Habakkuk the Prophet You Never Heard Of

Intro

This is the place to comment on Habakkuk the Prophet, my sermon from Sunday, November 25, 2007.

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So what are your thoughts and impressions of Habakkuk?



I think it is tremendously important that this book actually "made it" into the Scriptures. Think about it... don't you feel guilty when you question God? Well, when a man of God does the same thing AND it is included in the Bible, we observe that God is "man" enough to take what we can dish out. He is big enough to take it. Our questions are never big enough to keep Him from being God.



While on the one hand we can question God and He even wants us to question Him... on the other hand, we should not perpetually live in a constant lifestyle of questioning doubt. Doubt for the moment can motivate us to the next level of spiritual development in Christ. In this sense, doubt is a trial. But eternal doubt is inappropriate for a person of faith.



So let me know what you thought...

Capito, Sattler, and Emerging Church Philosophy

Introduction

The year: 1527 AD. The place: Strasbourg, Germany. Not exactly a hot bed of openness to new ideas. The Reformers had just revolted from Roman oppression within the last decade. They weren't much better than the Catholics when it came to divergent viewpoints on the Scriptures. Enter the Anabaptists. At the elemental level, the only disagreement between the Reformers and the Anabaptists was their view of baptism. Not a core doctrine from the 21st century perspective. To the Reformers, this divergence was so extreme that it demanded capital punishment. In all fairness, the Lutherans and Catholics also executed Anabaptists within their communities. Wolfgang Capito describes Michael Sattler's execution this way:

"Michael ... their leader and instigator is said to have been condemned by triple judgment, namely that in the city his tongue was cut out, second, that his body was torn with red hot tongs twice in the city and three times again at the gallows, thus tearing out his flesh, and third, that he was burned alive."

Such madness even if for a vile madman, let alone an innocent man like Michael Sattler.

Emerging Thought in 1527

Anyway, to my main point... the man Wolfgang Capito was way before his time. I am not sure of all of his theology, but he is remembered as "ecumenically open" and "willing to converse with others." He was consistently and thoroughly a Reformer. Now this is what he writes about his dealings with the Anabaptists like Michael Sattler.

"Now we were not in agreement with him as he wished to make Christians righteous by their acceptance of articles and an outward commitment. This we thought to be the beginning of a new monasticism. We desired rather to help the believing life to progress by contemplation of the mercies of God, as Moses bases his exhortations to good works, on the reminder of divine favors and of the fatherly disciplining of the people by God (Deut 8); which is the order of salvation [how thoroughly Calvinist!!]. Namely that we confess our sin and know that God has forgiven us the same through Christ, and that out of pure grace He desires to give us eternal life, which we are assured by the Spirit of the children of God, which then gives birth to fear, yea, which penetrates us with fear, so that we become conscientious in all our action that we might not act against God. This is followed by wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, and pure childlike reverence which remains eternally."

Basically here he said that he is right, the Anabaptists are wrong, on the issue of the order of salvation. He recognizes that the Anabaptists are generally advocating holiness then salvation and the Reformers are on the other hand advocating salvation then holiness. But now listen to what he says about these "unorthodox heretics..."

"But it can happen that the elect of God have this fear and desire from their hearts to serve God, but have not yet received the spirit of wisdom and do not really know that God looks only on the yielded heart, rather think they will please Him with their works. [Now listen!] Such persons are certainly saved and have a good zeal, but not with right knowledge. These are to be loved as brothers and fellow members, to be dealt with tenderly in their weakness, in their ignorance to be shown the truth with a mild spirit. This is what Paul calls accepting the brother who is weak in the faith, which is what faith and love for the honor of God and brotherly love toward the neighbor demand of all of us."

So he calls them wrong AND he calls them his brothers. There is Truth or at least truth. Capito even contends for the faith. But he does so without discarding the real faith of those who disagree with him. I've said this many times within the past few years, but five or ten years ago I believed the opposite: Arminians are saved, they just don't know why. I used to think that they were not saved because of their lack of understanding. I am now seeing that we are not saved by our thinking, we are saved by a gracious God who saved the Ephesians long before they knew that there was a Holy Spirit. He called the Corinthians "Saints" despite the truth of the matter. And today He works on all of us despite ourselves not because of ourselves.

Capito was a rare breed in 1527. He recognized that to be saved by the mercies of God is not in response to our assent of the truth. Zwingli and Luther were passionate for the Truth, and so when they met to merge at the Marburg Colloquoy they agreed on twenty-some points of doctrine yet the disagreed on one "what happens at the Lord's Table?" They parted ways thinking the other was not truly born again. So when I say Capito stands out, it really is true.


For Us Today

So the thought for us in our generation is: are we willing to see ourselves as part of a much larger fellowship of churches?

My heart weeps for those who attend church Sunday after Sunday and never hear the Word of God. When the prophet said there would be a famine for hearing the Word of the Lord, it isn't fulfilled today except through our own fault. These churches that do not open the Bible in their meetings... it is very hard for me to call these leaders "brothers." They are in sin for not teaching God's Word to their people. It is cocky, arrogant, self-indulged to think that my clever conversation is better for my folks than God's Counsel. Yet can I call these "brothers"?

Can I call the Arminians brothers? Tony Jones calls 90% of Americans "semi-pelagian" (Arminians are semi-pelagian as are Catholics). So to dismiss them as unbelievers we need to lay all the cards out on the table and recognize that we are talking about a large group of people. These people think that they can accept or reject God and even if they accept, they can later reject. They believe that their sinfulness is not so bad that they cannot reason in themselves and choose God. They have a low view of God and a high view of themselves. They do not have a holistic understanding of God's Word. Is it our thinking that saves us or is it God's mercy that saves us? The answer is obvious, but the next question is tougher: if it is God's mercy that saves us, He guides us into all truth, what of the person who is not being guided into all truth? Difficult question to answer... I am going to lean on the side of caution. These are my brothers.

Let me close with this already quoted line "It can happen that the elect of God have this [conscientious] fear and desire from their hearts to serve God, but have not yet received the spirit of wisdom and do not really know that God looks only on the yielded heart, rather think they will please Him with their works."


All blockquotes were cited from "The Legacy of Michael Sattler" edited by John H. Yoder. Herald Press: Scottdale, PA. 1973. pp. 87-88.

Cut It Out!

Introduction

This past Sunday night, we continued a series called Tough Sayings. What difficult sayings does the Bible make, what things seem confusing or contradictory? Let's answer them... that is the point of this series. So here is a seemingly contradictory practice:

In one instance, Paul circumcises a disciple of Jesus (Timothy) in another instance Paul boldly refuses to circumcise another disciple of Jesus (Titus). How can it be okay to do this and at the same time not be okay to do this? If we are no longer under the Law then why would he do this? If we are still under the Law then why would he refuse this?


Paul Circumcises Timothy

Acts 16:1-4

"Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe."

My Comments

Who was Timothy? He was half-Jewish and half-Greek (v1). His dad was a Greek (v3) and so Timothy had never undergone circumcision. His mother and grandmother were OT believers when the Christians came to town with the news of Jesus death and resurrection. They mom and grandmom came to Christ and both raised Timothy in the Scriptures. He became a follower of Jesus too (v1). Paul saw great potential in this young man and wanted him to join Paul's ministry team. Paul's basic strategy was to go into a new town and enter a synagogue to present the Good News of Jesus to the Jews in the town. If and when they reject, then Paul would move on to the Gentiles of the town. This is important because in the text Paul recognizes that there were many Jews in the area nd they all knew that Tim's dad was a Greek and that Timothy would not have been circumcised. Paul's ministry would be hindered among the Jews if they knew of Timothy's faux paux. So to remove the road block to the Gospel, he cut away any distraction (a big fat pun intended).


Paul Refuses to Circumcise Titus

Galatians 2:1-6

"Then after an interval of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. It was because of a revelation that I went up; and I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain. But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage. But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you. But from those who were of high reputation (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)--well, those who were of reputation contributed nothing to me."

My Comments

Here we see something very different. Here are Jewish men who are allegedly followers of Jesus (v4) but Paul asserts that they are not in fact born again. Anyway, they insist that Titus become circumcised and that one is not born again unless they have become a Jew first. But Paul? He does not yield in subjection for even an hour! Why does he refuse now in something he unreservedly did with Timothy? These people would want the distortion of the good news. Paul is concerned that the only thing in the Gospel is the Gospel. Christianity plus anything is not Christianity.


Who Do We Care About?!?

The main point of this dichotomy in Scripture is this: I will do all that I can to remove any distractions from the unbeliever on their path to salvation. I will do all that I can to trip up a Christian who is in error, I cannot allow a Christian to remain ignorant AND arrogant.

You're trying to live for Jesus, you've organized some things in your life that insulate you from unbelievers, are these good boundaries or are they hindrances to their salvation?


Hmmm...

Bearing Your Soul

Intro

This is the place to comment on Jeremiah the Prophet, my sermon from Sunday, November 11, 2007.

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So what are your thoughts and impressions of Jeremiah?


And what did you think of the worship gathering structure. No worries, we aren't going to it full time. But I thought it would be fun to try something weird and different. Maybe it illustrates the chaotic time of Jeremiah's generation. Anway, your thoughts on content of the books and the structure of the gathering are all welcome here.

An Incedent Proposal

Intro

This is the place to comment on Hosea the Prophet, my sermon from Sunday, November 4, 2007.

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So what are your thoughts and impressions of Hosea?

Awesome Reformation Party!!

Today, Satuday Nov 3, was our church's annual Reformation Party. We had a blast! The kids played Rescue the Nuns and Throw out the Relics. Adults played win, lose and draw Reformation Edition. And Rachel and I sang a neat song about Martin Luther that we found whilst googling reformation party activities.


A Martin Luther Reformation Song
To the tune of “Super-cala-fragil-istic-ex-pi-ala-docious”

Verse 1:
When I was just ein junger Mann I studied canon law;While Erfurt was a challenge, it was just to please my Pa.Then came the storm, the lightning struck, I called upon Saint Anne,I shaved my head, I took my vows, an Augustinian! Oh...

Chorus:
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation -Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

Verse 2:
They loved my tracts, adored my wit, all were exempleror;The Pope, however, hauled me up before the Emperor."Are these your books? Do you recant?" King Charles did demand,"I will not change my Diet, Sir, God help me here I stand!" Oh...

Repeat Chorus

Verse 3:
Duke Frederick took the Wise approach, responding to my words,By knighting "George" as hostage in the Kingdom of the Birds.Use Brother Martin's model if the languages you seek,Stay locked inside a castle with your Hebrew and your Greek! Oh...

Repeat Chorus

So sing it and have a hoot!

We'll post some pics of the party after we get our act together.