Restore Your Persevering Joy by Habit forming Obedience
That leaves us with a final question. How do we make this kind of a commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ and His local church?
In his novel Cold War in Hell, Harry Blamires describes English villagers exiting a quaint chapel after Sunday Evensong. Lamiel, an angel, and an unnamed, still skeptical companion are observing the scene. Their conversation goes like this:
“That is a good thing to see,” said Lamiel.
I thought [Lamiel’s comment] rather a sentimental utterance. . . . I decided to take him up on it.
“Can we really decide whether it is a good thing, when we don’t know what these people are thinking or feeling?” I asked.
“We can indeed,” Lamiel replied.
“But suppose they go to church only because they think it is the proper thing to do?” . . .
“What better reason is there for going to church? Would you have them go on the grounds that it is an improper thing to do?” . . .
“Well,” I said, “for all we know, they may have sat through a church service, paying very little attention to what they said or to what was said to them.”
“Knowing human beings,” said Lamiel, “I should think that almost certain to be the case.”
“Then isn’t it very hypocritical?”
“Nonsense,” said Lamiel. “It is merely human, in a justifiable sense of that much abused word. . . . They certainly cannot live at a feverish level of intellectual concentration or spiritual activity for more than a few moments at a time. They must necessarily go through a great deal of unanalyzed repetition in the course of public worship. Does that detract from the value of their worship?”
“Their hearts ought to be in it—” I began, but Lamiel interrupted me.
“Their hearts are most certainly in it, or they wouldn’t be there. They’d be in a pub instead. Let me ask you a question. Suppose your son comes into your room in the evening before he goes to bed. And suppose he says, `Good night, Father.’ Would you stop him and rebuke him, asking, `My boy, did you really mean that? Was your heart in it?’ Of course not. His heart is in it, for he does it. He does it because he knows it is the proper thing to do. . . . In the same way, men go to church not only because they wish to worship God, but in order that they may wish to worship God.”
Lamiel understood the necessity of practicing that which is proper in order to nourish obedience in the heart and life. Paul said, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (4:11). We learn to be content by being content. We learn obedience by being obedient. We learn to be unselfish by being unselfish.
Committing Ourselves to the Gospel
As a pastor, I saw people come and go—like the wind, like the tide. I was the most skeptical of those who bulldoze into my office declaring, “God has led me here!” They sound spiritual. But I usually discover an attitude that seeks self fulfillment above the good of the congregation. As soon as any restrictions or limitations are mentioned—or they hear of better opportunities elsewhere—they’re gone. Rare are the words: “I believe God would have me make a commitment to this church—despite how I feel or the condition of the church.”
Commitment to anything is hard. Commitment to Church life is harder yet, for everything—our human nature and our culture—works against such staying power commitment. But we all need to start somewhere.
Why not start with some habit forming, character developing commitments? First, commit yourself to attend regularly one church—only one. Before long, you will discover other commitments that you need to make: serving, praying and eventually—as God opens the opportunity—leading.
Commit yourself to church life—to a church’s life. It is necessary if your own spirituality is to be revived. It is necessary for the health of the Church—your church. You must make decisions that produce life long character traits which run counter to cultural expectations.
David Wells concludes his book God in the Wasteland with an exhortation befitting contemporary Christian men and women. He writes:
“If it is for God, for His truth, for His people, for the alienated and trampled in life, then [the Church] must give up what the post modern world holds most dear. It must give up the freedom to do anything it happens to desire. It must give up self cultivation for self surrender, entertainment for worship, intuition for truth, slick marketing for authentic witness, success for faithfulness, power for humility, a God bought on cheap terms for the God who calls us to a costly obedience. It must, in short, be willing to do God’s business on God’s terms. As it happens, that idea is actually quite old, as old as the New Testament itself, but in today’s world it is novel all over again.”
Persevering joy can be restored to our lives and the life of our churches. But it will not come through the instant cash machine or the fast food restaurants or our pluralistic, privatized North American frame of mind.
It will come when we submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and commit ourselves to the welfare of His Church—our church.
I hope you have enjoyed this thread on Philippians 4. This thread is adapted from a chapter in my book,
Destroying Our Private Cities, Building Our Spiritual Life
.
Although I’d appreciate you buying the book, you can obtain another free chapter by following this link > Putting Jesus Back into Our Potential.
As you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God (4:15 19).
A Commercial Economic Overtone
There was also a commercial economic ring to Paul’s comment about their gift. The NASB translates the latter half of 4:17: “but I seek for the profit which increases your account.” The profit is literally the fruit (karpon) that will result from their continued share in advancing the gospel. And of course there will be eternal reward as well. Throughout the letter, Paul has been concerned for their own advance in the faith (1:25; 2:16; 4:1). Homer Kent catches Paul’s intention in his interpretation of this text:
Paul’s readers must not suppose that he is primarily concerned with their gift as such, but rather in the development of the grace of giving among them…Their spiritual growth was the fruit Paul desired, and to this end he directed his ministry.
Paul was ultimately concerned about their spiritual growth, not his well being. The implication, then, is that the “account” we should be most concerned about is not our earthly bank account (that is, our economic survival), but the divine account in heaven (3:20; Matthew 6:19 24).
Paul received from the Philippians everything he needed (Philippians 4:18). He described this gift as “a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.” It demonstrated to Paul that the Philippians were taking steps to rise above their circumstances. It was a positive move toward corporate spiritual health. Paul elsewhere describes Christ’s gift of grace in very similar terms: “Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2). The Philippians’ gift was of the highest quality; it confirmed to Paul that they had the mind of Christ.
Because of their gift, Paul can assure the Philippians, “My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (4:19).
Again we must ask, What needs? Should we shrink this to the lowest common denominator of personal, private needs? Of course God will supply our personal needs, as Jesus promised in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:25 34). But in the context of the letter Paul is about to conclude, he has in mind their “church needs” for spiritual health. This text, despite those who would privatize it, seeks to raise our lives above petty rivalry, the search for self fulfillment, the satisfying of our self interests. It reminds us that true contentment is found in our participation in the gospel.
Conclusion: Keep God’s Glory in Mind
Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (4:20).
Paul could not help ending his exhortation with the ultimate exhortation: “To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (4:20). This benediction separates Christianity from everything else: from other religions, from our culture, from our individual self interests. It is God’s glory that we seek, not out own.
When Paul wrote this letter, likely in the early 60s, the only glory having government approval was Caesar’s glory—his throne, his dominion, his power and honor. But it is not an earthly, temporal potentate that we glorify. It is the Creator God—our God and Father. It is His glory that we promote. It is the good news of His Son, our Savior, which we proclaim. It is by the strength of His indwelling Holy Spirit that we stand firm. Caesar’s glory died when he died. He could not even take it with him to the grave. By contrast, God’s glory is forever and ever. Our allegiance is to the eternal God.
Paul’s benediction moves us past the earthly concerns that plague us and our churches. It fixes our eyes on eternal verities.
Do Not Overlook the Greetings
The letter has ended with the benediction. But not quite. Frequently we overlook the greetings at the end of Paul’s letters. We suppose they have little relevancy to us. But Paul often used his greetings to reemphasize the major concerns of the letter. The greetings at the end of Philippians are no exception:
Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit (4:21 23).
A person cannot escape the literary finesse of these closing verses. First, Paul emphasizes the joint partnership of the “saints.” It is to these “saints” that “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ” is to be manifested. Yes, the reference to “your spirits” is intended to mean each one’s own spirit. But we cannot forget that Paul has already exhorted the Philippians to “stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel” (1:27). We remember that their “fellowship with the Spirit” is to produce persevering joy (2:1 2).
Even as he concludes, Paul pushes the whole Philippian congregation toward persevering joy through participation in the task of the gospel. Paul’s high view of the Church and his desire for its health is pivotal to the advancement of the gospel. He refers to the Christians in “Caesar’s household.” He is subtly saying that despite the Church’s conflict with Caesar, the gospel has penetrated Caesar’s imperial palace.
This thread is adapted from a chapter in my book,
Destroying Our Private Cities, Building Our Spiritual Life. For a free chapter, follow this link >
Putting Jesus Back into Our Potential.
I am far, far from brilliant. Sometime I exhibit some good levels of smarts. But in any comparison to the levels of genius of a person like Stephen Hawking, I have the intelligence of a rock. But even the world’s smartest can make a logical blunder. In Hawking’s book on how science is the new end and be all for determining the answers to the questions of life, he commits two logical fallacies right away in the very first two paragraphs of his Grand Design.
Hawking states in his opening: “How can we understand the world in which we find ourselves? How does the universe behave? What is the nature of reality? Where did all this come from? Did the universe need a creator? Most of us do not spend most of our time worry about these questions, but almost all of us worry about them some of the time.” Then, states, “Traditionally these are questions for philosophy, but philosophy is dead.”
So wild. In a book on how science has arisen to answer all the questions of existence, the smartest guy on the planet uses philosophy to say “philosophy is dead.” This is not a scientific conclusion. It is a philosophical one. So, not so dead after all.
Second, if the era of philosophical inquiry is over for answering the ultimate questions of life and now it is science that has arisen in it’s place, how do we know science will not also be replaced at some point in the future? And, what science has made this an ultimate conclusion? Even M theory is just that, an theory, which is the basis for Hawking’s ascertain that philosophy is dead and science is the new god on the hill. (That is String theory for those who are wondering.)
Despite the brilliance, faith and first assumptions still are quite alive and well.
“Scientists as a class are rationalists, at least in the limited sense of believing without qualification in the necessity of reason .... Young scientists must however never be tempted into mistaking the necessity of reason for the sufficiency of reason. Rationalism falls short of answering the many simple and childlike questions people like to ask: questions about origins and purposes such as are often contemptuously dismissed as nonquestions or pseudoquestions, although people understand them clearly enough and long to have the answers. These are intellectual pains that rationalists–like bad physicians confronted by ailments they cannot diagnose or cure – are apt to dismiss as ‘imagination.’ It is not to rationalism that we look for answers to these simple questions because rationalism chides the endeavour to look at all.” ~ Sir Peter Medawar, the renown British biologist in his book, Advice to a Young Scientists
I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.
True Commitment Is a Learned Experience
Paul continues his remarks about contentment in 4:12 13. He explains that it comes by experience. He had learned to be content, both when he had plenty and when he was wanting.
When Paul admits, “I know what it is to be in need,” he is alluding to his effort to be like Jesus in His humility. He uses the word tapeinousthai for what the various translations render “need,” “want,” “poverty.” It is the same word Paul used to describe Jesus’ humble choice to leave His privileged position in heaven to become a man. Elsewhere, Paul uses the same word to indicate that his lifestyle is similar to, or an imitation of, his Lord’s (1 Corinthians 4:11 13; 2 Corinthians 6:4 5; 11:23 29; 4:8 9).
Do not misread Paul’s word plenty. We are inclined to imagine it in terms of our affluent material abundance. Paul was likely referring to the Philippians’ gift. He was saying, in reality, “I have learned to be content with the gifts that have been graciously supplied by people like yourselves.”
Think back. Have you ever been given a gift and thought to yourself, This is not enough or So and so got more? Even when we receive, we can tend to think we deserve more or better. But that is not the way to learn contentment. We learn contentment by rejoicing when we receive anything that supplies our needs.
So Paul was not talking just about material affluence or its lack. He had learned to be content in his position as a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. He had learned contentment because he had given himself to a lifestyle that centered on the gospel. And this lifestyle put him in circumstances where he was deprived of needs. Moreover, he had learned to be content whether or not those needs were met. The ancient Agur understood this principle. He prayed:
Two things I ask of you, O LORD, do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me;give me neither poverty nor riches,but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, “Who is the LORD?”Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God (Proverbs 30:7 9).
Contentment comes in learning to live as one committed to a lifestyle worthy of the gospel (Phil 1:27).
True Contentment Is Found in Participating in the Gospel
Elsewhere in his correspondence, Paul indicates his self sufficiency (2 Corinthians 11:23 29). But this is not an arrogant attitude. As one writer put it, Paul was able to be self sufficient because he was totally committed to the All Sufficient One. Paul says here, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Thus the secret of contentment is dependence—dependence on God.
This verse has suffered at the hands of our contemporary, privatized faith. We read it through the lens of our North American experience. Because we are often seeking to be fulfilled and free and successful, we can misread the text. Often it comes out this way: “I, myself, can do any and everything through Him who is all powerful and gives me the strength to succeed at whatever I put my hand to.” That is more a revelation of our modern attitude than a true understanding of Paul’s intention.
When Paul says “I can do everything,” he did not mean every single thing possible. He meant he could deal with “all things [panta]” (NASB) that came his way while he served the Church and participated in the work of the gospel.
This understanding is further underscored by Paul’s use of the word endunamoun. Literally it means “I have the power to,” or, “I am able to.” Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10; cf. 6:11). Paul told Timothy he had been strengthened by Christ “because He considered me faithful, putting me into service” (1 Timothy 1:12, NASB). And in a later letter, he encouraged Timothy to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1). Paul was well aware that Timothy would encounter suffering and hardship as he ministered the gospel.
Paul spoke to Timothy from experience. He himself had frequent need to call on that source of power. Referring to his civil trial, Paul says, “The Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it” (2 Timothy 4:17). Paul found strength for ministry in the strength of his Lord.
Philippians 4:13 is quoted to promote success in everything from business and sports to education and other self fulfilling endeavors. Those are misuses of the Scripture. Power—and Spirit given contentment—are granted to those who harness their lives for the advancement of the gospel, not the advancement of self.
Contentment Enables the Local Church to Rise above Circumstances
Paul’s model for contentment quickly moves from personal to corporate. We must keep in mind that the health and welfare of the local church is the issue Paul addresses in this letter. He goes on: “Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles” (4:14).
Paul uses a supercharged word to refer to their sharing in his ministry troubles. It is the word sugkoinonesantes. You will recognize the word koinonia, “fellowship,” in the center of it. This verb is built on the word koinonia. Paul draws on his previous references to fellowship, partnership, and participation in the gospel (1:5, 7 11). Throughout the letter he has spoken of their sharing in his ministry (1:7, 29 30; 2:17) and especially here in 4:10 19. Out of their own “poverty” (2 Corinthians 11:8 9) they gave to the furtherance of the gospel by providing for Paul’s needs. He tells them,
As you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need (4:15 16).
Once again Paul expresses gratitude for the Philippians’ gift. But it is not the gift that is the final object of his appreciation. He adds: “Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account” (4:17).
Paul was applying an ancient, inspired principle in God’s kingdom: Obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22; 51:16 17; Isaiah 1:11 20; Hosea 6:6). The New English Bible puts it this way: “I do not mean to say that I have set my heart on the gift.” Paul was acknowledging the Philippians’ decision to rise above their “severe trial” and “extreme poverty” (2 Corinthians 8:2) to participate in the gospel. That is the Church’s task! Personal contentment and church health are restored when each congregation commits itself to advance the gospel.
This thread is adapted from a chapter in my book,
Destroying Our Private Cities, Building Our Spiritual Life. For a free chapter, follow this link >
Putting Jesus Back into Our Potential.
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction. You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (4:10 19).
Our Level of Commitment Determines Our Level of Contentment
What contributes to our discontent? our restlessness? Three often suggested culprits are material affluence, self centeredness, and our success orientation. We acknowledge the validity of the observations. Yet we continue to indulge. The contemporary ideas of “fulfillment” and the consumer environment (material affluence) are powerful influences on our dispositions and habits.
We live in an environment of choice. Choice has become the most operative word in our society. As Christians we may be appalled by the advocates of abortion choice or lifestyle choice or entertainment choice. But we too enjoy the pluralistic nature of our culture. It offers us freedom, power, fulfillment. Living in such a milieu actually works against our contentment for the things of the gospel.
In his book A Far Glory, Peter Berger underscores the tensions created by pluralism—the multitude of options we face. He points out how these choices are ingrained in our cultural experience. Berger looks on pluralism as a social state of affairs. Society multiplies our choices at every level, whether the choices are commercial or ideas. This makes it very difficult to maintain unique, distinct and deeply held convictions about anything.
Our problem is that we are almost forced to view Christianity within the framework of pluralism. And this reveals, at least partially, the reason for most of our discontentment—with God, with church and with the Christian life. We will not see this remedied until we stop viewing Christianity as a choice.
Paul used the matter of giving and receiving to help the Philippian congregation rid itself of anxiety (4:6 7) and cure itself of the perils of self interests (2:1 4). He writes:
I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it (4:10).
Paul was responding to their kind gift that supplied his needs while he was under house arrest. Likely they sent food, clothing, possibly money, and perhaps reading material. The evident delay in the gift’s arrival may have been due to their financial lack. It is also possible that Epaphroditus, the messenger, became ill while en route to Rome (cf. 2:25ff).
Most English translations mask an important Greek phrase Paul uses to acknowledge the Philippians’ gift. The words your concern for me are derived from Paul’s frequently used word for “thinking”—phonein. Without making 4:10 too wooden literal, Paul was saying,
“I greatly rejoice in the Lord that at last you are thinking rightly by ministering to my needs for the cause of the gospel” [my translation].
In other words, they were right in thinking about Paul in this way.
Although Paul appreciated their gift, his joy came from their frame of mind that led them to share, once again, in the advancement of the gospel. That moved Paul to use this occasion to explain true Christian contentment. He uses his own life as the model.
True Contentment Rises above Circumstances
At first glance it might appear that Paul did not think very highly of the Philippians’ gift. He says in 4:11: “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” The gift from the Philippians was good not just because it met Paul’s need, but because it showed a hopeful turn of attitude for the church in Philippi. It indicated that they could rise above their circumstances to demonstrate appropriate Christian thinking.
Paul was saying, in effect, “Yes, I had legitimate needs that your gift supplied, but it is not the gift that causes me to rejoice. I rejoice because you gave. You rose above your anxiety and self interests to minister for the gospel’s sake. For you see, I too have learned to rise above my circumstances. And this has led me to be content no matter the circumstances.”
Today Christian life and church life are not built on any real sense of objectivity. This has turned everything on its head. Admittedly, the self focus that characterizes much of church life and church growth today has been highly successful. But it has come at a high cost. We advise both believers and the unchurched to seek assurance in subjective experience of the gospel rather than objective truth. We teach them to ask, Does it meet my needs? Not, Is it true? Paul’s personal testimony reminds us that we must temper experience with the gospel’s objective nature. Without such a truth reference for our lives, contentment will ebb and flow with each succeeding circumstance.
Recall Paul’s first words in this paragraph: “I rejoice greatly in the Lord” (4:10). This joy in the Lord helps us to understand how Paul is able to rise above his circumstances. There is something objective that is always outside his situation, something that remains constant. The phrase rejoice in the Lord reminds us of Paul’s constant recollection of the power and joy in the gospel. It is the gospel that provides the objective means and the power to rise above circumstances. Our ability to be content is directly linked to our level of commitment to the gospel.
This thread is adapted from a chapter in my book,
Destroying Our Private Cities, Building Our Spiritual Life. For a free chapter, follow this link >
Putting Jesus Back into Our Potential.
“It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly...who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat” (President Teddy Roosevelt).
“Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him” (Isaiah 53:4-6).
“All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Author of the Letter to the Hebrews, 12:11).
“To believe in God is to ‘let God be God.’ This is the chief business of faith. As we believe we are allowing God to be in our lives what He already is in Himself. In trusting God, we are living out our assumptions, putting into practice all that we say He is in theory so that who God is and what He has done can make the difference in every part of our lives … This means that the accuracy of our pictures of God is not tested by our orthodoxy or our testimonies but by the truths we count on in real life. It is demonstrated when the heat is on, the chips are down, and reality seems to be breathing down our necks. What we presuppose at such moments is our real picture of God, and this may be very different from what we profess to believe about God” (Os Guinness, God in the Dark).
I can handle doing something well or good or right and someone else getting the credit—I can live with that; not even bothered on the pride-o-meter. But I absolutely hate being blamed for something some else did or set up or put together—not so sure it’s a pride-thing as much as it is anger at something unjust. I don’t like it when I see it happen to others, either. After all these years of practice (for there is a difference between being taught something and learning), I still am finding that I am angered by such injustice. My kids know I hate watching the Titanic because at the end all those people died and drowned because of someone else’s pride and arrogance—and freaking, all those life boats were half full. Anyway, today, at this very moment, it was tough to be accused of something that someone else did.
One thing I continue to subject myself to learning (really it is often thrust upon me like today), as I recognize that such was the case with Jesus, being punished for the fault of others on that awful cross, is to watch and see what God does “on the third day” (figuratively speaking). I hate it when it happens to me, but my faith is strong enough to know God is not blind and is able to use the injustice for some good—even if that good is just killing off more of my pride, self-centeredness, and arrogance.
At least I can say I am in the arena, that I have a God who knows what it is like to be blamed for the sins of others, and that discipline is never the end.
It is one of those times.
“To believe in God is to ‘let God be God.’ This is the chief business of faith. As we believe we are allowing God to be in our lives what He already is in Himself. In trusting God, we are living out our assumptions, putting into practice all that we say He is in theory so that who God is and what He has done can make the difference in every part of our lives … This means that the accuracy of our pictures of God is not tested by our orthodoxy or our testimonies but by the truths we count on in real life. It is demonstrated when the heat is on, the chips are down, and reality seems to be breathing down our necks. What we presuppose at such moments is our real picture of God, and this may be very different from what we profess to believe about God.”
* * *
“Sometimes when I listen to people who say they have lost their faith, I am far less surprised than they expect. If their view of God is what they say, then it is only surprising that they did not reject it much earlier … Other people have a concept of God so fundamentally false that it would be better for them to doubt than to remain devout. The more devout they are, the uglier their faith will become since it is based on a lie. Doubt in such a case is not only highly understandable, it is even a mark of spiritual and intellectual sensitivity to error, for their picture is not of God but an idol. ”
* * *
“The problem is not that reason attacks faith but that emotions overwhelm reason as well as faith, and it is impossible for reason to dissuade them . . . [this kind of doubt comes] just at the point where the believer’s emotions (vivid imagination, changing moods, erratic feelings, intense reactions) rise up and overpower the understanding of faith. Out-voted, out gunned, faith is pressed back and hemmed in by the unruly mob of raging emotions that one a while earlier were quiet, orderly citizens of the personality. Reason is cut down, obedience is thrown out, and for a while the rule of emotions is as sovereign as it is violent. The coup d’état is complete.”
* * *
“The question the doubter does not ask is whether faith was really useless or simply not used. What would you think of a boy who gave up learning to ride a bicycle, complaining that he hurt himself because his bicycle stopped moving so he had no choice but to fall off? If he wanted to sit comfortably while remaining stationary, he should not have chosen a bicycle but a chair. Similarly faith must be put to use, or it will become useless.”
~Os Guinness, quotes from God in the Dark
A few years ago I mentioned to some former seminary professors of mine that I am almost always alone in the room. What I meant and mean now is: When I am with my more conservative friends and church family, I am the liberal in the room, adding to the Gospel or promoting the social Gospel, or worse, being unconstitutional (as if that’s the worse sin that can be committed by an American Christian); or, when I am with my more progressive, liberal friends and colleagues, I am one of those crazy right-wingers who believes the notions that Jesus was actually God-in-the-flesh, that His work on the cross is the only means of solving the sin problem, or that the Bible is inerrant and truly inspirited by God (and, for some, that I actually believe God exists). Now, of course I paint in extremes for both groups have a range in-between there somewhere; but, nonetheless I am often alone in the room.
Recently I had to defend my understanding that the Bible actually teaches that the Gospel we say we believe includes a Christian commitment (discipleship, advocacy, whatever adjective works for you) to social action, that is, the issues of poverty and to the poor trapped in it. I was accused of adding to the Gospel. That’s okay, I think that person (who was representing others if I understood it properly) was subtracting from the Gospel. I have written much on this, so I will not take the time to explain the defense of my position—read my posts throughout my website (www.wordsntone.com), you’ll get my point, my view. Let me know and I’ll email you two recent articles I have published on the subject ().
While I was “defending” myself again, I thought of Richard Stearns’ book, The Hole in Our Gospel. Stearns is the President of World Vision. We have a hole in our Gospel. It is my mission to help develop a view of the Gospel among my more affluent, suburban, non-urban, mostly white evangelical church family that fills that hole—one that reflects the Bible text, particularly on the matter of the Gospel, the community of faith, and the poor.
Some quotes from Stearns’ book came to mind from the book:
“One of the disturbing things about Church history is the Church’s appalling track record of being on the wrong side of the great social issues of the day. If the Church is indeed a revolutionary kind of institution called to foment a social revolution by promoting justice, lifting up the sanctity of human life, fighting for the underdog, and challenging the prevailing value systems in our world, then it seems we should be out in front on social justice issues rather than bringing up the rear” (190).
“A Church that has lost its voice for justice is a Church that has lost its relevance in the world” (193, actually a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.).
“What will our grandchildren ask us when they look back twenty-five or fifty years from now and wonder how we could have just sat by and watched when justice was demanded?” (194).
“The fact of the matter is, we are all blind, and our only solution is to pray that God will show us our blindness” (197).
We treasure great men of faith like John Wesley, Calvin, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, all who have said similar things. Read Bonheoffer’s work, even his Cost of Discipleship.
I will grant there needs to be a healthy discuss on what “justice” means when it refers to our relationship to society and to one another. Conservative Christians limit the Biblical use to only that justice that stands between the individual and God, ignoring the repeated use of justice as it relates to our relationships to society, to our neighbors, and to, yes, the poor. I fear that the Gospel that we evangelicals seek to defend is really just an anti-works Gospel, colored by our evangelical tendency to protect our comfort in democracy, rather than to submit to the Gospel that confronts us in the pages of the Bible.
If adding to the Gospel should be feared, then subtracting from it should be an equally fearful place to be as well. It is the latter I fear evangelicals actually find themselves.
I have given gifts to my daughter for her 19th birthday today, but none better can I ask than for God to give her desire to pursue what is said in Proverbs 4:7 and by Jesus in Matthew 13:44:
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have, get understanding (Proverbs 4:7).
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matthew 13:44).
Check out an older essay about me and Amanda, one that I posted on her 18th birthday but wrote when she was born >>
Steve Martin, Amanda, and me
Posted by Chip Anderson at 05:34 AM.
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But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction. You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (4:10 19).
We Must Learn the Power of Commitment to the Gospel
Here at the end, as Paul concludes to the Letter, he has come full circle. He began his letter by expressing his thankfulness for the Philippian congregation.
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership [koinonia; participation, NASB] in the gospel from the first day until now (1:3 5; cf. 1:7).
That quality of thankfulness and joy runs the length of the letter. Always it is linked to the Philippians’ partnership with Paul in gospel proclamation. This is very counter to the present day preoccupation with personal gratification and the promotion of self interests.
There may be no better example of this than our contemporary approach to church life and church growth. Paul, as we have seen, has been concerned with the advancement of the gospel and its impact on both unsaved and saved (1:12, 25, 27; 2:15, 22; 4:3). Our contemporary, market driven church growth, and church life focuses on the individual. As a result, our church life and our individual spirituality are one dimensional. We find ourselves living in isolation, not community.
Some are now noticing the disparity. We expend huge sums of emotional energy as well as human and material resources to attract the baby boomers and busters. In doing so, we have strangled the resources for global missions and concerns of social justice. Our current emphasis is on meeting consumer needs (not necessarily the same thing as “felt need”). We may deny it, but we cannot help but ask the question: How popular can we be? The Church is held hostage by current trends and the self interests of its adherents.
In this final section of Paul’s letter, he displays his own frame of mind regarding contentment in the Christian life. We hear him again expressing gratitude for the gifts and supplies sent by the Philippians to meet his personal and ministry needs. But he also uses the occasion to model true contentment for a church consumed by anxiety (1:28 30; 4:6 7) and bent on self interests (2:1 4, 12).
We need to put these final exhortations into their proper perspective. Paul was not ultimately concerned about the Christians’ personal contentment. His supreme concern was for the vitality of the local church and the advancement of the gospel. And by extension Paul corrects our frame of mind about contentment in order to bring health back to our churches. We too must understand that our contentment is related to our commitment to the gospel. True contentment will raise our church life above depressing circumstances and harmful affliction.
This thread is adapted from a chapter in my book,
Destroying Our Private Cities, Building Our Spiritual Life. For a free chapter, follow this link >
Putting Jesus Back into Our Potential.
Posted by Chip Anderson at 06:01 PM.
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He who dies with the most toys still...
What would it take, really take, to make you content? to make you happy? to make you satisfied?
A fancy pickup truck, stocked with all the options, passed me on Interstate 95. My ancient mini truck was dwarfed by its size and flamboyance. I had a sense of feeling cheated. There I was, put putting along in my multicolored, used ‘74 Chevy Luv. And there was this guy, flashing by me in his shiny new behemoth.
As he passed I noticed a bumper sticker neatly pasted to the chrome rear bumper. He who dies with the most toys wins. As far as the world with its passionate pursuits was concerned, I was the obvious loser.
But I, in my aging pickup, knew something that fellow didn’t. Perhaps I should say I knew Someone he didn’t. When life consists of items of purchase and the fulfillment of temporal pleasures, the result is meaninglessness. The writer of Ecclesiastes cautions us to be careful where we look for contentment:
So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless (Ecclesiastes 2:20 23)
I continue to be amazed at the attitudes of my contemporaries. I am even more aghast because so many among the community of faith have been seduced by similar attitudes. Whether it is instant success, material affluence, or, even, bigger and better churches, we believers can be accused of exchanging the Christ life for life as the world defines it—as this guy’s bumper sticker had declare it to be.
I am not a fan of Christian designer tee shirts. Much of what is plastered on them comes close to sacrilege. But I was pleasantly surprised by one shirt that mocked the boastful arrogance of that trucker’s life verse. It read: He who dies with the most toys still dies.
That slogan catches the essence of a vital truth. Christians, of all people, ought to know that this world and the things of this world are passing away (1 Corinthians 7:31; 1 John 2:15 17; Matthew 7:24 29). Yet we have fashioned our criteria for meaningful spirituality and meaningful church life from the world’s models. Affluence and the American ideas of success and freedom are what count. But death, the common denominator, will expose our vanity in striving for the wind—striving for a world given, culture driven contentment.
I ask the question again. What will it take to make you content?
Perhaps our problem is rooted in how we become content. We have reduced contentment to its lowest common denominator—items we buy and feelings of comfort. Paul’s final words to the church at Philippi raise the Christian idea of contentment to its proper sphere. True contentment flows from a commitment to something worthy, something eternal, something beyond us. True contentment flows from a commitment to the gospel.
We have come to the exhortative section of this letter in 4:1 20. The last half of it (4:10ff) is highly informative regarding Christian contentment. Before this the apostle exhorted his readers to imitate his life (3:17; 2:17 18; 3:4 14). He says it again in 4:9: “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.” There is no doubt that in this closing section, Paul continues to suggest that he has modeled the authentic Christian life, the deeper life.
Restless Christians struggling to find contentment give rise to a self interest mentality within church communities. That, in turn, results in ill health for the Body of Christ. In 4:10 19, however, we discover a strong and dynamic connection between Christians’ level of contentment and their commitment to the gospel.
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction. You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
This thread is adapted from a chapter in my book,
Destroying Our Private Cities, Building Our Spiritual Life. For a free chapter, follow this link >
Putting Jesus Back into Our Potential.