church discipline

“There are at least three purposes of [church] discipline. The first is to restore a sinning believer (Matt. 18:15; 1 Cor. 5:5; Gal. 6:1; 1 Tim. 1:20; James 5:20) … church discipline is not a cruel thing but a loving thing. Second, discipline exists to deter such sins by others, to instruct the congregation as to what is and is not acceptable (Heb. 12:15; 1 Cor. 5:2, 6-7; 1 Tim. 5:20). Third, discipline exists to protect the honor of Christ and his church (Rom. 2:24; 1 Cor. 6:6; Eph. 5:27). When churches ignore sin, the world despises them and the reputation of Jesus Christ himself is dragged through the mud.” -John Frame

a level playing-field.

The gospel does extraordinary things. From salvation, to justification and sanctification–the gospel enables, completes, fulfills, and empowers it all.

And the same is true with how we view others.

Many times we view someone’s sin as massive and it cripples us. We look at them in disgust, praying that they might get hit by a car (violent, I know. Sin is violent!).

But the gospel demands that I view my sin as more devastating than I normally do because its not the sin itself that gives definition to the devastation: it’s whom I have sinned against.

And I’ve sinned against a holy, righteous God. And since I have offended this infinitely holy God, my sin is what I should be looking at, not the sin of someone else. Their sin is against God first. We aren’t to judge as God judges.

This means that I have to keep short accounts with others. If I get bitter or upset towards them, I am assuming that their sin against me is greater than my sin against God.

Because of the gospel, we’re all on a level-playing field. We are all sinners. But the cross of Christ demands that I deal with my sin against God through what Jesus has done for me.

No one is better than anyone else. The playing field is level.

And through the gospel I now realize that the sin committed against me pales in comparison to the innumerable sins I’ve committed against God. Innumerable.

Book Review – Gospel Wakefulness by Jared C. Wilson

This is one of those books that after reading it, you want to read it again. Right away. Jared Wilson has done us a favor by awakening our souls to the Glory of Christ and Glory of the Father and the empowered Gospel-witness wrought by the Holy Spirit.

The book is just good. While there are many different “gospel” books coming forth right now, and a strong sense of gospel preaching joining it, this is definitely one of the best.

Pastor Wilson starts by defining “Gospel Wakefulness.” I love that he helps think through the difference between this and “conversion.” Sometimes the two go hand-in-hand. Other times conversion happens (and of course this cannot happen without the Holy Spirit awakening your soul!), and a gospel-wakened encounter comes later in life. Honestly, this concept could be a book in its own and I’d love for someone to explore this.

He then goes through the following chapters: Nonnegotiable Brokenness, Renewed Affections, Wakened Worship, Freedom from Hyperspirituality (I loved this chapter), Chief Spiritual Rhythms, Gospel-Driven Sanctification (my favorite chapter, and a chapter that could be explored in another book!), Depression (VERY important content here), Gospel Confidence, The Gospel-Wakened Church (good stuff here, too!), and The Blessed Fixation.

Overall, the book is well-written; oftentimes humor shows up on the pages (which I always appreciate), and Jared’s personal stories are woven through, which gives credence to his exegesis and application. You’ve gotta read this book. It’s excellent. I’ll be reading it again soon.

Purchase at:

• WTS Books
• Amazon
• Crossway Books

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through Crossway.org <http://www.Crossway.org> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

lent and the gospel

I grew up in a more ‘non-liturgical’ setting. It was a small non-denominational church full of awesome people willingly serving an awesome God. But I didn’t practice anything on the liturgical calendar. I didn’t even know what that was to be honest. But as time progressed and I learned more about Church History and the various seasons on the calendar, I began to develop a more personal piety during these times. I purchased this ebook to walk through those seasons and found it to be rewarding.

Nonetheless, I’m not “against” people practicing resurrection (Lent is 40 days of anticipation as we move towards Good Friday and Easter), as resurrection is surely at the center of what we as people-made-of-ashes are anticipating some day. I’m also not against people “giving up” things for lent because that can be a positive thing. There are various things that people do for various reasons, and one ought to abide by his/her conscience.

But this year I decided to do “40 days of Joy.” What I mean is, I’m going to give up myself (Mark 8:34-36), celebrate the joy found in God, and name those things I’m grateful for. Ironically, without the cross we wouldn’t be able to do this.

Space, Time and Jesus

“If the Temple was the space in which God’s sphere and the human sphere met, the sabbath was the time when God’s time and human time coincided.”

N.T. Wright, Simply Jesus. (HaperCollins Limited, 2011) 136.

The Implications of the Gospel, Part 4

(originally published in our local newspaper on 2/1/12)

We’ve thus far defined the gospel, talked about its cosmic implications, and last week showed one practical way in which the gospel affects our relationships. I have argued that the gospel is more than just good news—and certainly nothing less—as well as it affecting everything, the spiritual and natural world. It also changes how we perceive ourselves (we understand ourselves to be born with a propensity towards sin) and how we perceive God (he is holy, just, loving, wrathful and gracious). Having this “gospel grid” can teach us better ways in which we see the world.

C.J. Mahaney wrote a wonderful little book called “The Cross-Centered Life,” and in it he quotes theologian D.A. Carson. Carson says, commenting on the Apostle Paul and Paul’s theology, that, “He cannot long talk about Christian joy, or Christian ethics, or Christian fellowship, or the Christian doctrine of God, or anything else, without finally tying it to the cross. Paul is gospel-centered; he is cross-centered” (pg. 11).

The obsession in the New Testament is the gospel and at the center of the gospel is suffering Servant, Jesus Christ. Everything revolves around the cross for Christian theology. Struggling with sin? Look to the cross. Struggling with money? Look to the cross. Frustrated at your job? Look to the cross.

The glory of God is shown most vividly when Jesus died on the cross. He died for us, and as Martin Luther says, it was the “Great Exchange.” Jesus takes our sin; we get his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus takes our failures,; we get his successes. Jesus obeys perfectly, cleans our filthy hearts, and removes our guilt. We are no longer condemned (Romans 8:1). It was at the cross where business was done between God and man.

Before we implement the “gospel grid,” let’s get practical for a moment.

As a pastor, there is one relationship paradigm that I am most confronted with in counseling: marriage. Marriages continue to falter under the pressures of this world and it seems that many people in our churches are all feeling the same pressure. The pressure to have both spouses working, the daycare bills, the mortgage payment, gas prices, layoffs at work, grocery bills growing, cost of insurance on the rise and the list goes on and on. Marriages are strained because of this pressure. But what would it look like to have a gospel grid in your marriage?

Husbands: it looks like you repenting first and blame shifting never, taking full responsibility. It looks like men growing in their knowledge of the Lord and choosing to lay their lives down for their wives, just like Jesus did for the Church (Ephesians 5:22-33).

It looks like it does for every other relationship, and here is the secret. Are you growing in awareness of your own sin while simultaneously growing in your awareness of God’s holiness? That’s part of what it means to live a gospel-centered life. Repentance and faith, repentance and faith, repentance and faith… This is what it means to be enamored by the gospel.

The Implications of the Gospel, Part 3

(originally published in our local newspaper on 1/25/12)

Last time we looked at the “big picture” implication of the gospel message. And it would be appropriate to clarify that yes, it is a message, but it is also more than that. It is a message that has cosmic implications because it deals with the spiritual and natural world, too. In other words, it’s a message about what Jesus has done that affects the space/time continuum. It’s about the Kingdom of God coming to bear on all of creation.

But this week I want to focus in on a couple of ways in which the gospel message affects our relationships. For many, the gospel is more easily understood in cosmic scope, but less understood in practical day-to-day ways. The reality is, each of us needs the gospel every day. We need it in every moment, opportunity and situation.

One of the core doctrines of the Christian faith is our “Union with Christ.” This is the Bible’s way of speaking of what Jesus has done for us. He has obeyed where we failed to obey, died a death we should have died, and was resurrected to defeat death thus adopting us into his family when our faith is placed in him. “In him” are the words the Apostle Paul often uses to describe our union with Jesus. His point: he has brought unity to our relationship so that when the Father looks at us, he sees Jesus. This gives us a new identity.

And this new identity gives us value, not because we are something special—we certainly are not!—but because Jesus gives us his inherent value and status before God having brought us near to the Holy One.

Here’s where it gets a bit more practical.

Most of us are insecure in our relationships. We tend to buy things we don’t need to impress people we don’t like with money we simply do not have. And we have this perpetual “need” to feel needed and valued by others. So we often, though disguised in the sin of pride, prop ourselves up because we care what others think of us. We say, “Look at me! Look what I did! Check out what I did on Facebook! Me, me, me and me!”

The gospel challenges this propensity. It says that our value is not found in what other people think of us. When our lives our driven by the gospel we don’t “need” anything but Jesus. What people think of us doesn’t matter because what God thinks of us has taken primacy in our lives.

Jesus has brought us near to our Maker. He’s done so by the blood of the cross. We are now called to put to death what is earthly in us and instead, “Put on…as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Colossians 3:12-13). Seek to live a gospel-driven life that is secure in Christ Jesus.

The Implications of the Gospel, Part 2

Last week we explored the definition of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15. There are many other passages we could look to in order to understand the gospel, not the least of course, are Jesus’ first words in Mark’s Gospel narrative, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (1:15). Do a word study sometime on the word “gospel” (Greek, euangelion). The word appears over seventy times and always refers to good news, joyful tidings, and “good report.”

What’s interesting, however, is that in the Roman context of the New Testament world the word in question was often used to refer to the good news that a new emperor was born, a savior who would bring peace to the world. Furthermore, this emperor was considered the “son of god” and as history shows, most of the emperors deified themselves hoping to be worshipped my mortal men.

When the Apostle Paul says that Jesus is Lord he’s directly attacking the commonly held notion that Caesar is lord. He’s saying, in effect, “Your god is no god at all. In fact, you believe Caesar is lord because he says so. I believe Jesus is Lord because Jesus, rather than conquering by violence, conquered all things, including that guy you worship, by dying and was vindicated (“justified,” validated and declared to be truthful) by his resurrection from the dead.” (See 1 Timothy 3:16).

The response called for last week was a repentant heart. The first implication of the gospel this week is on an earth-shattering scale. The implication is that the powers that be in the world are corrupt. They are cronies who are self-deceived and blinded by the evil one. The gospel is the only good news that provides the only hope for this world. This sounds offensive and is often purported to be so. But Paul says that the foolishness of preaching is what God has chosen to use to inject his message of salvation to a world that loves darkness (1 Corinthians 1:21). Paul goes on to say that God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.

This seems counterintuitive, doesn’t it? For the GodMan, Jesus, to enter our culture, die a gruesome death for our sins and rise again to kill death? Paul says, and we say, emphatically: “No!”

The good news changes things. It changes the corrupt governments and corrupt “power” that people think they have. It changes everything, including creation itself (Romans 8:18-30). The very first implication of the gospel is that God has chosen to intervene in the world, shaming the wise, destroying worldly power and ultimately freeing all of creation from bondage. The gospel is a game-changer.