Category Archives: Religion & Spirituality

June 15, 2011

Hidden Treasure & Fine Pearls

By David D. Flowers

What is it that has some folks continually making bad decisions and finding themselves in the dump of life? Do they enjoy their isolation? Do they revel in their private hell? Don’t they see the trail of tears in their rearview mirror?

I’m no psychiatrist, but I have some experience with this sort of thing and I believe that most people don’t want to live this way. So why do they persist in their destructive decisions and fleshly behavior?

Now before you suppose that I’m about to tell you that the Christian life is all care bears and sunshine, I want to make it clear that I’m well aware of the challenges and, as Mike Yaconelli put it, the “messy spirituality” of us all.

None of us have it all together. I got it. We all get it. We have all made bad decisions at one point or another. And sometimes life just happens.

No, my heart is heavy for those that continually ignore sound advice and biblical wisdom—allowing their emotions to steer their ship into a whirlpool of more pain and death. They invite darkness upon themselves.

They see the signs, they hear the warnings, but their foot remains on the pedal as they speed past one stop sign after another. They say, “I’m gonna do what I want.” They avoid total surrender to Christ.

These folks will usually find someone to comfort them and affirm their destructive way. The world is filled with plenty of people wandering around in the dark claiming to know a thing or two.

We have all been there. You can surround yourself with ungodly counsel and feel good about it, especially when they tell you what you want to hear.

But listen to the biblical sage in Proverbs 2:1-8:

My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. (NLT)

Jesus told a series of parables about the “kingdom of heaven” in Matthew 13. In the Gospel of Matthew the “kingdom of heaven” is synonymous with what the rest of the New Testament refers to as the “kingdom of God.” The kingdom is at the forefront of Jesus’ message.

Jesus says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matt 6:33). Let there be no mistake, Jesus was all about kingdom.

So what is the kingdom? Entire books have been written on the kingdom. I’ll just sum it up this way:

The kingdom is God’s reign and rule in the cosmos. It’s God’s divine program!

We don’t really use “kingdom” language anymore. A “kingdom” is literally a king’s domain. Jesus preached that God had arrived to establish his reign and rule on the earth—to claim it as his own! That’s why Jesus prayed that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. He was praying for the very reign and rule of God upon the earth (Matt 6:10).

The kingdom—his reign and rule—always looks like Jesus.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise then that Jesus would call his followers to “seek the Kingdom of God above all else” because it is where real rewarding life happens. When we are participating with Christ in allowing God’s reign and rule to saturate our lives, and in the lives of those around us, we experience what it means to truly live.

When we live for kingdom, our lives are being built upon the solid rock of Christ.

In order to experience this “abundant” life of kingdom, we must be willing to deny ourselves and sell all that we have to take possession of it (Jn 10:10; Matt 16:24). It’s the only way.

Listen to this short parable of Jesus.

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.”  Matthew 13:44

What do those frustrated folks I mentioned above share in common? Simple. For whatever reason, they have not found Christ and his kingdom a treasure worth reorienting their entire lives around. Some “thing” or some “body” excites them much more than Christ.

It’s no secret that their persistence in making poor decisions is evidence that Christ is not central and supreme. There is one throne in their life… and they are sitting on it.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”  Matthew 13:45-46

If you are not a follower of Christ, please know you can trust that the yoke of Jesus is easy and his burden is light (Matt 11:28-30). The yoke of the world is hard and the burden of it will eventually crush you. Are you willing to sell all that you have to purchase that field… to acquire the fine pearl? Or would you rather take your chances with the world?

If you are a follower of Christ, I want to remind you that your salvation began with a passionate love of Jesus and his kingdom. Have you forgotten your first love? What are you loving more than Christ?

Dear friend, God loves you and wants to supply you with true nourishment for the soul. He alone will satisfy. How long will you turn to temporal things for your identity, security, and self-gratification?

What has become more important to you than the kingdom of God? Jesus said, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Lk 9:62). What has you looking back? Can’t you see you’re plowing crooked rows?

Listen to wisdom. Respond to the voice of the Spirit of God. Put your hand to the plow and don’t look back. What’s past is past. Make your next decision for Christ and the furtherance of his kingdom.

You won’t be at peace until you do.

D.D. Flowers, 2011.

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in Christianity, Deeper Christian Life, Religion & Spirituality, Theology

May 26, 2011

Preparing for Marriage

By David D. Flowers

Many couples are not excited—even worried and confused—about premarital counseling. It is especially dumbfounding to a world today that has become increasingly desensitized to the sacredness of marriage.

And it is most disconcerting of all that Christians have added to the confusion over biblical marriage and contributed to the epidemic of divorce.

The Christian pollster George Barna has said, “There no longer seems to be much of a stigma attached to divorce; it is now seen as an unavoidable rite of passage.” See my article: Marriage & the Gospel of Jesus.

Christians are called to honor marriage as the most sacred of earthly covenants—a lifelong covenant to be entered in purity with a holy commitment to God in Christ.

Yet the church has succumbed to the spirit of the age by ignoring Jesus’ teaching on sacred marriage and the destructive nature of divorce (Gen 2:24; Matt 19:1-12; 1 Cor 7; Eph 5:22-33; Heb 13:4, etc.).

Let’s be honest, divorce not only destroys marriages and leaves a lasting mark on the couple affected, it tears apart families and perpetuates the cycle of dehumanization. You do not escape unscathed.

Divorce is antithetical to the Gospel and the reconciliatory work of Christ in the world. The church must be reminded of this and be admonished when necessary. Regardless of our mistakes, we must hold marriage high at all costs. We must operate off of principle instead of emotion.

Christian marriages crumble for a number of reasons. It is a relationship that must be continually maintained with a love that knows no bounds and be refreshed by a shared passion for the heavenly bridegroom—Jesus Christ. I can’t stress enough how this must be a “shared” passion and conviction. Believers are not to be “yoked” together with unbelievers (2 Cor 6:14).

Premarital counseling is an attempt to confront couples with the weight of the decision they are preparing to make. It is for the purpose of helping believers enter into marriage grounded upon Christ and equipped to move forward as hopeful realists. Premarital counseling is intended to position the couple for the best possible beginning to a Christ-honoring marriage.

Here are a few specific goals I have for Christian premarital counseling:

Goal One: Help establish and affirm the couple’s commitment to Christ.

If I’m asked to marry a couple, I believe it is necessary to establish the couple’s commitment to Christ. Does each person share a personal knowledge and love for Jesus? Have they both accepted Christ as Lord? Are they active members in a local church?

If so, then the couple will be encouraged in how to share Christ with one another and go on to discuss their plans for church life together.

If it becomes evident that they are unequally yoked and spiritually apathetic, I will advise the couple not to marry (at least until the situation is corrected). If they are insistent upon marriage regardless of the biblical teaching and their spiritual condition, I must decline to marry them.

There will be no hard feelings or judgment on my part if this happens. It’s nothing personal. I simply must respectfully decline out of my own conviction and the best interest of the couple.

As a minister of the Gospel there is no way that I can invoke the Lord’s blessing upon what I perceive to be an unbiblical union. I do not think that the marriage vows and ceremony are meaningless jargon and ritual for the sake of producing a romantic memory or making it “official” for the state.

Marriage is the beginning of a promise before God and men that the two are joining to become one flesh. There is nothing more sacred on the earth than marriage. We dare not enter into it carelessly.

The couple may be able to find a licensed minister to put his stamp of approval upon their marriage and go on to perform the ceremony without any conditions, but my conscience is bound to my understanding of Christian marriage. I’m aware that not everyone understands or agrees with this position, but I do believe that it is reasonable and biblically defensible.

The real challenge is trying to find a biblical argument against it.

Goal Two: Help the couple discern whether or not God is really calling them together.

This goal is reached by challenging the couple to learn more about each other. This goes beyond their fiancés favorite color, how they each feel loved and respected, and what they plan to do about credit cards.

Instead, it goes to the heart of marriage. What brought the couple together? Were they following Christ when they met? What part has Christ played in their dating relationship? Have they sought the Lord as a couple in making the decision to pursue marriage? Are they honoring the Lord now?

It is critical that the couple recognize that they began and/or are now pursuing God’s good will and purposes. Does their relationship go beyond mere attraction and companionship?

If the relationship is not rooted in God and his purposes for their lives, the couple increases their chances for divorce.

I can remember the anxiety I experienced during the pre-engagement period (even some while we were engaged) as I desperately sought after the Lord’s will on whether or not I was to marry my wife. I admit that some of it may have been overkill due to a spiritual immaturity.

However, after almost 10 years of marriage, I believe it was healthy for me to wrestle with the decision to marry, especially at such a young age. We wanted to please the Lord, so it concerned both of us that we trust in the Lord’s best for us. This is a good thing.

I would never advise a couple marry without seeking the Lord about it together. If a couple has decided to get married with little to no concern about the Lord’s thoughts, they need to seriously go before the Lord together in prayer and seek his heart for their relationship.

Making a decision about marriage without having totally surrendered your will and heart to the Lord is reckless.

It is for certain that being intentional about discussing the things that really matter most will raise questions, doubts, and qualms to the surface. Many couples fail to ask uneasy questions of each other and even ignore sensitive issues that they hope will eventually work themselves out later.

Couples will unknowingly—and knowingly—wear blinders to many things. It’s easy to do this when they have become infatuated with each other. So, an outsider is helpful to stir the pot a bit.

Premarital counseling will stimulate conversation that the couple needs to have, but may not have if they are not encouraged and guided in that process. It’s a great way to enter marriage with confidence that the Lord is indeed Master of the relationship—that he brought the couple together and that he will see them through it “until death do you part.”

Goal Three: Help the couple to exchange an idealistic view of marriage for a more realistic and biblical view.

This last goal is met by working to deconstruct the fantasies of romance and marriage. Each person brings with them certain expectations about marriage. There is a great deal of unrealistic expectations that have been acquired from well-intentioned parents all the way to the distortions of Hollywood.

If the couple is not aware of those expectations to discuss them, those unresolved expectations will eventually lead to demands, and demands will lead to an attempt to manipulate and control the other partner.

Many married couples are later blind-sided with this sort of thing and never move beyond this power struggle of bending the other to their will. This leads to isolation for both partners. It is often the killer of many marriages.

H. Norman Wright writes:

Too many couples enter marriage blinded by unrealistic expectations. They believe the relationship should be characterized by a high level of continuous romantic love. As one young adult said, “I wanted marriage to fulfill all my desires. I needed security, someone to take care of me, intellectual stimulation, economic security immediately—but it just wasn’t like that!” People are looking for something “magical” to happen in marriage. But magic doesn’t make a marriage work: hard work does (Communication: Key to Your Marriage).

Premarital counseling’s third goal is to help bring out some of those unrealistic expectations and to find guidance from an older married couple(s) on how confronting this idealism will keep a couple from disappointment, disillusionment, and divorce.

What is a biblical marriage in a broken world? It is important that the couple recognize the lies in order to embrace the truth of the real marriage journey.

Finally, if each partner can begin to identify the baggage from their upbringing and traumas suffered in the past—and do so while dating and during the premarital counseling experience—this will help the couple tremendously as they enter marriage.

When these things are identified, they may be dealt with if the couple is committed to the hard work of investing in a fulfilling marriage.

Selfishness that is displayed in an unwillingness to work through personal problems and past traumas will end a marriage before it even begins. You gotta deny yourself for marriage to work.

The counseling process can help the couple learn how to begin working through the painful experiences that have left open festering wounds that need to be treated. It is for the health of your future marriage.

This process will not uncover all hidden realities and sort out all “issues” a couple may have, but it will most definitely encourage a healthy communication that is essential for a successful marriage.

Preparing for Marriage–Some Premarital Counseling Is Better Than None

Why premarital counseling? Well, I will be so bold to say that those who really care about their future marriage and are seeking to honor Christ with their lives will have no qualms or hesitations with beginning preparatory sessions that will position them for a marriage that lasts.

If you want a marriage that is built on Christ and for a future serving him with your spouse, strengthen your relationship by taking the first steps on solid ground. Take the first steps toward a marriage that doesn’t make you happy, but instead makes you holy.

D.D. Flowers, 2011.

6 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Christianity, Church, Culture, Ethics, Religion & Spirituality

May 23, 2011

The Law in James

By David D. Flowers

James, the brother of Jesus, writes: “You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone” (2:24).

It might appear that James is contradicting the apostle Paul, who writes: “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law (Rom 3:28).

Paul also states, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no once can boast” (Eph 2:8-9). But James says, “faith by itself, if it not accompanied by action is dead” (2:17).

What should we make of this? Is this a glaring contradiction?

It’s no secret that Paul, an educated Pharisee, frequently had his ministry of the gospel threatened by the Law-peddlers, those Judaizers (2 Cor 11:1-15). His letter to the Galatians was prompted by confusion over the place of the Mosaic “works of the law” in salvation (Gal 3:1-5, also Acts 15). He also speaks to this issue in Romans 3-4.

It is evident that Paul’s “observing the law” (Rom 3:28) concerns those covenant boundary markers within the Torah that separate Jews from Gentiles. Paul is saying that a person is not saved (i.e. become a Christian) by adhering to old covenant boundaries.

The law of Moses is fulfilled in Christ and the “law of the Spirit of life” (Rom 8:2; Gal 3:19). This is the main thrust of Paul’s message. But we see James using “law” differently in his epistle. Let’s take a brief look at each instance.

1:25 “But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.”

This is the first mention of nomos (law) in the book of James. He says that the “perfect law” should be gazed into like a mirror (1:23-25). He has already used teleios (perfect) to describe a “gift” that comes from God (1:4,17). The “law of liberty” indicates that observance of the law brings freedom.

But whose law? The law of Moses or Jesus?

Notice, James is using “law” to describe moral behavior in the immediate context—behavior that is encouraged in the teachings of Jesus.

2:8 “If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law, according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.”

James is using the “royal law” in a general way to describe the law of the kingdom of Christ—the law that was ratified by Jesus. It goes to the heart of the law to love your neighbor as yourself (Lev 19:18; Matt 19:19; 22:39).

James is drawing attention to Jesus’ summation of Torah. There is no indication that he is using “law” in verse 8 to refer to Jewish ritual.

2:9 “But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”

This favoritism is quite the contrast with the previous law of love (2:8; also Lev 19:15). Showing partiality is sin and disobedience to the lawgiver—the one who gave the law of love.

This “law” in James does not utilize a Pauline “works of the law” to encompass covenant boundaries. The law in verse 9 refers to that law laid down by Christ.

2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.”

What is the “whole law” in James? The previous two verses indicate that the “royal law” or the “law of love” is in view here. James’ focus is the law of Christ, which is summed up in love. Those who break the “royal law” are held responsible for rebellion against the lawgiver and all that he has given as a gift to lead a person in the law of love.

2:12 “So speak and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.”

Once again, all human behavior should come under submission to the “law of liberty” which Jesus set forth as key to obedience. This law shows the way of life and points away from sin. If a person operates out of the “law of liberty,” there they will be led down a path of obedience instead of judgment. The “law of liberty” should impact present moral behavior.

4:11 “Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother, or judges his brother, speaks against the law, and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it.”

If a person does not walk in accordance to this law of love set forth by Christ, then they “speak against the law” and have placed themselves as a judge over it. Slandering another brother in the Lord is to slander Christ and his law. A person who “judges the law” will then exalt himself to determine which laws to keep and which to ignore.

The law of love prohibits this behavior.

The book of James uses a combination of the Decalogue and Leviticus 19:18 as a summary of the “royal law” that Christ taught. James indicates that behavior and right conduct play a significant role in receiving God’s righteousness (1:20).

Within the context, James is combating the false dichotomy of faith and works. He argues that God’s righteousness is a “harvest” that is sewn through good deeds (3:18). Those good deeds come out of obedience to the law of love. A true believer proves they are saved by their deeds.

So, it’s safe to say that the “law” in James is that which Paul called the “law of the Spirit of life,” not the Law of Moses. Therefore, there is no contradiction. They both agree that Christ is the giver of a new law and that obedience to his commands are evidence of salvation’s power.

In light of the construction of the epistle and the specific issues being addressed by James to these scattered Jewish Christians, it looks as if his audience lives within a collapsing world. We find in James a theology of suffering for these struggling believers.

James is reminding his audience that the Lord Jesus Christ has not forgotten them and that his presence is calling them to display their faith through good deeds as those who are faithful “doer(s) of the law” (4:11).

D.D. Flowers, 2011.

17 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in Christianity, Ethics, Religion & Spirituality, Theology

May 18, 2011

Faith Without Illusions

By David D. Flowers

Faith Without Illusions: Following Jesus as a Cynic-Saint (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2011) by Andrew Byers

Disillusionment is the “dispersal of illusions,” and many Christians are finding themselves passing through disillusionment only to drown in a sea of cynicism.

Andy Byers makes his authorial debut with a very timely book that is bound to challenge and encourage the broken, bitter, and burned-out Christian cynics among us.

“It is hard not to be cynical when you drive past a church and read a message like this on a rusted marquee sign: ‘To Prevent Sinburn, Use Sonscreen.’ Really? Someone thought it was a good idea to go public with that?” (p.107)

It’s the marquees, the bumper stickers, the shallow theology, the sappy “Christian” radio disc jockeys, and the endless clichés of pop-culture Christianity that are enough to send disillusioned believers into a cynic rage.

I mean… who hasn’t wanted to drive their car off a cliff after having to hear I Can Only Imagine for the bazillionth time?

Byers observes that, “many believers have now slid into those dark pits that cynicism is becoming vogue in many Christian circles as a self-identifying trademark of a new spirituality—the edgy spirituality of the jaded.” (p.8)

There is certainly no shortage of bitter believers that claim to be “free” from the chains of religion. You can even join social networks for the caustic cussing Christians who are congregating on the fringes of Christianity and attracting others who feel abused and betrayed.

Byers says, “Cynicism is a sickness.” However, it is possible to overcome this state of disparagement by reckoning disillusionment with the church as a gift from God—an “act of God’s grace.”

Beyers acknowledges the many errors and shortcomings of pop-culture Christianity, but he claims we need to embrace a “hopeful realism” that moves folks out of frustrated cynicism and on to biblical alternatives that reflect resurrection.

“We are in dire need for redeemed cynics to dress their wounds that they may rise up and flourish in the truths revealed to them for the health of the church and for the glory of God.” (p. 12)

Part I of the book addresses those things that make us cynical: idealism, legalism, religiosity, experientialism, anti-intellectualism, and cultural irrelevance. If you’re even remotely sour over your past experiences and the current state of the church, you’re liable to resonate with Byers assessment of the issues. I found myself laughing one minute, and sincerely examining my heart the next.

It’s possible for cynics to know healing in these pages. Byers writes that his intentions for the first part of the book is, “to give voice to the frustrations of cynical readers, providing some degree of cathartic venting while at the same time providing convincing arguments that the standard cynical approaches are counterproductive.” (p.13)

Part II of the book presents the reader with alternatives to cynicism that resemble the biblical patterns of the prophet, sage, poet, and the Christ who shows us how to truly be human. Byers helps his readers to see that Jesus was not a cynic. Therefore, his followers are not justified in embracing cynicism as a lifestyle.

Byers says, “Redeemed cynics have much to offer.” Disciples of Jesus should find healing and recover for a new commission. Instead of being critical of the church at a distance, redeemed cynics will be active and involved in the renewing of the community of Christ.

“If we can manage to find healing and regain our footing a bit after the rug has been ripped out from beneath us, then we may be used by God to free others from faulty ideas about our faith.” (p.11)

Faith Without Illusions contains a message of encouragement and hope for the weary. I pray that the Lord will use Byers’ book to aid in spiritual renewal and church restoration.

Andrew Byers is working on a PhD in New Testament at Durham University (England) while serving as college pastor at Mountain Brook Community Church and leading University Christian Fellowship in Birmingham, Alabama. He has served in campus ministry at Gardner-Webb University and has degrees from Beeson Divinity School and Duke University.

Stay tuned for an interview with Andrew Byers!

9 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Christianity, Church, Culture, Religion & Spirituality