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I’m not preaching this week, so I’m able to use my time to prepare for my next sermon series. Our church has decided to make June “Family Reunion Month” (perhaps becoming an annual event) as we revisit some of our basic beliefs and practices.

This year, I’m preaching a series of topical sermons and the Sunday adult Bible Class will study Hicks’ and Valentine‘s book “Kingdom Come“.  (Which I highly recommend and wish I’d read earlier!)

Several ideas I already have include:

1. Discussing the virtue of the goal of “Restoring the NT church”.
2. Re-visioning and expanding the goals of the Restoration Movement along the lines of the Highland Church of Christ in Abilene, TX.
3. Examining some of our peculiar practices that we draw identity from and explaining them to newcomers.  For example: Our high view of Scripture and our emphasis on making worship about God.  The value of weekly Lord’s Supper is another positive practice.

I know that as I read “Kingdom Come” I’ll get some more ideas as the authors seek to reintroduce some very positive teachings from voices dulled over time.  BUT, I’m wondering…

What are the positive themes and practices that you can identify among Churches of Christ?

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Read Exodus 32 here.

I understand that I’m dipping my toe into some awfully deep water.  For this reason I want to give you some other resources also.  These links are to sites where the authors have considered this topic in a lot more detail and depth than I have:

• Patrick Mead – Tentpegs – this series of articles takes an irregular approach to the topic of “Genocide & Jesus”.
• A bibliography from about 2004 on “The Bible and Violence” – compiled by Patricia K. Tull a professor at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.  (I don’t know anything about her, but hey, it’s a bibliography!)
• www.TheGospelCoalition.org (a conservative, evangelical, para-church organisation) a blog post here and here, and a series of posts here (four articles under the heading “Book Summary”).

Okay, that was a lot of Googling on my part to find some reputable articles that I hope saves you some time!

I’m writing on this topic because I’ve been preaching on Exodus 34:6-7, where God reveals his character to Moses:

Yahweh!The Lord!

The God of compassion and mercy!

I am slow to anger

and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

 I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.

I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.

But I do not excuse the guilty.

I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;

the entire family is affected—

even children in the third and fourth generations.”  (NLT)

Generally, this is a cuddly portrayal of God.  I would like this God to tuck me into bed at night.  This OT God isn’t at all offensive or inconsistent with the NT.  But the second half of verse 7 warns of God’s punishment of sin, and sinners.  This description also needs to be read in the context of Exodus 32:28 (just two chapters earlier) where God orders 3,000 people killed for worshiping an idol.  (That’s more than the fatalities in the Twin Tower attacks of 911!)  Then in v29 Moses commends the Levites for killing their friends and family members.

In introducing my own thoughts I firstly need to acknowledge that the acts of violence and even genocide found in the Old Testament are offensive.  In fact, for some people Old Testament violence is THE barrier to hearing the message of Christ.  When we think of “Oh, that nation deserved to be punished”, it doesn’t seem so bad.  But when we think of the terror and suffering thousands of individuals, elderly, women, children, men, experienced at the hand of God, it’s traumatic.  When we put ourselves in the sandals of an ancient villager harvesting grain one moment and fleeing “God’s soldiers” the next, it doesn’t seem so holy.

Presuming we don’t want to abandon the Old Testament, or our relationship with God, here are a few (simplistic?) ideas that you might find useful as you think about this topic.  My suggestions relate specifically to the events of Exodus 32 which is described as punishment of God’s people for making and worshiping an idol.  So some of my points may not generalise to attacks by Israel against other nations.

• We need to consider, “Why does the New Testament  teach that ‘the wages of sin is death’?”  Read Romans 6:22-23
• We need to have a really firm understanding of God’s holiness.
• Is it really unjust if someone doesn’t receive as much grace as another?  Can we argue that we deserve more grace?  Doesn’t that subvert the definition of grace?
• Part of God’s covenant with Israel is that they would be a holy (pure, sinless) nation.  Read Exodus 19:5-6, 8
• The first two of the 10 Commandments address idolatry.  God viewed idolatry as a holiness cancer that needed to be removed.  So he did.  Idolatry wasn’t just a sin, it completely undermined the covenant relationship they were in the process of making.
• Everyone had the opportunity to repent and turn back to God, apparently these 3,000 refused to do so. Read Exodus 32:26  (I think this is the most important point in this story.)
• The nation of Israel could have been as large as 1 million people at this time.  Even though the idolatry was wide-spread, only 3,000 people were killed.  (Yes, still an incredibly large number but a lot less than 1 million.)  Tens of thousands of people repented.
• Finally, I think the individualistic nature of our culture makes it difficult for us to relate to the honour-shame society of these ancient times.  If our families have a “black sheep” we generally distance ourselves from that persons thoughts or actions.  In an honour-shame society, the actions of the “black sheep” stain the whole family.  So yes, God does sometimes take a seemingly callous corporate view of families, cities, and nations.  In critiquing this we need to be careful that we don’t arrogantly presume that our individualistic worldview is the right one.  Consider how in Joshua 7 Achan’s sin impacted God’s people Israel and eventually his family unit.  This is a good example of the honour-shame principle.

I’ll stop there.  I hope you find it helpful.  Again, I want to reiterate that there’s a lot more that could be written.  These are just a few ideas to get your theological juices flowing.

If you’re aware of other helpful online resources, please leave a link in the comments below.

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• Read Exodus 19 here.
• You can listen to this sermon here.

I have a book on my shelf titled Paradoxes for Living.  It’s not an easy read and I gave up after a few chapters, but I love the concept.  Here are the chapter titles:

• To Be Strong, We Have to Be Weak
• To Save Our Lives, We Have to Lose Them
• Pain as the Pathway to Joy
• To Know God we Have to Know Ourselves
• In Trivial Things Lies Greatness
• To Become Mature, We Have to Become Children
• To Live, We Have to Die
• To Receive, We Have to Give

These statements appear perplexing and nonsensical on first reading.  Perhaps they even seem zen-like.  They’re concepts drawn straight from Scripture.  God challenges reality as we know it.  He wants us to think deeply about his character and then reflect it in our lives.

The list above mostly refers to our actions and attitudes.  In my sermon this week I essentially proposed the thesis that “God is by nature paradox”.  In Exodus 34:7 God says

I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.^[a]
I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.
But I do not excuse the guilty.
I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;
the entire family is affected—
even children in the third and fourth generations.  (NLT)

God forgives the guilty: God does not excuse the guilty.  I hope we can quickly fill in the blanks that an individual’s attitude toward their sin determines God’s response.  But paradox certainly exists here.

Another way of summarising this verse says, “God is Forgiving/Gracious: God is Just“.  I’m not sure how one person can be completely both, but God is.  God is big enough to embrace both ends of a spectrum at the same time.  We usually struggle to exercise wisdom in deciding when to practice Forgiveness and when to practice Justice.  Because these decisions are subjective Christians will often disagree with each other about which action is best.

Some Christians look at Leviticus 10 and the punishment (just) of Nadab and Abihu for offering “unathorised fire” to God as meaning our worship must not contain anything not specified by God.  Others look at the example of David eating the “bread of the Presence” in 1 Samuel 21 as indicating that God is pragmatic (gracious) about our worship practices.  Then we argue about who’s right, while God is both!

I have said many times, “God must be bigger than humans can understand, or else we become God.”  These paradoxes demonstrate this idea.  They prompt us to contemplate God.  To commit ourselves to understanding Him.  God is not an easy read, he’s a lifelong study.

• Can you think of some other paradoxes about Christian life or God himself?
• Is it encouraging or disconcerting for you to think of God as a paradox?
• How important is it to your faith to “understand” God?
  

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In Leviticus 11:44-45 God twice tells the Israelites, “be holy, because I am holy.“  God doesn’t tell them to be holy because he likes holy.  He doesn’t tell them that they need to be holy because he expects complete obedience from them.  He doesn’t even tell them to be holy because they’ll be punished if they’re not.  God tells them to be holy because that’s part of his being, his identity.  God expects the character of his people to mirror his own character.

I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Gal. 2:20

The apostle Peter reiterates this message to God’s people in the New Testament in 1 Peter 1:15-16.  First he tells his readers to be holy because God is, then he quotes from Leviticus.  The same principle plays out in the church as God established at Sinai thousands of years earlier.  God expects the character of his people to mirror his own character.

This principle applies not only to holiness, but to all aspects of God’s character.  God is a compassionate God, therefore he expects us to live compassionately. God is a forgiving God, therefore he expects us to readily forgive.  You get the drift.

I know that the statement in Genesis 1:27 that God created humans in his image has been misapplied in lots of ways, but I believe it means they were instilled with God’s character.  As a consequence of the introduction of sin into the world we often find our character corrupted.  Even Christians regularly fall short of God’s expectations for his followers.  But, as part of God’s restoration process he molds his people back into his image.  Consider these verses:

Now the Lord is the Spirit,and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.   2 Corinthians 3:17-18

Our citizenship  is in heaven.And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.     Philippians 3:20-21

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had.     Romans 15:5

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.     Philippians 2:5

Jesus also made disciples by having them observe and learn from his lifestyle, as well as his teaching.  In John 13:15 after washing his disciples feet, Jesus said “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” Referring to the attitude of humility and service.

Christians undoubtedly have a commission to make other disciples of Christ, not ourselves.  Yet, in the process, as God continues to mold us into his image, we should be able to use our lives as examples to others.  God expects his character to be imitated and passed around.  The apostle Paul presents himself as an example repeatedly in the New Testament:

• 1 Corinthians 4:16 “I urge you, imitate me.“
• 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.“
• 2 Thessalonians 3:9 “[we] offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.“
• Hebrews 13:7 “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.“
• He also warned Christians to always be “of Christ”, not human teachers.  See 1 Cor. 1:11-17.

In my experience many Christians adopt the approach that humility prevents us using our own lives as examples for others to imitate.  On the other hand, the most common attitude toward evangelism that I encounter is that “people will see I have something different in my life and be attracted to it”. I don’t want to be an example, but I do want to be an example.  Confused?

We also require our elders and deacons to demonstrate godly character before qualifying for those positions.  Having been acknowledge by the church as possessing those godly qualities would it be wrong for those men to say “imitate me as I imitate Christ?”

I believe the process of discipling involves setting ourselves up as examples.  Not to our own greatness, but to how God works in our lives.  It’s okay to share lessons we’ve learned.  It’s okay to want people to love God, his church, the lost, the Scriptures, the poor in our community, the way that I do.  Because that’s the spiritual legacy God expects me to leave.

As I mature in Christ I grow more confident that I am leading people closer to Him.  As I’m increasingly transformed into his image, I believe my character increasingly matches his character.  I hope some people imitate me, not because I’m proud or perfect, but because I’m doing my job as an ambassador of Christ, reconciling people to God.

Share this with your friends:

• Read Exodus 34:1-10 here.
• Read Psalm 85 here.
• You can listen to this sermon here.

Many Christians with a few Bible Studies under their belt know that agape is the Greek word for “love” usually “sacrificial love”.  Many of us also know that the Greek word philea is also translated as “love” which we usually distinguish as “brotherly love”.  (There’s an easy-to-read article on the topic here.)

In English our word “love” is so deep and complex that it can refer to anything from the taste of a biscuit, to our favorite song, to our great aunt Mildred, and to the act of sex.  One word, so many meanings.  Often the context provides the correct meaning but at other times we rely on adjectives or detailed clarification to ensure we communicate the intended meaning.

Biblical Hebrew has a wonderfully rich word that we should all know: hesed (sometimes chesed) that God uses to describe himself in Exodus 34:6.  In many instances it is translated simply as “love” or “mercy”, while older translations often use the word “lovingkindness”.  When the Bible was first translated into English there was no equivalent word to hesed, so in the early 1500′s Coverdale invented the compound word “loving-kindness” in an attempt to capture the depth of hesed.  It really had no definition except the obvious unity of love and kindness.

When the Old Testament was translated into Greek sometime before the birth of Christ, those translators had a similar problem.  They chose to translate hesed as “mercy” and “compassion”.  I don’t think they ever went for the compound “merciful-compassion”!

Other words that modern English translations use include:

• Kindness,
• Steadfast love,
• Unfailing love,
• Goodness, and
• Loyalty.

Essentially, hesed refers to a tender and loyal love.  And the wonderful news is that God abounds with hesed.

It frustrates me to no end when I hear people talk about “the Old Testament God” as though he’s different from the New Testament God.  It frustrates me on many levels.  While I understand that in the OT there are many times when God’s judgment seems quick and harsh, Godly Israelites always regarded Him as loving.  The frequency of hesed throughout the Hebrew Bible demonstrates the prominence of God’s love throughout time.  God’s character is unchanging: faithful.

In Psalm 85 the psalmist pleads with God to reveal his hesed.  “Show us your unfailing love (hesed), Lord, and grant us your salvation.”  The psalmist goes on (v10ff) to describe a land filled with the glory (character) of God, “hesed and faithfulness meet together.”  God’s presence among his people is characterised by “faithful love” or as some translations would say, “true love”.

One of the major difficulties we face as we read the Bible is that we don’t know what words are used in the original language.  We’ll never know all the times hesed is used in the Bible because it’s translated so many different ways.  We read the word “compassion”, but have no idea if the Hebrew behind it is hesed or a different Hebrew word.  If I had my own Bible translation, I would leave some words, such as hesed and agape untranslated.  I would also find a way to distinguish singular and plural “yous”, even if that meant using the Aussie term “yez” or the Southern US colloquialism, “y’all”.

According to a couple of blog posts here and here, hesed occurs about 250 times in the Old Testament with about half of those occurrences in the Psalms.

I strongly believe that if we had a firm understanding of hesed our view of God and his actions in the OT would vary considerable from that expressed in most churches.  We really need to pay attention to how God describes himself, “abounding in hesed (love) and faithfulness”.

• Hesed carries with it a sense of kindness, gentleness, affection.  How important is this in your relationship with God?
• Do you struggle to see God as consistent between the Old & New Testaments?
• Have you found the knowledge of other Greek or Hebrew words to be useful in your understanding of God?  If so, which ones?
  

Share this with your friends:

• Read Exodus 34:1-10 here.
• Read 1 Peter 3:3-9 here.
• You can listen to this sermon here.

I began and ended my sermon with comments on the recent Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida.  (Read a summary of the case here.)  This has turned into a big race relations case and from what I read I certainly believe that the initial investigation was inadequate.  Once the mainstream media became aware of the case the feeding frenzy began.

Churches and other organisations in communities across the country held rallies supporting a more thorough investigation and the arrest of the shooter.  When NBC played the 911 recording of the shooter’s call which sounded as though race was a primary motivation in the shooting the protests gained intensity.  HOWEVER, NBC subsequently acknowledged that they had been playing an edited version of the call.  Instead of volunteering that Trayvon was black, the shooter made that statement as a direct response to the question “Is he black, white, or hispanic?” (read more here)   Now, his statement, “He looks black” could no longer be used to support allegations of racial profiling.

It may well happen that Zimmerman proves to have acted out of racist motivation, but at this point there’s no firm reason for thinking that’s the case.

This episode episode demonstrates the wisdom of James 1:19-20 “Everyone should be slow to speak and slow to become angry, because our anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”  More and more frequently the media pushes us to prejudge someone before the trial is completed, or often, before it even begins.

Proverbs 18:13 similarly advises “To answer before listening – that is folly and shame.”

I don’t write this as someone who’s innocent of jumping to conclusions.  I personally have a bad habit of responding to the first half a person’s sentence before hearing their complete thought.

In all of this I’m so glad that God describes himself as “Slow to anger” (Ex 34:6).  I know I’ll get a full hearing from him.  I’m also reminded of 2 Peter 3:9 that God is waiting for “everyone to come to repentance”.  God’s first impulse is forgiveness, not anger.  Imagine how different our media, and society would be if we all adopted the personality of God: Slow to anger and seeking reasons to forgive, not condemn.

• Do you recall other cases where the media/public condemned someone later found innocent? (Don’t say “Jesus”, that’s too obvious!!)
• How do you feel when God describes himself as “Slow to anger”?

Rex Butts, a good friend of mine, and blogger, also wrote a couple of interesting articles on the topic of Trayvon Martin and racism here and here.

Share this with your friends:

• Read Exodus 34:1-10 here.
• You can listen to this sermon here soon.

Quick, what’s the first word that describes God that comes to your mind?  Don’t think too much, just the first word.  For me, it’s usually holy.  But what if we were to ask God?  How would God answer the question?

Exodus 34:6-7 details the only time in the Bible that Yahweh describes himself.  I don’t know about you, but I’m waiting with bated breath to see what he will say.  I’ve got my own Top 10 terms to describe God, but where does an infinite God begin when he describes himself?

And here comes #1: <queue the drumroll> Compassionate and Gracious!

There’s a lot that could be written about these virtues, both in our understanding of God and in our own lives.  Since my sermon focused on demonstrating God’s compassion, I won’t rehash it, but you can listen via the link at the top of the page.

My fundamental question today is this: If Christians function as ambassadors representing God to the world, what God are we presenting?  In an ideal system not only would God first identify himself as compassionate and gracious, but that answer would be on the tip of the church’s tongue also.  Furthermore, if we’re carrying out our commission of representing God, those around us would also regard God as compassionate and gracious.

1. At times, we struggle to communicate God’s compassion and grace is that both of these virtues involve colouring outside the lines.  I find it fascinating that in Exodus 34:1 God hands the 10 Commandments to Moses and in v6 he describes himself as compassionate.  That’s a wonderful tension that we continue to struggle with to this day: Law vs Grace, Command vs Compassion.  Commands seem neat and clear, but compassion seems subjective, situational, and messy.  For this reason many Christians are oriented toward the “clarity” of commands over compassion.
2. Churches also struggle to project God’s compassion due to introversion.  We have more than enough opportunities to love the people we know well.  Our congregations contain numerous people in need of God’s compassion and we’re eager to minister to them.  As we scurry around serving and loving each other we overlook the needs of those around us, so naturally, they never think of us as compassionate.
3. Despite experiencing God’s grace in our lives, Christians still find ourselves susceptible to finger pointing.  Sometimes it’s easier to point outwhy someone’s in difficulty than it is to rescue them from their circumstances.
4. I’ve encountered some Christians who want to restrict the practice of compassion and grace to the preaching of the Gospel (where Gospel has a very narrow definition).  Although followers of Christ understand that the cross and resurrection of Jesus address our greatest need, forgiveness and restored relationship with God, the world doesn’t have the same perspective.  It beggars belief in my mind that anyone can take the numerous Scriptural exhortations to love, compassion, kindness, humility, and service and limit them to preaching the Five Steps of Salvation!

[God] was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:20  That’s my God!!  He has compassion for me.  He runs to me when I seek him.  He wraps me in his arms.  And he plants a kiss on my cheek.  What a wonderful God!!!

• What words do you think your unchurched neighbours would use to describe God?
• What are some additional barriers that limit churches and individuals sharing God’s compassion and grace with those around us?

Share this with your friends:

• Read Exodus 33:12-23 here.
• You can listen to this sermon here.
• You can listen to Dr Evertt Huffard make the original presentation of this material here.  (It’s a crummy recording, but well worth the persistence.)

I felt as though my sermon on Sunday was more complex than it needed to be: Too many ideas at once.  So here are my simplified outlines.

1. The word “glory” frequently occurs in Scripture, but only 10% of occurrences reference physical appearance, or a bright light.
2. In the NT the translators decided long ago to generally translate the Greek word “doxa” as “glory” when it applied to God, and “honour” when it applied to humans.  This is a completely arbitrary decision.  Maybe the two words had similar meanings back in the day, but not any more.
3. In 90% of cases it makes more sense for us to replace the word “glory” with “honour” as we’re reading along.  For example,”Glory to God in the highest” doesn’t mean, “let’s all shine lights and make God’s face brighter”.  It means, “Let everyone honour God”.
4. Generally, it’s legitimate to equate God’s glory with His character.  Just as Jesus is about to raise Lazarus from the dead in John 11 he says, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?“  Of course, they’re about to see God’s power, but they’ve also witnessed Jesus’ emotion as he wept, his empathy, and his compassion.  Does Jesus raise Lazarus to inspire awe, or as a compassionate response to friends he loves?  In the resurrection of Lazarus the character of God is seen by all.
5. In Exodus 33:18 “Moses said, ‘Now show me your glory.’”  God replies in v17, “I will cause my goodness to pass in front of you.” because God understood that Moses was seeking to confirm his character, his trustworthiness and reliability.
6. 2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”  As our glory/character increases, we find ourselves transformed into the image of God.  We become the people God always intended us to be.

Then there’s the 2nd sermon I wove into Sunday’s presentation.

1. Moses faithfully followed God.  He saw the miracles.  He spoke with God.  He received the 10 Commandments from God’s own hand.  He could not see God’s face/glory. (Exodus 33:20)
2. In the person of Jesus the face of God was revealed.  Not just the flesh and blood, but the character. (John 1:1; 1:14, cf. 2 Corinthians 4:6)  The glory/character of God is full of grace and truth!
3. In the resurrection of Jesus we see the more traditional understanding of glory… bright light and all. (Matthew 28:1-10).
4. According to 2 Corinthians 3:18 because of Christ “we all … contemplate the Lord’s glory[and] are being transformed into his image with increasing glory.“  Even now we not only glimpse the glory/character/face of God, but experience it as God transforms us into His glory/character.
5. The day will come when we will gaze upon His face as we spend eternity in His presence. (Revelation 21:22-25; 22:3-5)

I hope that clarifies things for you!  I’m not sure how I turned those two outlines into one sermon, but if you have time to listen to the sermon I hope it complements these outlines.

I think it’s a hugely encouraging message, and I hope it helps you see God in a new light.

I usually list some questions here, but this week I’d love to just to know if any of this makes sense.  Of course, feel free to hit me with your questions also, and I’ll try to further clarify the concepts here.

Share this with your friends:

• Read Hebrews 12:1-3 here.
• You can listen to this sermon here.
• Read the related posts here.

We find one of the traditional “Steps of Salvation” that people often overlook in Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” This is a much more important message than the often quoted first step of “Hear”.  Why tell someone who’s already listening to you that they need to “hear”?  On the other hand, we must encourage new Christians to understand that they’re making a long-term commitment.

One of my favourite statements about evangelism is “The success of the church is best measured in tombstones, not baptisms.”  I’m not denigrating baptism in any way, but if we lose our faith before our death the baptism counts for naught.  The Bible writers encourage the virtue of perseverance or endurance on several occasions:

• Romans 5:3 “we glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character;…“
• 1 Corinthians 13:7 “Love always perseveres.“
• Philippians 3:14 “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.“
• James 1:4 “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
• 2 Peter 1:6 “add to self-control, perseverance;…“
• Revelation 2:4 “I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.“

I hope I don’t have to persuade anyone of the importance of enduring faith.  I also don’t want to give the impression that our endurance, perseverance, stubbornness, dedication, or commitment can become an effort for which we take personal credit.  I’m certainly not promoting a form of salvation by works.  Instead, the endurance we need to maintain our faith for the long haul comes from our relationship with God.  Here are a few of the support systems he gives us:

• Love – 1 Cor. 13:7 says “Love always perseveres.” Love will help us endure where obedience would just give up.  Love is the stronger motivation.  When our relationship with God is based on love, we’re more likely to survive the difficult times.
• Prayer – Calling on God in times of trouble invites God to actively help us through those times.  In 2 Cor 12:9 Paul quotes God saying “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  The times we’re most aware of our shortcomings are the times we create the most space in our lives for God to demonstrate his power.  We depend on him, rather than ourselves.
• Scripture – The psalmist described God’s words as “a lamp to my feet and a lamp to my path“.  God’s word guides us through life with its teaching, advice and examples.  The Bible also motivates and inspires us by reminding us of our goal: our God.
• The Church – The New Testament letters contain numerous instructions about how Christians are to treat each other.  One of the most persistent messages is that we’re to encourage each other.  Just as the roar of the crowd can motivate a runner at the end of a marathon to continue and even pick up speed, the church urges each other to take the next step for Christ.  One of my favourite verses along these lines is 1 Corinthians 12:26, after describing the church as a body, Paul writes, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.“
• The Holy Spirit – Most importantly, when we immerse ourselves into Christ, we “enter God” and simultaneously “God enters us.”  According to Acts 2:38 We receive the “Gift of the Holy Spirit”.  It’s this very same Spirit that Jesus describes as a Comforter, or Encourager, or Counselor in John 14:16.  It’s the Holy Spirit’s role to comfort, encourage, and counsel when our faith is on the rocks.  When life is tough God will still be with us, helping us to endure.  We don’t have to endure alone.

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12

• Why do you think this “Step” seldom makes the list?
• How do you cultivate your faith to give it endurance?
• I’m guessing we’ve all seen people turn their backs on Christ, “What do you think are the greatest challenges to enduring faith?”

Share this with your friends:

• Read Romans 6:1-11 here.
• You can listen to this sermon here.
• Read the related posts here.

“Baptism now saves you…” 1 Peter 3:21

As we continue through this series on the Daily Steps of Salvation, “Baptism” poses some challenges.  Of course, I’m not going to suggest that we should all submit to the ritual of baptism every day. So how do we practice a Daily Step of Baptism?

The word “baptise” isn’t really an English word.  It’s a transliteration of the Greek.  This means translators took the Greek word and made it sound English, but they never actually defined it. Greek dictionaries almost universally give the primary definition of the word baptidzo (baptise) as “plunge, dip”.  Although highly debated by churches that practice baptism by pouring or sprinkling, I strongly believe that “immerse and submerge” are synonyms for “plunge or dip”.

If we translate the word baptidzo in Romans 6:3-4 using the English word “immerse” it reads like this:

Or don’t you know that all of us who were immersed into Christ Jesus were immersed into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through immersion into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

I love the way that reads.  The words “baptism” has become so churchified that we easily lose sight of what it involves.  We think of it almost exclusively as a ritual. When we use the word “immerse” we find ourselves lowered into Christ, and there’s no mention of us ever coming out! There are many verses in Scripture that refer to Christians as being “in Christ”.  We’re not “next to”, or “near”.  Our relationship with Christ is “in Him”.  For example, 1 Peter 5:14 “Peace to all of you who are in Christ.“

I certainly believe Scripture refers to the one-time event of baptism when it uses the word baptidzo.  However, I also believe that God longs for His people to immerse themselves in Jesus.  He doesn’t want his church just dipping their toes in the Jesus pool.

In his book Radical David Platt (p37) describes popular ways to “invite Jesus into your heart” then observes,

“I invite you to consider with me a proper response to this gospel. Surely more than praying a prayer is involved. Surely more than religious attendance is warranted. Surely this gospel evokes unconditional surrender of all that we are and all that we have to all that he is.“

I believe that baptism/immersion provides that “proper response to the gospel”. It’s not just that God commands the act of baptism, but that God’s seeking lives immersed in Christ. He longs for us to submerge ourselves in Christ’s death.  He wants us to wallow in Jesus love. He yearns for us to plunge into a lifetime of following Jesus.  Baptism/Immerison symbolises and begins this lifestyle.

Here’s my my really simple question for you:

• What does “immersing yourself in Christ” mean to you?