Theology

Are You a Doubting Thomas?

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Everyone would agree things don’t often go our way. My family was reminded of this just a couple weeks ago during our trip to Big Bear, when both kids got sick and our cabin getaway was cut short. It was tempting to think, “This isn’t fair! We’ve waited so long for this!” But God had other plans. He helped us to trust in Him and remember “man plans his ways, but the Lord directs His steps” (Prov. 16:9).

A big question in life is, do we still trust in God, even when things don’t go our way, and when life doesn’t seem to make sense? As it turns out, our hearts are still full of unbelief. During the worship service yesterday, we studied John 20:24-29. We used the apostle Thomas as a case study in unbelief, so we can better understand our own hearts and learn to trust Christ more fully.

1. Thomas doubts (Jn. 20:24-25). Instead of rejoicing with the other ten disciples, Thomas insists, “I’ve got to see it to believe it. I absolutely will not believe that Jesus rose from the dead unless I see it for myself!” His response is wrong of course, but really isn’t much different from the other ten (cf. Mk. 16:14). If you’ve ever had someone doubt your word, questioning your integrity or constantly checking up on you, then you know how painful it can be not be trusted. Christ is always worthy of our trust. Our doubt grieves and dishonors Him.

2. Thomas believes (Jn. 20:26-29). A full week later, Jesus appears to the disciples again, and this time Thomas is with them. He shows His omniscience and His love by granting Thomas’ request and letting him touch the scars from the nails and spear. Finally, Thomas exclaims with full conviction, “My Lord and my God!” The key lesson of the passage appears in verse 29: “Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed” (ESV). Unlike Thomas, we do not get to see and feel Jesus for ourselves, but we are blessed if we trust in Him anyway. True faith is the “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” as Hebrews says (Heb. 11:1).

We concluded our time Sunday with several application questions:

  • Do I doubt Jesus’ death and resurrection? Jesus died and rose again on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). But do I really believe that? Do I believe it was necessary for Him to die for me – that my sin was that bad? Do I believe He alone could fully pay the price, and that none of my good works earn any favor with God? Do I believe He is alive today and has conquered sin and death?
  • Do I doubt His total sovereignty? God does whatever He pleases, and causes all things to work together for good to those who love God (Ps. 115:3; Rom. 8:28). But do I really believe that? Or do I have to see it to believe it? When things don’t go my way, do I question God’s control? Do I believe He is in control of my health? Of my job? Of our government? Are there any areas of my life where I need to think afresh about God’s total sovereignty?
  • Do I doubt His great love? God is love (1 Jn. 4:8) and has shown His love for us in the greatest way possible: by sending His only Son to die for us (Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 3:16). There is nothing greater He could have done to show His love! But do I really believe that? When my family suffers, when disaster strikes, do I still believe that Jesus loves us (Rev. 1:5)?
  • Do I doubt His immanent return? Jesus is coming soon, and will come to judge every one of us. But do I really believe that? Am I living a life of holiness and anticipation (Titus 2:12-13)? Does my schedule and prayer life show that I am focusing on eternal things? Does my checkbook and credit card bill reflect that I am laying up treasure in heaven? Many of us have grown too earthly minded and need to begin living in light of Christ’s immanent return. If I had only one more week left on this earth, how would I spend it?

None of us would probably deny these four truths. But when it comes to our thoughts, attitudes, and actions, we often fail to live as though they are true. We give lip service to these things on Sunday, but they often do not change our lives Monday through Saturday. In all of these areas, and every other area of God’s character, Jesus would say to us today, “Do not be unbelieving, but believing…Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Sunday’s message will be uploaded soon to our podcast site for free download.

Teaching

Desert Area Bible Study Workshop – October 4

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The “church” is not only a local assembly, but also one body of believers from across the world and all generations.

On Sunday night, October 4, we’ll have a rare opportunity to worship and partner with other brothers and sisters in the larger body of Christ at the “Desert-Area Bible Study Workshop.”

This is a community-wide event sponsored by all the local Southern Baptist Churches. Everyone is welcome. The speaker will be Jeff Mooney, professor from Cal Baptist University.

A free BBQ will begin at 4 pm, followed by a workshop “Christ in the Old Testament.” Ice cream will be served following the meeting.

The workshop will be hosted by Palms Baptist Church at 5285 Adobe Road in Twentynine Palms.

Teaching

How to do inductive Bible study, part 2

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Last week, I showed that inductive Bible study is one of the best ways to understand and teach a passage of Scripture. The first three types of questions you should ask are observation, meaning, and doctrine questions.

Relying on God’s Spirit, by the time you’ve addressed these questions, you’re well on your way to understanding a passage. But there’s another essential step to Bible study: application.

It’s not enough to understand what the Bible says. We must let it penetrate our hearts, reveal our sin, and transform our thoughts and behavior. We don’t want to be hearers of the Word only. We need to be doers also. This brings us to a second set of questions: principle, application, and implementation questions. This chart helps show the relationship of these three questions:

Notice first the horizontal line at the bottom. This represents time. The Bible was written “then,” but we live “now.” Some customs and practices have changed dramatically, but some things remain exactly the same, like God and human nature. Now look at the vertical line to the left. This represents the specificity of action. The more specific a command or action in the Bible is, the more cautious we should be before applying it to every age, situation, and culture.

Let’s look now at the last three types of questions. Principle questions ask, “What broad and timeless truths are found in this passage?” Application questions ask, “How does this passage relate to me now?” And finally, Implementation questions ask, “What is my specific plan of action?” As you can see in the diagram, with each type of question, we’re moving closer to specific and contemporary applications of the text.

Psalm 119:105 will serve again as our example. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Sample principle questions: How does it feel to be blind or lost? What are the dangers? What are the benefits of a lamp? What are the benefits of God’s Word? How important should God’s Word be in our lives? What should our attitude be toward the Word? What happens if we ignore His Word? What competing sources of light do people sometimes rely on? According to 1 Cor. 2:14, what is necessary for us to properly understand God’s Word? What are some different ways we can “turn on” the lamp of God’s Word in our lives? Written as part of a psalm or “song,” what does this verse teach us about praise and worship?

Sample application questions: How could I re-write this verse in today’s language? How is my time in the Word right now? Do I have a grateful, attentive attitude toward God’s Word? What is competing with the time or quality of my Bible intake? How can I get more out of God’s Word? What decisions do I face right now in life, and what does the Bible say about these things? (Try using the S.P.E.C.K. method — Sins, Promises, Examples, Commands, Knowledge — to help find application questions).

Sample implementation questions: Is there any specific sin I need to confess right now? What needs to change immediately? What are specific goals and steps I can take this day, week, month, and year? When am I going to carve out time in my schedule for God’s Word? What do I need to stop doing to make time for God? What friend could keep me accountable and help me better understand the Bible?

The Inductive Bible Study method helps us dig deeper into the text and discover the immeasurable riches of Scripture. May God make us all people like Ezra, who “set his heart to study the law of the LORD, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances” (Ezra 7:10).

Books

Budgeting for larger book sets

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Last week’s announcement of the Logos Zondervan Collection got me thinking about how pastors and laypeople should approach buying larger book sets. For most of us, the cost of such sets is too prohibitive to buy up front, but this shouldn’t discourage us from adding good books and sets to our libraries over the long haul.

With a little bit of planning and financial discipline, any set can be yours in a matter of months or years. When you break it down over time, even the largest set becomes quite attainable.

Here’s a chart that shows the cost of a book or set, and how long it will take you to save enough money to buy it. This is just basic math, but it can be very helpful and encouraging to see it broken down.
The numbers across the top represent the amount you will commit to save per month. The numbers down the left represent the total cost of a book or set (don’t forget tax and shipping, if they apply). The blue numbers in the middle calculate how many months it will take you to save and purchase the book or set for yourself.

Now let’s try a few examples:

  • I have created a list called 10 Books every new Christian should own. The total cost of these books is $182.39. You could, of course, buy each book individually, or you could budget $20 a month and buy the whole set in less than 10 months.

  • The Puritan Paperback bundle is $186 plus shipping. If you laid aside just $10 a month, you could own this entire set of 37 books in just over a year and a half.

  • Now let’s tackle a larger set: the Zondervan Bible Reference Bundle. By the time you save up for this, it probably won’t be on pre-pub discount, so let’s look at the regular Logos Sale Price of $2162. If a pastor had a $40 library allowance, he could save up enough money to buy this massive set in about 50 months (just over 4 years). Not bad for 87 books.

To keep your commitment, I would recommend setting aside the money each month in a cash envelope somewhere safe. Print out the picture and list of books to remind yourself of what you’re saving for. How rewarding it will be when you can finally buy the whole set, and don’t have to pay a single dime of finance charges on your credit card!

No matter what your budget size or library goals, I hope this little exercise will encourage you to take a long-range approach to building your family or ministry library.

Thoughts on Life and Leadership