As I reflect on 2023 and prepare for 2024, I'm relistening to four sermons that blessed me years ago. I'm placing them here for you you and I to have easy access to the video of these sermons.
About Me
- Canyon Shearer, DMin
- Ambassador of Christ, Committed to the Local Church, Husband, Father, Disciple Maker, Chaplain, Airman.
Saturday, December 30, 2023
Monday, October 24, 2022
Security Analysis of the Kingdom of Heaven - Classified Celestial Secret
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CELESTIAL SECRET//REL KOD-I
24 October, 6026 CE
MEMORADUM FOR THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS (KOD)
From: (U) Office of the Chief Intelligence Analyst, KOD
Subject: (U) Security Scrutiny of
the Kingdom of Heaven (KOH)
1. (U) Introduction
(U) This memorandum examines the
security capabilities of the KOH which has been at war with the KOD since the
initial hostilities and skirmish in the Garden of Eden on or about 0000 CE.
Capabilities will be presented, options explored, and recommendations made for
future engagements.
(CS//REL KOD-I) This memorandum is
classified CELESTIAL SECRET//RELATIVE TO THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS-INTERNATIONAL
based on the analysis that disclosure would represent ETERNALLY GRAVE DANGER
to the KOD.
(U) The reigning king of the KOH
is Jesus of Nazareth; the KOH does not recognize elections and there is no
indication that the king has any intention of abdicating his throne. One intercepted
report, dated 14 September AD 1741 (5745 CE), claims, “And he shall reign forever
and ever.”
(U) The capital city of the KOH is
alternately called New Jerusalem, the Celestial City (Perhaps a play on the
name of the KOD capital, the City of Destruction), Paradise, and the Promised
Land, etc.
(CS//REL KOD-I) The precise
location of the capital city of the KOH is unknown and citizens of the KOH
often insinuate that their territory is encroaching on internationally established KOD borders, and KOH members regularly claim citizens of the KOH live in locales where the KOD has forbidden such citizenship.
(U) This memorandum will assess
the means of intelligence gathering, counter-intelligence efforts, infiltration
into KOD business, air forces and tactics, earth-based weapons, weapons of mass
destruction, non-tangible weapons, ineffective combat techniques, effective
combat techniques, and will provide recommendations as to future actions.
2. (U) Source Documents
(U) The primary document for
intelligence gathering from the KOH is a docket of 66 historical documents
commonly referred to as the Biblia Sacra, Holy Bible, Book of Life, Word of Christ,
Word of God, Scriptures, etc. and will be referred to in this memorandum to as
“the Bible”.
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CELESTIAL SECRET//REL KOD-I
(U) The Bible is publicly released
by the KOH and considered Open-Source with actionable intelligence contained
there-in. Citizens of the KOH are expected to have intimate knowledge of their source documents. Citizens of the KOH are authorized to paraphrase and create new derivative documents, songs, and briefs provided they are in alignment with the original classification authority, code named “Pneuma”, “Paraclete”, “Holy Spirit”, etc. The king alone is the authorization authority for renunciations, recantations, revisions, updates, or additions to the source documents; under no circumstances may this authority be delegated.
(CS//REL KOD-I) Efforts to criminalize the public release of the Bible have yielded various effectiveness;
the Bible is often used as a weapon to undermine the KOD, recruit converts to
the KOH, and encourage renunciation of citizenship to the KOD. The Bible does
not encourage adherents to renounce citizenship of the various physical
provinces or peoples of the KOD, but to act as embedded citizens of the KOH in
the locales in which they reside, regardless of the reigning government.
3. (U) Intelligence Gathering
(U) The KOH claims to have
unprecedented intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities,
not just knowing facts but discerning the thoughts, intents, and plans of the
kings, princes, rulers, governors, generals, field officers, senior non-commissioned officers, and ensigns of the KOD. The KOH claims their king and chief assistant to the king have omniscience
over the universe.
(U) The KOH reports ISR collection
is accomplished via 4 means: (1) Geospatially, (2) tomographically, (3) embedded sensors, and by (4) Human Intelligence (HUMINT). (See source
documents: (1) Genesis 6:5, Psalm 102:19, (2) Ezekiel 8:7-12, (3) Jeremiah
17:9-10, (4) John 2:25)
(CS//REL KOD-I) KOD operatives
ought to be aware that their very thoughts could be used against them and they ought
to exercise extreme Operations Security (OPSEC) to keep KOD plans outside of
KOH hands.
4. (U) Counter-Intelligence
(U) KOD prince, Ben-Hadad, was
notoriously ambushed by KOH ground forces led by KOH spies Elisha and Gehazi
who were able to know the strength, location, and plans of the Syrian offensive.
(CS//REL KOD-I) The KOH claims to
know the location, alliances, strength, and outcome of future battles. The
legitimacy of this claim is yet to be seen, the king of the KOD does not
believe this claim and decries it as propaganda.
(CS//REL KOD-I) We strongly
suspect the KOH is utilizing Psychological Warfare (PSYOPS) to demoralize the
KOD into surrender and/or defection through the release of source documents and derivative documents; we
have no reason to suspect that the KOH has misrepresented its capabilities,
though the king of the KOD claims that the king of the KOH has no claim to any
authority nor ability to defend neither the KOH nor its citizens.
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CELESTIAL SECRET//REL KOD-I
5. (U) Infiltration
(U) The KOH operative, Paul of Tarsus, claims that members of the provincial ruling house in 1st century Judea were acting with the KOH. Their names were Manaen and Herodian; further, it is common knowledge that Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus of the Sanhedrin, KOD prince Manasseh, KOD prince Nebuchadnezzar of the KOD-Babylon province, and General Na’aman of the KOD-Assyrian Army, among others, were known traitors and infiltrators.
(CS//REL KOD-I) We have reason to believe that KOH operatives are circulating through most regions and most provinces of the KOD. KOD citizens should be vigilant that the king of the KOH claims to be capable of turning any individual – regardless of allegiance, longevity, or rank – to his kingdom.
(CS//REL KOD-I) The tragic deaths
of renowned KOD prince and princess, Ahab ben Omri and Jezebel baht Ethbaal,
prove that even faithful KOD operatives can be used to infiltrate and sabotage
otherwise unassailable KOD plans. It is still under investigation how these dedicated
KOD agents were utilized to such detrimental effects.
6. (U) Air Forces
(CS//REL KOD-I) The KOH has kept
their air forces largely concealed and unutilized thus far. Evidence exists of
city destroying winged weapons identified by the KOH as “angels”. Though
sparsely utilized, the power and fury of these weapons will prove formidable
obstacles as the KOD seeks world domination.
(CS//REL KOD-I) Counterair efforts
are strongly expected to be ineffective against the KOH air forces, however at
least one of these angels was effectively seized in our province of Persia
for a period of 21 days and would remain there still if a ranking member of the
KOH air forces had not executed a rescue operation.
(CS//REL KOD-I) The KOH air forces
are overseen by chief of staff, Archangel Michael, however it seems the king
himself is the primary pilot-in-command of these forces and leads his airborne
forces from the front in what may be best described as a Trail-, or possibly a V-, formation.
It is strongly predicted that should the KOD be able to strike the king, the
kingdom and resistance efforts would fall apart; however, the king seems to be
highly resilient against KOD efforts.
7. (U) Earth Based Weapons
(CS//REL KOD-I) The KOH has
developed and utilized weapons of mass destruction with devastating global and
local results. The KOH capabilities far exceed anything the KOD has been able
to produce.
(CS//REL KOD-I) The KOD was nearly
annihilated when the KOH unleashed a world-wide flood. For morale purposes the
KOD must deny the event of this world-wide flood and suppress all reminders,
despite the overwhelming world-wide evidence of the KOD’s near extinction.
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CELESTIAL SECRET//REL KOD-I
(CS//REL KOD-I) The Ararat Convention (~1656 CE), which the king of the KOH has ratified, restricts the KOH from utilizing water again to destroy the earth.
(CS//REL KOD-I) The KOH has made future threats of utilizing fire and melting agents to decimate not only the earth, but the solar system, galaxy, and universe as well. The KOD is called upon to ardently oppose the KOH in this and all aspects, as this earth and universe were once in the control of the KOD and must be regained.
(CS//REL KOD-I) The KOH has
utilized earth-based weapons with devastating accuracy to swallow entire
divisions of KOD soldiers. The KOH occasionally utilizes trained attack
serpents with appalling results. We suspect other animals may be thus trained
and utilized in the future.
(CS//REL KOD-I) The KOH has utilized localized earth-based weapons (such-as-but-not-limited to: earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, volcanoes, and extreme temperatures) non-discriminately affecting both KOD and KOH citizens. After-action-reports have determined that KOH citizens were found to report, “Here we have no lasting city, we seek the city which is to come.” and, “Store up your treasure in Heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.” These KOH citizens have proved especially dangerous in recruiting their KOD neighbors to “build their house on the solid rock”, which we believe is a title of the king of the KOH.
(CS//REL KOD-I) The KOH claims to
have a weapon of mass destruction potentially called the “Sword of the Spirit” or
“Double Edged Sword” which may be lighting, meteorites, or fire from heaven.
The KOD lists 102 men missing in action (MIA) who we suspect this weapon may
have been utilized to their demise. A further 51 soldiers have gone Absent
Without Leave (AWOL) because of rumors of this weapon. The king of the KOH
claims that this weapon is effective against the king of the KOD; how effective
remains to be seen, and the king of the KOD vehemently opposes this claim.
(CS//REL KOD-I) The KOH claims
that all men are created from the earth, and the king of the KOH has utilized
his earth-based weapons to slay men where they stand, affecting their hearts,
minds, bowels, and other organs to their demise; in some sense a self-destruct
option is ingrained in all men. Proper exercise and healthy diet seem to
mitigate this threat, but the king of the KOH has utilized this tactic multiple
times to cripple the KOD forces, including the assassinations of prince Herod
the Great and Nabal the Calebite.
(U) Individual citizens of the KOH
are equipped with armor that appears rudimentary on the outset, but with proper
training has proved effective against KOD forces. Individual soldiers are
equipped with one offensive weapon: the Sword of the Spirit, but use it almost
exclusively without drawing blood or killing KOD soldiers.
(CS//REL KOD-I) The "Sword of the Spirit" is a dangerous weapon when utilized; training may enhance this weapon, but it is to be noted that unlearned and untrained citizens of the KOH have employed it with devastating effects, including, but not limited to, the slave of General Na'aman's wife, an unnamed soldier who regained his sight through meeting the king of the KOH and instantly defected to the enemy's camp, and the double agents, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who rejected their impeccable indoctrination and privilege to fall back into KOH brainwashing.
7. (U) Intangible Weapons
(CS//REL KOD-I) The Bible speaks
incessantly about a weapon called “love”. Despite our best attempts at
replication, this weapon is beyond our scope to even understand, let alone
utilize for our purposes. The nearest weapons available to the KOD are lust, manipulation,
pleasure, and exploit, but they seem woefully lacking the power and
capabilities of love.
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CELESTIAL SECRET//REL KOD-I
(CS//REL KOD-I) Forgiveness has
disarmed an innumerable number of KOD efforts. Bitterness and resentment have
thwarted this weapon in some cases, but it remains formidable in the KOH’s
arsenal.
(CS//REL KOD-I) Atonement is an
insurmountable weapon utilized by the KOH. The king of the KOH bankrupted his
entire wealth to attain this weapon, but it seems that he now has a boundless/inexhaustible supply. The most effective countermeasure against atonement is
self-righteousness. Consider the KOD stronghold of Sardis for the power of self-righteousness.
8. (U) Ineffective Tactics
(CS//REL KOD-I) KOD tacticians
throughout history have sought to intimidate KOH soldiers through fire. The
traitor-prince Nebuchadnezzar famously threw 3 KOH infidels into the oven but
reported that they survived his efforts, and were joined by the king of the KOH
himself. The words of Nebuchadnezzar, however, cannot be counted as KOD canon
since he has apostatized. Fire has proved again and again to bolster the
enemy’s spirit and resolve and utilizing it to oppose the KOH should be
abandoned.
(CS//REL KOD-I) Death was once a
formidable weapon in the KOD’s armory and could be counted on to strike terror
into those who oppose our king. However, in the spring of the year AD 33 (4037
CE) the enemy has developed a countermeasure for death called, “Resurrection.”
Evidence suggests the KOH perhaps had this countermeasure from the beginning,
but that their king has since perfected it and disseminated it widely. KOH
soldiers have been reported as laughing and singing in the face of death.
(CS//REL KOD-I) The KOH has long
been suspect for their lack of lust towards material things and have
continually developed a tolerance for suffering. Physical torture, emotional
abuse, and monetary damages—powerful weapons for keeping our KOD soldiers in
line—have become less and less effective against the KOH. Reports also indicate
many defections from the KOD were in direct exposure to KOH citizens persevering and
turning our own weapons into what their tacticians call “long-suffering” and
“prayerfulness”.
9. (U) Effective Tactics
(CS/REL KOD-I) The ancient and effective hero of the KOD, Balaam son of Beor, discovered that the citizens of the KOH are easily swayed and influenced by accepting sexually attractive females into their ranks. These females of the KOD need not be well trained, so long as they are willing to seduce the KOH with promises of inexpensive pleasure gained in secret.
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CELESTIAL SECRET//REL KOD-I
(CS/REL KOD-I) A prominent general officer of the KOH was temporarily held by the KOD and nearly eliminated with the tactic of presenting an attractive female clandestine KOD agent to decipher the source of his strength. Many KOH citizens have been effectively eliminated through the use of sexual infiltration (both targeted and general). The abundant use of sexuality remains one of the most effective warfare techniques of the KOD against the KOH; beware however lessening the dosage of this temptation, as in the case of Samson and our operative, Delilah, we faced a devastating blow for our lack of diligence.
(CS/REL KOD-I) The greatest
exploitation against the KOH is a self-destructive weapon embedded in each
citizen for exploitation by the KOD: Pride. Members of the KOH who are
convinced of their own achievements and character often surrender future
battles without struggle. KOH citizens should be relentlessly bombarded with
flattery, comfort, monetary compensation for sub-par performance, promise of
temporal safety, and assuredness that their king is satisfied with mediocrity.
While these members may not join the ranks of the KOD, they are effectively
removed from the fight, and oft hold back entire regiments of their fellows.
(CS/REL KOD-I) Pride—as well as other
weapons at the KOD’s disposal—is most effectively utilized as a weapon when
members are deprived of their source documents. Covert operators of the KOD
should make every effort to ensure young soldiers of both the KOD and KOH are
taught that reading is antiquated, tedious, and unnecessary for all members of
society. Substitute entertainment in copious amounts to keep members from
musing and deliberation. Beware that openly removing access to the Bible oft
results in renewed vigor towards knowing the standing KOH-OPORD.
(CS//REL KOD-I) Isolating members
of the KOH armed forces from their squadrons/platoons is often effective in
demoralizing and weakening their resolve, leading to the opportunity to employ
them as double agents who serve the KOH with their lips, but the KOD with their
actions.
10. (U) Recommendation
(CS//REL KOD-I) Recommend the KOD does not rely on false peace. Despite the king of the KOD planning to produce a world-wide peace the KOH has released propaganda that this peace will be short-lived and ineffective. Instead of declaring, “Peace, Peace!” when there clearly is no peace, recommend complete warfare or complete surrender. Peace exists neither within the KOD nor between the KOD and KOH. A false peace will surely end with dire consequences to the defeated foe of this war, which inevitably will be the KOD.
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CELESTIAL SECRET//REL KOD-I
(U) Sue for peace! The king of the KOH openly approached members of the KOD with the intention of making peace. Our records boast of a temporary victory when KOD members assassinated the king of the KOH. Our records are far less complete regarding how it is that the king who was dead is now alive. Evidence irrefutably implies that this offer is only for men; demons of the KOD should brace for war and expect complete eradication, followed by trial for their war crimes against the king of glory, resulting in banishment to the lake of fire, which the king has prepared for the king of the KOD (aka the devil) and his angels (aka demons). KOH ministers have offered peace to all who will receive it, because their king has purchased peace by the blood of his cross.
(U) STRONGLY RECOMMEND all KOD members who are able immediately make haste to fly to the king of peace, for there is no hope outside of his peace-offer.
SIGNATURE REDACTED
Ambassador to the King, KOH
Classified By: REDACTED, Chief
Intelligence Analyst, KOD
Derived From: Screwtape
Letters, 1942
Declassify On: The Fall of the KOH Immediately! Today is the Day
of Salvation!
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CELESTIAL SECRET//REL KOD-I
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
Gentle and Lowly: False Hope for Itching Ears (A Review)
Introduction
As a Biblical Counselor I was shocked to find Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund at the top of the 2020 Association of Certified Biblical Counseling (ACBC) list. I’ve lost Facebook friends and been banned from a popular—albeit less helpful than it used to be—group of biblical counselors merely for questioning whether anyone agreed with Dane Ortlund’s treatment of Hebrews 5 and stating that I saw merit in the Grace to You (GTY) article which raised red flags concerning the book's helpfulness. Originally I began to write a review in mid-2020, but deemed the GTY article sufficient enough of a warning, and I did not intend to finish this article, but since the GTY article has been inexplicably removed, I felt it necessary to declare a warning against this book: This book is unhelpful and heretical and should not be used in counseling, Bible study, counseling classes, or church.
There are plenty of cautions out there concerning the author's father, Ray Ortund, but there is a great warning in this quote
regarding the nepotism that perhaps has made this book so popular, “If you
disparage one of my sons’ books, I might mute you. You are sincere, I’m sure.
But I need solidly uplifting voices in my life.” Not biblical, but uplifting;
not uplifting Jesus, but uplifting Ortlund. It’s no surprise then that Dane
Ortlund would follow such error, “[My father] taught my siblings and me sound
doctrine as we were growing up…” (p100) For all reading this, but especially for Ray Ortlund, I implore you to read Psalm 2:12 and consider which son you should be defending, if their opinions differ. Consider also Proverbs 5:12 and it's context.
My editing is far from complete, and this is not meant to be
a comprehensive rebuke and warning of the entire book, but to give the main
points of contention and support them with quotes from the book. After working for far too long to
produce a piece full of paragraphs and transitions, I finally decided that the
facts are here, and while it’s not the most readable thing I’ve written, I
trust it will sufficiently warn the flock and the under-shepherds of this wolf
in Shepherd’s clothing.
I’ve grouped my concerns into five categories. First, I want
to look at the foundation of the book, Puritanism versus biblical exegesis,
second is the gnostic (think secret/mysterious/code reading of the Bible)
language it is written in, third is how Ortlund pits the Bible against itself, fourth
is a rejection of responsibility for sin by emphasizing victimhood of sin, and fifth
and finally is a nearly complete lack of the biblical gospel.
Not all that is Puritan is Gold
Halfway through the book I had the thought, “No one could
ever come up with this book by reading their Bible,” and Ortlund agrees,
pointing out that the book was birthed from Puritan writings (p14). Granted,
there are many great Puritans, but the title of Puritan carries far more weight
than the actual writings of the Puritans. I once said in a class on the
Puritans, “John Owen takes forever to say nothing.” Puritanism is as wide and
varied as 1600’s Christianity; the modern equivalents might be Southern
Baptists where an overview would give you Albert Mohler and Adrian Rogers on
one side and Ed Young Jr. and Steven Furtick on the other; in four hundred
years I wouldn’t be surprised to see Charles Spurgeon and John MacArthur lumped
into Southern Baptist quotes, though neither hold that affiliation. In
Puritanism you have undeniable heretics like Richard Baxter, controversial
figures like Isaac Watts, and you have solid ministers like John Bunyan. Just
because someone lived during the time of the Puritans doesn’t make them a solid
Bible teacher; and they shouldn’t be quoted on par with scripture (Ortlund
addresses this on page 14, but the rest of the book brings serious doubt to the
authority of scripture in his life). Now I’m not saying that John Owen and
Thomas Goodwin are the equivalent of Steven Furtick or Richard Baxter, but
they’re certainly not on par with John Bunyan or Alistair Begg.
But Ortlund doesn’t even rightly represent the Puritan’s
correctly, for example Jonathan Edwards said, “There is no love so great and so
wonderful as that which is in the heart of Christ.” But Ortlund gives
this commentary, which Edwards certainly would have thrown out, “The first thing
out of Jonathan Edwards’s mouth, in exhorting the kids in his church to love
Jesus more than everything else this world can offer, is the heart of Christ.”
(p96) Do you see it? Edwards was focused on the person and work of Christ but
Ortlund twists this quote to press his agenda.
And even when he rightly represents the Puritans, he quotes
them when they’ve misrepresented scripture; for example Goodwin holds to the
heresy that God hates the sin but loves the sinner (consider Revelation 21:8, among
others), which Ortlund latches onto, “Yes, God has hatred, Goodwin says—toward
sin.” (p168)
In our age, there is a strange magnetism towards the
Puritans, and while we can certainly learn from the writings of godly men, not
all Puritans are godly or correct. Richard Sibbes, who I have gleaned from in
the past, makes this error, “Christ is nothing but pure grace clothed with our
nature,” (quoted p177) when Christ is much more than grace, he is truth and
righteousness and Saviour and Judge and an entire Bible full of attributes…compound
that to the language of Sibbes is far from clear on what our nature is.
So beloved, reject Gentle and Lowly on its authority
alone; anything that elevates the teachings of men over the teaching of God
should be rejected immediately. Even if this misattributed authority were orthodox
(consider Revelation 19:10)—which Gentle and Lowly is far from Orthodox—the
reader should be exhorted by scripture and the man of God to worship God and
listen to the testimony of Jesus! But Gentle and Lowly is not orthodox,
instead it teaches an unconcealed Gnosticism.
Gnostic Leanings
Gnosticism is the idea and
teaching that there are secret things in the Bible that should receive special
attention, require special revelation, or specific prophets to see. Dane Ortlund unapologetically
makes this error by using Matthew 11:29 as his hermeneutical key to the entire
Bible. The problem with using one verse to interpret the entire Bible is that
this verse wasn’t around for the writing of the majority of the Bible.
Scripture should interpret scripture, but from the clear to the unclear; A
great question to ask on every passage you study is, “What would be lost if
this verse weren’t in the Bible?” This is a serious question to ask of thousands
of years of believers who trusted God for salvation before Matthew penned what
we now call Matthew 11:29. If this verse is truly the key to knowing Christ
like Ortlund proposes over and over, then why wasn’t it recorded closer to
Genesis 1:1? Rather, the gospel does not stand or fall on a single verse,
compare from the beginning (cf. Genesis 3:15, Deuteronomy 18:18, 1 Samuel 2:25,
Psalm 34:6, Isaiah 53:3-12, Zechariah 13:1, and thousands more) that God is not
hiding the need for a Messiah or the salvific nature of the Son of God and Son
of Man to be the propitiation for sin and the righteousness which are both
required for reconciliation with God.
Instead of falling on scriptural promises or the exhortations
of two-millennia of church history since Matthew penned his gospel, Ortlund
takes a deep dive down the rabbit hole of a hidden, secret, deep magic of one
verse (that I (and Jesus) would say doesn’t even say what he says it says.) The
context of the keynote verse of the book is Matthew 11:29, which is in response
to rejecting the Son of God. As I reread Ortlund’s book, I said incredulously
and made a vocal outburst in a café, “No one who likes this book knows the
context of Jesus’s statement.”
Consider this gnostic language from quotes from the book. I
disagree with all of Ortlund’s conclusions; I’ve included some commentary:
“As we zero in on the
affectionate heart of Christ, how do we ensure that we are growing in a healthy
understanding…?” (p28, emphasis mine)
“…who God actually is.”
(p14, emphasis mine)
“Do you know his deepest heart for you?” (p16 emphasis
mine)
“There’s only one place where Jesus tells us about his own
heart.” (p17, A very large and very real reason Jesus came is expressed in John
1:18, “the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” That Jesus
is showing exactly who he is—and who is Father is—through his actions, not through
one verse misapplied)
“In the one place in the Bible where the Son of God pulls back the vail
and lets us peer way down into the core of who he is…” (p18, emphasis
mine, compare again: John 1:18, 17:17, Heb 12:1-2)
“Only as we drink down the kindness of the heart of
Christ…” (p22, emphasis mine)
“What he is, he does.” (p25, Consider elsewhere that what he
does is flip tables, cleanse the temple, curse a fig tree, berate Pharisees, and hide the truth in parables… amongst many other things, and what he is, he
surely does, cf. esp. Revelation 19:11)
“The leper was asking about Jesus’s deepest
desire. And Jesus revealed his deepest desire by healing him.” (p25, emphasis
mine, Jesus deepest desire is to glorify the Father, not every desire is
his deepest, cf. Matthew 6:33)
“Simply seeing the helplessness of the throngs, pity
ignites.” (p26, Jesus was driven by completing his mission, not by an internal
instinct or whim)
“The Jesus given to us in the Gospels is not simply one who
loves, but one who is love; merciful affections stream from his innermost heart
as rays from the sun.” (p27, Jesus came to seek and save the lost)
“Deep into the heart of Christ” (p46, emphasis
mine)
“He cannot bear to hold himself at a distance…His heart is
too bound up with yours.” (p50, Jesus is not blown about by his emotions)
“Nothing can chain his affections to heaven; his heart is too
swollen with endearing love.” (p55, Jesus is not at the mercy of his emotions)
“As we go down into pain and anguish, we are descending ever
deeper into Christ’s very heart, not away from it.” (p57, emphasis mine,
While I agree completely that God is redeeming pain and anguish for his glory
(cf: Romans 8:28-29) my question for Ortlund would be should we seek out
suffering for the benefit of knowing Christ better?)
“IT IS PROBABLY IMPOSSIBLE to conceive of the horror of
hell…that will sweep over those found on the last day to be out of Christ.”
(p67, EMPHASIS ORIGINAL, Further, what is “out of Christ”?, it sounds like
something someone who has heard about the Bible would say, not someone
who has read it (cf. esp. Ephesians 1-2), see also page 68, 143)
“When we come to Christ, we are startled by the beauty of
his welcoming heart. The surprise is itself what draws us in.” (p98)
“…he approaches us on our own terms and befriends us for
both his and our mutual delight.” (p119, He does not need anything, if he were
hungry or lonely or needing delight, he would not tell you.)
“If you catch God off guard, what leaps out most freely is
blessing.” (p140-141, So many problems with providence and sovereignty, but
especially that God is going to exude blessing in a startled state…consider the
only two verses I know of that remotely hint that God may be caught unawares
speak of the terror of his wrath and his rebuke: Psalm 73:20 & Mark 4:38-41)
Pitting Bible against Bible
Because Ortlund derives so much of his hermeneutic not from
the scriptures, but from his own interpretation of one verse, it is no surprise
that he finds contradictions throughout the scripture.
“But in only one place. . .do we hear Jesus himself open up
to us his very heart.” (p18, many other authors have noted that the incarnate
Jesus’ first and last command are, “Repent” (Mark 1:15, Revelation 3:19), as
well as reiterated throughout the gospels and New Testament; if Matthew 11:29
is so important for understanding the rest of the Bible and who Jesus is, then
it is extremely odd that John, Mark, Luke, Paul, Peter, and the Holy Spirit chose
to omit)
“The posture most natural to him is not a pointed finger but
open arms.” (p19, compare Matt 23, and find a place in scripture where Christ
was able to welcome someone with open arms. If we want to play some sort of
middle-knowledge game and assume men could humble themselves and seek Jesus
apart from his cleansing and intercession them, then perhaps men could be
welcomed, but then we run into the problem of Jesus never coming to earth if
men could save themselves (Cf. Galatians 2:21)…so his most natural (to use this
heretical language) posture is that of Suffering Saviour)
“If we are asked to say only one thing about who Jesus
is, we would be honoring Jesus’s own teaching if our answer is, gentle and
lowly.” (p21, emphasis original, again, scripture is clear that this
is not his only attribute)
“He can’t un-gentle himself toward his own…” (p21, Jesus is
in the posture of wounding and binding (Isaiah 30:26, Hosea 6:1, et al); so what
about discipline? We know that the reproof of the Lord is not pleasant at the
moment, but it does produce a fruit of righteousness and peace that are not to
be repented of, my prayer is that Jesus would not be gentle, but that he would
be efficient, measured, purposeful, and skilled, and he is! We’ll talk about “his
own” more as we consider the gospel-lite nature of the book.)
“It is what gets him out of bed in the morning.”
(p23, emphasis mine, God doesn’t sleep, his purpose is his glory.)
“This is the one whose deepest heart is, more than
anything else, gentle and lowly.” (p24, emphasis original, compare
Isaiah 63 and those who will face Christ scorned and receive his wrath for eternity.)
“We are apt to think that he, being so holy, is therefore of
a severe and sour disposition against sinners, and not able to bear them. ‘No,’
says he; ‘I am meek; gentleness is my nature and temper.’” (p23, This same Jesus
also said, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the Wrath to Come”
(Matthew 3:7))
“Twice in the Gospels we are told that Jesus broke down
and wept.” (p26, emphasis mine, Never in the gospels are we told that
Jesus broke down)
“It is impossible for the affectionate heart of Christ to
be overcelebrated, made too much of, exaggerated.” (P29, emphasis
original, Jeremiah disagrees and despises those who declare “Peace, Peace!”
when there is no peace, not on earth, not between man and nature, not between
man and man, not between nation and nation, and certainly not between God and
man)
On page 52, Ortlund is so desperate to find a proof text that
he quotes Hebrews 5:1-4 as about Jesus, when it is not, it only begins to be
about Jesus in verse 5.
“Jesus Christ was sinlessly weak (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5).” (p57,
see 2 Cor 13:3, Jesus Christ is not weak, meek does not mean weak, it is a
faithful saying that in order to be meek you have to have real power to maim,
kill, destroy, coerce, and rule, otherwise you are not meek, you are weak)
“It’s the only way he knows how to be.” (p57, compare
Revelation 1-3 and the entirety of the Bible)
“a rare glimpse” (p73, unless you’re reading your Bible)
“Should we envision the Son as gentle and lowly but the
Father as something else?” (p127, This eisegesis of forcing one verse to drown
out 31,101 other verses is troubling and dangerous, if the Father is gentle and
lowly only then we have no need to read verses like Proverbs 1:7: The
Fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom)
“But at the theological bull’s-eye of the whole book, we are
told that God does not bring such pain ‘from his heart.’” (p138, then where
does pain come from, and is there supposedly joy to come out of being afflicted
some other way?)
“God is rich in mercy. He doesn’t withhold mercy from some
kinds of sinners while extending it to others…his heart gushes forth mercy to
sinners one and all.” (p177, What about those it doesn’t? Are all saved? Are
all victims of some historical sin that they themselves are not a part of? Or is
God just in holding sins against sinners?)
Victimhood Versus Sin
The most dangerous, if I could pinpoint the most dangerous
part of the book, is that it rejects that sinners—in their very nature—are not
deserving of gentleness or restraint, but are deserving of the full, undiluted,
infinite and eternal wrath of God.
If we aren’t in immanent danger because Jesus loves us so
much and is doing everything possible to save us, then of course a jesus who
just wants to give us a hug makes sense, but the truth is: we aren’t victims, we’re
perpetrators, we’re not witnesses to the crucifixion, we’re orchestrators.
Consider some quotes that would make Charles Finney wince
for their heresy.
“Open yourself up to him. It is all he needs.” (p20, why the
cross? Poor little Pelagian Jesus who has done his best and now needs you to do
the rest)
“Jesus Christ’s desire that you find rest, that you come in
out of the storm, outstrips even your own.” (p21, The question then, of course,
is why so many are lost and why Jesus has a small, difficult path that leads to
Heaven and a broad well-paved well-marked highway leading to Hell?)
“Your very burden is what qualifies you to come.” (p20, This
is bordering on Works Righteousness, and a painful misunderstanding a very
astute Jonathan Edwards quote)
“But for the penitent, his heart of gentleness is never
out-matched…” (p21, Cf. two verses earlier: Matt 11:27, “whom the Son chooses
to reveal him.” Penitence doesn’t open eyes or hearts, and it is not how you
participate in the propitiated gentleness of the Father and the Son)
“He never tires of sweeping us into his tender embrace.”
(p23, Cf. Jeremiah 3 and the divorce of Israel)
“We cannot avoid the conclusion that it is the very
fallenness which he came to undo that is most irresistibly attractive to him.”
(p30, If we can’t avoid that conclusion, then why would we avoid the conclusion
that he could have stopped the fall but didn’t?! But the conclusion is false,
because what is most attractive to Jesus is the joy and glory in being both Righteous
and Saviour (cf. Isaiah 45:21-22))
“The same one who reached out and touched lepers puts his
arm around us today when we feel misunderstood and sidelined.” (p32)
“He wants us to draw on his grace and mercy because it is
who he is.” (p36, he is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29) and a jealous God
(Deut 4:24))
“Jesus Christ is comforted when you draw from the riches of
his atoning work, because his own body is getting healed.” (41, Jesus isn’t
broken, compare Acts 7 and Stephen)
On page 63-64, concerning the fictitious exchange between Christ and a
generalized seeker, every reader should be screaming: ‘Where is the cross?!’; While the cross does
appear sporadically throughout the book, it is clear that Orlund does not
understand its power, and here describes a sinner saved by a sympathetic jesus who
is willing to take a sinner just as he is without any atonement or
righteousness or propitiation or blood-shed.
“To those who do belong to him, sins evoke [in God] holy
longing, holy love, holy tenderness.” (p70, [Clarification Added], A
cursory reading of Revelation 2-3 would say otherwise, him seeking not to
coddle the sinning believer, but to sanctify him)
“We all tend to have some small pocket of our life where we
have difficulty believing the forgiveness of God reaches.” (p83, Ortlund’s
hermeneutic can only promise half a gospel, that God forgives, but not to the
uttermost)
“The only qualification needed is desire.” (p89, If this is
true then Jesus spoke very deficiently when he said things like, “Repent and Believe
the Gospel.” This quote of Ortlund's is similar to, but so much less powerful than, Joseph Hart's Come Ye Sinners Poor and Needy, “But to feel your
need of him”, because Ortlund is so mired in victimhood that he ignores that
Christ is the source not only of forgiveness, but of righteousness and
fellowship as well)
“embraces the penitent with more openness that we are able
to feel.” (p99, because your greatest need in Ortlund’s universe is a divine
hug)
“…Romance the heart of Jesus…Allow yourself to be
allured.” (p99, emphasis original, As I read this section, I thought
about the fruit of this book; this sort of language will NOT produce glorious
older saints who seek the will of God from the scriptures and exhort with all
authority those they encounter, but who lean (if they lean on Jesus at all) on
platitudes and “Jesus-is-my-girlfriend” language gleaned from secular Christian
radio rather than the heart of God)
“Jesus wants to come in to you—wretched, pitiable, poor,
blind, naked you---and enjoy meals together. Spend time with you. Deepen the
acquaintance.” (p116, Except Jesus is actively rejecting this church quoted
from Revelation 3:14-22)
“Christ not only heals our feelings of rejection…” (p118, Here
is my sarcasm: because feelings of rejection are our greatest need and what was
in the cup that Christ pleaded with his Father to remove if there was any way?
You’re not a victim of sin, you’re a sinner rejected by the Living Christ)
“It looks like a Middle Eastern carpenter restoring men’s
and women’s dignity and humanity and health and conscience through healings and
exorcisms and teaching and hugging and forgiving.” (p169, this jesus is spelled
with lower-case because he does not exist, cf. 2 Corinthians 11:3-4, and is
certainly not the Carpenter described in the Bible)
“It means the things about you that make you cringe most,
make him hug hardest.” (p179…not sanctify or reprove or justify or glorify…hug)
“Maybe you have been deeply mistreated. Misunderstood.
Betrayed by the one person you should have been able to trust. Abandoned. Taken
advantage of. Perhaps you carry a pain that will never heal till you are dead.”
(p179)
“Paul’s deepest burden is our present security…” (p193,
Paul’s deepest burden is the glory of God)
“His heart was gentle and lowly toward us when we were
lost.” (p194, Alistair Begg has a wonderful quote stating without a read anger,
a real wrath, the cross is robbed of it’s meaning.” Was Jesus gentle and lowly
towards us when we were “children of wrath”? See Ephesians 2:1-10)
“Only a soul in Christ would be troubled at offending him.”
(p194, what about 2 Corinthians 7:10, what about millions who think their good
deeds are keeping them in God’s good graces?)
Lack of the Gospel
It could probably go without saying that a book so
antithetical to scripture would not provide a way to enter into Heaven or the
good graces God, but if you’ve read this far, let me prove it to you. Are these
coming from the heart of Christ revealed in the scriptures, or the heart of Dane
Ortlund?
“You might know that Christ died and rose again on your
behalf to rinse you clean of all your sin…” (p15-16 emphasis mine)
“generally avoiding deep fellowship with him, out of a
muted understanding of his heart.” (p22, emphasis mine, did Jesus
die for misunderstood people even while they were muted (Compare Romans 5:8))
“This book is written. . .for those of us who know God loves
us but suspect we have deeply disappointed him.” (p13, this person doesn’t
exist, despite some saying that this book has a niche readership, this person
does not exist in the scriptures, as the problem is that a person who knows God
loves them will be transformed by the love (Cf. 1 John 4:18 where this is a
test of salvation))
“He was reversing the Jewish system.” (p31, missed the cross
entirely)
“Christ as our heavenly mediator-that is, the one who clears
away any reason for us to be unable to enjoy friendship with God…” (p37, while
there is some truth in this statement, this is NOT what a mediator does)
“What keeps him from growing cold? The answer is, his
heart.” (p66, The answer is the cross!)
“No such thing as grace” (p69, Gentle and Lowly is a
weird Pelagian, oft Roman Catholic (RCC), book that claims that there is no
such thing as grace because that’s RCC stuff? Grace abounds, and while it may
be intangible, there certainly is such thing as grace and it’s amazing, and I
hope someday Ortlund is able to taste it, feel it, and be saved by it!)
“What does it mean that Christ is a friend to sinners? At
the very least, it means that he enjoys spending time with them…What he is
really doing, at bottom, is pulling them into his heart.” (p114-115, except
that they all left him.)
Chapter 12, titled “A Tender Friend” doesn’t even consider
that a friend will die for another friend. If there is an easier place to tie the
gospel together than Jesus, the Friend of Sinners, and his accolades of a man
who lays down his life for his friends, I haven’t found it; but Ortlund didn’t see
fit to include it. My written note on the last page of that chapter reads in
bold red pen, “How dare he not touch on John 15:13!”
There is an assumed Christianity throughout the book,
especially on page 167 that if you think you’re in Christ, you definitely get
all of his blessings, there is no clarion call for repentance and faith or
making your calling and election sure. “You’re that safe.” (p178, and you are
that safe if you’re in Christ, but if you trust in the promises rather than the
Saviour, you won’t meet a gentle and lowly jesus on the final day and you’ll be
outside of his safe graces (cf Matthew 7:21-23))
“Do you know what Jesus does with those who squander his
mercy? He pours out more mercy.” (p179, potentially, but should we then sin all
the more? Or not trample his blood underfoot?)
“Repent and let him love you.” (p170, is this a quote from
Pelagius, Arminius, Finney, Osteen, or Ortlund?)
“It means that our sins do not cause his love to take a hit.
Our sins cause his love to surge forward all the more.” (p180, Our sins cause a
separation between us and God; run to the cross, go reconcile with your
brother)
“rinse muddy sinners clean and hug them into his own heart”
(p191, You could reject the whole book on this one sentence alone…I think it
was my second most angry moment reading this book; the first being the quote in
the conclusion below)
“Open yourself up to him. Let him love you…Go to Jesus”
(p216, a biblical invitation may have been in order here?)
“Whenever you feel stuck…most defeated…” (p216, because
Jesus came to seek and save the victims?)
Conclusion
I’ll let Dane Ortlund close us with the most ridiculous
sentence in the entire book: “This is a book about the heart of Christ and of
God. What are we to do with this? The main answer is, nothing.” (p215)
Beloved, from Matthew 11:29 the answer is: “Yoke Yourself to Jesus!” Trust
Christ! Know Christ! Enjoy Christ! Link your eternity with his!
What should you do with Gentle and Lowly? Toss it, read
your Bible!
Saturday, July 3, 2021
Spiritual Lessons from the Baseball Field
Introduction
Twelve 7–10 year-olds looked up to me this baseball season as their coach. My family walked into baseball this year hoping to make some friends in the community, introduce our kids to a team sport, and invest in our neighbors. Through some unexpected and tragic circumstances I ended up coaching my oldest daughter’s team, and I filled in to varying degrees for two other teams.
As I scrambled to remember fundamentals and coaching techniques, I realized I wanted to teach my team more than just baseball this year. It would have been easy to leave coaching to “step-and-throw”, “your glove is your force field”, "finger's up, thumb down", and “keep your back foot planted and elbow up,” but that would have only served these kids on the field. As the season progressed I built up five principles that were meant to serve them on the baseball diamond, but even better and longer for their whole lives.
Here they are in order of importance.
1. Do your best! It is popular to hear, “The most important thing is to have fun!” But that is not the most important thing; if having fun is the most important thing then when you stop having fun, you stop playing baseball. Both my team and other teams lost kids early in the season who weren’t having fun and walked off the field. We played an early season game at 34 degrees Fahrenheit, and we played a late season game at 100 degrees. Neither was comfortable, but we weren’t out there to have fun, we were out there to do our best, and it was a huge blessing to be able to say to the kids that I watched them do their best in the extreme cold and the extreme heat.
I hope I always remember the look of epiphany when I watched my short-stop hold a baseball while trying to make the decision of where to throw it, ultimately not throwing it anywhere; I told him, “I’d rather you make a wrong decision than no decision.” I was parroting Theodore Roosevelt, “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” Later in the season he made an excellent play, a perfect throw to third base, only to realize there was no play at third base. I lauded his effort because he fielded and disposed of the ball quickly; knowing where to throw it will come in the future.
2. Support your team! Like most leagues, some of my kids had been playing baseball for years, and some had brand new gloves that they didn’t even know how to wear. It is a beautiful thing watching elementary kids calling out encouragement to their teammates and cheering them on, coaching their fundamentals and being patient with their foibles. Baseball has been called the ideal team-sport because you cannot win—or lose—a baseball game on your own, it requires the efforts of the entire team to see success.
Watching a third-grader realize this on the pitcher’s mound when one of his teammates botched a play was priceless. He understandably criticized his teammate; but I was in position to explain to him that you have to help each player to succeed, teach them to field, and back them up, because your team is only as strong as the weakest player. That remark, early in the season (maybe second or third game) was the last disparaging comment that I heard come out of any of my players’ mouths.
Next year I hope to rope my team parents into this and get them investing not just in their own kids but all of the players on the field. Late in the season I started employing young family members as base-coaches, which provided an excellent opportunity for team growth and involvement.
No-one can win a baseball game on their own, so always look for ways to improve your teammates, whether that is your family, friends, schoolmates, or coworkers!
It’s easier to have fun when you know you and your teammates are trying your hardest. I watched one of my kids rocket a line-drive into the waiting glove of the third baseman, I watched another do everything he could to beat out a play at first base only to be out by half a step, and I cheered on kids who bounded balls half way into the infield who previously couldn’t even make contact. Their smiles showed that they appreciated their improvement and effort, and it made for everyone having a better game and season.
4. No Walking on a Baseball Field! The rules of baseball don’t say anything directly about moving with a purpose (except maybe the ambiguous “delay of game” or “pace of game” rules), however it has been a long unwritten rule to “hustle up.” This isn’t just to make the game less boring, it helps with doing your best. It may be summed up, “Anything worth doing is worth doing well.”
I reminded one meandering coach about this unwritten rule, and then thought about how much better so many things in life would be if everyone moved with a purpose and did the job they were there to do. Now, granted, in baseball the kid’s have paid to be there, but most of them don’t know that. If we can ingrain the idea that doing our best is separate from how much fun we're having, money we're making, or glory we're reaping, then we’ll do great things in life.
5. Safety isn’t First! It doesn’t take much imagination to see so many communities, societies, work-places, and people succumbing to the temptation to become risk-averse and facing extreme consequences because of it. The baseball field is not immune, and I heard several comments along the lines of protecting yourself from harm rather than making a good play. Now, I certainly do not want kids to needlessly get hurt, but avoiding the risk of pain in baseball is almost certainly going to cause you to fail at the previous four principles.
After-all, a baseball in this league might come at you in excess of fifty mph, or a bat for that matter, or a tag might be a little excessive. My own daughter sat out half an inning tending to a bloody nose when she was tagged out at home in the face. Several players stopped balls with their sternums, more than one catcher limped off the field after finding their padding covers a lot, but it does not cover everything.
Kids who slid into base, were hit by grounders (or the occasional pitch), or who were bruised in some other way were encouraged to walk-it-off and “get back in there”, and it was a tremendous blessing to watch them push through the pain, assess the risk, and realize that great risk brings great rewards.
Conclusion
In conclusion, none of my kids got trophies or medals at the end of the season, but they all improved vastly at baseball, and were invested in by some great adults and kids, and the lessons they learned will serve them well throughout the rest of their lives.
Note: I’ve purposely left this article more on the baseball side for copy/paste/quoting, but I do especially want to encourage you to “Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and his righteousness, and everything else will be added to you,” and “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. . .Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
Saturday, May 15, 2021
Masks Sacrificed to Idols
There was a problem in First Century Christianity where Jews were coming to the faith in the resurrected Christ having their consciences bound to rules that suddenly did not apply. Under the Old Covenant, simply touching a dead body or unclean thing, or eating an animal that had consumed an unclean thing, was a sin against a holy God and would put a separation between him and you. (Confer Haggai 2:12-13)
By logical extension, food offered to an idol became tainted
by that action and idol, and consuming that food united the consumer with sin, thus driving
a wedge into their relationship with God. The New Covenant declared that it was
not just the touching of external things that defiled a person, but that their
very heart was defiled and defiling. See (Matthew 15:10-20)
If the original commandment wasn’t harsh enough, Jesus shone
a light on just how holy God is, and that God’s standards were impossibly more
difficult than men had tried to remake them. But with that revelation of
holiness, Jesus also delivered hope of cleansing, a new heart, a recreation
of the man from old to new, and a complete reconciliation with God through the
blood of his cross.
Jesus proved this himself when a woman touched him who was
ceremonially unclean. When she touched him, he did not become defiled--as a
mere man would have been--but instead power went out from him and she was not just
healed, but made right with God. (See Luke 8:42-48, amongst many others)
But this conviction of external defilement did not die
easily. Some new believers could not divorce their faith in Jesus’ saving power
from the idea that they were sinning against God by eating unclean animals or
meat that was sacrificed to idols. Rather than simply confronting these
brothers for their error, Paul encouraged more mature believers to respect the
conscience of their weaker brothers by abstaining from meat sacrificed to idols in
their presence.
This has been used in the past months and weeks to say that
Christians ought to wear masks for the sake of their brothers who fear COVID-19
and/or think that wearing masks is right for whatever reason. The first failing
of this attempted application is that wearing of a mask is not a matter of sin or obedience
to God or fellowship with God. I have yet to meet any one at all, least of all Christians, who feel that they are serving God by wearing a mask or disobeying God by not wearing a mask. The second failing is that this actually
encourages Christians to fear COVID-19 or government mandates rather than God
(Matthew 10:28). Third, rather than protecting the conscience of the mask
wearer, this misaligns the stronger brother’s conscience with a command that has no
basis in scripture nor bearing on relationship with God.
Wearing a mask while citing the command to respect the
weaker brother’s conscience is a radical eisegis and damaging to both parties. Blatant
sin should be confronted: A mask cannot save your soul nor prolong your life; at
best it feigns obedience to the government and at worst it hides and mars the
image of God and silences the proclamation of his Word.
A legitimate extension of the command to respect the
conscience of others would be to say, “If you feel that wearing a mask is detrimental
to your relationship with God and others, then I won’t wear mine when I'm around you.” And
it says, “If shopping at such-and-such website perpetuates human slavery, then
I won’t shop at that website, or at least not brag about it to those who believe
it does perpetuate slavery.” Or “If masks could be hiding sex-trafficking or
domestic abuse, then I’ll encourage people to take them off when they are socially
distanced or at the very least ask if they are safe, healthy, and thriving.”
Those who have been perpetuating mask wear for the sake of
the weaker brother are they themselves tightening the chains of bondage, nurturing
the fear that hides the face of God, and promoting a false salvation that eternal
rewards are to be traded for temporal health.
So the next time someone is encouraging you to sin against
God by acquiescing to man’s wisdom, consider whether their conscience is bent
towards God’s eternal decrees, or serving their flesh. Whichever they are doing
will drastically drive your response.
Thursday, March 25, 2021
Fit For Service
After Hurricane Katrina I was privileged to be a part of a church that sent several cleanup and rebuild crews to New Orleans over several years. On one of those trips we broke from our normal routine and went to visit a nursing home in order to sing, hold a service, preach the gospel, and talk with the residents. Most of the residents were in their eighties and nineties, but one man stood out, he was half the age of everyone else.
During the time of mingling myself and a few
others were able to strike up a conversation with this young man. It was readily
apparent that he had a serious disorder which had brought him to the nursing
home: he was in a wheel chair, his hands and arms were locked in grotesque and
unnatural positions, and-most glaringly-he could only communicate through grunts
and head movements. Patience, and his experience communicating despite his
debilitation, allowed us to slowly discover that he had not always been wheel
chair bound, but that through drug abuse he had destroyed parts of his brain
and had addled his thinking.
We transitioned into speaking about spiritual things, and
asked him if he knew who Jesus was. His response was extraordinary, he perked
up, gave us a crooked grin, and nodded his head profusely. A few probing
questions led us to believe that since being stricken, someone had shared the
gospel with him, he had believed it, and had been born again.
But then I asked a question that nearly crushed him, “Are
you serving Jesus now?” His head and countenance fell. It was obvious that despite
his desire to serve his Saviour, he felt as fettered in his ability to do
anything for Jesus as his body was bound to the wheelchair. I thought about how he could answer the question: he couldn’t preach, he couldn’t serve, he couldn’t go, he couldn’t
even take care of himself, let alone someone else.
Then we gave him his commission, “Your job here is to pray
for all of these people,” gesturing to dozens of residents who had little to no
comprehension of the gospel that had saved this man’s soul, “and to not stop
praying.” His joy returned and his grin came back. He was not a useless saint
being punished with the consequences of his past sins, he was a useful saint whose
past sins were being redeemed in a dark place to pray for heretofore un-prayed for people who were in their final strides of a lifelong race they had spent running headlong towards Hell!
Many of us feel as though we are unfit for service, though
it is rarely so pronounced as this man. Perhaps it’s the retiree who no longer has
an audience, or the military veteran who is missing an appendage, or the former
pastor whose ex-wife’s sins disqualified him from the pastorate in his
denomination, or the thrice divorced repentant adulterer who is known through
the town for his past womanizing, or the missionary who had to return home because his health failed on the mission field, or the wife who finally realizes the beauty
of, “the unmarried woman is anxious about the things of the Lord,
how to be holy in body and spirit,” and now thinks she’s wasted her usefulness
by becoming anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband (1 Cor
7:34).
But God is in the business of laying out works before us to
walk in (Ephesians 2:10). What was meant for evil, he is turning for good
(Genesis 50:20). What should have destroyed us is making us stronger (1
Corinthians 1:8-9). We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed,
but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not
destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of
Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies (2 Corinthians 4:8-10). We are afflicted-even when our affliction is our own fault-so
that the works of God may be displayed in us (John 9:3).
We have this promise from God that he is both willing and
working for his good pleasure, both redeeming us from our past sins, but also
using our past to proclaim his purposes to others, so much so that the church
is conquering the accuser with the blood of the Lamb AND the word of their
testimony. Despite these great promises often we think that our sin is bigger
than the grace of the Lord Christ. Or, and I’m not sure anyone would ever admit
to this, we use our sin and affliction as an excuse to stop working, since we feel we can
blame God for either not preventing our sin and/or affliction, or for not redeeming it in the way
we’d like.
When we make excuses for why we are not working, we are
denying the power of God. Paul works through this mightily in Second
Corinthians 12, and he comes to this conclusion, “For the sake of Christ, then,
I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.
For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Christian, are you hindered in your ministry by some
physical, spiritual, external, cultural or unmitigable impediment? GOOD! God can and
does use the strong, but he more often uses the broken, destitute, impossible people
to accomplish some of his most amazing outcomes. Do not whine to the living God that
there is no-one able to heal or redeem your afflictions (cf John 5:2-9), for he
will tell you to work while it is still day, to walk in the works he has
prepared for you, not the works you’d do if you could choose, but the works he has
chosen so that his power may be displayed in you. Are you looking at your circumstances and wasting your life by thinking they are wasting your life? Repent, and bear fruit keeping with repentance!
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