:1 again. The Scripture is exactly right, they must be tested. Test by letting them do not be just by letting them hear!
America the beautiful, the home of the brave . . . We are not brave. We are not bold. We have not been tested. The church has not prayed for boldness. We just assume that boldness is a gift. We have put extra-biblical requirements on what a church is just like the Jewish temple leaders of the New Testament. We have not learned anything form the story of Cornelius and the food requirements. We have not learned anything form Stephen’s speech before he was stoned to death. Stephen was trying to tell the Jewish Leaders that God does not live in the temple. Why do we continue to drown in American tradition like it has been lifted off the pages of the New Testament?
Garrison is right when he says that we need to let new believers evangelize and we need to assume that every one who evangelizes is a church planter. We do need to manifest a missionary faith in new believers because it is biblical. We do need to release them from under our thumb and unto the Bridegroom. We do need to model, assist and leave. But first we need to pray. We need to pray that all North American Christians will pray. We need to pray that God will implant a vision of strategy within our churches to realize that we have not arrived. We are no where close. Holy Spirit come. God help us!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Diversify Your Portfolio Luke 16:1-9
We are told to diversify our portfolios to better ensure that our bank accounts will be full for our retirement. In a day when the economy is uncertain, many of us are concerned about our present and our future financial situations. With the Dow crashing every other week, it seems impossible to know where to put our money to ensure a comfortable future. Jesus tells us in the Parable of the Unjust Steward that Christians are to be just as shrewd as non-Christians when it comes to money. Christians should be shrewdly gaining money as a means to gaining real wealth for ourselves and others--HEAVEN.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
A Review of The Shack
The Shack
I have been asked by soooooo many people what I think of The Shack. I have told countless people that I would have to wait until I graduated so I would have the time to sit and read the book by Paul Young. I have graduated and I have read it. This post is for those of you have read the book. I am not going to re-tell details or the plot for lack of time/space. I read this book because I have heard so many of my Christian friends passionately tell me that this book has transformed their life. Any Christian fiction is dangerous because we do not know the true authorial intent. What did the author intend? Nonfiction is usually pretty clear. Fiction leaves the intent of the story up to interpretation of the reader. DANGEROUS.
The reason I read this book was not because the intent of the author was clear but because so many people were gaining so many different transforming "truths" from this fictional book. Read these quotes that appear on the official Shack website from readers:
After reading the Shack, I’ll never again see God as the "Abe Lincoln Memorial" I used to invision. A beautiful, big, loving black woman is much more to my liking! Just thinking about a hug from her makes me happy.
The God Journey site , Lifestreams , and other sites that help shift the thought patterns of an abusive god , to the knowledge of a very Loving and concerned God … Big shift …Thanks
A guy that I do not even know told me about it while making a line at a grocery store. He was just amazed about it that it made me curious. I got the book and could not put it down. I am not a Christian, but a Believer in Christ. He is my savior, my ALL in ALL.
I found that each on of my friends and family that read the book came away with it meaning some thing different. Thank You Lord….. Thank you so much for the book.
Other than the Bible, it’s the most important piece of work that I’ve ever read. I’m trying to get everyone else to read it too because it’s so liberating, so full of gentleness, life and love. Exactly as my heart knows Papa is
This book is currently on the top 20 at Amazon. That is why I must write to this. Many people are going to be "affected" by this book.
I got what Young was intending even very early on in his book. He is intending to break some molds that we have formed in the Christian American Church. He is attempting to redefine institutional traditional religion. That in and of itself is not bad, and this issue needs to be addressed. Young is wanting to get God out of the box that most of us have put him in over the years. The problem, as I see it, is that Young went overboard to make a point. I get what he is doing, but he has taken God completely out of THE box. He has taken God out of His own box that He framed Himself in . . . in His own Word.
Young presents an unorthodox Trinitarian theology that personifies God as a woman. Do I really believe that Young thinks that God is a woman? No. However, might other people begin to frame God as a woman and the Holy Spirit as a woman? Absolutely. What is the danger in portraying Abba Father as a woman? Boy, I wish I had the time to explain this. Let me just say that that there is a hierarchy to the Godhead. There is a hierarchy to this earth that God created. Man was created and woman was created as a helpmate. Does that mean God loves man more than woman? No. It does mean that God has given different roles to different people and He has clearly given the role of spiritual leader to the man to imitate and immolate God as the spiritual leader of this world. Have men done a good job of leading our families, nations and the world spiritually? NO, but that does not change the hierarchy that God set up in the beginning. I think that one of the reasons that Young portrayed God as a woman is because he wanted to portray God as a loving God. He wanted readers to feel this loving attribute of God more than any other attribute of God. As a matter of fact, there are really no other attributes of God portrayed in this book. Young has, in a sense, created his own God . . . a God with love and not a God of justice or righteousness. God is a God of love but He is also a God of justice and wrath. Danger Will Robinson. God is 100% good and we are not the definers of good. Another reason that I believe that young portrayed God as a woman is because he wants us to realize that God loves us in such a way that He could choose to show Himself to us in different forms so we in our limited humanness could see Him. Let me explain. Did Moses see God in the burning bush?
What do I find that is good about this book? I love the forgiveness that takes place and I love the relationship (John 17:3) that takes place between Mack and the Triune God. However, the majority of people in this world are not believers and therefore cannot have a relationship with the Godhead until they realize their sin, God’s wrath and punishment for sin (Hell), and redemption through the perfect God-Man (Jesus) who was obedient, even obedient to death, death on a cross. It is through His resurrection that I can be forgiven for my faults.
I also find that Young has pushed the envelope for a reason. The theme of this book is that God loves us. Young does not wish for the critic to call him a liberal. I believe that he wishes that the readers will see how incredibly blessed we are that the God of heaven and earth does love us. This book is meant to expand our minds about the transcendence of God and the fact that transcendent God has chosen to have a relationship with sinful man. He is the Unknown allowing Himself to be Known. Young achieves this.
However, there are so many things that are false in this writing that I cannot leave them alone. On page 145, Jesus says that "Papa is as much submitted to me as I to him." Not true in my Bible. Jesus must submit to God. He can do nothing without the Father (The entire gospel of John). Jesus does not even know when he will be returning—but God does.
On page 145, Jesus says that "in fact, we are submitted to you in the same way." Untrue in my Bible. The Godhead does not submit to humanity.
On the bottom of page 99, Papa says that "Jesus is fully human. Although he is also fully God, he has never drawn upon his nature as God to do anything." What about creating the world? Jesus did that. Could a mere human create the world (Colossians 1:16)? What about living in perfection on earth?
Page 120—"I do not need to punish people for sin." Wrong. God cannot let sin go unpunished. He is holy and pure and righteous. Who does Young think sends people to Hell? We all deserve eternal damnation. This statement really blew my mind. Young is on board with so many of his themes—forgiveness, God’s love and the fact that God’s ways are His ways and we may never understand (Job). But sometimes Young acts like he has never read the Bible. I don’t get it. This book has a lot of truth and some big theological mistakes. Dangerous.
Page 110—Jesus says "I am the best way to papa or Sarayu." In John 14:6, Jesus says that there is no other way to the Father except through Him. Surely, Young does not mean that there are other ways/religions that lead to the Father and that Jesus just happens to be the "best" way.
Page 134—Young writes that not believing in Eden is not a fatal mistake. This is a slippery slope at best. If one does not believe all of God’s word than how can he believe any of it?
Page 145—Jesus says that the earth belongs to Him. Actually, the earth was given to Satan and Jesus will take it back on the day of His return.
Page 182—can someone explain this please? Jesus says, "I have no desire to make them Christians." Christian is defined as a Christ follower. What is Young talking about? Jesus desires to make those who the Father has chosen, Christians (John 17:24)! Maybe Young meant that he had no desire to make them religious???
Page 182—Young jumps on institutionalized church by saying that many have come to me who "are not a part of any Sunday morning or religious institutions." How can one be a Christ follower and not submit and love His church? The Book of Acts is very clear that we are to meet together in corporate worship. This is where Young misses the point. He has been hurt by "institutionalized church" at some point. He is now a bigger part of the problem instead of the solution. Let me explain. Say I told my buddy that I like him as my friend and that I would love to spend time with him but that I refuse to spend time with him if his wife is around. Don’t you think my buddy would be offended? Well, he should be. I am defaming his wife. I am telling him that he has chosen badly. I am knocking his mate. The church, the corporate body of believers who meet to worship along side each other on Sunday mornings is the bride of Christ. If you do not love His church then you cannot love Him! Are churches broken? Yes! There are people in them. Would Christ have us abandon His bride or attempt to fix her?
Young does admit proudly, on his website, that he is "not connected, or a part, or a member of, or involved inside any sort of organization or movements anywhere." We are called, as Christians, to be a part of the Kingdom movement (Matthew 28:19,20, Acts 1:8). Look, I think that Young does a great job of making his points on forgiveness, God’s love, and the fact that we must trust God even when He does not change circumstances that hurt us. This is what Young was trying to convey and I commend him for doing just that.
He says on his website that he is not a universalist and so I take him at his word, thinking that he must have accidentally used the word "best" on page 110. Listen, I think this is a good piece of fiction that relates many true attributes of God. However, people who have never read the Bible (many of which sit on our church pews) are raving about this book and sharing it with their friends like it is the gospel. I am more upset with these people then I am with Paul Young. When is the last time you gave a Bible to a friend? When is the last time you shared the Good News? God is accurately portrayed in all of His ways/attributes in the Bible and it is not fiction (even the part about Eden). Have you even ever read it?
I have been asked by soooooo many people what I think of The Shack. I have told countless people that I would have to wait until I graduated so I would have the time to sit and read the book by Paul Young. I have graduated and I have read it. This post is for those of you have read the book. I am not going to re-tell details or the plot for lack of time/space. I read this book because I have heard so many of my Christian friends passionately tell me that this book has transformed their life. Any Christian fiction is dangerous because we do not know the true authorial intent. What did the author intend? Nonfiction is usually pretty clear. Fiction leaves the intent of the story up to interpretation of the reader. DANGEROUS.
The reason I read this book was not because the intent of the author was clear but because so many people were gaining so many different transforming "truths" from this fictional book. Read these quotes that appear on the official Shack website from readers:
After reading the Shack, I’ll never again see God as the "Abe Lincoln Memorial" I used to invision. A beautiful, big, loving black woman is much more to my liking! Just thinking about a hug from her makes me happy.
The God Journey site , Lifestreams , and other sites that help shift the thought patterns of an abusive god , to the knowledge of a very Loving and concerned God … Big shift …Thanks
A guy that I do not even know told me about it while making a line at a grocery store. He was just amazed about it that it made me curious. I got the book and could not put it down. I am not a Christian, but a Believer in Christ. He is my savior, my ALL in ALL.
I found that each on of my friends and family that read the book came away with it meaning some thing different. Thank You Lord….. Thank you so much for the book.
Other than the Bible, it’s the most important piece of work that I’ve ever read. I’m trying to get everyone else to read it too because it’s so liberating, so full of gentleness, life and love. Exactly as my heart knows Papa is
This book is currently on the top 20 at Amazon. That is why I must write to this. Many people are going to be "affected" by this book.
I got what Young was intending even very early on in his book. He is intending to break some molds that we have formed in the Christian American Church. He is attempting to redefine institutional traditional religion. That in and of itself is not bad, and this issue needs to be addressed. Young is wanting to get God out of the box that most of us have put him in over the years. The problem, as I see it, is that Young went overboard to make a point. I get what he is doing, but he has taken God completely out of THE box. He has taken God out of His own box that He framed Himself in . . . in His own Word.
Young presents an unorthodox Trinitarian theology that personifies God as a woman. Do I really believe that Young thinks that God is a woman? No. However, might other people begin to frame God as a woman and the Holy Spirit as a woman? Absolutely. What is the danger in portraying Abba Father as a woman? Boy, I wish I had the time to explain this. Let me just say that that there is a hierarchy to the Godhead. There is a hierarchy to this earth that God created. Man was created and woman was created as a helpmate. Does that mean God loves man more than woman? No. It does mean that God has given different roles to different people and He has clearly given the role of spiritual leader to the man to imitate and immolate God as the spiritual leader of this world. Have men done a good job of leading our families, nations and the world spiritually? NO, but that does not change the hierarchy that God set up in the beginning. I think that one of the reasons that Young portrayed God as a woman is because he wanted to portray God as a loving God. He wanted readers to feel this loving attribute of God more than any other attribute of God. As a matter of fact, there are really no other attributes of God portrayed in this book. Young has, in a sense, created his own God . . . a God with love and not a God of justice or righteousness. God is a God of love but He is also a God of justice and wrath. Danger Will Robinson. God is 100% good and we are not the definers of good. Another reason that I believe that young portrayed God as a woman is because he wants us to realize that God loves us in such a way that He could choose to show Himself to us in different forms so we in our limited humanness could see Him. Let me explain. Did Moses see God in the burning bush?
What do I find that is good about this book? I love the forgiveness that takes place and I love the relationship (John 17:3) that takes place between Mack and the Triune God. However, the majority of people in this world are not believers and therefore cannot have a relationship with the Godhead until they realize their sin, God’s wrath and punishment for sin (Hell), and redemption through the perfect God-Man (Jesus) who was obedient, even obedient to death, death on a cross. It is through His resurrection that I can be forgiven for my faults.
I also find that Young has pushed the envelope for a reason. The theme of this book is that God loves us. Young does not wish for the critic to call him a liberal. I believe that he wishes that the readers will see how incredibly blessed we are that the God of heaven and earth does love us. This book is meant to expand our minds about the transcendence of God and the fact that transcendent God has chosen to have a relationship with sinful man. He is the Unknown allowing Himself to be Known. Young achieves this.
However, there are so many things that are false in this writing that I cannot leave them alone. On page 145, Jesus says that "Papa is as much submitted to me as I to him." Not true in my Bible. Jesus must submit to God. He can do nothing without the Father (The entire gospel of John). Jesus does not even know when he will be returning—but God does.
On page 145, Jesus says that "in fact, we are submitted to you in the same way." Untrue in my Bible. The Godhead does not submit to humanity.
On the bottom of page 99, Papa says that "Jesus is fully human. Although he is also fully God, he has never drawn upon his nature as God to do anything." What about creating the world? Jesus did that. Could a mere human create the world (Colossians 1:16)? What about living in perfection on earth?
Page 120—"I do not need to punish people for sin." Wrong. God cannot let sin go unpunished. He is holy and pure and righteous. Who does Young think sends people to Hell? We all deserve eternal damnation. This statement really blew my mind. Young is on board with so many of his themes—forgiveness, God’s love and the fact that God’s ways are His ways and we may never understand (Job). But sometimes Young acts like he has never read the Bible. I don’t get it. This book has a lot of truth and some big theological mistakes. Dangerous.
Page 110—Jesus says "I am the best way to papa or Sarayu." In John 14:6, Jesus says that there is no other way to the Father except through Him. Surely, Young does not mean that there are other ways/religions that lead to the Father and that Jesus just happens to be the "best" way.
Page 134—Young writes that not believing in Eden is not a fatal mistake. This is a slippery slope at best. If one does not believe all of God’s word than how can he believe any of it?
Page 145—Jesus says that the earth belongs to Him. Actually, the earth was given to Satan and Jesus will take it back on the day of His return.
Page 182—can someone explain this please? Jesus says, "I have no desire to make them Christians." Christian is defined as a Christ follower. What is Young talking about? Jesus desires to make those who the Father has chosen, Christians (John 17:24)! Maybe Young meant that he had no desire to make them religious???
Page 182—Young jumps on institutionalized church by saying that many have come to me who "are not a part of any Sunday morning or religious institutions." How can one be a Christ follower and not submit and love His church? The Book of Acts is very clear that we are to meet together in corporate worship. This is where Young misses the point. He has been hurt by "institutionalized church" at some point. He is now a bigger part of the problem instead of the solution. Let me explain. Say I told my buddy that I like him as my friend and that I would love to spend time with him but that I refuse to spend time with him if his wife is around. Don’t you think my buddy would be offended? Well, he should be. I am defaming his wife. I am telling him that he has chosen badly. I am knocking his mate. The church, the corporate body of believers who meet to worship along side each other on Sunday mornings is the bride of Christ. If you do not love His church then you cannot love Him! Are churches broken? Yes! There are people in them. Would Christ have us abandon His bride or attempt to fix her?
Young does admit proudly, on his website, that he is "not connected, or a part, or a member of, or involved inside any sort of organization or movements anywhere." We are called, as Christians, to be a part of the Kingdom movement (Matthew 28:19,20, Acts 1:8). Look, I think that Young does a great job of making his points on forgiveness, God’s love, and the fact that we must trust God even when He does not change circumstances that hurt us. This is what Young was trying to convey and I commend him for doing just that.
He says on his website that he is not a universalist and so I take him at his word, thinking that he must have accidentally used the word "best" on page 110. Listen, I think this is a good piece of fiction that relates many true attributes of God. However, people who have never read the Bible (many of which sit on our church pews) are raving about this book and sharing it with their friends like it is the gospel. I am more upset with these people then I am with Paul Young. When is the last time you gave a Bible to a friend? When is the last time you shared the Good News? God is accurately portrayed in all of His ways/attributes in the Bible and it is not fiction (even the part about Eden). Have you even ever read it?
Monday, March 9, 2009
This is Addiction
Every person that is born into this world is a son of Satan. Satan cannot fulfill the desires of our heart. This means that there is a hole in the life of every human that needs to be filled by Christ. This vision is for those people who have yet to experience Christ and therefore do not know of His love. This vision is also for the people who have experienced the love of Christ in salvation but do not know yet the power of Christ to overcome the bondage of sin.
Life is spent trying to fill this hole with anything and everything imaginable. Sin temporarily attempts to fill the hole but it is never enough to sustain fullness. The hole is constantly emptying and more things are chased and even caught to try to cram into this emptiness.
Every human being on planet earth is born into depression (even though he does not realize it) because nothing fills the void. Failure to fill the chasm becomes a broken record in the life of the victim. Alcohol, illicit drugs, prescription painkillers, pornography, romance novels, gambling, television, power in business, food for comfort, an adulterous affair and worldly wealth are examples of what humans chase to fill the crater in their chest. These things they aggressively seek until the devil hooks them with the one desire of their heart that becomes a place of solace. "The devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). Ironically, whenever the stresses of this world become too much, the canyon that caused them so much pain and sorrow is now the first place they run because it is filled with the newfound love that has hooked them.
This newfound love becomes and obsession. The once-depressed individual is now fooled into a false joy that only lasts while the individual is swimming in the water of their addiction that is filling the abyss. Then, the newly elated individual begins to only be happy in the very crater that they once hated. They do not ever want to leave the place that gives them the most pleasure—the empty hole that has now been filled with sin. They are wallowing in it and they love it. It becomes their god and they begin to worship it with all of their resources. They begin to give more of their time to it. They begin to give more of their money to it. They begin to give more of their energy to it. They begin to give more of their heart to it. The obsession takes hold.
The individual cannot remember the days when this hole was the only thing in life that was empty. Now that this hole is filled with the devil’s toys, the rest of life begins to become empty. The cliff has now become the very place that the individual runs to in anticipation of escaping life. Over the cliff and into the abyss surrounded by comforting demons and lies.
Soon, there is not enough time to spend in fantasyland. Soon there is not enough money to allow them to stay for as long as they want. Family begins to get in the way. Work begins to get in the way (unless this is the addiction). They no longer desire to spend time with their spouse, the other parts of life that were O.K. before, now start to become an obstacle to time spent in the chasm. The alcoholic can’t go to Cracker Barrel and eat because they do not serve his addiction. The internet pornography addict does not want his wife and kids to be home because this keeps him from the only thing in life that brings him happiness. The young mother becomes angry with her children for interrupting her favorite television shows because they are the only things that numbs her from her stressful duties. The middle-aged woman locks herself in her bathroom to savor the Hershey bars that she keeps hidden under the sink. The gambler can’t go to Disney World with his family on a Saturday or Sunday because there is no media outlet to tell him who is winning the game that he has money on.
At some point, hopefully the addict begins to despise what he has become. He begins to hate the very thing that filled the void in his life. He simply says to himself that he will never go back to the chasm filled with sin anymore. That very day, he finds himself there again. He makes the promise again the next day but realizes that his thoughts are consumed with when he can escape from life and go and run through the flower-filled fields that he calls ecstasy. But now, when he is there in the chasm he realizes that it is a pit and he is trapped. He cannot get out of it. It holds him. He is enslaved. He is in bondage. He made a choice to chase it but now he cannot make a choice to escape it. Now his whole life is a hole. Relationships that he once enjoyed are being torn apart. The character that was once upstanding has turned upside down and is now being exposed for the whole world to see. Natural consequences from spending everything for the addiction now begins to rain destruction on him and he begins to see how his bad choices now affect everyone around him. This is addiction. This is life without Christ in the void.
Life is spent trying to fill this hole with anything and everything imaginable. Sin temporarily attempts to fill the hole but it is never enough to sustain fullness. The hole is constantly emptying and more things are chased and even caught to try to cram into this emptiness.
Every human being on planet earth is born into depression (even though he does not realize it) because nothing fills the void. Failure to fill the chasm becomes a broken record in the life of the victim. Alcohol, illicit drugs, prescription painkillers, pornography, romance novels, gambling, television, power in business, food for comfort, an adulterous affair and worldly wealth are examples of what humans chase to fill the crater in their chest. These things they aggressively seek until the devil hooks them with the one desire of their heart that becomes a place of solace. "The devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). Ironically, whenever the stresses of this world become too much, the canyon that caused them so much pain and sorrow is now the first place they run because it is filled with the newfound love that has hooked them.
This newfound love becomes and obsession. The once-depressed individual is now fooled into a false joy that only lasts while the individual is swimming in the water of their addiction that is filling the abyss. Then, the newly elated individual begins to only be happy in the very crater that they once hated. They do not ever want to leave the place that gives them the most pleasure—the empty hole that has now been filled with sin. They are wallowing in it and they love it. It becomes their god and they begin to worship it with all of their resources. They begin to give more of their time to it. They begin to give more of their money to it. They begin to give more of their energy to it. They begin to give more of their heart to it. The obsession takes hold.
The individual cannot remember the days when this hole was the only thing in life that was empty. Now that this hole is filled with the devil’s toys, the rest of life begins to become empty. The cliff has now become the very place that the individual runs to in anticipation of escaping life. Over the cliff and into the abyss surrounded by comforting demons and lies.
Soon, there is not enough time to spend in fantasyland. Soon there is not enough money to allow them to stay for as long as they want. Family begins to get in the way. Work begins to get in the way (unless this is the addiction). They no longer desire to spend time with their spouse, the other parts of life that were O.K. before, now start to become an obstacle to time spent in the chasm. The alcoholic can’t go to Cracker Barrel and eat because they do not serve his addiction. The internet pornography addict does not want his wife and kids to be home because this keeps him from the only thing in life that brings him happiness. The young mother becomes angry with her children for interrupting her favorite television shows because they are the only things that numbs her from her stressful duties. The middle-aged woman locks herself in her bathroom to savor the Hershey bars that she keeps hidden under the sink. The gambler can’t go to Disney World with his family on a Saturday or Sunday because there is no media outlet to tell him who is winning the game that he has money on.
At some point, hopefully the addict begins to despise what he has become. He begins to hate the very thing that filled the void in his life. He simply says to himself that he will never go back to the chasm filled with sin anymore. That very day, he finds himself there again. He makes the promise again the next day but realizes that his thoughts are consumed with when he can escape from life and go and run through the flower-filled fields that he calls ecstasy. But now, when he is there in the chasm he realizes that it is a pit and he is trapped. He cannot get out of it. It holds him. He is enslaved. He is in bondage. He made a choice to chase it but now he cannot make a choice to escape it. Now his whole life is a hole. Relationships that he once enjoyed are being torn apart. The character that was once upstanding has turned upside down and is now being exposed for the whole world to see. Natural consequences from spending everything for the addiction now begins to rain destruction on him and he begins to see how his bad choices now affect everyone around him. This is addiction. This is life without Christ in the void.
God Speaks Through His Word
I am reading through God's Word this year with a friend of mine. We all need accountability! We are using the book For The Love of God by D.A. Carson. Anyway, today the Lord continued hammering me about who He is and how much He loves me. The first chapter I read this morning was Job 38. God is speaking to Job after Job and his friends have guessed and guessed at why God would have allowed such attrocities to happen in Job's life . . . (God had allowed Satan to take everything from Job including his children and possessions). God answers Job's questions with His own questions. He asks Job during a terrible frightening storm "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now gird up your loins like a man. And I will ask you, and you instruct Me?" Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding." God goes on to question Job in the rest of the chapter. God's Word is timeless. God is also questioning me for questioning Him! Who do I think I am? Who am I to question God in His ways? He has purposes beyond my miniscule life, purposes that I cannot know outside of my earthly bubble. I have strayed back to a time before my salvation . . . a time when I thought the world revolved around me. How could I revert to this? I know that God spins this world around Christ. He wants me to be Christocentric. God wants more out of us than mere understanding. He wants my life to revolve around Christ and His purposes. I revert to being Birch-centric. How doesthis story end? I could not help but skip forward to Chapter 42 as Job answers "I have heard and my eyes see You, therefore I retract and I repent in dust and ashes."
If this was all there was to God's Word then we would be left with a very different God than I know. Yes, the God of Job is the God of Jesus Christ, but there are so many other attributes of Yahweh. The second chapter that I was to read this morning was Luke 23. My God is One of balance. He is sovereign and thank You God that You are loving and merciful! Luke 23 is the trial of Jesus and His crucifixion. Pilate tells the chief priests "I have found no guilt in this man."
But they creid out all together, saying "Away with this man, and release for us Barabbus!" God forgive me!!!! I am the chief priests! I am Barabbus! I crucified my Lord (chief priests) and I was the guilty man (Barabbus) that was freed because of my Saviours death, burial and glorious resurrection!
In case you are wondering, this is the love portion of God. He gave His Son for a rotten, stinking onion like me who continues to question His love for me even today. Oh, forgive me Father. Holy Spirit please take prayers to the Father that I don't even know to pray so that my trust, faith and love for Abba Father will be strengthened. Continue to burden me with the empty souls who do not yet know of this love. Burden me to action. Weigh me down with their souls.
If this was all there was to God's Word then we would be left with a very different God than I know. Yes, the God of Job is the God of Jesus Christ, but there are so many other attributes of Yahweh. The second chapter that I was to read this morning was Luke 23. My God is One of balance. He is sovereign and thank You God that You are loving and merciful! Luke 23 is the trial of Jesus and His crucifixion. Pilate tells the chief priests "I have found no guilt in this man."
But they creid out all together, saying "Away with this man, and release for us Barabbus!" God forgive me!!!! I am the chief priests! I am Barabbus! I crucified my Lord (chief priests) and I was the guilty man (Barabbus) that was freed because of my Saviours death, burial and glorious resurrection!
In case you are wondering, this is the love portion of God. He gave His Son for a rotten, stinking onion like me who continues to question His love for me even today. Oh, forgive me Father. Holy Spirit please take prayers to the Father that I don't even know to pray so that my trust, faith and love for Abba Father will be strengthened. Continue to burden me with the empty souls who do not yet know of this love. Burden me to action. Weigh me down with their souls.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Angry With a Loving God
Back in September of 2008, my wife and I lost a baby boy to a stillbirth. His name is John Crawford. I cannot begin to tell you of the anger that poured from my heart as I watched my wife hurt so deeply at the loss of her son. I was extra angry because this is our second child that has not lived to full term. In August of 1998, Anna Kay was born into heaven and not into this world.
We have been blessed with three beautiful children in between these two ugly bookends of premature death. However, the pain of holding your tiny baby who was never allowed to take a breath, play kickball, laugh at their fruitcake daddy, whisper "I love you mommy", give their pop and nana a leg hug, or play Narnia with their brother and sisters. This is real pain. Pain that transcends emotion and weighs heavy in your gut . . . physical pain.
I have a seminary degree. I know a little something about theology. That is what originally made me angry about this "infant demise." God is sovereign. He is sovereign over all. People will say, "you never know, God might have been saving you from a handicapped child or a rebellious teenager or from this or from that." My answer to that is that my God knows everything and if he was saving us from a handicapped child then He could have allowed us NOT to get pregnant in the first place! Besides would we not have loved a handicapped child just as much? The bottom line is this . . . God allowed this to happen. That made me mad. Not only was I making funeral arraingements for my son but I had to watch my wife go through labor and delivery of our child whom she would never nurse and never sing to sleep. This is my wife. The one that I am instructed to love as Christ loved the church. The one whom I am to protect. A few years back I had given my life to Christ and that meant relinquishing my control to Him. I felt like I relinquioshed control to Someone who was not caring for my wife. I could do nothing to stop the train wreck of death that we held in that hospital room. God could have stopped this from happening and He chose not to. Did I mention that I was angry?
The delivery was on a Wednesday and I was to preach the following Sunday. How could I? Preach the Good News of Jesus Christ when I felt like He had abandoned me? I had told God when He calledme to preach His Word that I would always preach as if the present sermon would be my last. I would always preach as if the present sermon might be the last sermon that a listener might ever hear. That meant that I must be prepared. My heart must be prepared. I must be confessed. I must be passionate and believable. I had a choice. God had drawn a line in the sand. "Get right with me and preach or don't get right with me and don't preach." So I had it out with God, telling Him a thing or two. I finally got to the good stuff. I told God that I knew that the writer of Hebrews wrote that we have a High Priest (Jesus) who sympathizes with us in everything but I yelled at God that Jesus wasn't married and that HE NEVER LOST A SON!!!!!
The silence was deafening after God answered me. "No Birch, Christ never lost a son, but I did. I not only lost a Son, but I gave my Son. I gave my Son for you and for Suzanne. I do love you."
God drew a line in the sand because he wanted to draw me back to Him. He did not want me to go another second without knowing His infinite love for my wife and I. I cried out to God for forgiveness and let Him know that even though I did not understand that I would still trust. I do still trust the God of Jesus Christ. I preached that Sunday full of the Holy Spirit who came to my aid in my time of sorrow.
Suzanne and I went through some medical testing to see if we could/should try again for another child. The doctors found nothing and God granted us another pregnancy just two months later. That pregnancy ended this week. We did not bring Josiah Birch home from the hospital. We got to hold his tiny body in our hands again questionning God. Why could/would He allow us to get pregant again if this would be the outcome? Anger began to creep back in to my heart as I watched my wife hurting physically, emotionally and spiritually. A few hours after Josiah's birth, I sat in a surgery waiting room, alone. The doctors thought that Suzanne may be internally bleeding and so they rushed her into surgery. I sat all alone scared that I might lose my wife and the mother to my three children. God drew a line in the sand. "You are not alone. Do you trust me?" I knew this voice. It was the voice of my loving God who sent His only Son for me. He loves me and He loves my wife. I answered "yes" to His question. Do I trust Him? Yes! This life is filled with heartache and pain that was caused by human sin from the very beginning in the Garden of Eden. Pain and suffering are natural consequences of our rebellion against God. I have a hope in living with my Saviour forever. I have a hope of living a perfect Garden of Eden called heaven because of this Saviour who die and rose for me. Boy, will I ever feel silly as I enter heaven to be greeted by Jesus who will introduce me to Anna Kay, John Crawford and Josiah Birch. We did not get to live with them here on earth for a short time but we will worship our King forever and ever and ever beside each other. Thank you Jesus for the hope that we have in You. Even in this, may You be glorified.
We have been blessed with three beautiful children in between these two ugly bookends of premature death. However, the pain of holding your tiny baby who was never allowed to take a breath, play kickball, laugh at their fruitcake daddy, whisper "I love you mommy", give their pop and nana a leg hug, or play Narnia with their brother and sisters. This is real pain. Pain that transcends emotion and weighs heavy in your gut . . . physical pain.
I have a seminary degree. I know a little something about theology. That is what originally made me angry about this "infant demise." God is sovereign. He is sovereign over all. People will say, "you never know, God might have been saving you from a handicapped child or a rebellious teenager or from this or from that." My answer to that is that my God knows everything and if he was saving us from a handicapped child then He could have allowed us NOT to get pregnant in the first place! Besides would we not have loved a handicapped child just as much? The bottom line is this . . . God allowed this to happen. That made me mad. Not only was I making funeral arraingements for my son but I had to watch my wife go through labor and delivery of our child whom she would never nurse and never sing to sleep. This is my wife. The one that I am instructed to love as Christ loved the church. The one whom I am to protect. A few years back I had given my life to Christ and that meant relinquishing my control to Him. I felt like I relinquioshed control to Someone who was not caring for my wife. I could do nothing to stop the train wreck of death that we held in that hospital room. God could have stopped this from happening and He chose not to. Did I mention that I was angry?
The delivery was on a Wednesday and I was to preach the following Sunday. How could I? Preach the Good News of Jesus Christ when I felt like He had abandoned me? I had told God when He calledme to preach His Word that I would always preach as if the present sermon would be my last. I would always preach as if the present sermon might be the last sermon that a listener might ever hear. That meant that I must be prepared. My heart must be prepared. I must be confessed. I must be passionate and believable. I had a choice. God had drawn a line in the sand. "Get right with me and preach or don't get right with me and don't preach." So I had it out with God, telling Him a thing or two. I finally got to the good stuff. I told God that I knew that the writer of Hebrews wrote that we have a High Priest (Jesus) who sympathizes with us in everything but I yelled at God that Jesus wasn't married and that HE NEVER LOST A SON!!!!!
The silence was deafening after God answered me. "No Birch, Christ never lost a son, but I did. I not only lost a Son, but I gave my Son. I gave my Son for you and for Suzanne. I do love you."
God drew a line in the sand because he wanted to draw me back to Him. He did not want me to go another second without knowing His infinite love for my wife and I. I cried out to God for forgiveness and let Him know that even though I did not understand that I would still trust. I do still trust the God of Jesus Christ. I preached that Sunday full of the Holy Spirit who came to my aid in my time of sorrow.
Suzanne and I went through some medical testing to see if we could/should try again for another child. The doctors found nothing and God granted us another pregnancy just two months later. That pregnancy ended this week. We did not bring Josiah Birch home from the hospital. We got to hold his tiny body in our hands again questionning God. Why could/would He allow us to get pregant again if this would be the outcome? Anger began to creep back in to my heart as I watched my wife hurting physically, emotionally and spiritually. A few hours after Josiah's birth, I sat in a surgery waiting room, alone. The doctors thought that Suzanne may be internally bleeding and so they rushed her into surgery. I sat all alone scared that I might lose my wife and the mother to my three children. God drew a line in the sand. "You are not alone. Do you trust me?" I knew this voice. It was the voice of my loving God who sent His only Son for me. He loves me and He loves my wife. I answered "yes" to His question. Do I trust Him? Yes! This life is filled with heartache and pain that was caused by human sin from the very beginning in the Garden of Eden. Pain and suffering are natural consequences of our rebellion against God. I have a hope in living with my Saviour forever. I have a hope of living a perfect Garden of Eden called heaven because of this Saviour who die and rose for me. Boy, will I ever feel silly as I enter heaven to be greeted by Jesus who will introduce me to Anna Kay, John Crawford and Josiah Birch. We did not get to live with them here on earth for a short time but we will worship our King forever and ever and ever beside each other. Thank you Jesus for the hope that we have in You. Even in this, may You be glorified.
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