Indiana Wants Me!

Well, Indiana wants me ... more specifically, Grace College/Seminary wants me. I was recently elected to the Board of Trustees for Grace and the fall board meetings start tomorrow in the teeming metropolis of Winona Lake, Indiana. So I will be out of the office through Sunday and more than likely not posting to my blog. Please pray for me and the other board members as we meet to discuss the work of Grace College and Grace Theological Seminary. I know I cannot contribute as a new trustee (or even should I become a long-term trustee for that matter) without God's help. Thanks so much for praying!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj

Our Spiritual Growth - A Final Word

Before I leave the topic of spiritual growth, I want to leave you with one other thought. This thought flows out of the following text: "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose" (Philippians 2:12-13).

In this text we see two apparently contradictory truths. In v. 12 Paul tells us that we must continue (never stop) to work out our salvation. He isn't telling us to work FOR our salvation. That would contradict what he says elsewhere about salvation being UNEARNED on our part (see Ephesians 2:8-9 for example). What he is saying here is that we need to always be striving to work our salvation OUT into every area of our life - like when you add an ingredient when you are making a cake and you stir the cake batter to make sure the ingredient gets worked throughout the entire batter. OK. Verse 12 tells us we have something to do. But then in v. 13 Paul tells us that it is God who works inside of us to get us to the point where we desire to do his will and then actually purpose to do it! So v. 12 - we do it and in v. 13 God does it. SO is this a contradiction? It may appear to be so - but only in our feeble finite minds. In some mysterious way (that I have yet to figure out ... and if you have, please let me know!) our spiritual growth is BOTH totally dependent upon us AND totally dependent upon God.

So what does this mean for us? It means that if you and I want to grow in our spiritual lives, then we must be BOTH working as if our growth was totally up to us AND praying as if our growth was totally up to God! So - determine today to work and pray! Work and pray! Work and pray . . .

Oh the mystery of godliness is great (see 1 Timothy 3:15)!!!

Thanks for stopping by,

pj

So When Are You Going to Grow Up?

Recently I had a couple of conversations with people (now that is a profound statement - I mean who else do I converse with? The frogs and gold fish in my garden pond? The birds who roost in my back yard birch trees?). Let me start over ... Recently I had a couple of interesting conversations concerning teens growing into adults. These talks basically concluded (based on my observation and the observations of the other PEOPLE in the conversations) that young people are not maturing as fast as once was the case (and by maturing we were not talking about physical maturity - but rather a maturity that results in a degree of responsibility that is able to care for the various demands of life).

Today, as I was doing some Internet research, I stumbled across a book that sets forth this very same premise. The book, titled The Death of the Grown-Up: How America's Arrested Development is Bringing Down Western Civilization (published in August 2007) contains some very interesting and sobering insights. Here are a few:

"More adults, ages eighteen to forty-nine, watch the Cartoon Network than watch CNN. Readers as old as twenty-five are buying "young adult" fiction written expressly for teens. The average video gamester was eighteen in 1990; now he's going on thirty."

"The National Academy of Sciences has, in 2002, redefined adolescence as the period extending from the onset of puberty, around twelve, to age thirty. The MacArthur Foundation has gone farther still, funding a major research project that argues that the "transition to adulthood" doesn't end until age thirty-four." (Now think about this - a 34 year old adolescent? That concept does explain quite a bit!)

Now I am not a sociologist. But this trend of people taking longer to grow up (if they ever do) has some very scary implications for our society. Whereas children need parents who are responsible and mature to help them transition from childhood to adulthood - we now have parents who are still in need of parents themselves! Gulp. Help!

What is true in society is true also in the spiritual arena. Far too many Christ-followers are still in diapers (at worst) or wading through their adolescence (at best). We need to stop messing around and GROW UP! I hope you take some time to reflect on the keys to spiritual growth that I have offered. This is not meant as an exhaustive list by any means ... just some thoughts to help you grow.

Thanks for listening,

pj

Growing Up! Key #4

Across the course of the past dozen years, both of my parents and my father-in law have died of cancer. Not all that suprising, considering that cancer trails only heart disease as the leading cause of death among American adults. It is no wonder that the last word any patient wants to hear from his or her doctor is the dreaded "C" word!

In the spiritual realm, there is something that is just as devastating as cancer is in the physical arena. It is sin. However, sin is not something that is talked about at all in our culture any more. In fact, New Testament scholar D. A. Carson commented that the most frustrating aspect of doing evangelism on university campuses is that most students have no idea of sin. According to Carson, "They know how to sin well enough, but they have no idea of what constitutes sin." And the sad reality is that the idea of sin is also disappearing from many churches as well. In the church's drive to be "seeker sensitive," many have eliminated the S word from their vocabulary. This is tragic for if Christians fail to see sin for what it is (and then deal with it biblically), it is a malignancy just waiting to spread and snuff out life! This brings me to a fourth key to spiritual growth: we must cultivate a CLEAR VIEW OF SIN! By this I mean we must learn to see sin as God does. We must resist the tendency to sugar coat our sin and seek to justify it or rationalize it in any way. When we fail to see sin for what it is - a rebellion against the authority of our Creator and therefore something that deeply offends Him - we will never deal with it biblically. As a result, it will spread its poison throughout our soul and we will never experience healthy spiritual growth.

So ... pray and ask that God would help you to see sin clearly. Do not adopt the attitude of our culture which tends to minimize sin on one hand or even glamorize it on the other. See sin as the offense to God that it really is. Spend a moment reflecting on these words penned by Isaiah the prophet: "For this is what the high and lofty One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: 'I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite'" (57:15). It is only when we have a clear view of sin that we will ever be contrite and lowly in spirit. And when we are contrite and lowly in spirit - we will experience the very presence of God!

Thanks for listening,

pj

Growing up! Key #3

Back in August, my wife and I enjoyed several days hiking through Acadia National Park in Maine. On one of those days, standing on the summit of Cadillac Mountain, I pulled out our binoculars to view the various boats out in the harbor. As I peered into the binocs, instead of seeing the boats "up close and personal" - they appeared even smaller and further away than they appeared to the naked eye. Duh! I was looking through the wrong end of the binocs!

Hmm. I think when it comes to our view of God, we often look at him through the wrong end of the binocs. Instead of seeing God as the almighty King of the Universe, we see a god of pygmy proportions. This brings me to this third key to spiritual growth: A HIGH VIEW OF GOD. Far too many Christians have a view of God that is way too small! And as J. I. Packer writes, if our view of God is that of pygmy proportions, then we "cannot hope to end up as more than pygmy Christians." We live in a world in which man is exalted and God is devalued. Sure, people talk a lot about "god" - but their concept of "god" is far removed from the gloriously majestic portrait of the God of the Bible. And if we are not careful, our view of God becomes far less than it should be! And the result is that we fail to "grow up!"

Let me encourage you to spend a few moments reflecting on this verse from the pen of the prophet Isaiah: "For this is what the high and lofty One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: 'I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.'" (57:15) Do you possess a high view of God? When you think of him, do you think of him in these terms described by Isaiah? If you really want to grow up - then begin today to cultivate a HIGH VIEW OF GOD!

Thanks for listening,

pj

P.S. - If you want to develop your view of God, I recommend that you read J. I. Packer's book, Knowing God. It is a classic and has really stretched my view of God in the right direction.

Growing Up! Key #2

Yesterday I discussed what I see as the #1 key to spiritual growth: interaction with God's Word (and by interaction I mean gaining knowledge that translates into action). If we are not in the Bible on a regular (read regular as DAILY) basis and then applying what we learn to our lives, we are in effect starving our souls as we keep from them the spiritual nourishment that they need to grow. Just remember this "rule of thumb": little interaction with the Bible, little spiritual growth; much interaction with the Bible, much spiritual growth.

Enough for key #1. Here is key #2: DISCIPLINE. In 1 Timothy 4:7b-8 the Apostle Paul urges Timothy (and by extension, us) to "train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." The Greek word translated "train" is the word from which we get our English words "gymnasium" and "gymnastics." The word carries the idea of strict physical training, such as what athletes go through in order to prepare for an upcoming competition - whatever that might be. So in effect, Paul is urging us to work up a "spiritual sweat" in order to be godly. I think what he is telling us is that if we want to be godly (i.e. grow in our spiritual walk) - then we are going to have to discipline ourselves - because it is only through discipline that godliness is achieved.

Now this is not something we like to hear. We live in a very undisciplined age. We would much rather obtain something the short and easy way. But the problem is that spiritual growth doesn't just happen the short and easy way. It requires a lot of effort (just check out 1 Corinthians 9:19-27 or 2 Peter 1:5-11). So if you really want to grow, then you are going to have to discipline yourself to do those things (like interact with the Bible and the other keys that I have yet to mention). And in case you need a good definition of discipline, here is one I stumbled across: "Discipline is doing what you don't necessarily want to do in order to become what you really want to become." I hope you really want to become like Jesus!

Thanks for stopping by,

pj

Growing Up! Key #1

When I was born over 52 years ago as the second of twin boys, I tipped the scales at just over 5 pounds. This morning I got on my scales at home and saw the numbers .... well that is too personal to share - sorry! But I will say the number staring back at me was a LOT HIGHER a number than the number five! But that's OK - because we are expected to put on weight as we grow (but alas, I've had the tendency to put on a little bit too many pounds!).


This week I am talking about growing in our spiritual lives. I want to share with you several keys to spiritual growth. Here is Key #1: If we are really serious about growing in our faith - then we will get really serious about our Bibles. Neither you nor I nor any follower of Christ can grow very much if we spend little time in God's Word. This is why Peter urges his readers to "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation" (1 Peter 2:2). The Scripture is what God will use to equip us for our spiritual journey through this life (pick up your Bible and read Psalm 119 sometime soon - you will see what knowing your Bible will do for you!). Now, even though most of us would agree with what I just said, far too many of us fail to act on this belief. According to several pollsters (e.g. George Gallup and George Barna) it is only a minority of Christians who actually read their Bibles on a regular basis. And when Christians are tested on their basic Bible knowledge, the results are not just sobering - they are frightening!


To wrap this all up - here is a question for you. How much do you want to grow in your relationship with God? If you want to get to know the God of the Word better - then make an intentional effort to get to know the Word of God better! Begin today. Make a plan to get into the Bible DAILY and with God's help, work your plan. Remember that God's Word is a lamp to our feet and a light for our path (Psalm 119:105). If you need some help on getting this done please feel free to contact me.


Thanks for stopping by,


pj