The Church of the Cappuccino Gospel

A church wants people to know by its advertising just what it is all about, so it puts a big picture of a man holding an electric guitar.  Is that the church of the electric vibes…?  What about the Gospel of Christ?

A church wants to advertise who it is and get people to come.  It wants to present its ministry and message to them via a mass mail out on a flyer.  The flyer reads, “Come visit us, dress casually, have a cappaccino and enjoy the service.”  I guess the message of that church would be the church of the cappuccino gospel.”  But, what about the lostness of humans and the need of forgiveness of sin?

A church, in its efforts to reach its neighbors, sends people out in groups of two or three.  Those people take information about the church and gospel tracts.  They knock on doors and talk to people about their need of a Savior.  Some, who open the doors, are open to the message and others are not.  “Boy,” some would say, “that method is antiquated. They really need to get more contemporary in their efforts.”

Gee…maybe that church could get more people to come if they would have a concert with electric guitars, cappuccinos, and a nice message of how to have a better family…?  Wouldn’t they…?

Churches, unfortunately, are allowing the bottom line to become the bottom line.  As long as many people are coming, regardless of how they are getting them to the building, the effort is considered a success.  The accurate, and Spirit filled preaching of the Gospel, and music that magnifies and exalts Christ, is secondary to gimmicks that get people in the doors.  “We’ll tell them about Jesus once they get in the doors” is what many say.  Oh really…?  Are you sure about that?

Do we really think this type of pragmatism by churches is a new effort?  Solomon said, “There is nothing new under the sun.”  Consider the excerpt from a sermon preached in 1884 by Charles Haddon Spurgeon.  See if it rings a bell, and consider whether or not the church of the cappuccino gospel is really a new thing.

You [as preachers] have nothing else to employ as the means of good, except the salvation of Jesus, and there is nothing else worth telling.

I heard of a congregation the other day that was so very small that hardly any one came to listen to the preacher. Instead of blaming himself, and preaching better, the minister said he thought he was not doing much good by sermons and prayer-meetings, and therefore he would found a club, and if the fellows came in, and played draughts (American checkers), that might do them good. What a lot of that sort of thing is now being tried! We are going to convert souls on a new system,—are we? Are we also to have a substitute for bread?—and healthier drink than pure water? . . .

[T]o hope ever to bring sinners to holiness and heaven by any teaching but that which begins and ends in Jesus Christ is a sheer delusion. None other name is given among men whereby they can be saved. If you have to deal with highly learned and educated people, nothing is so good for them as preaching Jesus Christ; and if the people be ignorant and degraded, nothing is better for them than the preaching of Jesus.

A young man said to another the other day, “I am going down to preach at So-and-so, what sort of people are they there? What kind of doctrine will suit them?” Having heard of the question, I gave this advice,—”You preach Jesus Christ, and that will suit them, I am sure, if they are learned people it will suit them; if they are ignorant it will suit them—God blessing it.”

When the great Biblical critic, Bengel, was dying, he sent for a young theological student, to whom he said, “I am low in spirit; say something good to cheer me.” “My dear Sir,” said the student, “I am so insignificant a person, what can I say to a great man like yourself?” “But if you are a student of theology,” said Bengel, “you ought to have a good word to say to a dying man; pray say it without fear.” “Well, Sir,” said he, “What can I say to you, but that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin?” Bengel said, “Give me your hand, young man; that is the very word I wanted.”

A simple gospel text is the word which every man needs who is in fear of divine wrath, and he may be sitting next to you at this moment, or he is in the same house of business with you, and needs that you should tell him about Christ. Do that, and bless his soul. May you all understand the Scriptures in this way, and may God make you a great blessing to those around you.

$700,000,000,000 PEACE…?

$700,000,000,000  — $800,000,000,000

This is the amount (give or take a $100,000,000 or so) of the bail out of the financial and banking industries in America. Depending on how the administration responds to this crisis, the American people may see a major economic recession…or…even a depression.  On the other hand, if handled correctly, we could see things move smoothly and the economy begin to grow again.  Quite frankly, this appears to have the potential to be one of the worst economic crisis in American history.

But, just in case you were concerned, you should not fear.  You see, the entire fate of the economic future for America rests in the hands of many politicians who have helped us get here the first place.   

Feel better now…?

Should we not be concerned and in emotional turmoil over the potential crash?  Should we not stand by with fear and trembling?  Should our hands not be wringing to the point of wearing the skin off of them?  After all, could we be seeing the advent of another Great Depression?  Should our peace not be completely disturbed?

You want to know the truth?  I am just as much at peace as any other time of my life.  I am not sure what will happen with our economy, my money, or my finanical well-being.  But, my peace is not rooted or couched in AIG, mortgage companies, or the banks. 

Romans 5:1 reads, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…” 

Here is the reality.  If a person has turned to Christ in repentance and faith, he or she has made peace with the God of the universe.  Formerly, I was at war with God.  I did not know I was at war with him.  I did not consciously hate or fight against God.  Yet, the Bible explains that, before my conversion and salvation I was God’s enemy (Romans 1:18; 5:10).  I was not simply out of sorts with God before my salvation.  I was clearly his enemy and heading to His enemy’s place of destruction.

Yet, when I recognized my need of repentance and turned to God for forgiveness of sin, He immediately “justified” me or made me right and righteous in His eyes.  This legal declaration of my righteousness was based upon the sacrificial payment of His Son Jesus Christ. This reconciliation brought me a permanent and eternal peace treaty with the Creator of all things. 

Now, because I have PEACE with God, I can experience the daily peace of God.  It is my reconciliation with this great God that allows me to trust in Him and not AIG, retirement accounts, Wall Street, my paycheck, or the financial industry.  So, should Christians pay close attention to the economic crisis?  Yes, we should, because it may open the doors for us to declare:  I AM AT PEACE.  NOT BECAUSE OF MY MONEY, OR A GOVERNMENT BAIL OUT, BUT BECAUSE OF MY SAVIOR!

The Certainty of Resurrection and Brushing My Teeth

“Did you brush your teeth?”

The certainty of me asking this of my children at night before bed is about as certain as anything that happens on a daily basis.  Yet, how certain is each day?

James 4:13-14 reads, “ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; ^whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”

Imagine that…?  The certainty that I will wake up tomorrow, brush my teeth, come to the office, or eat lunch with my precious bride is about equal to the steam coming out of my boiled spaghetti the other night.  If life is a vapor, then the certainty of me driving to the store tomorrow is as guaranteed as the steam in the sauna at Edge Fitness.

Seem a little discouraging to you?  In fact, this is not discouraging at all.  The reason is that, though life and tomorrow may not be sure, there is one thing that is — the certainty that I will see the resurrected, ascended Christ in all His glory one day.  Only those who have been born again through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ have this certainty.  And yet, for those who have been born again, the certainty of seeing Christ one day is more sure than the sun coming up tomorrow.

Spurgeon said, “We expect to see the glory of Christ and to share in it, as much as we expect to see tomorrow morning.  Actually, we may not live to see the sun tomorrow morning, but we will certainly see the King in His beauty in the land that is very far away.” (Finding Peace in Life’s Storms, 300)

It is more certain that I will see the risen, resurrected and ascended Christ than it is that I will see Wednesday.  There is no guarantee  for tomorrow, but there is a cold-stone, lead pipe lock that I see Jesus in His full glory. 

It is more certain that I see the risen Lord than for me to see the football games this Saturday or Sunday school on Sunday morning.  There are no guarantees for my future — except one.  That one is the certainty that I am going to stand in the fully presence of Almighty God one day.

The certainty of getting in bed tonight is less than the certainty of seeing Jesus bodily one day.  The chance that I will see my family tonight is a good chance…but it is less than the certain guarantee that I will see Jesus one day in His full glory.   

1Corinthians 15:50-57:

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. ^Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— ^in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ^ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ^ So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

⁵⁵     “O Death, where is your sting?

     O Hades, where is your victory?”

^56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. ^But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Holy Matrimony Batman…!

In discussing an approach to marriage with various individuals I will oftentimes receive as many different viewpoints as there are people.  Some might say marriage is about fulfillment.  Others may say that marriage is about honoring God (of course, that is true ultimately).  Others may say that marriage is about loving someone (true in part). 

In fact, there are so many different philosophies and strategies on marriage, I have become almost numb to the volumes of books and studies that address the subject.  That being the case, a marriage book has to be pretty good, thoroughly biblical (rather than psychological), and desperately practical (putting it into practice) for me to take serious notice of it.  I am almost through reading just such a book.

Sacred Marriage is a book that examines the idea that God places us in a marriage as much to make us holy as to make us happy.  In fact, the subtitle of the book is ”What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?”  The book confronts us with the very biblical idea that, ultimately, God glorifies His name through making His children holy.  Marriage is a major part of that process.

   Gary Thomas is a writer and the founder/director of the Center for Evangelical Spirituality, which is a speaking and writing ministry that combines Scripture, history and the Christian classics. Some of his books include, Sacred Influence, Sacred Parenting, Sacred Marriage, and Sacred Pathways, Devotions for a Sacred Marriage, Devotions for Sacred Parenting, Authentic Faith (winner of the Gold Medallion Award in 2003), The Glorious Pursuit, , and Seeking the Face of God.  Thomas’ goal is to get God’s people to see God’s purpose in all aspects of life. 

In Sacred Marriage God’s people are challenged to consider their matrimony as a means of forming more into the image of God.  As Thomas states in the first chapter, “We are not out for simple answers — three steps to more intimate communication, or six steps to a more exciting love life — because this is not a book that seeks to tell you how to have a happier marriage.  This is a book that tells you how we can take the challenges, joys, struggles, and celebrations of marriage to draw closer to God and to grow in Christian character.”

Very rarely do I recommend books on marriage, other than Ephesians 5.  Yet, after finishing most of this book, I would highly recommend Sacred Marriage (www.christianbook.com) and its idea that matrimony is as much about holiness as happiness.

His Labor Day

LABOR

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines it as “an expenditure of physical or mental effort especially when difficult or compulsory.” 

Day in and day out men and women labor in offices, construction sites, classrooms, automotive repair shops, restaurants, factories, military bases, and retail stores.  People handle finances, build structures, manage employees, and write reports.  The varied types of labor are almost beyond estimation.  Annually, the first Monday in September is the day our nation sets aside to acknowledge the labor of its citizens.

In 1894 after strikes, protests, and demonstrations by tens of thousands of American workers from the previous decade — to protest 12 hour work days, seven days a week — the United States Congress established Labor Day.  It is set aside as an opportunity to honor the dignity and effort of the labor of American workers.  A day of rest is given to laborers all over the country to acknowledge and be reminded of their contribution to the success and building of America.

If we spend a day each year to acknowledge the labor of American workers, maybe everyday should be Labor Day for the believer.  Almost 2000 years ago, for a full day, Jesus Christ expended some of the most intense and excruciating labor ever put forth by any man in history.  From an abduction in the middle of the night, Christ labored through a false trial, multiple beatings, verbal cursings, sleeplessness, blood loss, intense pain, humiliating crucifixion, and an intensely final death where he cried, “It is finished…!” then “Into Thy hands I commit my Spirit.” 

This labor Christ expended was awful, immense, and…yet…eternal.  Christ’s labor on the cross was given that men and women throughout history might have eternal life.  On this Labor Day, how about taking some time to praise the Savior of Man for His labor expended for us.  And…maybe…just maybe…it could be time for you to yield to the Savior who labored for your forgiveness and eternal life.