Geniune Symptoms of Declining Grace

One of my best Christmas presents I received in 2015 was the 3-Volume Set of William Gurnall's The Christian in Complete Armor. For various reasons, I didn't get around to actually digging into it until recently (yikes!). However, I just finished Volume 1. I can't recommend this highly enough! Spurgeon says of the book:

"Gurnall's work is peerless and priceless; every line is full of wisdom; every sentence is suggestive. The whole book has been preached over scores of times, and is, in our judgment, the best thought-breeder in all our library." 

Hearty praise! 

What I want to do today is lay out three warnings Gurnall gives as symptoms for spiritual backsliding. I will do a follow-up post on How to Recover in the near future.

So, what are symptoms of declining grace? (The headings and quotes are Gurnall's words)

1. A Careless Attitude Toward Temptation -

"Has your conscience become so inattentive and drowsy that you give little thought to the devil's snares?" In other words, are you aware that temptation is real, and that we have a great enemy prowling around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8)? "When a person's conscience is numb to temptation, his graces are in critical condition." A drowsy conscience is a lazy conscience. What situations arise during your day that tempts you to complain? Be lazy? Lust? Think through those and be on guard! If you're unconcerned about them, this is a symptom of spiritual sickness.

But what about if you do recognize temptations? If you're not fighting against them, you're still in danger. "If your conscience is alert to temptation but heartless to fight against it, your graces must still be listed as very ill. A man who lets temptation loiter along the borders of his conscience proves himself a poor guardian of his godliness. If you do not take up arms against your enemy and seek God earnestly and fervently for deliverance, you may be sure that lust will soon gain the advantage over grace." 

Sin is not something to be trifled with. Don't put yourself at risk. Don't see how far you can go in this or that scenario without sinning. Be alert that slothfulness, lust, anger, pride, and a litany of other sins are crouching at the door and ready to pounce if we exhibit carelessness toward them!

It's also important to note that the motivation for resisting temptation should be "God's reputation" as "He is the one most offended by your sin." In other words, it's not "God's grace in you" to resist temptation "if all you care about is your own reputation." Recognize and fight temptation for the glory of God and the good our your soul.

2. An Inantentive Attitude in Worship and Service - 

We all go through seasons where corporate worship and personal time with the Lord are especially sweet. Gurnall warns us of the dangers of declining grace when "you find yourself going about your spiritual tasks out of habit rather than love." 

"To hunger and thirst after righteousness is a sign of health, for a craving soul is a thriving soul. On the other hand, the soul that does not constantly cry out to God for spiritual food will grow weaker by the day." Man shall not live by bread alone (Deut. 8:3)! Are you in the Scriptures regularly because of your love for Christ?

Believers need a regular intake of God's Word and regular time alone with God. Furthermore, we need regular time with other Believers in the local church. When we begin to merely go through the motions of these duties or neglect them altogether, it is a symptom of 'declining grace.' As a pastor, one of the telltale indicators that something is spiritually out of sorts with a congregant is when they miss a few worship gatherings. The sobering reality is that the missing of corporate worship is a fruit issue of whatever is going on. In other words, the Christian can fade for some time before actually missing church. So, the point is to be aware enough of our spiritual state to know when it is "time to repair your armor."

I would also note that because of the depravity of the human heart, we need other mature Believers regularly speaking into our lives as a way to help us avoid 'backsliding' (see Heb. 3:12-13 for example). My sinful eyes aren't quite enough to watch over my own soul. I need others willing to help me, and so do you.

3.  An Obsessive Attitude Toward your Work -

"How easy it is to let the responsibilities of job and family leave us in a less spiritual frame of mind than we once possessed. If we let them, the cares of this world will follow us into our prayer closets and cleave to our spirits, giving a stale, earthly odor to our prayers and meditation." 

Concern for good things can become a problem when it is obsessive. When we take our eyes off of Christ and begin to "put too much stock in our worldly estate" we are in danger spiritual decline. 

"If you will labor less to promote your earthly account and pray harder to improve your fund of grace, you will soon find your soul at peace with God's providence."

What do you think of Gurnall's warnings? Sadly, we often posit a view of the Christian life that is way too passive. As if we just pray this prayer one time, and then continue on in life unconcerned about our walk with the Lord until we die and go to heaven. The reality is, the Christian life is a battle. While all true Believers will endure to the end, this doesn't mean that spiritual decline won't result in dire consequences for us and those around us (the quickest example I can think of off the top of my head is David's sin with Bathsheba). 

We often use the excuse of "everybody sins" to justify our bad habits or even sinful practices. But Gurnall warns us to take note of our spiritual state and to strive to "stand firm" in grace so that we might not be maimed by the continual onslaught the devil throws our way and so that we may be wary of the snares he lays before us regularly.

Take account of your walk with the Lord. Are any of the above symptoms noticeable in your life? If so, don't stay in such a dreadful state! Go to Christ, go to Scripture, and consult with mature Christians that you may be a Christian in complete armor. 

A follow-up post will elaborate more on How to Recover from Declining Grace

Calling Upon the Name of the Lord (Eddie Ragsdale)

Today's post is from my friend Eddie Ragsdale, pastor of First Baptist Church in Marshall, Arkansas. He's the husband of Laura and father of Brady and Corey. He is a wonderful brother in Christ and my fellow podcaster! It's always worth listening to what he has to say. His words are below:

There is an interesting phrase found first in the scriptures at the end of Genesis 4. It says there that at that time people first began to “call upon the name of the Lord.” This wording is used several times in the scriptures. Another notable occurrence is found in the book of Joel. In Joel’s prophecy scripture states that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved! Peter at Pentecost proclaims that the amazing display of power and efficacy in their preaching was the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy and reiterates the invitation to those hearing this early gospel message to know that “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” 

If these references were not enough Paul picks up this phrase in Romans chapter 10:13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Wow! What an amazing promise. That everyone, that is every single person, who calls upon the name of the Lord will (for sure) be saved. It is staggering to think about the mercy, grace, and love of God displayed in this statement that every wicked sinner who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Every struggling addict, every self-righteous religionist, every idolater, every liar, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 

But all of this begs one question: What does it mean to call upon the name of the Lord? The weight and gravity of this promise is incalculable but what does it mean? Possibly you are saying “well it’s obvious it means that everyone who calls out to God will be saved.” Ok. But that isn’t exactly what it said. Certainly, it is true that every person that truly calls out to God asking to be saved out of the convicting and transformative work of the Holy Spirit is saved but is that what this text is about? As we begin to track the way the phrase has been used throughout the bible going all the way back to Genesis 4 and considering the linguistic choices of both the Greek and Hebrew writers it is probably better to interpret this as meaning worship of the Lord. I know that for many years my assumption has been that this phrase, especially as it is used in Acts and Romans, just referred to the initial act of calling out to God for salvation at our conversion. However, upon further study and meditation, it seems clear that those who will be saved are those who become “God worshippers” and to be even more specific to the New Testament passages those who confess Jesus as Lord and trust in Christ alone. 

The point I’m making is that calling upon the name of the Lord is not just something that you did to get saved. No as a disciple, follower, and worshipper of Jesus, calling upon the name of the Lord is what you continue to do and will always do. As a matter of fact, throughout all eternity, we will be calling upon the name of the Lord and worshipping Him as trophies of His grace and eternal evidence of His saving power. So let us all call upon the name of the Lord and the true and living God! Let me urge you if you are not a worshipper of Christ then you are not a believer in Christ. Please turn from your sin and trust Christ! Call upon the name of the Lord today and you will be saved!

Question of the Week - 2018

I'm going to try a new ministry format in 2018 where I will take a question or two each week and answer them on Thursdays at 12pm via Facebook Live. I want to answer in this post why I'm doing it and how you can submit a question.

Why?

It is true that technology can be used in a bad way. It's also true though that technology is a gift of God that can be used in a Christ-honoring way. That's my goal with this project. As a pastor, I get questions quite often about life issues that I think would be edifying to others. So, the goal is to honor Christ and help others as they think through questions regarding Scripture, theology, life, the church, discipleship, family, etc.

I am not an expert. I think this exercise will help me as I grow in my faith to think through issues from a biblical perspective. So, ask away as we seek to find biblical solutions together.

How?

You can submit a question completely anonymously using Google Forms. Here is the link: Question of the Week.

The reason I want it anonymous is because it gives you the freedom to ask what's on your heart. And if you have the question, I'm sure others have considered it before too. If you want to leave your name, you can, but you don't have to. And, there's no limit to how many questions you can ask since I don't know who's asking them.

No question is off limits. However, priority will be given to questions that are most pertinent to life and ministry here in Perryville, AR. Also, I obviously reserve the right to not answer every question submitted. It may be that so many questions are asked that I don't get to them all. Or it may be that I find a particular question confusing or even inappropriate. And if there is a really good question that is above me, I may pass it along to someone else to answer.

So, let's see how this plays out. I hope we all find it useful as we seek to follow Christ in 2018. To Him be the glory forever.

Question of the Week link

-IV

Top 3 Rural Church Podcast Episodes of 2017

At the end of August 2017, my friend Eddie Ragsdale and I started a new project entitled The Rural Church Podcast. We've been amazed and encouraged at the feedback we've gotten! We would do it even if no one listened because it gives us an excuse to talk to each other once a week. Otherwise, we are too busy.

I thought since we are just about to end the year, I'd share the top 3 episodes that have been listened to the most. We'll start with #3 and go to #1.

3. Episode 4 (9/18/17, 43:17 runtime) Practical Tips for Beginning a New Sermon Series

From the notes: What sort of sermon series should we be preaching in the local church? How do we decide what sort of series to preach? How do we get started in preparing for a new sermon series? All of this and more is discussed in this week's episode!

2. Episode 7 (10/16/17, 47:10 runtime) - Inflated Church Roles

From the notes: After a 1-week hiatus (thanks, Eddie! - Ok, maybe Allen was busy too...) we discuss the issue of church membership rolls that don't accurately reflect the people who actually attend regularly. This is a major problem in many Baptist churches, where membership rolls can be inflated by as much as a 3 to 1 ratio or even worse. Eddie and Allen discuss why this is such a problem and also what are biblical ways all churches can improve in this area.

1. Episode 11(11/27/17, 64:01 runtime) - The Attractional and Affinity-Based Church Movement 

From the notes: This week, we turn it up to 11! Well, okay, it's actually just our 11th episode of the Rural Church Podcast!!! Cowboy Church, Biker Church, Outdoor Church, Race Car Church, Gamer Church, Hipster Church, and the list goes on and on and on. Is there anything wrong with the 'affinity' based church movement? Should churches seek to 'attract' people to their main gathering using something other than the gospel? On this week's episode, Eddie and Allen tackle these issues and show why the attraction and affinity-based church movement falls short of the New Testament model of the local church. This is an important discussion...

Hmmm. Seems like the longer we go, the more hits we get. Ha!

It's possible we sneak in one more before the year is over. But if not, we plan to podcast once a week and discuss life, ministry, and theology from the perspective of the local church in 2018.  Thanks for listening!

You can click here to subscribe on iTunes. 

A Bold Strategy for Reaching Arkansas with the Gospel

It's not my desire to be controversial just for the sake of controversy. I don't want to belittle anyone who thinks differently on this issue than I do. But, I do have some pretty strong convictions about this and I am convinced that they are rooted in Scripture. I've debated myself about posting this, but it is my desire to keep this conversation going. And it is my hope, that one day we will see a change in our current strategy. 

The recent numbers coming in on lostness in Arkansas aren't good. The above graphic shows that nearly half the people in the state are not claimed by any religious groups in Arkansas. These religious groups include non-Christian groups, so adding up the total percentage of non-Christians in the state of Arkansas would seemingly go well beyond 50%. And here we are right in the Bible Belt of America. Something needs to change. 

Recently I attended our Arkansas Baptist State Convention's annual meeting. There were several things about the meeting for which I was encouraged. There were also a few things for which I was discouraged, particularly so when it comes to our strategy as a whole in reaching the lost in Arkansas. 

One of the messages I was able to listen to had a few excerpts that I am particularly baffled by and hope to offer some helpful alternatives. But before I do, I want to list a few things for which I am very thankful for concerning the Arkansas Baptist State Convention:

1. We care about lost people. The charts and stats and figures and strategies exist because we have people in our churches and convention who care about lost people.

2. We are intentional about diversity. We've recognized the problem of 'white only' churches and have been intentional about reaching people not like us.

3. We have been more focused on prayer. The last several years prayer has been an emphasis in our state.

I can truly say that I am happy to be a part of the ABSC and that our church joyfully contributes to the cooperative program. With that being said, it doesn't mean that I don't have a few concerns. Concerns that I do, in fact, consider significant. 

I'm just a young guy with not much to offer. I don't have a seminary degree and I have never planted a church. So, if you read this and dismiss what I'm saying I can actually totally understand. Thanks for making it this far. But, honestly, it's really my hope that you'll think through this biblically (and even historically as far as God's great revival movements in the past). And if someone else more qualified comes along to lead in the changes I'm suggesting, praise God.

Here are a few statements that I find problematic in our current effort to reach the lost in our State:

• “Unchurched people tend to get in church with their own kind.”
• “We are being incredibly strategic in starting churches for different types of folks.” 
• “Please don’t criticize your pastor for wearing jeans to try and reach millennials.” 

Now, let me state upfront that I do think we have a problem in many churches. And the problem is that we are affinity-based - meaning that we are basically white, middle-class 1970s era Southern Baptist churches. I am grateful that we are looking at this and addressing it for what it is: a problem (when a church is not accurately reflecting it's community's demographics).

With that being said, I cannot, by conviction, get on board with a strategy of 'starting churches for different types of folks.' There really is only one 'type of folk' and that is sinners in need of reconciliation with God through the finished work of Christ. Unfortunately, we have bought into the ideas as Southern Baptists that the best strategy for reaching lost people is to tailor existing churches and to strategically create new types of churches toward certain demographics so that the 'unchurched' (not a fan of that term, more here) will walk through the door. 

But let me remind us that we don't see this sort of strategy in the New Testament at all. Not. At. All. We are never instructed to make our churches more comfortable for lost people so that they will come into a service and get saved. Instead, the theme of evangelism in the New Testament is that Believers would get out of their comfort zones and go to lost people with the message of the gospel. I know, I know, Paul said "I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some" (1 Cor. 9:22). But he did not say he tailor-made churches for different kinds of people. Rather, his point is that he was willing to go to great lengths in order to see people come to Christ. Instead of this passage giving us an excuse to create affinity churches, it actually should convict and embolden us to have our existing churches strive to reach people with the gospel! As Spurgeon said regarding this passage:

"Churches that do not care for outsiders quickly suffer from disunity and strife. What unites a church completley is the calling out of all its forces for accomplishing the Redeemer's grand objective. This passion for saving souls not only employs but also draws forth the strength of the church."

You see, if our strategy for reaching those not like us is "let's plant a church for those type of people" we actually fail to carry out the spirit of 1 Cor. 9:22 and miss a tremendous blessing in the church. But, the response to this usually goes like this: "Yeah, but there are people out there in our State who won't ever come into a church like yours." If that's the case, there are only two possibilities:

1.) The church 'like mine' isn't a healthy church or 

2.) The person refusing to come isn't a true Christian. 

How can we know this? Because true believers long to gather with other believers in the church (1 John 3:14, Hebrews 10:25, Philippians 2:1-11, etc).

You see, the strategy cannot be 'since our existing churches are affinity-based, let's just make more affinity based churches' (i.e., Cowboy, Biker, Outdoorsmen, etc.). Why? Because this flies in the face of another sermon I heard at the meeting which highlighted Ephesians 2:14: For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility...

In other words, one of the most beautiful pictures of the gospel at work in the hearts of people is unity where there was once division. When the man in his suit and tie and the younger man in his jeans and tattoos worship our Triune God side by side, it is a testimony to the power of the gospel. In fact, Jesus said the world will know we are His disciples if we love one another (John 13:35).

So, what is this 'bold strategy' I offer us to consider going forward? It is simply this: Go and make disciples by preaching and teaching the gospel and its implications.

I admit that I just plagiarized the greatest church planter to ever walk this earth, namely Jesus of Nazareth. But all joking aside, we are foolish at best, and rebellious at worst, if we trust in any other strategy. Paul said that he was not ashamed of the gospel (Romans 1:16). Why? Because it is the power of God for salvation! That's right. The gospel is the power of God. In other words, when we come up with plans and strategies and techniques that involve reaching people with the gospel and something else, we have shown our lack of trust in the sufficiency of the gospel message to save all sinners.

In fact, the message I referenced earlier was from John 6 and toward the end, it was stated “The [young boy] only had 2 fish sandwiches and a brown paper bag. And he’s the hero of the story.” Not to nitpick here, but that's not entirely accurate is it? No, I'm not talking about the brown paper bag part. I'm talking about the hero part. The hero of the story in John 6 is Jesus. And the feeding of earthly food actually served to show that that's all the vast majority of the crowd was really after. The Bread of Life stood before them and all they wanted was their belly to quit grumbling. That's why Jesus goes on to say in v.63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

Why does this matter?

Because the hero of reaching our state with the gospel is Jesus. And we can build churches, and we can have the greatest of programs, and we can attract a mass number of people. But it is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. It is the power of God in the gospel message, the message of what Christ has done for us, that brings sinners from death to life. If Jesus is the hero, aren't we best served by actually listening to and trusting in what He and His Apostles have told us about reaching lost people? We don't merely need the right 'message' but also the right method. It's possible to actually corrupt our message when we use the wrong method. For example, to say we trust in the power of the gospel, but instead of actually trusting in its sufficiency alone, we also build churches that only certain groups of people will come to, we actually undermine what we are telling people about the gospel.

I think the gospel can change a drunkard. I think it can change a homosexual. I think it can change a gossip. And I think it can change someone who doesn't want to attend church.

The strategy of starting new churches in Scripture was not to go build churches for various groups of people. Rather, it was to go preach the gospel and as people were saved they would gather and organize into local churches from all walks of life: Jews, Gentiles, Jailers, Rich People, Poor People, Young People, Old People, etc.

I know it sounds crazy (and maybe even a little simplistic) to just say 'go preach the gospel' but I really believe that's the answer. God uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise (1 Cor. 1:27). It's foolish to think that we can reach over 1.5 million people in our state just by going out and telling them the message of Christ, but I'm in! Let's mobilize our churches to reach people in the places that God has Sovereignly put them as we scatter all over the state of Arkansas every week.

In fact, it was also highlighted yesterday that “the underground churches in Africa and China don’t have the resources we do and are seeing sweeping revival” (Paraphrased). We might really be on to something here. You see, we think in church planting that we need money and facilities. Then how is God doing these great works in other places without those things? Because people are sharing the gospel as they go throughout their day with people that God brings into their life. Maybe what we need is just the gospel message. Maybe it really is enough. Maybe it's not pie in the sky to think that cowboys, bikers, millennials, and business folks can all worship in the same local church together under the banner of Christ. Maybe that's what makes the gospel shine most beautifully. And maybe that's what we are missing most right now in our State.

Now, this also means there is still work to be done in our existing churches, doesn't it? I'm thankful for the leadership making it clear that there are things that do need to change in our existing churches. However, I don't think that the pastor wearing skinny jeans is the answer (the exact quote was: “Please don’t criticize your pastor for wearing jeans to try and reach millennials"). Millennials will not be reached with jeans or suits or anything actually- other than the gospel. So our existing churches have to realize this. They have to realize that their strategy for reaching the lost isn't 'come and see' but 'go and tell.' I'm not against changing dress code, changing service times, or changing music styles, as long as we understand that none of those things reach people. None of them. I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

We also must acknowledge this for existing churches: The 3 to 1 ratio members to attendees has to end. In Arkansas there are 152,000 people in ABSC churches every Sunday while over 500,000 on our the membership rolls of our churches. One way to effectively revitalize our churches is by going through the process of church discipline and having accurate rolls. Perhaps in doing that we will see some of these 'unchurched people' come to true faith and repentance.

Furthermore, existing churches must also realize this truth: reaching lost people is a messy business. As newly converted people attend your church they may not look, think, and act exactly like everyone else. Some of that may be sin issues that the Lord is continuing to work on. But some of that might be cultural issues that need to be embraced and welcomed as we seek to express Christian unity in the midst of cultural diversity. We don't have to have the same pastimes to be in the same local church together. And is there a greater cultural divide to serve as an illustration other than Jews and Gentiles? And yet, they could worship in the same local church together. How? Christ. The gospel really is that powerful.

So, what might this look like practically in our state? Here are just a few brief suggestions. I hope others can help build on these according to Scripture.

1. Stop planting affinity based churches immediately. No more cowboy or biker church.

2. In places with unreached culture groups help existing churches to reach those people. Whether, Hispanic, African American, or some of these affinities we've discussed already like outdoorsmen, bikers, and cowboys (etc.)

3. Seek to aid in reforming churches according to Scripture so that prejudice toward any group may be eliminated.

4. Be sold out on the power of the gospel. That no matter what, it is the Spirit who gives life and He does so through the proclamation of the life, death, burial, resurrection, and lordship of Christ.

I do admit that this is a heavy issue and one in which we must seek to think through together. I know I don't have all the answers. But I am truly convinced that this current strategy will not, in the end, be successful in terms of Christ's mission for the church. I hope that you will take what I've said in that light. I'm not trying to bash or belittle anyone. I'm just trying to get us to continue to think through this. I want us to talk about this more. I want us to perhaps even have a roundtable discussion on the issue. I want us to work together. More than anything, I want to see God glorified in the salvation of sinners.

Soli Deo Gloria






(I've written about this more in the past. Here are other posts:

• Please Stop Supporting Affinity Churches: A Call to Behold the Glory of Biblically Healthy Churches
• 10 Reasons to Reconsider the 'Affinity Based' Model of Church Planting
• Why the Way Forward is Backward
• Top Ten Reasons Why People Don't Go to Church
• Another Reason to Go to Church
• New Fish, New Bait?

71 Hours

It only takes a quick google search to find out that the 'real time' it takes for an average reader to read the Bible from cover to cover is under 72 hours. One site says 70 hours and 40 minutes. I saw a tweet just this morning where Don Whitney said it can be done in 71 hours.

71 hours.

Say you are a Christian for 50 years (age 25 to age 75 and then you pass on into glory). You will have lived 438,000 hours as a Christian. Knock off 50 hours a week for work, 56 hours a week for sleep, and say another 50 hours a week for family, church, and other things, that leaves you roughly 12 hours a week of 'free time'. Yeah, I know: often that 'free time' is used for ball games, or volunteering, or mowing, etc. But still, go with me here.

12 hours every single week. 

If you are a Christian for 50 years, that's something like 31,200 hours. At that rate you could read through the bible 439x in 50 years! But that's not realistic for the vast majority of us is it? But what if you just gave a mere 10% of your time to focused Bible reading? Actually, not even 10% of your entire time, but just 10% of your free time. What would that look like?

Over the course of 50 years, that's 3,120 hours.

How many times could you read through the entire Bible in that amount of time?

44 times.

And that's just giving 10% of your free time to the Lord to read Scripture. How does that translate to 'real time' every day?

Here's the math: 12 hours a week divided by 7 days a week = 1.71 hours a day of 'free time'. Divide that number by 10 to get your 10% and that equals = 0.171 hours a day to give to the Lord in reading His Word. Multiply that by 60 to see how many minutes that would be: 10.26 minutes. Or about 10 minutes, 15 seconds every day.

Yup. 10 minutes, 15 seconds every day and in 50 years you'll have read through the bible over 40x.

Now, here's the sad thing. Many Christians today feel as though it is a great accomplishment if they have read through the entire Bible even 1x in their life. But I've just shown how if you give the Lord only 10 minutes every day, you can read through the Bible 44x! And many Believers in the Bible Belt are Christians longer than 50 years and they can give the Lord more than a mere 10% of their free time. It's honestly a travesty how little we know our Bibles.

Of course, nowhere in the Bible are we commanded to 'read through the Bible'. But Jesus tells us (quoting Deuteronomy 8:3) that 'Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God' (Matt. 4:4). And King David tells us that Scripture is to be more desired "than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb" (Psalm 19:10). 

Do we think God breathed out (2 Tim. 3:16) any of His words arbitrarily? Do we think we need books like 'Jesus Calling' to make God's words more relevant and personal? (We DON'T!). Is Scripture a treasure to you? Is it worth at least 10 minutes and 15 seconds of your focused attention every day? 

And of course, I know some will be reading this post and say "Hey, but I'm not an average reader. I read really slow." Well, chances are, you don't read twice as slow as everyone else, but let's say you did. 10 minutes a day would still have you reading through the Bible 22 times in 50 years! Not to mention all the time you have when in the Bible at your local church during Sunday School, Preaching, and Small Groups (all the more reason to make those!).

Truthfully, there are other valid alternatives to reading Scripture than just beginning in Genesis and reading 10 minutes 15 seconds a day all the way through Revelation and then starting over. You may focus on just a few books of the Bible for a season and read them over and over to get to know them better (see this post by Jim Elliff). But, even then, over the course of your walk with Jesus you would have still read through all of the Bible multiple times. 

The main point in all of this is that we aren't as busy as we think when it comes to Bible reading. I'm not trying to tell you how to read your Bible, just that you do have the time to invest if you'll take the opportunity to do so. In fact, if we set our alarms just 10 minutes earlier every day, we could accomplish this and really not miss the sleep all that much. And another factor to consider is that I think the Bible is worth more than just 10 minutes a day! But, even at just 10 minutes, you can accomplish way more Scripture intake than you probably thought you could. Don't look at just here and now. Look at 5 years down the road. Look at 10 years down the road. Look at 50 years down the road. Do you really want to get to age 75 and realize that you neglected so much precious time that you could have spent in God's Word? 

How will you invest your time? 10 measly minutes every day to know Scripture better than you ever have in your life. But guess what? It's not just knowing Scripture is it? It's knowing the God of Scripture! You see, the Bible is how we grow in our knowledge of who God is! And through His Word He grows us into the likeness of Christ (John 17:17). You want to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18)? Think about what you'll do with those 10 minutes every day (and then some!). As Americans, we really have no excuses for not knowing the Bible better than we do.

As I wrap this up, isn't it a very comforting thought to know that Jesus died even for the sin of neglecting Scripture? No one can 'read the Bible' into heaven; rest in the finished work of Jesus. But resting in Jesus isn't sleeping our way through life. If you've been neglecting your Bible, pick it up, dust it off, repent and trust that Jesus' blood is enough to cover that sin too, and then take it up and read it. Every day. 10 minutes or more.

You won't regret it.

P.S. Dr. Don Whitney has a helpful Bible Reading Record that you can print off. It will help you keep track of what chapters of the Bible you've read. This isn't just to 'show off' but to keep a record so you can make sure and read through every word of God multiple times over the course of your life.

The Bible vs Common Sense

Last week we looked at King Jehoiakim’s wicked act of cutting up the Bible. Not too long after that, the prophet Jeremiah pleaded with Jehoiakim's uncle, King Zedekiah, to also heed the Word of the Lord.

Several years ago I was in a deacon’s meeting where a man said, “I know we have the Bible, but God has also given us common sense.” I don’t disagree with that, but I wonder, what do we do when the Bible and common sense seem to contradict?

Zedekiah had a choice to make. “Thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live” (Jeremiah 38:17). 

Surely this can’t be right! You want me to surrender to Babylon? Surrender!? Give my life into the hands of this wicked king and I will live? That goes against everything that makes sense to me. And so, Zedekiah makes a disastrous choice. He chooses to listen to ‘common sense’ (and perhaps a little peer pressure as well) instead of the Word of God. 

The result?

The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his eyes, and the king of Babylon slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. He put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon. The Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the house of the people, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. (Jeremiah 39:6-8)

The point?

I believe there is definitely application here for us as we read Scripture. Sometimes we see that God’s Word contradicts the latest church growth book. Sometimes we are tempted to listen to the counsel of others even though it appears to detract from Scripture’s sufficiency. Sometimes it may seem like we are surrendering and that just goes against all plain reason. Or sometimes, if we are honest, what the Bible compels us to do is just hard and it would be easier on us if we simply disobeyed. 

But let me exhort you today: take heed of Zedekiah’s folly. Listen to the Word of the Lord no matter what. When we understand Scripture properly in its context and we see it’s plain truth before us, don’t let anything else convince you to act contrary to it. Not your spouse, not your friend, not the newest book, and not your common sense. Bow to Scripture as your highest authority and obey even if it initially seems like it would bring you more harm than good. Disobedience to Scripture is never the right move. Scripture is always right no matter who stands in opposition to it. Let no friend, teacher, cultural position, or even your own brain convince you that obedience to the Word of God is not the best choice.

This issue is, you may not always see immediate results of disobedience. Zedekiah chose in his heart to not heed the Word of the Lord, but it would be months later before he would see the disastrous consequences. Sometimes disobedience doesn't show its full fruition for months or years later. But we can be sure: we will reap what we sow. Disobedience is never worth it.

Thankfully, we have another King to look to. King Jesus did go to the enemy and gave Himself into his hands in obedience to the Father. And this wasn’t so He could save His own skin, but ours. In the most epic example of something going against common sense, the obedient Son was nailed to a wooden cross by Roman soldiers. No way this could be the right thing for Jesus to do. Oh, but it was! Death brought life. Our obedient King, perfect Prophet and great High Priest bore our sins in His body on the tree. In one act that would appear to go against all human reason, the Lord of glory accomplished our redemption. He didn’t meet the wrath of His enemies on that old rugged cross but the wrath of God against our sin. And by His wounds, we are healed. The obedient One gave Himself for the disobedient. Christ condescended to rescue us from the coming wrath of God. And in that rescue is big, wide, and deep enough to not merely 'get us to heaven' but to free us to follow the Lord's will today. The gospel frees us from the folly of trusting ourselves as infallible sources.

Perhaps you've bought into the idea that sleeping with your boyfriend or girlfriend before you are married 'just makes sense' so you can see if you are truly compatible. Maybe you've thought that you have to be a little dishonest in the workplace, or you'll never make the next promotion. It could be, that you are tempted to abandoned preaching the Word of God in your Sunday gatherings because other things will draw a bigger crowd. In all of these scenarios and numerous others we could discuss, you must listen to Scripture over and above common sense. See, our common sense is affected by sin, and therefore, it's not always a trustworthy source. But the Bible is! It is the very voice of God in written form. It is truth. Always. (John 17:17). 

Obedience to Scripture must always be grounded in the finished work of Christ. It's not our perfect obedience that gets us to heaven because our obedience is always tainted with sin. Christ has finished the work on our behalf! I hope you’re resting there. And I hope that in resting there you remember that the gospel has opened the door for us to crucify our common sense when necessary. No, I am not saying to lay it aside altogether for that would be foolish! Common sense and plain reason are good gifts of God! But know this: when Scripture seems to contradict them, the Word of God is undefeated. It proves the true and right thing to do 100% of the time. Of course, this implies, we must regularly be in the Word doesn't it? (Providentially, I watched a great 5 minute exhortation to biblical mediation this morning. You can watch it here.) 

Listen to the Bible, even if it initially seems that not listening would produce more favorable results. The Lord’s ways are better. Always.