Christian Living, Politics

A Christian Plea in the Midst of the Heated Debates

I have earnest, Bible-believing Christian friends who lean left politically (as well as some who are are flat out “liberal”), and I have earnest, Bible-believing Christian friends who lean right politically (as well as some who are flat out “conservative”).

Friends from both sides have expressed how people on the other side are supporting causes that are incompatible with Christianity.

Friends from both sides claim that people on the other side are brain-washed by untrustworthy media outlets.

Friends from both sides share Bible verses that support their political views.

A few friends from both sides explicitly claim Jesus is on their side (politically).

A few friends on both sides claim that their political opposites are only professing Christians, but not real Christians.

A few friends on both sides issue dire warnings of God’s judgment on their political opposites.

My friend, if that is you, regardless of which side you are on, have you ever considered the possibility that you are guilty of idolatry, fashioning a god in your own image?

Social media fuels the fire because it’s a lot easier to make attacks from a distance (the social distance that the internet provides us). It’s a lot harder to treat someone with disdain when you are face-to-face with them.

And honestly, I’ve never met anyone who switched sides because a fellow Christian attacked them from the other side of the political spectrum. Perhaps it has happened, but I’ve never met anyone yet who said, “Well, I used to be a (democrat/republican) but I changed my mind after a Christian friend of mine on social media said I couldn’t be a real Christian with my political beliefs!” Nor have I heard, “I changed political sides after a fellow Christian yelled at me online and called me an idiot for believing like I did.”

Saying God is on our side politically is small-minded… literally. It is frighteningly disrespectful to the King of the Universe. A more appropriate approach would be to get into the details of each political issue and ask, “How can I honor God most in regard to this particular detail of this issue?” Then scour the Word of God with an open mind for guidance on the topic, rather than searching for something from the Bible that supports what you have already decided.

And if you are really strong and filled with God’s Spirit, you will have the courage to actually listen to people who don’t agree with you, treating them with respect, even if you don’t end up agreeing with their position. The Bible calls this humility.

God is bigger than our political squabbles and disagreements and He calls us to love one another, even our political opposites (or “enemies”).

Instead of asking whose side God is on, we need to be asking, “Am I on the Lord’s side?”

I close with a passage of Scripture I consider quite relevant to this topic: Joshua 5.13-15…

13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, “Are You for us or for our enemies?”

14 “Neither,” He replied. “I have now come as Commander of the LORD’s army.”

Then Joshua fell facedown in reverence and asked Him, “What does my Lord have to say to His servant?”

15 The Commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Someday Jesus is going to return, just as He promised. And when He returns, He won’t take sides. He will take over.

Church

What is GMC Church?

Back in April of this year, on this blog, I asked the question, “What is MMA Church?” For review, MMA Church is terminology I came up with to communicate the three church environments that our church emphasizes: a MACRO gathering (at Harvest, The Sunday Gathering), multiple MICRO gatherings (at Harvest, LIFE Groups and MicroChurches), and multiple ATOMIC (gender-based accountability groups of 2-4 people) groups.

In this post I would like to address the question, “What is GMC Church?” This is terminology used at Harvest Jacksonville to help our people remember our three ecclesial minimums. By ecclesial minimums, I mean the three things that have to be funcitoning for us to be a legitimate church. And they are…

G…GOSPEL – We start with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the Gospel of Jesus that brings us into the family of God. It is the Gospel of Jesus (Romans 1.18-11.36) which motivates us to true worship (Romans 12.1). Our worship is enhanced through vertical spiritual disciplines in the Word and in prayer.

M…MISSION – Encountering God in worship as a result of God’s grace in our lives should lead us to mission, as it did for Isaiah in his heavenly vision (Isaiah 6.1-8). Our mission is to share the love of Christ and the message of Christ.

C…COMMUNITY – We were not meant to live in isolation. We are part of a family in which we minister to one another. There are 35 distinct “one another” commands in the New Testament. It is essential for us to be regularly in relationship with other believers in order to exercise our spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12-14) and to encourage one another (Hebrews 10.25), meeting one another’s needs.

It is our conviction that everything that God wants for a local church falls under one of these three areas… Gospel, Mission, Community. That’s our aim at Harvest… to truly be a GMC church, not just in word, but in deed.

Family

Don’t Sacrifice Your Family for Career Success

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The name on the Super Bowl trophy is Vince Lombardi. The famed coach of my favorite team, the Green Bay Packers, has a statue in front of Lambeau Field. He led the Packers to five championship in his nine seasons as head coach. His quotes are still peppering speeches and literature.

There are many great things to learn from the legendary coach, as evidence in a few of his many inspiring quotes:

“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”

“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”

“Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.”

“If you’ll not settle for anything less than your best, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives.”

“Winning is a habit. Watch your thoughts, they become your beliefs. Watch your beliefs, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character.”

“When we place our dependence in God, we are unencumbered, and we have no worry. In fact, we may even be reckless, insofar as our part in the production is concerned. This confidence, this sureness of action, is both contagious and an aid to the perfect action. The rest is in the hands of God – and this is the same God, gentlemen, who has won all His battles up to now.”

“Faithfulness and truth are the most sacred excellences and endowments of the human mind.”

Yet, sadly another aspect of his legacy is the absent father. I heard this quote in a sports feature about him: “Lombardi knew every detail about every one of his players, but he never watched his son’s high school games.”

Few things are as sad as that sentence.

Fathers, take note: it’s better to make your son’s games than win Super Bowls.

Christian Living

A Meditation (and Confession) On James 1.19

My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,. – James 1.19 (BSB)

When it comes to having good people skills, I find James 1.19 to be one of the most practical verses in the entire Bible. There is so much wisdom in this verse. It touches on…

… being a good listener.

… thinking before you speak.

… avoiding having a quick temper (aka short fuse).

True confession: I have found this verse to be especially relevant to me for multiple reasons:

> I am an extrovert who thinks things out by talking them out. So I frequently say a lot of things I’m not fully convinced of in the moment. I’m simply processing out loud.

> I love to get my opinion out, like Jeremiah’s fire in His bones (Jeremiah 20.9), only it’s not the Word of God I necessarily have to get out. Too often it’s just my opinion.

> I inherited a sinful nature that historically manifests itself in impatience and a struggle to transition slowly from frustration to anger.

A few months ago, shortly after Phil Robertson of “Duck Dynasty” fame had died, I was reading a story online about his passing, As I often do, I proceeded to read the comments section below the story.

As I scrolled down through the mostly gracious and respectful comments, I came across one that triggered me. No, it wasn’t a disrespectful comment regarding Phil or his family and their lifestyle or Christian faith. It was simply a statement of his football background:

“Sports Trivia: Robertson was a starting quarterback at Louisiana Tech with Terry Bradshaw as his backup.”

I was triggered because it is is something I encounter all too often, even back when I permitted comments under these blog posts. Truth be told, part of the reason I shut down the comments on this blog was this very thing. I got tired of pointing out to people that they apparently didn’t read my post or pay close enough attention.

Reading a story fully (and paying attention) before you comment below is a way of fulfilling James’s admonition in 1.19. Be quick to listen (or read) and be slow to speak (or post a comment).

And at this moment I faced the very temptation myself! Here’s what I wanted to type out in reply to this person’s trivial comment :

“Thank you, Captain Obvious. I suppose you either (a) didn’t read the story above, which already stated clearly that Terry Bradshaw was Phil’s backup at Louisiana Tech, or (b) you think that some people on stories to skip the story itself to read the comments only?”

By the grace of God, I refrained. Hastily responding like that would have made me a hypocrite, practicing the very thing that I accused others of doing (see Romans 2.1).

Instead I turned it into a blog post, which I hope has blessed you, dear reader!

Christian Living

The Humility of John MacArthur

Pastor John MacArthur passed away in July. In the late 1980s MacArthur found himself embroiled in a theological controversy surrounding the doctrine of salvation. Without getting too deep into the details, MacArthur made a strong case for a position known as “Lordship Salvation.” In his best-selling book on the topic, The Gospel According to Jesus, MacArthur argued that when someone becomes a Christian, they are agreeing to live in daily surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. To put it another way, true Christians make it their aim to obey the commands of Christ.

But competent Bible scholars, like the late Zane Hodges (of Dallas Theological Seminary), argue that requiring Christians to submit to the Lordship of Jesus in order to be saved is putting a “works” element into the Gospel of free grace. Furthermore, they argue that such a position threatens the doctrine of salvation by grace alone through faith alone. Therein lies the controversy.

Both sides of the debate make a strong case from Scripture. Therefore, it should not be surprising that a lot of people land in a middle of the road position on the topic. I am such a person. I believe it is possible to retain the purity of the gospel of grace alone through faith alone, while also acknowledging that the one who truly follows Christ is going to bear the fruit of obedience in their lives, though in varying degrees. The late Charles Ryrie (also of Dallas Theological Seminary) does a good job of presenting a balanced approach (see his book, So Great Salvation: What it Means to Believe in Jesus Christ).

But even though I have not landed exactly in the same position as MacArthur on this subject, I do appreciate his humility toward criticism of his book.

A few years after MacArthur wrote The Gospel According to Jesus, Dr. Michael Horton (of Westminster Seminary California) also wrote a book on the topic, titled Christ the Lord: The Reformation and Lordship Salvation. These words from the Preface of that book stand out as a testimony to MacArthur’s humility…

We will argue that MacArthur at certain points risks confusion on some fundamental evangelical convictions, particularly between justification and sanctification. It must be said, however, that MacArthur has been most gracious in considering our concerns and we have been in dialogue with him for some time now. Significant changes have been made, as he has fine-tuned his definitions and applied a more specific theological framework to his exegesis. Revisions will appear in upcoming editions of The Gospel According to Jesus and we are grateful for MacArthur’s eagerness to discuss these issues… MacArthur’s humility has been a lesson to us and we hope that we will be able to show our critics the openness he has shown us.

What a beautiful way to receive corrective criticism! It reveals a humility that we would all do well to emulate.

Christian Living, Spiritual Disciplines

Slay The Dragons Early… (In The Day)

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We all face various dragons in life. Michael Hyatt, in his article titled “Slay Your Dragons Before Breakfast,” shares his wisdom on how to slay the dragon you might be facing today, specifically the dragon of Lethargy:

 I have learned by experience that my only chance at victory is to slay the dragon while it is still dark. Before the first rays of sunshine strengthen his already substantial advantage.

Fortunately, once again I prevailed. But my victory is short-lived. I will face him again tomorrow. And the day after that.

Although this sounds like a fairy tale, it’s not. It’s my reality, day after day.

I face a dragon named Lethargy every morning. It has three heads: Pneuma (spiritual), Soma (physical), and Nous (intellectual).

If I don’t slay this dragon before breakfast, he usually gets the best of me. After breakfast—when the day’s activities are crowding into my life—my chances of doing battle and winning drop dramatically. Sometimes I can emerge victorious. But rarely.

That’s wonderful wisdom. I would should suggest that in addition to the dragon of Lethargy, there are many additional dragons Christians face when they start their day…  Apathy, Discouragement, and Self-Centeredness (just to name a few). The best way to slay those dragons each morning is to open up the Word of God and center yourself in Christ. And to call upon Him, casting your cares on Him. Ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit so that you face each day in the power of His might!

Books

Coming Soon… “These Five Anchors”

Back in July, I posting a writing update. At the time, I was working on three separate books (probably not the best approach to writing). The one I anticipated publishing first was on the five solas of the Reformation and the title I was planning to use was At Home, and Safe but I have settled on a different title, one that I like much better… These Five Anchors: Discovering the Five Doctrines That Bring Stability to Your Life and Eternity (A 31-Day Devotional).

All I am waiting on is some additional endorsements to come in, then we will make the final moves for publication.

The book will be free via Kindle and the price point for the paperback will be the cost of the publishing and distribution. In other words, the content is free. I will make no money on it. Why? Because it is a spiritual resource that I would like distributed as much as possible and do not want a paywall to hinder the spread of the message. Freely I have received, freely I give (Matthew 10.8).

Bible Translations

Let’s Talk About the New International Version (NIV)

(This is my third in a series of videos and posts about English translations of the Bible.)

In the video above I talk about the strengths and weaknesses of the New International Version (NIV). In this blog post I would like to briefly recommend some versions of the NIV if you are interested in getting your own copy.

First, if you are interested in getting the NIV Study Bible, one is currently available in hardback edition (which my wife uses on occasion) through christianbook.com for about $30.

Second, if you are interested in spending some hard-earned money for a premium Bible in the NIV translation, I would recommend you consider the Schuyler Personal Size Quentel (PSQ). Various colors and leather options are available. Prices currently range between $195 to $220. I don’t have the Schuyler PSQ in NIV, but if I were purchasing one, I think I’d go for that gorgeous Prussian Blue! I have the Schuyler PSQ in the NKJV translation and I can affirm that it is an amazing edition, a true lifetime Bible.

Third, if you want a high quality edition but at a better price point, I would recommend you consider the NIV, Heritage Bible (Deluxe Single-Column, Premium Goatskin Leather, Black Letter), which is no longer in print but you can probably find a used edition for $70 to $100. I liked my original new copy so much that I went out and found a used edition as well.

Finally, if you want an economy Bible, I highly recommend you avoid “bonded leather” or “imitation leather” editions. If you use your Bible regularly, these cheap Bibles will wear out fast. If you don’t prefer to buy a real leather edition (cowhide, pigskin, calfskin, or goatskin), then you would be better off just going with a very cheap paperback or a hardback edition. Being so popular, the NIV has numerous options in paperback or hardback.

Bible, Bible Translations

Let’s Talk About the New Living Translation (NLT)

In the second of my videos about English Bible translations, I talk about the strengths and weaknesses of the New Living Translation (NLT). In this post I would like to point out the courage of Kenneth N. Taylor in publishing the NLT’s inspiration… The Living Bible. I would also like to recommend some places to purchase a quality edition of the NLT.

Kenneth N. Taylor believed that helping people understand the Bible was a worthwhile pursuit, even despite the flack he faced in doing so. I have a deep love for the King James Version (KJV), but I also believe that modern Bible translations (even paraphrases) can serve a very important role in helping people encounter the living God. Therefore, I am thankful that Taylor was able to withstand the criticism and personal, verbal attacks of those who were zealous to protect the KJV. I fully recognize that those attacking Taylor felt their cause to be righteous, but I also believe they were mistaken. One can maintain a love for the KJV while appreciating legitimate attempts to put God’s Word into contemporary, common language.

If you do not have a physical copy of the New Living Translation, you can find premium Bible options (beautiful, high quality, Bibles) via evangelicalbible.com. If you would prefer something more affordable, this Tyndale edition might be a good option for you.

Abundant Life (Jn.10.10) … Abiding Life (Jn.15.5) – Check out my Podcast and my YouTube channel… "Sound of Truth with Brett Maragni"