John3Thirty

Over the years I have noticed that weird questions come up when discussing house church. There is a new article posted here on John3Thirty.net about one such questions and where we draw the line Between the Kingdom of Christ and Wacky Land. Check it out under pages.

The scene spreading out before us is one of palpable emotion; hatred, fear, anger and disappointment hold sway. When these take control, especially in a crowd, the first victim is often justice. The scene is Jesus before Pontius Pilate as the religious leaders inspire the mob to demand the crucifixion of him, who had healed, delivered and even raised the dead. The crowd, the same one placing palm fronds in his path and praising him as the deliverer, was now clamoring for his blood. What could turn a crowd from ecstatic worship to blood lust? How could one who had helped so many be the object of such rage? Read the rest of this entry »

The lives of past saints can be very inspiring, so reading biographies is a thrill. Whether we are reading about a recent saint, like Nate Saint, Jim Elliot and their partners killed trying to reach a stone age tribe, or those of the early church like Polycarp or Ignatius, we are inspired to handle adversity, to stand against persecution and to sacrifice all in service to our King. The danger comes when we take these stories that should empower and unfairly condemn ourselves, seeing these people as more endowed or having more of the Spirit, greater potential or ability than us. One example is Paul. What church planter has not looked at Paul planting churches, over an area of several hundred miles from diverse cultural and linguistic groups, and concluded that he was a sort of Über-Christian—fascinating but impossible to emulate? Read the rest of this entry »

During my devotional time I was reading 1 Peter and came across a passage that I have read and studied thousands of times. This time it especially stood out to me because of an experience last week with a young man who was questioning his salvation and fearful that he might be lost. I was able through talking to him and praying with him to see his faith and hear what he was trusting in so that I could show him several passages that help with assurance. He left feeling much relieved, but I guess it tuned my ear to other passages of assurance. When I read a certain passage I had to stop and chew on it. Read the rest of this entry »

Today I took part in one of my favorite activities—browsing a bookstore. I went into a Christian bookstore to see if there was anything interesting by a particular author that I enjoy. I seldom go in stores looking for Christian books. Instead I find and order them through Amazon. Don’t get me wrong, as a Christian who loves to read I wish more believers would support these stores. But Christian bookstore shelves are too filled with claptrap. Three quarters of the book racks are filled with fiction and what I call touch-me-bless-me books. Since I don’t read fiction unless it is at least a century old and I steer clear of the other because they contain little more than pablum, there is seldom anything for me to read. Little did I know what I would find. Read the rest of this entry »

The balance between law and grace is precarious. Some insist that the law must remain in effect in the New Testament to restrain licentiousness. They insist on the place of the law and reinterpret it to work in line with Christ. Others look at morality itself and see it as a bane of humanity and would declare believers free to live as they please, excess and all. Neither position is supported by scripture. Like most issues, the truth of scripture is a middle way: the law was fulfilled in Christ. We are, by grace, now equipped to live a truly holy life—not fearful of the law but animated by the Spirit. Read the rest of this entry »

This last week I found myself thinking about forgiveness. This subject had come up in a conversation with a young woman who had recognized within herself an unwillingness to forgive. I assured her that forgiveness can be one of the hardest things we as Christians are called to do. During the discussion she made a very profound admission that if she forgives it feels as if the persons who hurt her are getting away with it. This is natural, and it was this side of the issue that got me chewing on the subject. Read the rest of this entry »

Benjamin Franklin, as Poor Richard, intones, “A stitch in time saves nine.” This saying means that regular maintenance can prevent much more expensive problems later. As a kid, mom took us to the Army Navy Store for school pants. The denim was heavier than was available at the department stores so the pants lasted longer. When trying them on, you took care not to drop anything because the knees would barely bend—if it hit the floor it stayed there. These pants were meant to last! When we outgrew them, we would hand them down to a little brother or cut the legs off to make shorts. Even these herculean pants would occasionally fall prey to the adventures of a young boy. Mom, not about to buy another pair of pants until absolutely necessary, would sew and patch them. The earlier she caught the tear, the better. If it didn’t get patched quickly the tear could get worse. Childhood involved a closet full of clothing in various stages of repair. When they got too ratty to patch, the fragments would find new life as part of a quilt. Read the rest of this entry »

Paul instructed the Thessalonians while he was with them—warnings against certain behavior and encouraging them toward others. Many of us would love to have been a fly on the wall to hear Paul teaching this church that became so dear to his heart, but, sadly, this is not possible. However, God preserved the words of Paul written to remind them of his teaching. This preserved letter teaches us about the life we are called to live. Read the rest of this entry »

The Historicism interview on KGFT went well. There were only a few callers, not many questions. Ted and I discussed another possible show in two weeks. Hopefully people were able to understand what we discussed and chew on it. My way of handling eschatology is always strange for others. Usually someone tries to convince you their position is the only right one and insist you accept it as such. Don’t get me wrong, I believe mine is right (at least in the areas where I have drawn firm conclusions) and the others are wrong—dispensational eschatology more than most. However, I know that salvation does not hinge upon any doctrine of end-times. Salvation is tied to th person of Jesus: who he is and what he accomplished; estimates of his future action are little more than speculation when taken beyond their purpose of inspiring hope. So it does not bother me when others find my view questionable or inferior to another. I worry more about one who, after one discussion or seminar, suddenly claims to adopt my view. To be a Christian is to be a Berean—searching the Word to discern truth. That requires far more than attending one seminar, holding one discussion or reading one book. The search for truth is not found overnight nor usually found without much toil and effort.

Too many simply swallow and never question what we are taught. Often this is from the fear of being deceived. It is easier to keep one’s mind closed than to carefully police the garbage that can find its way in. There is an old saying: “Mind’s are like parachutes, they only work when open.” I agree to a point; as a former paratrooper, I’ll tell you that far worse than a parachute that did not open is one that opens too far—it can foul up your reserve or worse. The same is true with our minds, we must open them to learn but always have filters in place. This means teachings received from anyone—elder, pastor, priest or pope—must be filtered. All teachers have an agenda, sometimes it is good for the student and other times it is not. For Christians our filter is the Word of God; our goal is truth. All claims of truth are filtered through the proven Word. This demands we be scholars of the Word. Not all Christians will preach, teach or lead a congregation, but to be a disciple of Christ is to be a biblical scholar. It is our universal duty.