Enjoying God Blog

The hymn writer tells us that it was a “silent” night, a “holy” night. But it was also a cold night, as the shepherds huddled together seeking warmth from the fire. Continue reading . . .

The hymn writer tells us that it was a “silent” night, a “holy” night. But it was also a cold night, as the shepherds huddled together seeking warmth from the fire. To them it seemed like every other night. The crackling of wood, the occasional bleating of a lamb, were the only sounds that disturbed the otherwise routine silence.

Then suddenly an angel of the Lord “appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were filled with great fear” (Luke 2:9). Unlike the shepherds, we live in an age of high-tech special effects where such happenings are a commonplace in the movies or on TV. But for these first-century peasants it was a frightening shock as the whole of heaven burst ablaze with the blinding glory of God! The Bible literally says, “they feared a great fear.” Simply put, they were scared out of their wits!

But the announcement that night was designed to evoke joy, not fear, “for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). Yes, Jesus is an example for us, as well as a teacher, a counselor and a friend. But above all else he is a Savior. The joy of Christmas is not in toys and tinsel, not in gifts and goodies, but in redemption from slavery to sin. The message of the season is not frivolity and fellowship. It is the good news that One has come whose death and resurrection have set his people free from guilt and condemnation.

Such glorious news is too much for one angel to utter. There is need for a heavenly host of voices to proclaim this momentous event. “And suddenly there was w

This past Sunday, December 21, 2014, I preached on John 3:16 and titled my message, “God so Loved the World: John 3:16 as the True Message of Christmas.” Continue reading . . .

This past Sunday, December 21, 2014, I preached on John 3:16 and titled my message, “God so Loved the World: John 3:16 as the True Message of Christmas.” In my sermon preparation I read John Piper’s sermon from May 10, 2009, “For God so Loved the World, Part 2” (from his sermon series on the Gospel of John; www.desiringgod.org.). In this message John said something about the nature of preaching that I think is worth repeating, over and over and over again.

What is preaching? John refers to it as expository exultation. Here is how he defines it:

“Expository means that preaching aims to exposit, or explain and apply, the meaning of the Bible. Every sermon explains and applies the Bible. The reason for this is that the Bible is God’s word, inspired, infallible, profitable—all sixty-six books of it. The preacher’s job is to minimize his own opinions and deliver the truth of God. Therefore, it is mainly Bible exposition—explanation and application.

And the preacher’s job is to do that in a way that enables us to see that the points he is making actually come from the Bible. If they come from the Bible and you can’t see that they come from the Bible, your faith will rest on man and not God.

The aim of this exposition is to help you eat and digest some biblical truth that will make your spiritual bones more like steel, and double the capacity of your spiritual lungs, and make the eyes of your heart dazzled with God’s greatness, and awaken the capability of your soul for kinds of spiritual enjoyment you didn’t even know existed.

I’m excited to tell you about a new website that is exclusively devoted to the subject of biblical eschatology, especially that view of God’s redemptive purposes known as amillennialism. Continue reading . . .

I’m excited to tell you about a new website that is exclusively devoted to the subject of biblical eschatology, especially that view of God’s redemptive purposes known as amillennialism. As you know, my book Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative (Christian Focus) was released in 2013 and is devoted to expounding this particular understanding of Scripture. This new website is a treasure trove of articles and other material from a wide variety of authors, all of whom are committed to the amillennial perspective.

Here is the statement on the Home page that explains why this website exists and what you can find on it.

“The Bible has much to say on the subject of eschatology, or what theologians refer to as 'the last things.' And if you’re visiting this site, you probably know the discussion here can sometimes get complex, confusing, and even controversial!

The main problem is all the options, seeing that over the years biblical interpreters have developed a number of different approaches to eschatology. In rough historical order, the major schools of thought are: Amillennialism, Historic Premillennialism, Postmillennialism, Dispensational Premillennialism, and Preterism. And yes, as you can see from this list, in eschatology there is quite a to-do about the Millennium (Revelation 20)!

One reason for this website is to help you understand and evaluate all these views. But our main goal here is to explain and defend what we regard as the truly biblical view, and as the default eschatology of the historic Christian Church: Amillennialism.

Briefly,

We’ve been looking closely at Hebrews 10:23-25 and the importance of Christian community in the context of local church life. The exhortations we find here are clear enough, but what reasons does our author give for why we should be so urgent in responding to them? Continue reading . . .

We’ve been looking closely at Hebrews 10:23-25 and the importance of Christian community in the context of local church life. The exhortations we find here are clear enough, but what reasons does our author give for why we should be so urgent in responding to them?

“23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

First, look closely at the conclusion of v. 25. The importance of meeting regularly to stir up one another to love and good works, the importance of meeting regularly to encourage one another to hope ever more fervently in the promises of a faithful God, is grounded in the fact that with each passing day we come closer to the end of the age when Christ will return.

And according to numerous texts, the end of the age will bring with it increasing chaos and temptation and persecution and threats and trials and hardship. As we approach the Day of Christ’s return there will be more and more trouble, more and more cause for stress, more and more Satanic opposition.

I hardly need to mention this to you. Just open your eyes! If you can’t see the rapidly increasing decay of our society, morally, politically, economically, and spiritually, then you are dull and dense and beyond my ability to convince you otherwise! It will becom

So what are the three things mentioned in Hebrews 10:23-25 that we are to accomplish on those occasions when we gather together or assemble ourselves? Continue reading . . .

So what are the three things mentioned in Hebrews 10:23-25 that we are to accomplish on those occasions when we gather together or assemble ourselves?

“23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

First, we are “to stir up one another to love” (v. 24a).

The sort of “meetings” or gatherings or assembly that our author has in view are the sort that make possible mutual interaction. There has to be time and opportunity for everyone to speak truth to others and to hear truth spoken personally to them. There has to be time and opportunity for you to stir up or incite or “provoke” other Christians “to love” others better. Love isn’t easy, especially when it comes to people you don’t even like! You need to know why you should love, how you should love, in what concrete ways you can love, and how to overcome your tendency to despise and ignore other people in the church.

And you need to come to these meetings thinking about how you can do the same thing for other people. Explore what might be the obstacles to their love. What is it about their personality that hinders them? What truths in God’s Word have they failed to fully grasp that may be keeping them back?

Sunday mornings are essential. But they aren’t enough! And they are not the ideal occasion or setting in which you

In the previous article I mentioned the necessity of all Christians being embedded in community in a local church. We find this in numerous biblical texts, but our focus here is on Hebrews 10:23-25. Continue reading . . .

In the previous article I mentioned the necessity of all Christians being embedded in community in a local church. We find this in numerous biblical texts, but our focus here is on Hebrews 10:23-25.

“23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

I want to start with vv. 24-25. I’m not ignoring v. 23, but will return to it momentarily.

Evidently there was a slight problem in Rome. Some of the people who professed faith in Jesus had developed the habit or custom of only showing up on occasion and neglecting to make regular attendance at and participation in the communal life of the church a part of their experience.

Notice the word translated “habit” (v. 25a). You don’t cultivate a habit overnight. It takes time. You find yourself immersed in a habit, often one you can’t shake or break, when you live unintentionally. That is to say, you don’t get up each day with a plan for what is going to happen. You simply drift through life. You take things as they come without forethought or preparation or prioritizing the many things that compete for your time and allegiance.

It’s not that difficult to develop a habit of neglect when it comes to participation in the life of the local church. You miss a Sunday because you were sick. That’s not your fault, but the next week,

Gina Welch is a graduate of Yale University, teaches English at George Washington University, and is the author of the book, In the Land of Believers: An Outsider’s Extraordinary Journey into the Heart of the Evangelical Church (Metropolitan Books, 2010). Here is the description she provided of herself: “I am a secular Jew raised by a single mother in Berkeley, where we took a day off school in October for Indigenous Peoples, not for Christopher Columbus. I cuss, I drink, and I am not a virgin. I have never believed in God” (2). Continue reading . . .

Gina Welch is a graduate of Yale University, teaches English at George Washington University, and is the author of the book, In the Land of Believers: An Outsider’s Extraordinary Journey into the Heart of the Evangelical Church (Metropolitan Books, 2010). Here is the description she provided of herself: “I am a secular Jew raised by a single mother in Berkeley, where we took a day off school in October for Indigenous Peoples, not for Christopher Columbus. I cuss, I drink, and I am not a virgin. I have never believed in God” (2).

Welch moved to Virginia and became a member of Jerry Falwell’s Thomas Road Baptist Church, at the time a bastion of American fundamentalism. Yes, she lied about her identity. She lied about her reasons for being there. She lied about being a Christian. And in the end she betrayed a number of friends who thought she was someone she wasn’t. She explains it this way:

“It wasn’t that I had zero misgivings about going undercover – I did meditate on the wrongness of lying and the string of betrayals my project would likely leave behind – it was that I sort of managed to balance the whole messy moral equation on an unsteady ball bearing of cliché: You have to break some eggs

Remember this: Work is not the purpose of your life. That would be idolatry. The nature of your work and your success in it must never be the measure of your worth as a person. Your identity and value are grounded in the gospel, not your productivity. Work is not a way for you to “prove” yourself, but a means by which you glorify God. Continue reading . . .

Remember this: Work is not the purpose of your life. That would be idolatry. The nature of your work and your success in it must never be the measure of your worth as a person. Your identity and value are grounded in the gospel, not your productivity. Work is not a way for you to “prove” yourself, but a means by which you glorify God. When your “appropriate ambition” becomes your “misplaced salvation,” you are guilty of idolatry (Tim Keller, Every Good Endeavor / Kindle, 103).

In my recent study of the subject of “work” I came across an insightful blog post by John Piper, titled “How to Glorify God at Work” (September 6, 2011; www.desiringgod.org). I thought it would be helpful to make it available here.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” How can young workers glorify God at work?

Dependence. Go to work utterly dependent on God (Proverbs 3:5-6; John 15:5). Without him you can’t breathe, move, think, feel, or talk. Not to mention be spiritually influential. Get up in the morning and let God know your desperation for him. Pray for help.

Integrity. Be absolutely and meticulously honest and trustworthy on the job. Be on time. Give a full day’s work. “Thou shalt not steal.” More people rob their employers by being slackers than by

In the previous two articles we looked at some helpful insights from Tim Keller and Wayne Grudem. I want to follow up on that with some comments of my own concerning those who can work but for whatever reason choose not to. Continue reading . . .

In the previous two articles we looked at some helpful insights from Tim Keller and Wayne Grudem. I want to follow up on that with some comments of my own concerning those who can work but for whatever reason choose not to.

Many choose to remain unemployed rather than do work they believe is beneath them. This is sinful. Consider Paul’s counsel in 2 Thessalonians 3:11-12 –

“For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living” (2 Thess. 3:10-12).

Clearly there was a problem in the church at Thessalonica. Perhaps some in the church had become so obsessed and preoccupied with the possibility of Christ’s soon return that they quit their jobs and, although healthy and able to work, refused to support themselves and their families. Instead, they became “busybodies,” squandering time while meddling in the affairs of other people, making it almost impossible for them to get their work done, all in the name of being spiritual and zealous about the second coming of Jesus. They also likely expected, indeed sinfully presumed, that others would supply their needs and feed their families while they were off somewhere engaged in more “spiritual” activity.

Paul’s command is to the point: If they are able to work, but unwilling, don’t

In the previous article I drew some conclusions from Tim Keller’s book, Every Good Endeavor, about the relation between faith and our work, our jobs, our careers. Here I want to turn to some observations drawn from Wayne Grudem’s short book, Business for the Glory of God. Continue reading . . .

In the previous article I drew some conclusions from Tim Keller’s book, Every Good Endeavor, about the relation between faith and our work, our jobs, our careers. Here I want to turn to some observations drawn from Wayne Grudem’s short book, Business for the Glory of God.

There is a tendency among some to look with disdain on the pursuit of profit in our work. The very notion of a for-profit business is considered an expression of a competitive ambition that is fueled by greed. It is certainly possible for someone to be driven solely by greed and an acquisitive spirit. But business, property, and profit, when set within the framework of biblical guidelines/ethics, are good.

(1) Profit, justly obtained, is not bad. Don’t be apologetic for or embarrassed by money righteously obtained. Business is morally good when conducted in a manner consistent with biblical principles of justice. Business can glorify God in the same way that worship and evangelism and godly living do.

Thus, profit, when justly gained, is good. Profit is simply selling a product/service for more than the cost of producing it. The ability to obtain a profit is thus an indication that I have produced something that is beneficial for someone else. The making of a profit also indicates that I am making good and efficient use of the earth’s resources, thus obeying God’s creation mandate that mankind “subdue” the earth. Keller writes:

“Corporate profits and influenc