David Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Revival

Grace Church starts a new series on Sunday that we're calling "Revival." What contributes to a lack of revival in churches? Here are some great thoughts from "the Good Doctor" David Martyn Lloyd-Jones in his book, aptly titled, Revival.

 The concealing, and the neglect of certain vital truths have always been the chief characteristic of the life of the Church in every period of deadness and of declension....No revival has ever been known in the history of churches which deny or ignore certain essential truths. I regard that as an astoundingly important point. You have never heard of a revival in churches, so-called, which deny the cardinal, and fundamental, articles of our Christian faith. For instance, you have never heard of a revival amongst the Unitarians, and you have never heard of it because there has never been one.

What, then, prepares a church (or city, state, or country for that matter) for revival?

Without a single exception it is the rediscovery of these cardinal doctrines that has led ultimately to revival. There is always a preliminary to revival. It appears to come suddenly, and in a sense it does. But if you look carefully into history, you will always find that there was something going on quietly, there was a preliminary, a preparation unobserved by people. And the preparation, invariably, has been a rediscovery of these grand, and glorious, central truths. Take for instance, the history of the Protestant Reformation. It was only after Martin Luther had suddenly seen the grand truth of justification by faith only that the Protestant revival came. It was getting back to that truth, in the epistles to the Galatians and the Romans, that prepared the way for the outpouring of the Spirit.

President Obama's Inadequate Scriptural Defense of Gay Marriage

Yesterday, President Obama invoked his Christian faith, as well as Scripture, in defense of gay marriage. In doing so, he became the first sitting president to affirm same-sex marriage. The President referenced Matthew 7:12, known as the "Golden Rule" from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

When we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it’s also the Golden Rule, you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated. And I think that’s what we try to impart to our kids and that’s what motivates me as president and I figure the most consistent I can be in being true to those precepts, the better I’ll be as a as a dad and a husband and, hopefully, the better I’ll be as president.

First, let me say that I respect the President for having spine enough to even mention the Bible. I can't imagine other civil libertarians touching Scripture with a 10-foot pole. What's more, his statement by itself is admirable. Taken at face value, the President's remarks above are similar to my own thoughts. I want the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus to not just inform my thinking, but to change my doing. I want to treat others with Christlike love, and I affirm Paul's words in Ephesians 4:32: "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

But given the President's conclusion on the issue of gay marriage, I am not able to accept his statement at face value.

Obama concludes that his interpretation of Scripture allows for gay marriage. As Denny Burk notes, Obama made a 2008 statement on the same issue, again invoking the Sermon on the Mount. In that statement he indicated that the "Golden Rule," is "more central than an obscure passage in Romans."

In other words, Obama is pitting Scripture against Scripture, in this case Matthew 7:12 against Romans 1:26-32. To say it still another way, Obama banks his argument on the assumption that Jesus and Paul didn't see eye to eye.

While Obama does not claim a classical evangelical hermeneutic, it is somewhat dubious for him to leverage Scripture when it suits his personal (or presidential) agenda, only to denounce Scripture when it doesn't suit his presidential (or personal) taste.

As I said, I respect that Obama stated his interpretation of what many consider to be just a dusty old book. However, I do not respect the all too familiar use of Scripture (from the left and the right) for a political upper hand. Neither do I respect his interpretive approach. Pitting Jesus against Paul, Scripture against Scripture, is in my opinion a careless and fruitless way to approach God's word. While that may be perfect for the extremely malleable bully pulpit, it will not yield insight into God's thoughts on marriage, infidelity, gossip, or any other issue.

Overwhelmed: Grace Church Baptism Services (with video)

Sunday, April 15, 2012, was a historic day in the life of Grace Church. For a few weeks before that Sunday we communicated that we would be holding baptisms the weekend after Easter. This was an interesting shift for Grace because baptisms had not been done on a Sunday in at least 30 years. Prior to the 15th they were always done a few times a year at Wednesday night prayer gatherings. My pastoral leadership team and I decided to move baptisms to Sunday so that it would be on full display as a beautiful multimedia presentation of the gospel.

So we pumped baptisms for a few weeks, offered a short video teaching on the website to help those who were baptized as infants come to understand believer's baptism, which is what the Grace elders and I believe to be the biblical model. We had those who wanted to be baptized register online and submit their testimonies to us. We received a 60 sign-ups, a great number that would keep us happily busy in our two Sunday services.

We also decided to offer an open call for baptisms during the service, so that even those who didn't sign up could receive a holy dunking. We bought some swim trunks and towels, and Jockey donated a bunch of black t-shirts (which we now refer to as "Bap-tees"). We also held a training night for a few more than 50 volunteers, and talked through the process of receiving those who might spontaneously respond to the call to be baptized. Those volunteers included folks who would help people find the changing areas and get their towels and be generally supported and smiled at.

Many of our volunteers served to hear brief testimonies of those coming forward for baptism. These folks simply received those coming forward and listened for an acknowledgment of their sinful condition and a profession of faith in Christ as their only hope for eternal salvation. We even had counselors in a separate room to further a gospel conversation for those who did not fully grasp the gospel just yet.

In other words, we had this thing down to a science. Until the services got going.

In our 8:30 service we planned to baptize 20 people. We wound up baptizing 37. In the 10:15 service we planned on baptizing 40 people, and wound up baptizing 93. 93! That's a grand total of 130!

None of us was expecting that, and both services were as soaked with the Holy Spirit as those baptized were soaked with water.

Of all the great moments for me, the best was the one person I baptized that day. I baptized my new friend Eleanor, who is 96 years old and embraced the gospel just a few weeks ago. Her grandson led her to Christ and she wanted to be baptized. Because of the frailty of her body we could not immerse her, so I baptized her while she stood with her walker. I told her and all those gathered that by tipping her head back she was signifying that she was buried with Christ. I then poured some water over her beautiful head, and as she raised her head again I proudly announced through tears of joy that she was raised to new life in Christ! What a moment for her, her family, the Grace family, and me too.

We also captured more than 100 dripping wet testimonies in our makeshift video studio backstage. And my friend Jason Jahnke was on hand to capture some of these moments on film. Here is the video he put together that we showed to our congregation yesterday. It's 2 minutes of joy. And be sure to stay put till the end. I wouldn't want you to miss Eleanor : )

Tribute to Chuck Colson

Evangelical Christianity lost one of its heroes on Saturday.

Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship who himself found fellowship with Christ while in prison, died Saturday following complications from a brain hemorrhage. He was 80.

Finally freed from the prison of a fallen world that for the most part preferred to remember Colson as the Watergate-era felon rather than the champion of eternal hope for those in prison, Colson now resides with the Lord.

Washington Post opinion writer Michael Gerson has written a poignant tribute to Colson, remembering him as a personal mentor and social reformer who embodied the best of Christian living, thinking, and action.

Here is an excerpt from Gerson's tribute.

Prison often figures large in conversion stories. Pride is the enemy of grace, and prison is the enemy of pride. “How else but through a broken heart,” wrote Oscar Wilde after leaving Reading Gaol, “may Lord Christ enter in?” It is the central paradox of Christianity that fulfillment starts in emptiness, that streams emerge in the desert, that freedom can be found in a prison cell. Chuck’s swift journey from the White House to a penitentiary ended a life of accomplishment — only to begin a life of significance. The two are not always the same. The destruction of Chuck’s career freed up his skills for a calling he would not have chosen, providing fulfillment beyond his ambitions. I often heard him quote Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and mean it: “Bless you, prison, for having been in my life.”

Chuck was a powerful preacher, an influential cultural critic and a pioneer of the dialogue between evangelicals and Catholics. But he was always drawn back to the scene of his disgrace and his deliverance. The ministry he founded, Prison Fellowship, is the largest compassionate outreach to prisoners and their families in the world, with activities in more than 100 countries. It also plays a morally clarifying role. It is easier to serve the sympathetic. Prisoners call the bluff of our belief in human dignity. If everyone matters and counts, then criminals do as well. Chuck led a movement of volunteers attempting to love some of their least lovable neighbors. This inversion of social priorities — putting the last first — is the best evidence of a faith that is more than crutch, opiate or self-help program. It is the hallmark of authentic religion — and it is the vast, humane contribution of Chuck Colson.

Atheist "Flabbergasted" At Generosity of Christians

Jesus commanded us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). Too often we Christians produce more heat than light with our conversations. Many churches and Christians throw all their energy into cultural battles--often those not worth fighting--and forget that the "enemies" our Lord commands us to love are also our neighbors. Atheists included.

Here's a story from Texas of an outspoken atheist who fought to have a Nativity scene removed from a public square and unexpectedly experienced the love and generosity of a church full of those he thought were his enemies. Read it all here. But here's my favorite quote:

“I have decided to show my appreciation to the Christian community for all their help, and I am going to buy a star for the top of the Nativity scene.  You people can figure out how to plug it in."

Gandhi Doesn't Like Us...Big Deal!

Just read this great little post by Tim Challies on the famous quote about Christianity attributed to Gandhi: "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

Challies says we should stop using the quote...and I agree. Here's his conclusion, but be sure to read the whole thing.

There are two good reasons to stop using this quote: Gandhi liked only the Christ of his own making and he believed that he was worthy of the favor of this Christ. On both accounts he was wrong; dead wrong.