Archive for the ‘Articles’ category
by Christian on December 18, 2010
Quo warranto: “By what authority?” Posed to Jesus in Mark 11:28, this question became the driving impetus of the Protestant Reformation. By what authority should theology, spirituality, and ministry be judged? For nearly half a millennium, Protestants have answered this question by declaring sola scriptura. From Puritan pulpits in Britain to “Big Tent” revivals in America, “by Scripture alone” became a banner cry for those rallying behind the Protestant and eventually evangelical movement.
Today, new generations of Christians are asking the same questionby what authority? Against the backdrop of a postmodern society where the gods of relativism and subjectivism seemingly dwarf objective, absolute truth, this question becomes especially significant. Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, says, “The inherent flaw of postmodernism is becoming a practical obstacle to unity because there is no source of authority to determine what constitutes orthodox or heretical doctrine.” Continue reading …
by Christian on November 06, 2009
Written by Alex and Brett Harris, Do Hard Things (Multnomah, 2008) is intended to confront a comfortable Christianity. The 240 pages of this book are packed with all the adrenaline that two twentysomething guys can muster.
Each chapter offers a no-holds barred approach to the Christian life and even includes a foreword by none other than Chuck Norris.
Against the backdrop of countless reads that exchange biblical truths for contemporary trends, this book caught me off guard by standing unapologetically in the tradition of Christian missions, evangelism, and spiritual discipline.
Most books that enjoy such success compromise on traditionally evangelical doctrines such as sin, heaven, hell, afterlife, and so forth. Not this book. Do Hard Things rides the building wave of revived puritanism that’s currently sweeping the Unites States. Standing on the shoulders of those like John Piper, C. J. Mahaney, Mark Dever, and others, this book fits naturally into the younger evangelical genre of Christian literature that’s gaining momentum.
Continue reading …
by Christian on September 04, 2008
This is the current issue of Preaching Magazine, Volume 24, Number 2 for September/October 2008. They say a preacher always chooses the text of Scripture, but I have found that this particular Scripture text chose me. This was originally preached at Beeson Divinity School, May 2007.
“Who do you say that Jesus is? Was He just a Jewish carpenter who was nailed to a piece of wood? Was He just a local magician, casting spells on nature? Or perhaps He was a good teacher who taught His disciples the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, life and death? Who do you say that Jesus is?
This was the question on the tip of the disciples’ tongues. In verse 22 of Luke 8, Jesus gets in the boat with His disciples. A storm arises on the lake, but Jesus is sleeping beneath the bow. The water is white with foam, and the disciples are white with fear. Yet Jesus rebukes the wind and drops an Alka-Seltzer in the waves. And the disciples wonder, “Who is this man, that even the wind and the waves obey Him?”
In verse 27, Jesus encounters a demon-possessed man. He was a man who lived among the tombs, a Satanic Superman—too strong to be chained, to powerful to be subdued. Yet Jesus rebukes the demons and drives them into a herd of kamikaze swine. And the disciples wonder, “Who is this man, that even the demons obey Him?”
And now, in verse 40, we read that the crowd was expecting Jesus. Of course they were. Here you have a man who nature obeyed and demons answered to. Here you have a man who healed the sick and touched the lame. Here you have a man who looked down at the water He was walking on and saw H2O—two humble hydrogens and one obedient oxygen. And the crowds wonder, “Who is this man, who acts more like a God than a man?”
Jairus’ daughter is dying. She’s a girl of about 12, the daughter of a well-respected ruler of the synagogue. You see, Jairus was the chapel coordinator. He was the one who told people when to enter and when to exit, when to bow down and when to stand up. It was a very dignified position—a position of power and authority. But on this day, Jairus is the one on his hands and knees, begging Jesus to heal his little girl.
And as Jesus was on His way, a woman who has been bleeding for 12 years was in the crowd. We don’t know what kind of bleeding disorder she had, but we do know that according to Leviticus 15, her constant bleeding rendered her ceremonially unclean. That means she had not been to church in 576 weeks. She had not felt the touch of a man for well over a decade. She could not even go shopping with her girlfriends because society considered her an outcast.
Mark tells us that she had spent all her money trying to get well but only got worse. There was no Blue Cross/Blue Shield for this lady. There was no premium insurance to cover her pre-existing condition. Just imagine the smell—the blood, the odor, the filth and the flies. Just look at the embarrassment—the scabbing and the scarring, the guilt and the shame of going to the bathroom 20 or 30 times a day. You see, there was no Band-aid to bind her wound. There was nothing to hide her blood. All the pills and prescriptions and potions could not prevent her suffering. She was a nobody—the crowds thought so, the disciples thought so, even she, herself, knew it to be true.
But look at what Jesus says in verse 46.
“Someone touched me!”
“But Lord,” Simon Peter interrupts, “everybody’s touching You!”
“No, Simon,” Jesus said, “somebody touched me.” Jesus called a “nobody” a “somebody.”
Jesus has a way of stopping for the nobodies. You remember that He was on His way to raise Jairus’ daughter from the dead. The Doctor was about to cure a terminal patient; but, instead, He hesitates to heal a chronic illness. Today, we’d call that malpractice. But Jesus stopped for the nobody because He wanted to show His disciples that He is sovereign over nature, He is sovereign over demons, He is sovereign over sickness, and He is sovereign over death. And what seems like an interruption to us was really an opportunity for Jesus to display His greatness.
The woman in our text had a superstitious faith. In that day it was thought that healing came from touching. We find this tradition in Mark 3 when the crowds touched Christ and in Acts 19 when people came in contact with the handkerchiefs and the aprons of the apostles. It was a faith that foreshadowed a medieval era when pilgrims traveled miles to touched icons and relics. We even see it today on television. “Send us 20 dollars, and we’ll send you a prayer handkerchief that guarantees your instant healing.” Superstition!
Nevertheless, the woman in our text whispers to herself, “At last, here is a man who can heal me. I know I am unclean, unrespected and unworthy; but if I can just snatch His sleeve I know I will be healed.” And suddenly, a nobody reaches out of nowhere and touches the hem of the garment of God. Twelve long years of bleeding stopped in a heartbeat, and Jesus said, “Daughter, your faith has healed you, go in peace.” This is the only place in the New Testament where Jesus calls a woman “daughter,” and she goes from being a nobody to being a somebody, to being a child of God.
In his commentary on the Gospels, John Calvin posited that while this woman was walking toward Christ, Christ was pulling her to Himself. Now, I don’t know where God’s pulling starts and our pushing ends. I don’t know where God’s reeling begins and our swimming concludes. But I do know one thing. There is a salvific synergism at play in our passage, and the God who pulls us to Himself joins us for the journey.
It is not your grasp on God that saves you; but, rather, it is God’s grasp on you. And so fixed are you within those fingers that not a hand from the pit of hell can reach up and pull you into the flames. Because in the beginning God reached into the blackness of time, grabbed hold of nothing, decided it should become something, altered absolutely everything so that one day He could bless it with anything. And Jesus Christ—the One who curls constellations with His biceps, the One who swirls galaxies with His triceps, the One who throws Saturn’s rings like Frisbees across the Universe—bends down to our level, adopts us as children of a heavenly home and accommodates Himself to our imperfect, superstitious, faulty, fragile, faith.
It was seven years ago. Like most freshmen in college, I was enjoying life in the fast lane—living on my own, playing ping pong until the wee hours of the morning and waiting for the girl of my dreams to fall into my arms. It was the beginning of a bright and sunny season in my life; little did I see the shadows hovering on the horizon.
“You have an incurable bleeding disorder,” the doctor said. “It’s called ulcerative colitis. We don’t know why some people get it, what triggers it, or how to prevent it. All we know is that your chances of colon cancer are doubled, and most people with your illness face a premature death.”
I left the doctor’s office that day feeling lower than I have ever felt in all my life. It was a difficult diagnosis to accept, a valley deeper than I wanted to crawl through. You see, ulcerative colitis is a disease that inflames the colon. So everything I ate sliced the edges of my digestive tract like razor blades through a watermelon. For months I woke up two hours early just to bleed in the bathroom. I walked the halls of Beeson with fresh blood inside me.
Oh, I sang the words, “Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come, why should my heart feel lonely, and long for heaven and home. When Jesus is my portion, my constant friend is he. His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me.” But many times I didn’t feel that God was watching. All I felt were those early morning hours, when I longed to reach out my hand that I might hold the healing garment of God.
Maybe you’re sitting here today, and you know what it’s like to bleed with this woman. When your dreams are gone and your hope is gone. When your faith is dry and your love is scarce. When your grief has grown and your friends have gone. When your pain has peaked and your tears have flowed. Maybe life has hit you the hardest, cut you the deepest and hurt you the most. Maybe it was a car accident or a kidney stone. Maybe it was a miscarriage, a suicide or maybe a homicide.
Whatever your bleeding disorder, I would like to offer you a word of encouragement this morning: attached to every thorn of pain, there is a rose of purpose; and God’s grace is always sufficient for our sicknesses.
Last year a new medicine called Remicade was released in America, and so far it has put my bleeding disorder into remission. But let me suggest to you that God uses suffering to draw us into His presence. It is often far better to be held by God than to be healed by Him. And it is only in the darkness, it is only in the valley, it is only in the hospital moments of our lives that Jesus Christ shines the brightest.
You do know that Jesus Himself suffered from a bleeding disorder. Oh yes, make no mistake about it, it was a gory gospel when God crushed His little boy for your sin. In the garden of Gethsemane, the Father bent down to the Son, much like He did at His baptism, only instead of a descending dove, there was a whip in His hand. And great drops of sweat became great drops of blood. And Jesus Christ was bruised and beaten. He was mocked and ridiculed. They hit Him in the face and kicked Him to the ground. They nailed Him to a cross and laid Him in the tomb.
But on the third day, Jesus arose from the dead. On the third day, the Father said, “Arise My love.” On the third day, God said to Jesus what Jesus said to Jairus’ daughter, “Honey, it’s time to get up out of that grave.” Jesus Christ was raised to life, and death was laid to rest. And that is why you and I place all our eggs in the Easter basket. That is why you and I can finish the song, “I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, his eye is on the sparrow, and I know he’s watching me!” That is why you and I can sing, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh precious is that flow that makes me white as snow, no other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.” And God made Him who knew no sin to become sin so that we might become the righteousness of God.
I know what Karl Marx said—that religion is just a crutch for the weak—but let me suggest to you today that Jesus Christ is more than just our crutch; He is our very life support. Without Him we would die; without Him we would perish; without Him we would be but grass for the mower.
So who do you say that Jesus is? He is a prophet, but He is more than a prophet—He is the very Word of God. He is a priest, but He is more than a priest—He is the Lamb that was slain. He is a king, but He is more than a king—He is the King of all kings; and at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is Lord over nature, He is Lord over demons, He is Lord over sickness and He is Lord over death. He is the Alpha and the Omega. The first and the last. The beginning and the end. He sits in the engine room and the caboose, traveling before us and behind us on this journey of life.
So be encouraged this morning; Jesus Christ exchanges His purity for our contamination. He takes our grime and gives us grace. He takes our filth and gives us faith. The God who justifies us in verse 44, will glorify us in verse 54. And the God who heals our disease in verse 44, will raise us from the dead in verse 54. And on that day, every tear will be wiped from every eye, and every sickness from every saint. And we will hold not only the hem of the garment of God, but with hands outstretched we will be embraced by the everlasting arms of the Almighty.
by Christian on April 17, 2008
Crimson Magazine, Samford University
Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: News
Author and Samford graduate Christian George will speak in Reid Chapel on Tuesday April 22 at 10 a.m.
George released his second book “Sex, Sushi, and Salvation,” at the beginning of this year. George’s thought behind this eye-catching title is spiritual authenticity aimed at his generation.
“We are ready for a raw faith—a sushi faith—that takes seriously our need for Jesus Christ. “Sex, Sushi, and Salvation” is about how God satisfies the three hungers of the human heart: intimacy, community and eternity. I’m finding that most people like one of those three things, and it’s usually not the sushi,” George said.
The raw faith that George discusses in his book will also be his topic for Convo on Tuesday.
George began writing his freshman year of college and, although an art major, the beauty of words and how they fit together drew him to writing.
“Sex, Sushi and Salvation” took George about three months to write while he was attending Beeson Divinity School.
“I didn’t have a lot of free time. But for me, writing is a calling. It gets me out of bed in the morning. It still shocks me a bit—that God could use someone as flawed and ordinary as me to accomplish his will in this world,” George said.
From teachers to buildings, Samford has inspired George’s writing.
Dean Chapman, his freshman Communications Arts teacher, exposed him to the skill of writing, while art professor Lowell Vann demonstrated that Christian faith can be integrated into every discipline.
Students may catch George on the second floor of the Davis Library, which is one of his favorite writing spots.
George hopes to motivate Christians and churches to stop living bland lives in order to make an impact on the world.
“I hope my books help college students discover a faith that falls from our heads to our hearts. Because once it’s in our hearts it circulates throughout our bodies and affects every part of our lives,” George said.
While speaking at colleges and churches this spring, George found influence for his next book, “Godology: Because knowing God changes everything.”
“I’m noticing a revival brewing among 20 somethings. It has become my prayer that “Godology” will provide another look at the God who Wal-Marted himself so that every one of us, no matter who we are, or where we live or what we do can have access to his glory and grace,” George said.
This summer, George plans to move with his wife Rebecca, to St. Andrews, Scotland to begin his PhD. in theology.
After Convo, George will be signing his books outside of Reid Chapel.
by Carol Ann Autry
by Christian on January 23, 2008
What do you get when you step inside the octagon with a 170 pound, nine-time Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder? A whole lot of pain. Just ask any of Matt Hughes’ opponents. With victories over B.J. Penn and others, Hughes, who was Black Belt’s 2006 NHB Fighter of the Year, has achieved an astounding 43-5 record. In this exclusive interview, the champ talks about the roles that fighting, faith and family have played in his rise to the top.
Black Belt: Did you ever see yourself rising to such influence?
Hughes: Back when I first started this sport, I was just doing it as a hobby. I never thought I’d be on TV or make enough money to support a family. I just did what I wanted to do.
BB: Did you have a lot of support along the way?
Hughes: Yes. I’ve had a network of support that have helped me get here. There are two types of people out there—talkers and doers. Through my wrestling and school people came to know that I was a doer. I was one of those guys who just happened to get things done. I had a great amount of support.
BB: In mixed martial arts, what style is most important?
That’s a tough question to answer. You’ve got to be well rounded. Wrestling plays such a huge role because you can control where the fight is going to be at. Wrestling is definitely up there.
BB: How do you train for the two days leading up to a fight?
Hughes: I work out hard all the way up until weigh in. I just enjoy it. The day before weigh in, I only have two practices, about an hour and a half each. I’ve got my buddies there. So we have a good time just doing what we need to be doing.
BB: Do you follow a strict diet?
Hughes: I eat healthy. You don’t need a bunch of saturated fat or processed sugar. I like honey. It’s not as bad for you as processed sugar. I’ll have a sweet potato and put honey on it.
BB: What foods do you stay away from?
Hughes: I’m not a big fast food guy. You won’t see me going through McDonalds or Hardee’s. I don’t like it. Something like Subway—I do eat Subway. If you need something quick, go to Subway.
BB: What’s the first thing that goes through your mind when you step inside the Octagon?
Hughes: I try to focus on my opponent and try to figure out what I’m going to do. Is my opponent a stand up artist? Then I use my wrestling offensively, pick him up, put him on the ground, and beat him up. Or is he a good submission artist? Then I use my wrestling defensively and keep him on his feet and try to win the fight there.
BB: What’s the most important factor in executing an effective “ground-and-pound” game?
Hughes: Learning to strike on the ground is hard to do. You just have to work on it.
BB: What other strategies do you keep in mind when you’re fighting?
Hughes: Well, I don’t bob my head a lot. Like a boxer will do that. I don’t. I think that you move your feet and get out of the way. A boxer doesn’t have to worry about knees and kicks like we do.
BB: Does your family every get nervous watching your fights?
Hughes: I know my wife gets extremely nervous. Some of my family won’t even go and watch because there’s so much pressure. My grandmother just sits behind a TV and prays.
BB: What is the benefit of training spiritually as well as physically?
Hughes: The big benefit is that I take a lot of pressure off my shoulders because I always ask that’s God’s will be done. It’s up to him. If it’s God’s will that I lose, I’m fine with that. I don’t worry about that.
BB: How did you find God?
Hughes: I became a Christian three and a half years ago when I took a trip to Guadalupe, Mexico. I didn’t go there to find God, just to work. I love hard work. There’s an orphanage and a school down there and we were doing construction work and building. Every night we had Bible studies and I had a lot of my questions answered. I was doing a devotional, bowed my head right then and there and found the Lord. It’s one of those things where people ask me, “How do you know if you are a Christian and how can I tell people about God.” And I say, “That’s very easy. The day, the moment, I became a Christian I felt it throughout my entire body. I know there’s a God out there because as soon as I became a Christian it was one of the greatest sensations and also a relief.
BB: How would you describe your relationship with God?
Hughes: My relationship with God is like any relationship. It’s a roller coaster ride—there are ups and downs. It’s similar to having a relationship with your kids, wife, brothers and sisters. It’s great to feel the presence of Jesus.
BB: The story about David and Goliath shows that the big guy doesn’t always win the fight. Were there any fights when you felt like the underdog, but went on to defeat your opponent?
Hughes: I kind of felt like the underdog when I won my world title for the first time. I’ve been successful my whole life—wrestling team, football team. God’s really blessed me.
BB: Do you have other Christians who support you?
Hughes: I get a lot of support through my website and forum. It’s just great because I’m like everybody else. I get temptations just like everyone else. And those people help me out and we all pray for each other.
About the author: Christian George is a freelance writer and martial artist.
To read the rest of this article, pick up Black Belt Magazine, February 2008, pg. 122-127
by Christian on October 29, 2007
“My wife and I recently journeyed to Israel with a seminary group. We traveled across the sea of Galilee, where Jesus walked on water. We floated on the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. We even saw Mt. Carmel, where God bar-b-qued a bunch of bulls. But for me, traveling for Jerusalem eclipsed them all, for it was there that Christ emptied himself on the cross and then reigned supremely from the tree.
A day is coming when faith will become sight and heaven will become home. The God who informs out thinking, reforms our attitudes, and transforms our lives travels with us from monastery to monastery, from grace to glory, until at last we will be embraced by the everlasting arms of the Almighty. This is the pilgrim way.”
For full article, see Conversations Journal: A Forum for Authentic Transformation, Vol 5:2, Fall-Winter 2007
http://www.conversationsjournal.com
by Christian on August 07, 2007
I filed into the dark sanctuary in France, silent and hungry. Candles flickered here and there, illuminating faces focused in prayer. It had been four days since I’d eaten a decent meal, and the only thing on my mind was steak. After a few minutes, though, I was able to ignore my stomach so that I could feed my soul. After all, I wasn’t there to vacation; I was there to worship . . .
(For full article, refer to Christian Single Magazine, August 2007, page 40)
by Christian on February 19, 2007
“By the lines carved in his face, I knew that Captain Owen had seen the sea. For 20-plus years, he’d taken pilgrims from the village of Port Magee to Skellig Michael, a rocky island off the southwestern coast of Ireland.
“So the water will be calm today?” I ventured, looking out at the sea.
The captain grinned and continued to prepare for departure. “Lad,” he finally said in a thick Irish brogue, “the stomach of the ocean is upset today. I hope you’ve had a small breakfast and aren’t afraid of getting wet.”
For eggs and three slices of ham churned in m stomach as I returned to my seat in the 30-foot boat. I hoped he was kidding.
He wasn’t. Up . . . down . . . splash. Up . . . down . . . splash. It was the scariest moment of my life. I can still feel the wild movement of the boat, tossing us around like an empty can caught in the hands of an angry ocean.
Frantically I turned on my video camera in hopes of submitting the tape to some TV show like “When Nature Goes Terrible Wrong.” After one sea-sickening hour, we docked at Skellig Michael.
Five hundred years after the birth of Christ, Christians docked on this island and built a monastery on its summit. A thousand-year-old stairway would take us to that site. Six hundred cracked and weathered steps held us to the hills. At times the path was only two or three feet wide, and the wet patches were extremely slippery. One small acident, a slight slip of the sole, and a poor pilgrim would fall on the sharp rocks hundreds of feet below.
The pilgrims I was traveling with were a good distance away, and for 30 minutes I climbed the rocks alone. Birds swarmed around me, wind slammed against me, and I began to doubt that I would make it to the top. My legs were weary, my lungs were weasy, and I felt that I was all alone, climbing a stairway to heaven with hell nipping at my heels.
But even in my loneliness, I knew I wasn’t alone. Plgrims are never called to walk alone. In even the most difficult circumstances, the God who pulls us to Himself joins us for the journey.”
(For full article, refer to Christian Single Magazine, March 2007, page 39)
by Christian on April 13, 2006
The venerable R.G. Lee preached, “The roses will bloom again,” from the pulpit of First Baptist Church in New Orleans, during the early 1920s.
Today, as the city of New Orleans rebuilds in the devastating wake of Hurricane Katrina, these prophetic words, uttered over three-quarters of a century ago, continue to offer hope.
Lee, born in a log cabin on Nov. 11, 1886, became one of the most renowned preachers in the modern Christian world. He served in a number of pastorates, including Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., but he had strong ties to the Crescent City. As pastor of FBC New Orleans, he witnessed over 1,000 new members come to his church, mostly by baptism. He also strongly supported the Baptist Bible Institute, which later became the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
In 1948, messengers elected Lee to the first of three consecutive terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, and by the end of his life, millions of people revered him as one of the greatest Baptist preachers since Charles Spurgeon.
Continue reading …
