Tag: religion

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What is Pentecost Sunday?

Here is the bad news: Pentecost will likely not have the prestige of Christmas and Easter. In some ways, we are still trying to persuade evangelicals of the need for the Church Calendar. But we move on with our agenda. It is crucial to know that we are talking only about Classic Reformational and Lutheran celebrations, which include Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. In other words, these are conspicuously Christ-centered feasts. These feasts exalt the work and name of Jesus.

Some may say, “But we celebrate Easter all year long. Why do we have to set time aside to celebrate it in particular?” While this comment is noble, it is important to note that you can’t say everything all the time lest you say nothing at all. In other words, there is simply no way to celebrate all these events all the time. Hence, the Church has developed a way of celebrating, remembering, and internalizing the life of Jesus throughout the year.

So, what is Pentecost, and what are some ways we can celebrate this Feast?

Pentecost means the fiftieth day because it is the 50th day after Passover. This was also the Feast of the Harvest. In fact, we can say that Pentecost is the great fulfillment of all previous Pentecosts. The Old Testament Feasts led us to this fiery moment of redemptive history in the first century. The Great Harvest Feast is now being fulfilled, and God is harvesting the nations. Christ is sitting at the Father’s right hand, and the nations are being given to Jesus Christ as an inheritance (Ps. 110).

This year, Pentecost is from May 19th to November 30th.

How can I celebrate this Feast?

One way to be liturgically self-conscious is to practice a few things.

First, you should wear something red this Sunday. Remember the promise of Acts 2 that the Spirit would be poured out like fire. Pentecost is the re-birth of the Church. Red symbolizes the fire that came from heaven and empowered the Church as they moved from Jerusalem to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Secondly, use this time to talk to your children about the Holy Spirit. The Third Person of the Godhead is often set aside as the forgotten Person of the Trinity, but he should not be. We must remember that Jesus refers to the Spirit as our Comforter (Jn. 14:16). Reading Acts 2 and other passages about the work of the Spirit is a healthy way of bringing recognition to the One who is truly God.

Thirdly, allow this feast, which celebrates the reversal of Babel, to be a reminder that God has made a new humanity through his Spirit. We are no longer a divided ethnos; we are one new creation of Jews and Gentiles. Live out gospel reconciliation in every possible situation.

Fourthly, educate yourself about other Church traditions. As a Reformed pastor, I can honestly say that I have learned much from my Anglican, Lutheran, and Baptist brothers and sisters. Pentecost is a reminder that our differences should never cause us to divide from other Trinitarian believers.

Finally, do not be hopeless in this season. God has not left us orphans. The absence of Jesus’ physical body on earth means his presence at the right hand of the Father in heaven, ruling and reigning by his Spirit, forming a resurrected creation under his reign.

Christ is Risen! Rejoice greatly! The Spirit is among us!

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The Ascension House

Long ago, our Father in Heaven had a plan. His plan was to create the world as a theater to display his glory. The world was to be a house that reflected his name. The Shekinah glory was to remain there forever. But through many dangers, deceit, and downfalls, the house slowly lost the purpose the Builder had for it.

But you see, God’s construction plans are not like our building projects. His ways are not our ways. He was going to restore, rebuild, and reclaim his own house. This time, the house was not going to be built on spiritual adultery or religious idolatry. It would be built on the Rock, which was Christ.

In the life of Jesus, the foundation was poured on the earth. In his death, the wall and roof were placed to cover and shade the world. In his resurrection, fresh, clean water is available to the nations. He is the fountain of everlasting life. But there is one part of this earthly construction that is missing. There is a foundation, a roof to protect you from the storms, and running water to shower and quench our thirst, but now we need to turn the house on. We need the power to turn the refrigerator, stove, microwave, air conditioner, heater, fan, laptops, cell phones, etc., whatever it is to make this a functional operation. If this will be the kingdom’s headquarters, we need it on! We must activate the house so everyone can live with a purpose; we must ensure that the priesthood of the house is equipped to spread the story of the household far and wide.

The Ascension of Jesus is that singular event in history that gives life to everything; that sets everything into motion. It is the power that the Church needs to disciple the nations.

Without the Ascension, we are living in an almost finished property. But with the Ascension, the kingdom is not just ready, it is eager to be inhabited once and for all. The power is on. We can now move in together as a Church and take care of it. Let us prepare our hearts to celebrate the ascension of the master of the House; the reigning King, Jesus Christ.

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The Diligence of an Unknown Biblical Character Named Anah

I am working through Genesis and noticed a name that had not stuck in previous readings. His name is Anah. The reading in Genesis 36 references him in two verses:

These are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah; he is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he pastured the donkeys of Zibeon his father.

These are the chiefs of the Horites: the chiefs Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah…

Genesis 36:24, 29

He is singled out for his capabilities to be resourceful. Matthew Henry offers a lengthy praise for Anah in his Genesis commentary:

Particular notice is taken of one Anah who fed the asses of Zibeon his father (Gen. 36:24), and yet is called duke Anah, Gen. 36:29. Note, Those that expect to rise high should begin low. An honourable descent should not keep men from an honest employment, nor a mean employment hinder any man’s preferment. This Anah was not only industrious in his business, but ingenious too, and successful; for he found mules, or (as some read it) waters, hot-baths, in the wilderness. Those that are diligent in their business sometimes find more advantages than they expected.

Matthew Henry

The name itself. עָנָה  is probably translated “answer.” In Israel’s wilderness testing, he was their answer. He wasn’t content with the status quo, but went above and beyond as a leader/duke to provide for his people.

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A Resurrection Theology

Francis Shaeffer observed that “what we are in our thought world determines how we act.” The Apostle Paul articulates this point well in his resurrection theology. Underneath all the dismaying problems in Corinth, there was one massive theological fallacy: they denied the resurrection of the dead. By doing so, they rejected the “importance of the world God created.” And when you deny creation’s importance and the future of a renewed creation, morality is also denied a central place in our lives. We are not moralists, but we are moral. We are called to be moral and ethical because we correctly understand our bodies and their future in creation.

We do not preach the resurrection of Jesus so that you may find your human potential or enlightened self-understanding. We preach the resurrection of Jesus so you may live resurrected lives now, avoiding the deeds of the flesh and submitting to Christ as Lord of everything.

On the other hand, we do not preach the resurrection, so you may daydream about going to heaven and drinking the pietists’ champagne. The resurrection is not declared, so you can spend more time meditating and introspecting. The resurrection is declared so you may strive for righteousness and find joy and delight in serving our Lord.

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The Supper and the Pill

symbolic inscription on altar in church

In George MacDonald’s The Princess and Curdie, Curdie arrives at a city, and the city is described as a place where certain quacks advertise pills to enable people to think well of themselves. If you take this pill, you will get a boost of self-confidence; all your doubts and fears will go away. But, of course, this is a charlatan trickery, George MacDonal’d version of prosperity preachers.

In the City of God, no pills are required. We may struggle with our self-worth, and we may live our lives in doubt of who we are, who we intend to be, and where we are going, but the Gospel re-arranges all these things in the person of Jesus. Christ is our worth, our life and our intentions and future are wrapped up in him.

The Supper is not a pill to boost your self-confidence. On the contrary, the Supper is the objective proof of our confidence. Today, we come to this table because we live in a post-resurrection world. Christ has died! Christ is risen! Christ will come again! We do not come to a table of fear but a table of empty-tomb joy! So, welcome to the resurrection table!

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John Frame on Theological Definitions

One of the greatest joys of my life was spending four years under Prof. John Frame at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, FL. Those four years also included an independent study with him on Abraham Kuyper. It was that one semester that cemented my affection for the Dutch theologian. Since then, I have not looked back. I started a website named Kuyperian Commentary, wrote articles on Kuyper, lectured on Kuyper, and most recently wrote a new introduction to a reprint of his classic work, “Lectures on Calvinism.”

The impetus for such pursuits always goes back to my old mentor, John Frame. He taught me what it meant to pursue biblical fidelity. As he states in his Systematic Theology, he taught me that theological definitions must measure up to Scripture, not the other way around.” ((Systematic Theology, 4)” Frame sealed my love for the Bible as more than one revelation, or one authority among many, but as the ultimate authority over other legitimate authorities. Further, he instilled the sense that biblical definitions are given as the grammar of heaven. It is not merely sufficient to see the Scripture as a place for safety from heresies but to look to it as the source of safety itself for the Christian.

Frame adds that while some may differ in their definitions from us, it does not necessarily mean that we are at odds but may be approaching things from a different perspective. We may even share distinct ideas on the application, but we may be in harmony regarding the nature of the task. Therefore, we have to seek points of commonality first and foremost before engaging in the task of polemics.

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All Saints: God’s Benediction Upon Martyrs

We celebrate —together with a vast majority of Christian Churches in the world–the feast of All Saints. On this day, we honor and remember the saints gone before us. Traditionally, All Saints Day is the day after All Hallowed Eve on October 31st, and the Church celebrates it on the closest Sunday to the first of November.

All Saints Day is also known as the day when we celebrate the hallowed ones, those who have been honored by God because of their faithful lives. The Bible does this frequently when it says that we must give honor to whom honor is due (Prov. 3:27) and when it lists the great heroes of the faith and praises them for their mighty actions in the face of grave danger (Heb. 11). All Saints’ Day is the benediction of God upon martyrs, the “well done” upon the faithful, and the clothing in white robes on all those who, from their labors rest.

By celebrating the life of the saints, ultimately, we are celebrating the death of death. We celebrate that in the death of the faithful ones, Satan has been mocked. In fact, All Saints testify to the humiliation of the devil and evil throughout history. The Christian Church rejoices over evil by mocking death. The third-century theologian Athanasius gives a good example of the early church’s attitude toward death:

“Death has become like a tyrant who has been completely conquered by the legitimate monarch; bound hand and foot the passers-by jeer at him, hitting him and abusing him, no longer afraid of his cruelty and rage, because of the king who has conquered him. So has death been conquered and branded for what it is by the Saviour on the cross. It is bound hand and foot, all who are in Christ trample it as they pass and as witnesses to Him deride it, scoffing and saying, “O Death, where is thy victory? O Grave, where is thy sting?” (1 Cor. 15: 55).”

Only the Gospel gave people hope that death could be defeated and reversed. Only the Gospel promised people glory at death and even more glorious resurrection life at the end of history. The reality is paganism cannot compete with All Saints’ Day because paganism cannot offer hope after death. The Christian message can offer a definitive answer to death. Jesus is the answer to death’s grip because Jesus overcame the grip of death.
#allsaints 

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Charge to Athanasius Presbytery

The life of the ministry is a life of theological self-giving. The minister gives away wisdom, learning, and life in everything he does. The very clerical collar he wears is a sign of that sacrificial life.

Paul’s words to Timothy fit this profile:

…give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

A minister must rightly divide the word of truth. He must be a compelling interpreter, a respecter of the Word’s purity, internal logic, and redemptive flow. This is the standard for ministers as they come to be examined, and it is the expectation of those must give an account to our Great Shepherd.

Among the pastoral candidates who came for ordination in Geneva under the tutelage of the Company of Pastors, the vast majority were properly equipped theologically; they were not ashamed of the Word and their calling. However, some of them lacked theological gravitas prompting pastor Antoine de La Faye to say that a few were not even “qualified to watch goats.” Those were often sent home to study for a season or encouraged to find other professions. It reminds me of the advice my old professor Steve Brown gave to a young man after hearing him preach: “Young man, can you do anything else?” This is far from a harsh assessment; indeed, not many should be teachers.

Calvin viewed ministerial preparation as essential to developing a healthy city; thus, putting into place learning academies and offering opportunities for theological growth became an essential component of the city’s learning revolution. Calvin’s zeal for proper training of pastoral candidates came from what he viewed as a lack of equipped pastors in the day. Further, there were some clear signs that “vagabond ministers” traveling around Europe were causing dissension and assuming leadership positions “without oversight.”

The impetus for pastoral training was an outworking of the general premise Calvin had for regular Christian living. One could say that for Calvin, the process of doing theology was to adore God, and one could only adore God rightly by learning theology.

The training process equipped candidates to endure the lengthy but careful ordination process, which included examining piety and theology. “The Venerable Company” had a disposition towards candidates whose training included the liberal arts, biblical exegesis, theology, and practical experience. The preparatory season occurred in community settings where candidates were encouraged to attend Hebrew and Greek lectures and sharpen their rhetorical and dialectic skills.

Certain days were set aside for pastoral candidates to deliver sermons in the presence of members of the Venerable Company and test their abilities to debate issues confronting the civil and ecclesiastical scene of the day. With the learning process completed, Calvin and Beza, and other members of the Company of Pastors led the ordination process. Biblical knowledge took a central focus in the examining process under the assumption that if a candidate did not know his Bible well, his ministry would not prosper under God’s guidance.

The ordination examination had three sections. First, there was an examination for the candidates, which lasted for about two hours on various theological issues about the biblical text. Second, following the principles laid in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1, the pastoral candidate underwent examination concerning his moral standing in his familial and public life. Finally, there were trial sermons where the candidate provided an astute presentation of a text to reveal his ability to properly divide the word of truth and his skills to handle the text. The process was long and tedious, but Calvin believed that if a new reformation was to inundate the land, ministers should be men of learning committed to the authority of the Bible and pious servants of the great Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

It is our privilege today to continue with the next three candidates for pastoral ministry. The examining committees have affirmed that these men have shown enough knowledge in all these fields to come before the presbytery. And they have assured me that they are equipped to enter into Gospel ministry. We hope that these examinations will serve more as additional confirmation of their call, and we are eager to rejoice that God has called these brothers to share in the life of theological self-giving for the sake of the flock.

Let us pray: O God of eternal praise, you have equipped and called these your servants to the frontlines of Gospel activity in your holy church. Remind them of the gracious call to serve your flock, and give them the wisdom to remember, rejoice, and reflect on your kindness through Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd, Amen.

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The Heaven of Hospitality, Part 1

Many years ago, shortly after we were married, we decided to invest in this hospitality business. We had heard the tapes, knew our biblical imperatives and came across some really dangerous authors who told us that hospitality was not an option. I regret ever having served my neighbor with food and laughter…said no one ever!

I remember inviting over a fairly wealthy family. The father was a gentle soul who was very successful in his labors. They accepted our invitation, and when we returned home from church to get everything ready, it dawned on us that our table could only fit four people, but they were a family of 6. Our apartment was slightly over 700 square feet, and we only had four chairs.

After some deliberation, we decided to sit on the floor and eat, to which they happily agreed. I remember being slightly embarrassed, but our concerns faded when we started eating and laughing. It was one of the most memorable Sundays in my life!

Here is the truth, as black as Amazonian coffee: those who do not practice hospitality fail to taste the goodness of God. It’s plain and simple. When Paul said, “do hospitality” (διώκοντες (Rom. 12:13; root word engages the concept of “persecution;” think of happily persecuting hospitality), he said that we are to be zealous for this gift.

For Paul and many other biblical authors, hospitality was a visible demonstration of our baptism into Christ. Christ hosts us in his body, and we host others in our abode. We improve our baptisms by baptizing others into our baptized life around a table.

We shall deal with practicalities throughout, but we must begin this conversation with an important principle found in Solomon. Proverbs 15:17 says: “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.” The Bible uses the image of a “fattened ox” to represent the finest foods available. The contrast is significant in this text because love is preferred over the best foods. Abundance and hatred do not go hand in hand. Abundance and hatred produce an un-godly environment–an environment where people do not want to be. Wealth and hatred only lead to disaster, but wealth of love is the secret ingredient to hospitality.

In one of my favorite Johnny Cash songs, he writes:

It’s not the barley or the wheat

It’s not the oven or the heat

That makes this bread so good to eat

It’s the needing and the sharing that makes the meal complete.

What makes a meal complete is the sense of sharing and passing and needing oneness in the context of a table, even if that table comes from the meager earnings of a college student or a widow. At that moment, when we are joined, something mystical occurs: we are imitating a table of kings and queens. Whether with herbs or the finest meal, the very presence of image-bearers partaking of food and drink forms a sacred bond that affirms our love for God and one another.

And for this entire thing to run as good as a hot cup of ramen noodles in a cold college dorm, we need the recipe of love. We don’t need abundance; we need only a few grateful saints around a table sharing stories and affirming the image-bearing status of one another; for where two or three are gathered around a table, God is in their midst.

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How to read the Gospels?

To study the Gospels is to study the first-century context in its depth. To read the first four books that shape the main corpus of the story of Jesus is to inundate ourselves in a world that is foreign to our eyes, our ears, and our taste. We are called to experience the dusty days of Jerusalem and the rain of God’s mercies among stubborn people. When we read the Gospels in their fullness, we find our own lives ingrained in the doubts of the disciples, the victories of the kingdom, and the corporate undoing of Jesus’ antagonists.

This entire endeavor begins early as we consider the genealogy of Jesus. There, in that vast array of heroic characters, we are considering a long line from Abraham to Mary that connects the Scriptures in all its covenant unity. It traces the lineage of our forefathers with the precision of a scalpel surgically tuned to its purpose. Far from tedious, it reveals in vivid language the precipitous fall of every attempt to break the sacred line. The Scriptures stir the imagination to see the unfolding drama of the sacred violence of old and the new sacred peace far as the curse is found; the journey through the wilderness to the arrival at the promised mount of Calvary.

To read the Gospels is to witness the fulfillment of history, the impending doom of an old world that was ready to die to make room for a new world. This new world brings with it the entire glory of Old Covenant history to the forefront as the writers retrace the steps of Israel leading to her final days in the destruction of the Temple. Yet, in Israel’s final days, God’s saints are not left to wander again in the wilderness, but a new Israel steps in to relive Israel’s history and journey through the wilderness to triumph over every failure of Israel’s past. In Jesus, the old Israel gives way to a new Israel with a new Moses and a new kingdom.

The Gospels set the stage for the subversion of the present authority structures by a new-born King whose very presence rifled Satan’s fold and the Herodian throne. In his birth, he overthrows the principalities of the day and fulfills the promise to be a light to the Gentiles. Jesus’ Epiphany glory in his infancy provides the environment for everything else that unfolds in the New Covenant Scriptures. For in his birth, the Gentiles appear, the religious leaders sneer, the earthly powers jeer, and the angels cheer. Indeed, the life of Jesus’ birth signals the future ministry of Jesus bringing blessings to the Gentiles, conflicting with the religious leaders, provoking political figures to take a stand and to receive the ministry of angelic beings and the glorious saints.

The Gospels introduce us to a world that is perishing under the weight and burden of sin only to engulf us into a new world where righteousness and hope prevail. The kingship of Jesus becomes the Gospels’ exceedingly great project: to reveal Christ as Lord and to see his kingship confound worldly wisdom and bring salvation to the cosmos. 

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