I’m torn by images of the fire in Paris. Notre Dame was a magnificent piece of history and architecture.
But it represents a religious system of ritual and ceremony that has led millions of people away from “salvation by grace alone” to rely on some level of human merit.
The Jews once took pride in their temple, “how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings,” but Jesus used it as a teachable moment to speak of the End Times and warn against false teachers and Antichrist. “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down…See that you are not led astray” (Luke 21:5-8).
May we not miss the bigger lesson here – to be ready always for the return of the King.
A few people have been meeting and praying faithfully on Wednesday nights, but I would love to see this group grow. Here are three reasons I think Wednesday may become the most important night of your week!
1. The early church met regularly for prayer. Acts 2:42 says the early Christians "devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." Verse 46 says they met "day to day" in the temple and in their homes. Sunday worship is a rich time that includes all these aspects of ministry, but a midweek prayer meeting is when we can really devote ourselves to prayer.
2. We all need a recharge. Our phones need regular re-charging, but so do our souls! Wednesday is a great pick-me-up in the middle of the week. Life is busy and we can all get distracted or discouraged. A midweek prayer meeting allows us "look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).
3. Prayer is essential to church growth. It is actually the most important thing we do. Teaching, fellowship, serving, singing, meetings, and missions are all important. But they are powerless if not basked in prayer. Wednesday night provides a dedicated time to lift one another up to the throne of grace and ask for his blessing. Paul pleaded in 2 Thessalonians 3:1: "Brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored." Will we accept the challenge?
The past several months I have been helping support a Bible Study in 29 Palms on Wednesday nights. As we concluded our study last Wednesday, I prayed what should I do next, and the Lord reminded me of our dear little group of prayer warriors on Wednesday Night. I am excited to get back into Wednesday night prayer meeting, and ask you to consider joining us. Hope to see you next Wednesday at our new time, 6-7 pm!
Those attending the Shepherd’s Conference Q&A on Wednesday afternoon witnessed one of the more bizarre moments in Shepherd’s Conference history. Phil Johnson moderated the discussion, which quickly moved from safe topics like pastoral productivity to the far thornier issue of racism and the social justice movement.
Almost immediately, tension rose, with moments of defensiveness, awkward silence, vague questions, insinuation, and lots of reading between the lines.
My perspective is unique in that I wasn’t in the room when it happened. I wasn’t even in Los Angeles. I was livestreaming the event from our church in Yucca Valley with a few of our members. About ten minutes into the conversation, one of our members said in exasperation, “I have no idea what they’re talking about!” And I can understand why. This conversation wasn’t shedding a whole lot of light on the subject. I had to pause the video and give the backstory, which means we missed about 25 minutes of the live Q&A and I had to go back and watch the rest of it later. A few thoughts…
Context was needed. It would have been helpful if Phil Johnson could have given a bit more background, or better yet, asked Mohler to explain how we’ve gotten to where we are today. How many of these pastors, let alone thousands more watching online, really understand the dynamics of the SJM and the content of the Dallas Statement? This felt like an insider debate and forgot that the purpose of a conference Q&A is to educate and edify the audience.
Dialog was missing. I’m sorry, but this whole thing felt like a setup. Or an interrogation. I think the reason Mohler didn’t speak with his normal candidness is that he didn’t want to fall for the trap. Nor did he want to dishonor his hosts. I wish he would have given a clearer statement on the pros and cons of the Social Justice Movement, but I thought he and Dever said some really helpful things about why they did not sign the Dallas Statement and yet acknowledging that dangers do exist of sliding toward a social gospel. It was also noteworthy there was not a single African American on the stage during this debate. Hmm. A bunch of “old white guys” talking about racism. Anyone else see irony in this?
Things are complicated. Everyone admitted it. Mohler admitted it. MacArthur admitted it. Anyone who thinks social justice is a clear, cut and dry issue with a one-size-fits all solution, is a fool. Racism was one of the problems that plagued the early church, and it continues to rear its ugly head in society and the church today. I have appreciated some of MacArthur’s warnings against the SJM, yet at the same time I think others on the platform could have been given a better opportunity to share their perspective. This is far more nuanced than first meets the eye.
I believe all the men on the platform Wednesday afternoon are wise and godly men who have much to learn from each other on the topic of social justice. I wish Wednesday could have been a step forward, and perhaps it was. But I do hope we will see more biblically-saturated, historically-informed dialogue on the social justice movement in the future. After all, the gospel is at stake.
People who are new to the Bible often wonder where to begin reading. I usually suggest starting in the New Testament, and in particular, one of the four gospels.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are all independent, eyewitness accounts of the words and works of Jesus Christ. If you want to know what Christianity is all about, and why the Bible is the best-selling book of all time, these books are the perfect place to start!
If you are looking for a Jewish explanation of how Jesus is the fulfillment to the Messianic promises, try reading Matthew. If you want a fast-paced, Cliffs-notes version of Jesus’ life, start with Mark. For a more thorough, orderly account of Jesus’ words and works with special focus on his last few months on earth, check out Luke. Or, for deeper thinkers who want to understand the Christian worldview and examine Christ’s claims to deity, read John.
In December, our church spent a few weeks studying the nativity story found in Matthew 1-2. Whether it’s Christmas time, or any other time of year, these chapters help us understand Jesus’ rescue operation, and how we must respond in faith. Along the way, we learned about his royal lineage and how he helps us in times of suffering.
You can download and listen to this mini-series on our podcast page, or stream right from this page using the links below…
(To see a list of other sermon series I have preached, please visit my Sermon Hub page)
We don’t typically think of the church of Rome as a dysfunctional church like Corinth, Thyatira, or Pergamum. It was actually quite healthy and mature, “full of goodness … able to instruct one another” (14:14). Nevertheless, in the practical half of his letter to them (chs. 12-16), the Apostle Paul does spend a good chunk of time pointing out some concerning signs of division in the church.
In Romans 14:1, Paul confronts the “stronger” brothers who are enjoying their newfound Christian liberty and oblivious to how this is offending their “weaker” brethren. He says, “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.” It would be oversimplifying things to say this was a Gentile vs. Jewish debate, but some of this was racial, as well as cultural, dealing with dietary laws, holy days, and many of the things that had separated Jews and Gentiles over the centuries. Even in the early church, race was a hot topic and source of conflict.
It must have come as a quite a shock for the “spiritually strong” to receive this rebuke from Paul for showing partiality at the expense of the weak. Indeed, any of us can fall into the bad habit of hanging out exclusively with our own “tribe” and neglecting those who may think, talk, or behave somewhat differently than us — even on non-essential issues. I think it is safe to assume when the strong brothers received this letter, they took Paul’s rebuke in stride, and began to welcome the weaker brother back into their worship and fellowship.
But Paul was not done yet. He spends the bulk of chapters 14 and 15 teasing out this issue of church unity, and showing us the implications of love. In short, he reminds us that love does not settle for the bare minimum, but is constantly on the lookout for ways to “excel still more.” There is a clear progression in the passage from “welcome” the weaker brother (14:1; 15:7) to “never put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother” (14:13) to “bear with [share the load of] the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (15:1-2).
In Matthew 5:41, Jesus says, “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” Jesus was probably referring to the Roman practice of “impressment” or forcing a civilian to hike and carry a soldier’s gear a whole mile. Jesus’ point was, instead of seeking revenge and returning evil for evil, learn to submit to others, turn the other cheek (v. 39), and serve even above and beyond what others expect. In like manner, here in Romans 14, Paul essentially says, “Go the extra mile.” Let your spiritual maturity and biblically informed conscience drive you not to demand your rights, but to serve your weaker brother or sister!
How are you doing at demonstrating love in your home, in the church, and toward your neighbor?
Our latest sermon podcast explores this interesting theme of “going the extra mile” in love toward one another.
In this podcast, you will learn…
The danger of setting spiritual “stumbling blocks” in front of others
The gospel principle of outdoing one another with love and honor
The danger of flaunting your Christian liberty
The importance of acting in faith and not violating your conscience
The power of influence over your children (both physical and spiritual)
Click here to visit our full sermon archive or subscribe on iTunes. Thanks for listening!
Pinch Of Clay 