That’s My King! from Albert Martin on Vimeo.

True prophets of God both afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted.

- Willem A. VanGemeren

The Backward Creed of the Upstream Swimming Fish from Woodmen Valley Chapel on Vimeo.

Another type is the love of a man for a beast – a relation constantly used in Scripture to symbolize the relation between God and men; “we are his people and the sheep of his pasture”. This is in some ways a better analogy …because the inferior party is sentient, and yet unmistakably inferior: but it is less good in so far as man has not made the beast and does not fully understand it. Its great merit lies in the fact that the association of (say) man and dog is primarily for the man’s sake: he tames the dog primarily that he may love it, not that it may love him, and that it may serve him, not that he may serve it. Yet at the same time, the dog’s interests are not sacrificed to the man’s. The one end (that he may love it) cannot be fully attained unless it also, in its fashion, serves it. Now just because the dog is by human standards one of the best” of irrational creatures, and a proper object for a man to love – of course, with that degree and kind of love which is proper to such an object, and not with silly anthropomorphic exaggerations – man interferes with the dog and makes it more lovable than it was in mere nature. In its state of nature it has a smell, and habits, which frustrate man’s love: he washes it, house-trains it, teaches it not to steal, and is so enabled to love it completely. To the puppy the whole proceeding would seem, if it were a theologian, to cast grave doubts on the “goodness” of man: but the full-grown and full-trained dog, larger, healthier, and longer-lived than the wild dog, and admitted, as it were by Grace, to a whole world of affections, loyalties, interests, and comforts entirely beyond its animal destiny, would have no such doubts. It will be noted that the man (I am speaking throughout of the good man) takes all these pains with the dog, and gives all these pains to the dog, only because it is an animals high in the scale – because it is so nearly lovable that it is worth his while to make it fully lovable. He does not house-train the earwig or vie baths to centipedes. We may wish, indeed, that we were of so little account to God that He left us alone to follow our natural impulses – that He would vie over trying to train us into something so unlike our natural selves: but once again, we are asking not for mor Love, but for less.

- St. Paul, 1 Corinthians 9:19-22

Some are out of sync with both scripture and culture. Many are literate with either scripture or culture. Few are in sync with both scripture and culture. And in even a lazy reading of the his Epistles and Acts, we see this rare trait in Paul who (by grace) was BOTH in sync with his God and his setting. May we likewise be students of His word and the contexts we inhabit.

For one who aspires to live missionally, here’s two action steps & some questions to ask yourself:

1) Be students of God and 2) be students of culture.

- What are the presuppositions of my peers, colleagues, neighbors, & generation?

- What experiences and influences have shaped their worldviews?

- What voices in society (e.g. the thinkers, artists, & media) carry the most weight?

- What are the pressing issues and how does the Christian worldview shed light on them?

- To what effect are the worldviews/intuitions/knowledge in tact and may thus be used as springboards for Christ?

- To what effect are the worldviews/intuitions/knowledge fallen & distorted?

- How can you appropriately love, befriend, and challenge?

- What virtues of Christ do those in your context(s) need to see you live out?

- How can you establish your life, your voice, your credibility, and your influence … to make disciples & glorify Jesus?

“First they came for the Communists; I did not speak because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Jews; I did not speak because I was not a Jew. Then they came to fetch the workers, members of trade unions; I did not speak because I was not a trade unionist. Afterward, they came for the Catholics; I did not say anything because I was a Protestant. Eventually they came for me, and there was no one left to speak …”

Martin Niemöller, Pastor – Dachau, Germany 1942.

I’m teaching my World History class some WW2 … wondering how Germany became what it became in the 1930′s & 40′s. The context was situated largely in economics and national pride/shame … and very bad theological responses to, “What (or who) is the problem, and what (or who) saves?”

To place this in context, we must first recall Germany was forced to sign a burdensome guilt clause that called for strict submission to its enemies and was required to pay exorbitant retributions for The Great War; something thought to be largely unfair (by President Wilson and many historians) and could thus fuel future resentment. Soon after, Germany experienced unparalleled hyper inflation and entered a terrifying economic depression. During this season, the Mark was worthless; some would burn their bills to stay warm, children would build kites with their parents’ money, others would even wallpaper their houses their currency.

In the midst of this chaos, the national conscience cried out for salvation and scapegoats; who was the “they” to be vilified and how could “their” removal be legitimated? Who was to be the savior?

Idolatry arose in the form of nationalistic religion, with charismatic Hitler leading the way.

The new German Faith Movement, essentially fused new ideas & pseudo Christian concepts and anti-Semitic ideas to lie … Christ was Aryan instead of Jewish. They thought the ‘evil of the Jews’ (among others) had disrupted the righteous Aryans. Fear and misinformation fanned the fires of “us” vs. “them.”

Historians say that many Germans were confused, disillusioned, and media illiterate. Coupled by their messed up soteriology, who could discern that Hitler was twisting all sorts of ideas for his agenda?

Because our thinking directs our living, we must not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of [our] minds, that by testing [we] may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

- We must not aquiesce, thinking that nothing can be done because politics is inherently evil and useless. The politically apathetic and those who practice cultural retreat must remember that while governments/politics are fallen, the sovereign God ordained (the function of) these until He officially sets up shop.

- We must not practice political idolatry; politics can ‘t save & our forefathers aren’t divine. Making something other than the Lord ultimate will ultimately lead to terrible pride, misinformation, division, and unforeseeable sin, not the unity and peace that Christ brings.

- We must remember that we are ultimately foreigners and aliens, our true citizenship is in heaven, our ultimate allegiance is to Jesus & His Gospel.

- We must discern what all prominent voices are really saying. What is the problem? Is it them, is our battle really against flesh and blood? Is the solution to be found in something other than Christ (e.g. a method of taxation, fiscal conservatism/liberalism, socialism, democracy, a grass-roots movement, or a particular politician?) For my money, we can detect this idolatry simply by seeing whether or not someone shows honor to their counterparts, the ability to make concessions, and by whether or not the person has peace and love.

There are two ironclad rules of Gen XYZ Americans: (1) They like to be trendy, (2) but only until everyone knows what they’re into is trendy. We want to be like everyone else but, at the same time, different. So we gravitate to whatever people are into as long as it doesn’t feel like everyone else is into it.

I believe God is at work in the under-40 generation, doing something doctrinally, ecclesiologically, and doxologically healthy among many youngish Christians. Further, I believe this work of God is being mediated through a remarkable network of like-minded pastors, preachers, and scholars. I don’t know when there have been so many folks, often friends, saying and writing more or less the same things about the gospel, the atonement, the Scriptures, the glory of God, the doctrines of grace, the centrality of the church, the importance of preaching, the roles of men and women, and on and on it goes. We are blessed with an inordinate and growing number of good teachers, good books, good blogs, and good conferences … But allegiance to our favorite conference or preferred tribe must always always be a means to further our allegiance to Christ. He must never be a means for recruiting more people to our tradition. The spotlight is always on the glory of God in the face of Christ.
So let’s be Christ-seekers, not trend-chasers.

Read the whole post by clicking here.

“The gospel of justifying faith means that while Christians are, in themselves still sinful and sinning, yet in Christ, in God’s sight, they are accepted and righteous. So we can say that we are more wicked than we ever dared believe, but more loved and accepted in Christ than we ever dared hope — at the very same time. This creates a radical new dynamic for personal growth. It means that the more you see your own flaws and sins, the more precious, electrifying, and amazing God’s grace appears to you. But on the other hand, the more aware you are of God’s grace and acceptance in Christ, the more able you are to drop your denials and self-defenses and admit the true dimensions and character of your sin.”

— Tim Keller

We never imagine that getting our heart’s deepest desires might be the worst thing that can ever happen to us.

Jesus must become more beautiful to your imagination, more attractive to your heart, than your idol…If you uproot the idol and fail to ‘plant’ the love of Christ in its place, the idol will grow back.

I’m talking about an over-active conscience. When one’s conscious has been hijacked and one becomes too sensitive and plagued heavy sense of being wrong/unworthy/not good enough. He or she has no gray, it’s all black and white; even if the “morality” is just a construct of societal/cultural norms, these are seen as mandates from God Himself. This could mean a prohibition on consuming lawful/moderate amounts of alcohol, using sarcasm, listening to non-Christian music, or so on. But Christianity isn’t about what you don’t do, it’s about who you know.

This is summed up well in the lingo of “conviction” that I’ve heard used quite a bit over the years. Allow me to interpret the Christian-ese: it is feeling guilty, bad, or something to that effect. Dictionary.com says that to convict means “to prove or declare guilty of an offense…to impress with a sense of guilt…a person proved or declared guilty of an offense.” (Again there is place for this, but I’m speaking of excess) I hear people speak of feeling convicted, but never of feeling acquitted, why?

Unhealthy guilt leads to despair, to fear, to worry, and drowns us in inadequacy and insecurity. OR, if we think we play the game better than others, it leads us to arrogance, “I’m better than you.” I know many who live this first hand, I’m recovering from an over-active conscious (aka Baptist guilt or feeling “convicted” all the time)…even doubting salvation.

However, Christians who read/know scripture should really be overwhelmed with a sense of acquittal. When we read the Bible and realize we don’t measure up, we should feel relieved. Any guilt we experience should be what Paul calls “godly guilt”, which leads us to turning around to go in the right direction. Feeling that holy sorrow isn’t about me turning into Eeyore (From Winnie the Pooh). We should be affirmed in our salvation, and eager to work out or sanctification, knowing the Spirit will help us do His will. This means even our mistakes should take us back to Jesus, showing us how good He is. This will motivate us not just to behaving well, but to but mission – where real sanctification happens. We should feel relieved, not perplexed. That grace & love takes off the pressure; acquittal fills us with thanks and spills over into a life of gratitude and joy.

The text tells us that it actually is Satan accuses the “brethren,” yet Jesus lives to intercede for His people. Romans 8 explains nothing could ever separate us from God’s love. Nothing. 1 John 4 tells us that God is love. And Hebrews 10 does a breathtaking job of explaining how sin was and is dealt with – how one perfect sacrifice effectively power-washed our souls.

So, if you (as a Christian) wrestle with excessive guilt, feeling heavy, discouraged, weighed down by an overactive conscience that convicts you; know you are acquitted (and stop sinning). Perhaps you could rest in the lyrics of this Dashboard Confessional song, “Get Me Right.”

“Jesus I’ve fallen…if I meet my maker, I’ll meet my maker clean/But, Jesus the truth is/I’ve struggled so hard to believe/I’ll meet my maker/I’ll need my maker/To cure of my doubting blood/And drain me of the sins I love/And take from me my disbelief/I know it should come easily/But it remains inside of me/It battles and devours me/It cuddles up the side of me/And whispers it convinces me I’m…Right.”