Enjoying God Blog

There is a church in my city that is known for its stance in favor of the so-called Prosperity Gospel (oh, how horribly misnamed it is; for what it proclaims is decidedly not “good news”!). People who have visited there informed me of several of their beliefs. Continue reading . . .

There is a church in my city that is known for its stance in favor of the so-called Prosperity Gospel (oh, how horribly misnamed it is; for what it proclaims is decidedly not “good news”!). People who have visited there informed me of several of their beliefs. Here are a few:

Abraham was a wealthy man, and so too was Jesus. It only follows, so they say, that God wants you to be equally rich.

They believe in what they call the “transference” of wealth: God’s design is to take wealth from non-believers and give it to Christians. In this church they explicitly pray each Sunday that this will come to pass.

It is not uncommon for there to be two sermons each Sunday: an initial 30-minute message on tithing, followed by a regular sermon.

The pastor has publicly declared, in the presence of his congregation: "The Bible says lay up your treasures in heaven; but I won't need the treasure when I get to heaven. I NEED IT NOW! I WANT THE MONEY NOW!!" When a member of the church was asked about this, he confirmed that this message is preached on a regular basis.

Each Sunday the congregation reads aloud a long statement of faith, what they call a “decree” which asserts: "I am blessed to prosper in material wealth, in houses, in businesses, etc.”

This “church” is fully devoted to a Health and Wealth message. For example:

They regularly insist that you are already healed and it is just a matter of bringing yourself to believe it.

If you are feelin

So, what are the consequences or results of turning to prayer in the midst of anxiety? Continue reading . . .

So, what are the consequences or results of turning to prayer in the midst of anxiety? Let’s look again at Philippians 4:4-7 for the answer.

“4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7).

Paul describes it in one gloriously beautiful and reassuring phrase: the peace of God guarding our hearts and minds in a way that no human mind can fully comprehend.

Did you know that this phrase “the peace of God” occurs only here in all the NT? He’s not talking about peace “with” God. That is presupposed. If you aren’t at peace “with” God you can’t experience the peace “of” God. If the enmity between you and God has not been removed by faith in the blood of Christ’s cross you can’t experience the sort of peace Paul has in mind. That feeling in your heart of ease and contentment and all’s well in the world is a lie. If you haven’t invested your trust in Christ as your treasure and your only hope for forgiveness of sins, what’s going on in your mind and heart is a psychological delusion, a deceptive trick that ultimately lead you straight into eternal death.

But for those who’ve been reconciled to God through faith in the blood of Christ shed for them on the cross, there is God’s very peace that now enters their hearts and rules and reig

One of the most instructive statements in Scripture on the nature and dynamics of prayer is found in Philippians 4:4-7. Let’s look at it briefly and then I want to highlight one particular feature of prayer that we often overlook. Continue reading . . .

One of the most instructive statements in Scripture on the nature and dynamics of prayer is found in Philippians 4:4-7. Let’s look at it briefly and then I want to highlight one particular feature of prayer that we often overlook.

“4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7).

Paul tells us that “in everything” we are to let our requests be made known to God. That means in every circumstance, no matter how serious or casual, no matter how tragic or trivial; and at all times. The contrast is striking: in nothing be anxious, but in everything be prayerful.

We are to do this with “prayer” and “supplication.” The former term encompasses all kinds of prayer: adoration, praise, petition, thanksgiving, confession, intercession, etc. “Supplication” is more narrow and specific in its focus. Here Paul has in mind the reality of need and want. This word thus points to our dependence on God for everything.

Could this possibly be why most prayer meetings are attended by women? Men believe the way to success and respect in today’s world is by cultivating an image of self-sufficiency and radical independence. Men typically do not open up an

There are two experiential realities in which a Christian might live: anxiety or peace / worry or rest / consternation or contentment. Paul contrasts these two in Philippians 4:4-7 and tells us that the way to move from one into the other is by prayer. Continue reading . . .

There are two experiential realities in which a Christian might live: anxiety or peace / worry or rest / consternation or contentment. Paul contrasts these two in Philippians 4:4-7 and tells us that the way to move from one into the other is by prayer.

“4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7).

Clearly Paul is drawing on the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:25-34). The word translated “anxious” is the same as what we find in Philippians 2:20 where it had the positive and even virtuous sense of being sincerely concerned for the welfare of another person. So what is the difference between sinful anxiety and sincere, spiritual concern for someone else or for some circumstance in life?

Here in Philippians 4:6, unlike 2:20, Paul is speaking of godless concern for things over which we have no control, and even for things over which we do have control but should still entrust to the Lord. This sort of gnawing, corrosive worry is a form of unconscious blasphemy.

Paul is not speaking of imaginary or phantom anxieties. He is not making light of the troubles you face. He is simply convinced that God is able and willing to help.

“Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.” What could that possibly mean? Continue reading . . .

“Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.” What could that possibly mean? We tend not to ask that question because the exhortation is nestled into, and often gets lost within, one of the more important and well-known passages about prayer.

In other words, we often spend time studying Philippians 4:4-7 for what it tells us about prayer, and that is certainly a good thing to do. But in doing so we tend to overlook other elements that are crucial to living godly lives in Christ. So again I ask, what does Paul means when he says in v. 5 – “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.” Look at it in the context of the entire paragraph.

“4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7).

This word translated “reasonableness” (ESV) is hard to interpret. The KJV translates it, “let your moderation be known to all.” But this is not a call for temperance or abstinence. Others suggest the idea of generosity or the willingness to make allowances; the quality that keeps one from always insisting on one’s full rights. It’s the opposite of entitlement; the opposite of always demanding one’s due. It is the patient willingness to yield wherever yielding does not compromise moral principle.

We know from other texts in Philippia

One of the more famous statements Paul made is found in Philippians 4:4-7. Continue reading . . .

One of the more famous statements Paul made is found in Philippians 4:4-7. Many of you probably know it by heart:

“4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7).

But wait a minute! Rejoice in the Lord? Are you kidding? Is Paul kidding? Does he have any idea what he’s saying? Is he so out of touch with the harsh realities of life that he can be this flippant and happy-go-lucky?

Rejoice in the Lord? It’s only been one year since the devastating tornado hit Moore, Oklahoma, and wiped out a large portion of that city. And yet you expect Christian men and women whose lives were turned inside out by that disaster to “rejoice in the Lord”? Seriously?

Or again, how am I supposed to rejoice in the Lord when the memory of past sins weighs so heavily on my heart? How can I obey this command when people I love are being persecuted and are suffering unjustly? I just lost my job. My mother died last week. My children won’t even talk to me. The car won’t start and I don’t have the money to get it fixed. I’m supposed to see the doctor next week but I’m too scared of what he’ll say. Rejoice in the Lord? Yeah, right.

I understand this reaction. Truly, I do. But before you dismiss Paul as some sort of first-century Pollyanna, remember this: He wrote those words while in prison. He wrote those words not knowing if he might be

In Hebrews 2:14-18 we are told what it means to say that God the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, became a human being in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, and how he, by dying and rising from the grave, was able to defeat and destroy Satan and to deliver men and women from the fear of death by which Satan kept them enslaved. Continue reading . . .

In Hebrews 2:14-18 we are told what it means to say that God the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, became a human being in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, and how he, by dying and rising from the grave, was able to defeat and destroy Satan and to deliver men and women from the fear of death by which Satan kept them enslaved.

We are also told what it was about the nature of Christ’s death that enabled him to conquer the enemy in this way. We see in Hebrews 2:17 that it was because Jesus, in being crucified as our substitute, satisfied or appeased or quenched the wrath of God that we deserved to suffer. This is what is meant by the word propitiation. In doing so he obtained for us forgiveness of sins, he cleansed our souls from the guilt that our sin had incurred. The only way Satan can exert any meaningful influence on us is if our sins remain unforgiven. But in absorbing and enduring in himself the wrath and judgment of God against us, our sins are forgiven, all guilt is wiped away, and we are reconciled to God. In this way the Devil was soundly and eternally defeated.

But we must be careful to avoid two mistakes people often make in their efforts to understand this remarkable truth.

First, contrary to how some translations read, the word here in v. 17 does not mean “expiation” but rather “propitiation.” So what’s the difference? Expiation has sin as its object and means to wipe away or to dispose of sin so that

In a recent editorial for the on-line theological journal, Themelios, (“Do the Work of an Evangelist,” 39, 1, April 2014), D. A. Carson had some interesting remarks on the nature of the Christian gospel. Continue reading . . .

In a recent editorial for the on-line theological journal, Themelios, (“Do the Work of an Evangelist,” 39, 1, April 2014), D. A. Carson had some interesting remarks on the nature of the Christian gospel.

“For some Christians, ‘the gospel’ . . . is something you preach only to unconverted people. The gospel merely tips people into the kingdom; transformation and sanctification are sustained by discipleship. Once people become Christians, then the work of life transformation begins, often buttressed by various discipleship seminars: ‘Biblical Leadership,’ ‘Learning to Pray,’ ‘What to Do with Your Money,’ ‘Christian Marriage,’ and so forth—none of which falls under ‘gospel,’ but only under post-gospel discipleship. In recent years, however, many preachers and theologians have convincingly argued that ‘gospel’/’evangel’ is the larger category under which both evangelism and discipleship fall. In the NT, gospel is not everything—it is not law, for instance—but it is a very big thing, precisely because it is the unimaginably great news about what God is doing in and through King Jesus, especially in and through his cross and resurrection. A careful reading of Scripture shows how often Christian conduct is grounded in the gospel itself. For instance, the gospel is to be obeyed (e.g., 2 Thess 1:8); certain behavior conforms to the gospel, while other behavior does not (1 Tim 1:10–11). Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Eph 5:25)&md

In the aftermath of Easter Sunday one of the ladies in my church asked about the meaning of Matthew 27:51-53. When did this event happen and who were these people and what happened to them after they were raised? Continue reading . . .

In the aftermath of Easter Sunday one of the ladies in my church asked about the meaning of Matthew 27:51-53. When did this event happen and who were these people and what happened to them after they were raised? Well, let’s first read the text:

“And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many” (Matt. 27:51-53).

This event is not mentioned in the other three gospel accounts and many find it so strange that they dismiss it as fiction. A few argue that it is some sort of non-historical literary creation by Matthew designed to serve as an apocalyptic symbol of the final resurrection and life in the New Jerusalem at the end of time. N. T. Wright, on the other hand, says that “some stories are so odd that they may just have happened. This may be one of them, but in historical terms there is no way of finding out” (The Resurrection of the Son of God, 636).

Personally, I see no reason to doubt the historicity of this event, even if I can’t fully explain it or make sense of its purpose. If indeed this literally occurred as recorded, as I believe it did, there are at least three possible ways of making sense of the text, each of which yields a different sequence of events.

(1) One view argues that the saints are raised when Christ dies (on Good Friday) but remain in th

Back on April 20th, Easter Sunday, I continued my series in the book of Hebrews. We looked at Hebrews 2:14-18. One question that I had to address was whether or not the author of this letter explicitly mentions the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Continue reading . . .

Back on April 20th, Easter Sunday, I continued my series in the book of Hebrews. We looked at Hebrews 2:14-18. One question that I had to address was whether or not the author of this letter explicitly mentions the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Those who were present that Sunday morning may have noticed that the author of Hebrews says nothing explicit about the bodily resurrection of Jesus in this particular text. For that matter, he hasn’t said anything explicit about the resurrection since the start of the epistle back in chapter one and verse one.

But that’s only partly true, and the key is in my use of the word “explicit”. The fact is, our author has either implicitly assumed or directly alluded to the resurrection on several occasions. In fact, nothing of what he has said about Jesus up through the end of chapter two makes any sense at all unless one takes for granted that Jesus was raised from the dead.

For example, in Hebrews 1:3 we are told that “after making purification for sins,” a reference to the sacrificial death of Jesus, “he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” But if he wasn’t raised from the dead he could hardly have been exalted by God the Father and could hardly have sat down at the right hand of God. His body would still be rotting away in a Palestinian tomb.

Also, Psalm 2:7, quoted in Hebrews 1:5, refers directly to the resurrection of Jesus. There God declared: “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.” In Acts 13:33 and other passages this OT text is