9/11 and Your Feelings

By: Jim Umlauf

In these last days leading up to the ten-year anniversary of the attacks on New York and the Pentagon, there’s a New York Times interactive map of where people were when they heard the news. Along with pinpointing one’s location, one must choose one of the following current emotions: angry, fearful, hopeful, secure, or unmoved.

As Christians, we might (aside from being unmoved) feel some of each of those things.

Anger: The reason we feel such things is there’s an ultimate standard of justice that’s not merely the byproduct of cultural mores. Jesus was angry without sinning because the rightful use of his Father’s house was being desecrated. God himself is angry about sin; the theological term is “righteous indignation.” It’s ok to feel that about 9/11, as long as we remember that justice is the LORD’s to be meted out.

Fear: It’s a scary world. Sin makes it that way. We also live with the reality that we’re all terminally ill patients—in other words, we will all physically die. The Bible speaks many times of the fear of the LORD. That’s not a cowering, craven fear. Rather, it’s the healthy, wonderful fear that trumps all other fears. The idea is, if we view God as he truly is, and relate to him in Christ as sons and daughters, no ultimate harm can possibly befall us. It’s a happy fear, and the beginning of knowledge.

Hope: If all we did was keep a positive attitude, or try to cloak our hearts in an isolated concept of hope, it would be empty indeed. The great thing about a truly biblical faith is that there’s an object. (It would be more accurate to write, “Object.”) We believe in a living, reigning, real, historical Christ. Because he has defeated sin and death, and now rules dynamically and forever, we can—by his substitutionary curse-bearing on our behalf—be hopeful and free. We have been rescued from sin’s bondage and the heavy weight on our consciences, and also look forward to the hope beyond this life.

Secure: Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. Not even the most scary, rattling, tear-producing, tumultuous, darkest of sins. Or a terrorist attack.

How to Celebrate Justice

By: Jim Umlauf

The video below is a compact message about the death of Osama bin Laden, and the way a Christian can reconcile the celebration of justice with loving one’s enemies.

VIDEO: Is it ok to be happy about the death of Osama bin Laden? (Jim Umlauf)

A Humble Clergy

By: Dr. Jimmy Young

Pastors need to avoid the Pastoral Epistles. Those are the Pauline letters to some guys who were laboring alongside him in the gospel ministry. You would think that those books would be uniquely helpful to pastors, and they are. But my advice is… avoid them.

Why? That can only be asked by someone who hasn’t read them. In II Timothy alone, there are so many injunctions that expose our pastoral failures. Things like: “pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace (2:22)”; “…always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry (4:5).”

Of the eight injunctions in those two verses, all eight of them slay me. My point, I think, is this: all of us so-called clergy types have very little to be high-minded about. So, in the face of those and other reminders, the need of the hour is a humble clergy. Anything other than that borders on the irrational.

Why Christians Should Be the Hardest Workers Around

By: Brent Wilkins

Work, and the ability to do so, is a gift from God. Ecclesiastes 9:10 tells us that “whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” Obviously that includes work. We are to work with all our might out of gratitude to God, for his glory and for our own good. Our hard work can also be a witness to those around us. It communicates something not only about who we are but whose we are.

If you’ve been around me for very long, you know that I am a Nebraska Husker football fan, so please oblige me and forgive the illustration. Husker running backs coach Ron Brown has twenty-seven former pupils who have gone on to pro football careers. However, Brown does more than prepare them for the next level of play… his passion is sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and preparing young men for life. Brown has a number of Christian athletes, one of them being running back Rex Burkhead. Last week a reporter asked Brown about Burkhead and what makes him the ideal role model for the other players. Here was Brown’s answer:

Rex is a great Christian kid, and there are a lot of Christian kids who are brought up to think that a good Christian football player needs to be a good sport that doesn't use bad language, gets to bed on time and doesn't drink or smoke… but the reality of it is Jesus has called us to glorify Him out on the field. I really believe the Christian athlete ought to be the toughest, most intense, most relentless player on the field - the one who doesn't give up, is the most courageous player and the hardest working guy out there.

I don’t know about you, but that motivates me. As a Christian we should be the hardest working guy/gal out there. Our hard work does not result in justification or salvation, but as God enables us, it can bring glory to his name and be a witness to the world around us.

Lessons in Prayer from Romania

By: Johnny Coggin

Ever wondered what you could learn about prayer from Christians in Romania? Me either, till today. But I'm glad I read this article, and hope it will encourage you and give you fresh (international!) perspective on the importance of prayer.

What Romanian Believer's Taught Me About Prayer

Text Message

By: Chris Leuck

I received this text message from a dear friend this morning. It has been deeply encouraging to me and I hope it will be the same for you:

“This morning, as I think about the Holy Scriptures and my ineptness… my lack of knowledge, my overall pitiful status, and just how insignificant I am in the whole scheme of things… it’s a real pity party. THEN, Christ shows up and reveals the Gospel to me again as though I had never heard it before. I mean, I’m on my knees in tears and I can’t even shout out “I love you, Jesus” without choking up… a 51 year old man sobbing like a baby. I began to see again the absolute power of the Gospel. He shows me that He is my wisdom… I don’t have to prove anything. I don’t have to accomplish anything. I am free of all worldly perspective and expectations. I am free in Christ. He is my love, my desire, my significance, and my motivation. This IS the power of the Gospel. Let’s pray that the Gospel is at the heart of everything we say, think, and do. I seem to forget that so often.”

So do I.

Dealing with Injustice

By: Dr. Jimmy Young

One of the harder things to stomach, for all of us, is being the victim of injustice. We clamor for justice with statements like, “That’s not fair,” or “That is so wrong.” The fact is, our cry for justice is a dangerous thing, because what we really want is mercy for us, and justice for “them.” Don’t ever ask for justice; you may just get it.

That longing for justice is a fundamental proof of God’s existence, because if there is no God, justice will never be done. But one principle often overlooked in this pursuit of justice is found in I Corinthians 6:7. Paul, dealing with Christians suing other Christians, simply asks, “Why not rather be defrauded (wronged)?” It is often better to suffer wrong than it is to fight for justice.

Oh, how principles like these take a bite out of my flesh. And, very likely, that was God’s intent in authoring my “unjust” circumstance. I've still got a long ways to go. Boy, do I need a Savior.

The Gospel and Worship

By: Johnny Coggin

Worship is very frequently a legalistic activity (e.g. "You are right with God if you go to church for worship," and, conversely, "You aren't if you don't"). Oh sure, you don't think you're a legalist. I don't generally believe I am either. But I can almost guarantee that we both fall into this kind of false thinking from time to time, if not every single week when gathering with the local church to worship God.

Do you ever have a subtle sense that God is pleased with you because you were just worshiping so deeply? Or that he is disappointed with you because your heart "wasn't in it" during worship, or perhaps because you were distracted with a wandering mind, lustful thoughts, or judgmental attitudes? I know I feel this way sometimes! And it's utterly unbiblical.

The problem here is a failure to remember and apply the gospel. Yes, even in worship. Heck, especially in worship! Genuine worship must be rooted in the gospel.

Here are a few quotes from a recent article in TableTalk called "The Gospel and Worship." I strongly encourage you to take a moment to read the entire article.

"The gospel takes the natural, worldly view that worship is a person justifying himself by reaching up to God and corrects it with the truth that worship is a person responding to the God who has reached down through the gospel of Jesus Christ."

"God made our hearts, and He made them to find their greatest joy and satisfaction in Himself... worship begins with an understanding of the gospel."

"We also need the gospel during worship in part because of the sins we commit in worship. We may sing, speak, or pray thoughtlessly or hypocritically in various moments of worship. The application of the gospel to our minds and hearts in worship encourages us that our sins during worship are forgiven and that the Lord receives us even though our worship is imperfect."

"The gospel reminds us that our worship, although flawed, is acceptable — not because of what we do or how well we do it, but because of what Christ did for us. He made worshipers out of rebels, and because our worship comes to the Father in Jesus’ name, He sanctifies our worship to make it pleasing to the Father."

Read the full article here.

Are You Prepared?

By: Erin Pearce

Andy and I are in a stage where we just love life. We feel so overwhelmingly blessed right now in this year and a half of marriage we have experienced. We often wonder aloud to each other, “I wonder what the Lord has in store for us?” We know the Lord has a plan for us, but oftentimes we don’t think about God’s plan being a route that tests our faith to produce steadfastness and patience, as well as many other marks of a Christian. We are trying more to talk about how we want to learn to glorify God in every situation. We know that things will come to test us, but we want to be prepared.

I’m reading a book called The Sovereignty of God by A.W. Pink, and this is what he says about two different ways to view life.

"Here is the fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is 'of the world,' judges everything by worldly standards, views life from the standpoint of time and sense, and weighs everything in the balances of his own carnal making. But the man of faith brings in God, looks at everything from His standpoint, estimates values by spiritual standards, and views life in the light of eternity. Doing this, he receives whatever comes as from the hand of God. Doing this, his heart is calm in the midst of the storm. Doing this, he rejoices in hope of the glory of God."

Andy and I long to be like this man of faith. Being calm in the midst of the storm would be quite unnatural, but possible with the Holy Spirit. I guess you never really know if you are prepared for trials, but don’t you think it would be a good thing to try to prepare for that?

Daniel 11:32b - “...but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.”

5 Ways to Make God Known at Your Job

By: Johnny Coggin

I realize that my vocation happens to be in the ministry of a church, so this may seem absurd to say. But I (like you I'm sure) struggle at times with questions like, "Is what I'm doing at work really God's will?" or "Does any of this have any real, lasting significance?" Or even, "Is God glorified and made known through my efforts?" You may feel the same things from time to time, even if the busy pace of life keeps those thoughts brief and easily rushed away.

I read the following from John Piper's blog at Desiring God yesterday, and felt like his 5 brief points gave me something to "hang my hat on" in this area. See if they help you find significance in the "small" things of your work, whether it's in a corporate office or raising kids at home.

I have in mind at least five things—five ways to make God known through your secular job and all of them are important. When one of them is missing, the witness to the truth of Christ suffers.

1. The excellence of the products or services you render in your job shows the excellence and greatness of God.

2. The standards of integrity you follow at your job show the integrity and holiness of God.

3. The love you show to people in your job shows the love of God.

4. The stewardship of the money you make from your job shows the value of God compared to other things.

5. The verbal testimony you give to the reality of Christ shows the doorway to all these things in your life and their possibility in the lives of others.