Below is a great book review on "The Unchurched Next Door" by Thom Rainer. The book review was written by Albert Mohler and is also available at lifeway.com. I thought this was appropriate as we are entering our 9th week of FAITH evangelism training at our church:
Thom Rainer thinks that most Christians have no clue about how unchurched people really think. Given Christianity's mandate for evangelism, this represents a big problem.
Rainer is founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Over the past decade, he has emerged as the nation's leading expert in church growth and evangelistic strategies. In a very real sense, Rainer operates in two different worlds, with one foot in academic research and the other firmly planted in the local church.
In The Unchurched Next Door, Rainer and his research team consider the real issues involved in reaching unchurched Americans. His findings will surprise many Christians--including many pastors--and offer vital insights as the church looks forward into the twenty-first century.
The Unchurched Next Door represents a massive research project based in a national survey. From the onset, Rainer was determined to force Christians to look at the unchurched all around them. "Most of the unchurched are your neighbors, your coworkers whom you know well, and even your family members," he explains. "That is why we call them 'the unchurched next door.' They have much in common with us. Many of them have your moral values. Most are not antichurch or antireligion. They are very much like you--except that they are lost without Christ."
After interviewing thousands of unchurched Americans, the Rainer research team looked for patterns in the profiles. Based on the results, Rainer suggested five different levels of responsiveness to the gospel. "U1" identifies unchurched Americans who are highly receptive to hearing and believing the good news. They know something about Christianity, and have a positive attitude toward the church. "U2" individuals are receptive to the gospel and willing to hear a message from the church. Those categorized as "U3" are identified as neutral, "with no clear signs of being interested, yet perhaps open to discussion." The "U4" group demonstrates resistance to the gospel but no antagonism. The most unresponsive group in the population is identified as "U5" The most secular Americans are "highly antagonistic and even hostile to the gospel."
Given the contours of post-Christian America, many believers would assume that the U5 category would include a large number of our fellow citizens. That assumption is not sustained by the facts. Rainer's research indicates that the U5 category fits only about five percent of the American population. Most unchurched Americans are grouped in the central three categories. Those already friendly to the church, the U1s, comprise eleven percent of the population, serving as something of a bookend to the U5s.
The majority of the unchurched fit the middle categories, with 27% listed as U2, 36% as U3, and 21% as U4. As Rainer summarizes, "Most of the unchurched are not antichurch or anti-Christian." By and large, they have had little contact with Christianity, and are not highly motivated when it comes to issues of faith and belief.
In reviewing the research, Rainer and his team came to some surprising conclusions. First of all, most Americans have never been invited to church--never. Yet, 82% indicated that they would be at least "somewhat likely" to attend church if invited. As Rainer comments, "Only twenty-one percent of active church goers invite anyone to church in the course of a year. But only two percent of church members invite an unchurched person to church." He concludes: "Perhaps the evangelistic apathy so evident in so many of our churches can be explained by a simple laziness on the part of church members in inviting others to church."
One of the most devastating insights drawn from the research is the fact that most unchurched Americans feel themselves safe from the evangelistic reach of believing Christians. They do not sense that Christians are seeking actively to share the gospel with them, and many nonbelievers are actually wondering what makes Christians so reticent to talk about their faith. Furthermore, most of the unchurched indicate that their Christian friends have little actual influence on their lives.
The withdrawal of men from participation in many churches has led a good many researchers to believe that men are most highly resistant to the gospel. This is also born out by a great deal of experience in local churches. Nevertheless, Rainer's research indicates that most men are grouped in the middle categories, and show relatively low levels of interest in the gospel--either positive or negative. Indeed, this research indicates that unchurched Americans classified in U5--the most antagonistic category--are more likely to be women. As a matter of fact, women tended to predominate in both U1 and U5, perhaps indicating that women are more likely to place a high value on the issue of faith, and thus tend to be more passionately Christian or secular.
Unsurprisingly, Rainer also discovered that the U5s tend to be more highly educated, more wealthy, and more condescending toward the Bible than other Americans. This group is marked by an anti-supernatural bias combined with a secular lifestyle. One woman interviewed for the project said simply, "I have no need for the Bible. The Bible was written for very simple people. It was written to give moral and ethical guidance to uneducated people".
The Unchurched Next Door is a serious look at a serious problem. The undeniable fact is that America's churches are falling behind in the challenge of evangelism. The best data available indicate that the percentage of the population active in Christian churches has failed to grow in even a single metropolitan area in the United States over the last twenty years. More to the point, churches have failed to grow even at a pace that would equal the growth of the population in general. America is being transformed into a secular society at a pace that would shock most Christians--if they ever cared to look.
Thom Rainer is a specialist in church growth, and he clearly wants to help churches to grow--both numerically and spiritually. At the same time, however, he wants to make certain that it is the church that grows, not merely a crowd or voluntary associciation. He is a powerful advocate for expository preaching and clear Gospel proclamation.
For that reason, he gives serious attention to theological issues at stake. Specifically, Rainer identifies a creeping inclusivism in the pews, combined with a growing disbelief in Hell among the public, as sources of evangelistic malaise.
Inclusivism, the belief that personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is not fundamentally necessary for salvation, has been growing among some Christians for decades. Driven first by liberal theologians who intentionally sought to redefine the faith, inclusivism now fits the cultural mood, and allows Christians to claim simultaneously to be believers in Christ and to deny the gospel.
As Rainer claims, "belief in inclusivism goes completely against the teaching of Christ and Scripture. The Bible teaches exclusivism, the belief that explicit faith in Christ is the only way of salvation." The impact of creeping inclusivism is obvious. "Why should one go to the trouble of sharing Christ when that person can be saved without placing explicit faith in Christ? Why waste your time?"
The denial of Hell is another issue that diminishes concern for evangelism. The denial or redefinition of Hell is now found among many who claim to be Christians, and Hell has disappeared almost entirely from the public consciousness of the nation. Today's Christians should note that Jesus himself was bold to warn sinners that they should fear Hell and understand its very real and pressing threat. Far too many Christians see Hell as an embarrassment rather than as a motivation for sharing the gospel.
Most helpfully, Rainer points to an array of evangelistic touch points that Christians should seize for the cause of the gospel. After all, most of these unchurched Americans are living all around us. Their children play with our children on the playground; Christians and non-Christians work together in the business world; and we all live in neighborhoods filled with persons who desperately need to hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
A simple conversation with our neighbors will help to reveal their own disposition toward the church and the Gospel. Nevertheless, we should not assume that one who fits the U5 category is further from the reach of the gospel than those who seem to fit U1. The fact is that every single unbeliever is united in an absolute and unconditional need for the gospel. Furthermore, there is a basic antagonism between belief and unbelief.
We cannot predict who will respond to the Gospel. Often, those who appear most likely to respond never do so. At the same time, many of those who are most antagonistic to the church and to the gospel, do come to Christ. This is an important reminder to us that every single conversion is a miracle of God.
The Unchurched Next Door will prompt much thought and should move every thoughtful Christian toward greater faithfulness in evangelism. This book will also help us to understand our unchurched neighbors. Who are they? "They are the unchurched next door. They are your friends, your neighbors, your classmates, your coworkers, your merchants, your acquaintances, and your family members. They need Christ. And they are waiting to hear from you." What are we waiting for?
End Note:
R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. This commentary is reprinted with permission. For more articles and resources from Dr. Mohler go to www.AlbertMohler.com.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
When is the best time to have a Devotional?
Before answering this question, we are wise to examine some relevant biblical data. You see, as I often like to say, what we want or believe is usually, just the opposite too what the Bible says. My point being, that we should just not say what we think, or what we have heard, but what we know the Bible teaches. Alright, that’s enough preaching.
The Bible records that Jesus prayed early in the morning on at least one occasion (Mark 1:35), and it may have been His regular habit. Acts 10:9 mentions a situation in which Peter prayed at about noon (“sixth hour”). “Toward evening” Isaac went out in the field “to meditate” (Gen. 24:63). Before Christ chose the twelve apostles, He “went off to a mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12). Wow, when was the last time you did that – or have you ever? Again, Daniel, like David, prayed three times a day (Dan. 6:10–11).
Therefore Scripture does not indicate a best time for devotions in the twenty-four-hour cycle. And some of these instances may not refer to a daily prayer practice. For example, Jesus did not spend every night in prayer. So God gives us freedom—and we should give other people the same freedom—to choose the best time for daily devotions. There will even be days that we don’t do a “daily” devotion – ahhh! I’m just telling you from my own experience, and when I was in the Army running around in the jungles of South America, I can tell you I didn’t have a “daily” devotion as we might define it.
Anyway, individuals have differences in their biological clocks, which may also influence one’s choice of time for daily devotions. Some Christians are “morning persons” (that’s me & my wife and kids never have gotten used to it); we are wide awake when we first arise and we function well in early morning hours. Others are like owls; they are more energetic and alert in the evening than during the day. Wise Christians will choose the time of day for devotions when they are most alert, undistracted, and free from their work schedule. Therefore you should give God the best time feasible in your daily schedule for your daily devotions. If you try to squeeze devotions into your leftover time, you probably will have little or no time at all, or it will be a poor time. Besides, I believe that you would agree that He deserves our very best and not leftovers.
Biblical examples also give believers the option to have two or more special times with the Lord each day. These more frequent times would normally be briefer periods than a single period for a daily devotional. Meeting with the Lord several times each day could be the best arrangement for a person with a heavy administrative schedule such as Daniel evidently had. A busy executive might desire to seek the Lord several times a day about decisions, problems, and difficult relationships. These special times with the Lord can recharge a person spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically, resulting in more effective Christian living and growth. I personally would spend a portion of my lunch time to not only pray and thank the Lord for the food, but also took that time to praise Him being an awesome God, confess where I have failed Him in my work, pray for others that I worked with, my own needs, and to thank Him for all that He has done for me and for providing me a good job.
Christians who do not have their devotional time early in the morning should still take time to commit themselves, their family, and their daily activities to the Lord before they begin the day. I also use an early morning period to review Bible memory verses, which seems to get harder to do as the years go by, but also it’s to meditate on the truths reviewed. Then in the late afternoon or early evening folks will have their Bible reading, prayer, and other devotional activities. I would also encourage you to have a brief time of prayer together as husband and wife to acknowledge the Lord in praise and worship, to take your major concerns to Him, and to seek His blessing on your lives and activities for the day.
Each Christian needs to determine the best time to set aside each day for devotions and then follow that schedule. Emergency adjustments in the schedule for devotions are understandable. We should not consider lapses in our devotional practice as final failures since God can restore us and our devotional time to even greater success. Nevertheless we should aim for consistency, which tends to produce more consistency, while inconsistency in daily devotions tends to reinforce the habit of inconsistency. A sporadic approach to devotions usually produces sporadic results just as sporadic eating and working are not generally healthy and productive approaches. Serious athletes seldom use an irregular training schedule for their special sport if they hope to attain excellence and keep improving their athletic skills. And pursuing sanctification is like an athletic contest that demands our utmost effort (1 Cor. 9:24–27; Phil. 3:13–14; Heb. 12:1–3). So we can be encouraged that our devotional time can constantly improve so that it becomes the high point of our day and not an irksome task to endure.
So what is the best time for you? When are you going to do it? I didn’t hear you, you were mumbling something about doing something about it later.
The Bible records that Jesus prayed early in the morning on at least one occasion (Mark 1:35), and it may have been His regular habit. Acts 10:9 mentions a situation in which Peter prayed at about noon (“sixth hour”). “Toward evening” Isaac went out in the field “to meditate” (Gen. 24:63). Before Christ chose the twelve apostles, He “went off to a mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12). Wow, when was the last time you did that – or have you ever? Again, Daniel, like David, prayed three times a day (Dan. 6:10–11).
Therefore Scripture does not indicate a best time for devotions in the twenty-four-hour cycle. And some of these instances may not refer to a daily prayer practice. For example, Jesus did not spend every night in prayer. So God gives us freedom—and we should give other people the same freedom—to choose the best time for daily devotions. There will even be days that we don’t do a “daily” devotion – ahhh! I’m just telling you from my own experience, and when I was in the Army running around in the jungles of South America, I can tell you I didn’t have a “daily” devotion as we might define it.
Anyway, individuals have differences in their biological clocks, which may also influence one’s choice of time for daily devotions. Some Christians are “morning persons” (that’s me & my wife and kids never have gotten used to it); we are wide awake when we first arise and we function well in early morning hours. Others are like owls; they are more energetic and alert in the evening than during the day. Wise Christians will choose the time of day for devotions when they are most alert, undistracted, and free from their work schedule. Therefore you should give God the best time feasible in your daily schedule for your daily devotions. If you try to squeeze devotions into your leftover time, you probably will have little or no time at all, or it will be a poor time. Besides, I believe that you would agree that He deserves our very best and not leftovers.
Biblical examples also give believers the option to have two or more special times with the Lord each day. These more frequent times would normally be briefer periods than a single period for a daily devotional. Meeting with the Lord several times each day could be the best arrangement for a person with a heavy administrative schedule such as Daniel evidently had. A busy executive might desire to seek the Lord several times a day about decisions, problems, and difficult relationships. These special times with the Lord can recharge a person spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically, resulting in more effective Christian living and growth. I personally would spend a portion of my lunch time to not only pray and thank the Lord for the food, but also took that time to praise Him being an awesome God, confess where I have failed Him in my work, pray for others that I worked with, my own needs, and to thank Him for all that He has done for me and for providing me a good job.
Christians who do not have their devotional time early in the morning should still take time to commit themselves, their family, and their daily activities to the Lord before they begin the day. I also use an early morning period to review Bible memory verses, which seems to get harder to do as the years go by, but also it’s to meditate on the truths reviewed. Then in the late afternoon or early evening folks will have their Bible reading, prayer, and other devotional activities. I would also encourage you to have a brief time of prayer together as husband and wife to acknowledge the Lord in praise and worship, to take your major concerns to Him, and to seek His blessing on your lives and activities for the day.
Each Christian needs to determine the best time to set aside each day for devotions and then follow that schedule. Emergency adjustments in the schedule for devotions are understandable. We should not consider lapses in our devotional practice as final failures since God can restore us and our devotional time to even greater success. Nevertheless we should aim for consistency, which tends to produce more consistency, while inconsistency in daily devotions tends to reinforce the habit of inconsistency. A sporadic approach to devotions usually produces sporadic results just as sporadic eating and working are not generally healthy and productive approaches. Serious athletes seldom use an irregular training schedule for their special sport if they hope to attain excellence and keep improving their athletic skills. And pursuing sanctification is like an athletic contest that demands our utmost effort (1 Cor. 9:24–27; Phil. 3:13–14; Heb. 12:1–3). So we can be encouraged that our devotional time can constantly improve so that it becomes the high point of our day and not an irksome task to endure.
So what is the best time for you? When are you going to do it? I didn’t hear you, you were mumbling something about doing something about it later.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Why have a Daily Devotion?
Scripture does not explicitly say we must practice daily devotions, but the Scriptures are replete with instances where it suggests the wisdom and value of this practice. In our church, we post right in the front of the church how many people from the prior week were daily Bible readers. Unfortunately, it hovers only around 25% of the total attendance. My concern is if we are not in the Word the Word is not in us, and we will be unable to be the followers (imitators) of the Lord, and won't have the mind of Christ, nor the power to stand fast in the Lord when faced with the many issues of life. Thus, the answers to the following questions should not be difficult to answer:
Are we not to have the mind of Christ? Are we not to be renewed in the mind? Isn’t the battle that we have each day for our minds? Is our view biblical or a world view? How do we answer the difficult questions in life?
Hence, by spending special times of undistracted attention in God’s presence, we hear Him and fellowship with Him (Ps. 27:8; 46:10). We cannot love God and develop our relationship to Him more than we know Him. And we get to know Him more through focused attention in a daily devotional time.
The broadest and the most basic reason why we should have daily devotions is because God seeks fellowship with believers, and this truth starts in the early chapters of Genesis and continues in Scripture through the Book of Revelation (for example, Gen. 3:8; Ps. 27:8; 42:1–2; 63:1–8; John 1:14; 4:23–24; 1 Cor. 1:9; Rev. 3:20). STOP. Don’t read any further until you read those texts verses. It’s not what I say that’s going to have an effect, but what the Word says, so don’t pass by the Scriptures. You see one of our problems in the 21st Century here in America is we’re too accustomed to fast food and getting something for nothing. Not so, in our time we must spend with our Lord. If you have read those verses, you see that it is understandable that human creatures should seek fellowship with their Creator. However, that the holy Creator should seek reconciliation and fellowship with human beings is amazing, particularly after the fall of the human race. We serve an awesome God, who is mindful of us. In other words, His mind is full of thoughts toward you and I continuously. Take a look at Ps 4:5, a verse I have on my daily prayer journal that I read just about every day. It’s that good.
Two more specific reasons why we need daily devotions relate to communication between God and His people.
First, we need a scheduled time each day to read, study, memorize, meditate on, listen to, and apply Scripture. God has spoken to us in Scripture, and if we want to know what He has said, we must search Scripture with receptive and expectant hearts. Don’t pass by what was just stated there – receptive and expectant hearts. It’s not something we do just to do and check off on our task lists, so we can feel good about ourselves. Believers should respond to the Bible as a dry sponge responds when it contacts liquid. We should passionately (pathos) soak up Scripture and let it saturate our minds and souls. Passages such as Joshua 1:8; Job 23:12; Psalms 19:7–14; 119:97–104; Matthew 4:4 Hebrews 5:12–14; and 1 Peter 2:2 show the vital necessity of God’s Word. As it is clearly seen in these verses, daily devotions should include a time for serious intake and application of Scripture. Paul exhorted Christians, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.” (Col. 3:16).
Secondly, we need a scheduled time each day for worship, prayer, and fellowship with God. God speaks to us through His Word, and He desires us to respond to Him through prayer. Scripture reveals many godly persons whose prayers were a vital part of their daily practice.
David mentioned the practice of praying to the Lord three times a day (Ps. 55:16–17), and this was also Daniel’s practice (Dan. 6:10–11). Daniel’s times of prayer were more important to him than life itself (6:12). Christ evidently prayed frequently and also practiced continual and perfect communion with the Father (Mark 1:35; John 8:29). Paul repeatedly prayed, especially for believers in various churches (for example, Phil. 1:3–4; Col. 1:3; 1 Thess. 1:2–3), and his times of prayer must have occurred at least daily.
Can you imagine if churches would get serious about spending a devotional time with Him, and what God would and could do through people that are faithful to His word and lead in their daily lives by the principles of God’s word that they have hidden in their hearts?
Bibliography:
Charles R. Swindoll and Roy B. Zuck, Understanding Christian Theology (Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003), 1069.
Stephen D. Eyre, Drawing Close to God : The Essentials of a Dynamic Quiet Time : A Lifeguide Resource (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1997).
First Steps in the Christian Faith., Revised 1984, 1993, 2004 (Moody Bible Institute: Chicago, IL, 1957).
Are we not to have the mind of Christ? Are we not to be renewed in the mind? Isn’t the battle that we have each day for our minds? Is our view biblical or a world view? How do we answer the difficult questions in life?
Hence, by spending special times of undistracted attention in God’s presence, we hear Him and fellowship with Him (Ps. 27:8; 46:10). We cannot love God and develop our relationship to Him more than we know Him. And we get to know Him more through focused attention in a daily devotional time.
The broadest and the most basic reason why we should have daily devotions is because God seeks fellowship with believers, and this truth starts in the early chapters of Genesis and continues in Scripture through the Book of Revelation (for example, Gen. 3:8; Ps. 27:8; 42:1–2; 63:1–8; John 1:14; 4:23–24; 1 Cor. 1:9; Rev. 3:20). STOP. Don’t read any further until you read those texts verses. It’s not what I say that’s going to have an effect, but what the Word says, so don’t pass by the Scriptures. You see one of our problems in the 21st Century here in America is we’re too accustomed to fast food and getting something for nothing. Not so, in our time we must spend with our Lord. If you have read those verses, you see that it is understandable that human creatures should seek fellowship with their Creator. However, that the holy Creator should seek reconciliation and fellowship with human beings is amazing, particularly after the fall of the human race. We serve an awesome God, who is mindful of us. In other words, His mind is full of thoughts toward you and I continuously. Take a look at Ps 4:5, a verse I have on my daily prayer journal that I read just about every day. It’s that good.
Two more specific reasons why we need daily devotions relate to communication between God and His people.
First, we need a scheduled time each day to read, study, memorize, meditate on, listen to, and apply Scripture. God has spoken to us in Scripture, and if we want to know what He has said, we must search Scripture with receptive and expectant hearts. Don’t pass by what was just stated there – receptive and expectant hearts. It’s not something we do just to do and check off on our task lists, so we can feel good about ourselves. Believers should respond to the Bible as a dry sponge responds when it contacts liquid. We should passionately (pathos) soak up Scripture and let it saturate our minds and souls. Passages such as Joshua 1:8; Job 23:12; Psalms 19:7–14; 119:97–104; Matthew 4:4 Hebrews 5:12–14; and 1 Peter 2:2 show the vital necessity of God’s Word. As it is clearly seen in these verses, daily devotions should include a time for serious intake and application of Scripture. Paul exhorted Christians, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.” (Col. 3:16).
Secondly, we need a scheduled time each day for worship, prayer, and fellowship with God. God speaks to us through His Word, and He desires us to respond to Him through prayer. Scripture reveals many godly persons whose prayers were a vital part of their daily practice.
David mentioned the practice of praying to the Lord three times a day (Ps. 55:16–17), and this was also Daniel’s practice (Dan. 6:10–11). Daniel’s times of prayer were more important to him than life itself (6:12). Christ evidently prayed frequently and also practiced continual and perfect communion with the Father (Mark 1:35; John 8:29). Paul repeatedly prayed, especially for believers in various churches (for example, Phil. 1:3–4; Col. 1:3; 1 Thess. 1:2–3), and his times of prayer must have occurred at least daily.
Can you imagine if churches would get serious about spending a devotional time with Him, and what God would and could do through people that are faithful to His word and lead in their daily lives by the principles of God’s word that they have hidden in their hearts?
Bibliography:
Charles R. Swindoll and Roy B. Zuck, Understanding Christian Theology (Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003), 1069.
Stephen D. Eyre, Drawing Close to God : The Essentials of a Dynamic Quiet Time : A Lifeguide Resource (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1997).
First Steps in the Christian Faith., Revised 1984, 1993, 2004 (Moody Bible Institute: Chicago, IL, 1957).
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
What is a Devotion?
I'm getting ready to teach what we call at our church 1st CLASS, which is a church information class used to introduce people to our church. My goal in teaching the class is to "level the playing field" so to speak. The good old USA isn't so good anymore. In other words, we can't assume anymore that people have a basic knowledge of Christianity and the role and function of the local New Testament church.
Because of this, I wanted a class that would explain our basic orthodoxy - what we believe and in conjunction with that our orthopraxy - what we do or how we practice what we believe. Not only do I want to tell them what we believe and what we do, but in addition, I want to give them some basic tools. So, as I was doing my daily devotions this morning, I got to thinking how many people don't have a daily devotion. Something that is crucial in our relationship with our Lord, and yet most in the church today don't do them, and so I began to ask myself why is this. I believe one reason is people really don't know what a devotion time is and have never been taught how to have one. With that in mind, I'm going to launch out and try to define it and give practical ways in how a person can have one. Of course, there are going to be many different techniques that are good, and I believe the important thing to do is to just START.
So what is it? Daily devotional time is a regularly scheduled period in each twenty-four-hour cycle for undistracted personal response to the Lord and nurture of our spiritual relationship to Him. This practice is also known as a daily quiet time or simply daily devotions.
Two or more persons may have devotions together, such as Christian parents leading their children in devotions or a gathering of several Christians for a devotional time. However, here we are emphasizing personal daily devotions as a private time of fellowship with God.
The personal devotional time is not primarily academic Bible study or preparation of spiritual truths to share with others. This is where many pastors and even Sunday school teachers go astray and count their study time as their devotional time. Remember, Christianity is a relationship and devotions, in my mind, is time that I hang out with the God of the universe. What an incredible humbling thought, that God greatly desires just to spend some time with Him to talk and listen. Thus, this is a special time focused on intimate fellowship with the Lord.
Our personal response to the Lord and nurture of our spiritual life during devotions should be empowered by the Spirit and directed by Scripture so that our devotional time is dynamic, spontaneous, and properly controlled rather than dull and rigid. Consequently, Christians should not take a legalistic approach to their daily devotions. Neither should they try to impose a daily devotional time on others or require a strict format for personal devotions. Legalism makes a daily devotional time dead and discouraging rather than attractive, vital, and spiritually uplifting. Furthermore, legalism can mislead people by causing them to measure and compare each other’s spirituality by the length or other characteristics of their devotions. This is why as a pastor, I don’t usually share with people exactly what I do, but to give them many options and to encourage them to find out what works for them.
We should also avoid judging others’ preferences concerning the best time, place, length, and contents for personal devotions so long as one’s devotional practices are within biblical bounds. Our daily devotional time must be handled within a context of grace.
Nor should we call just any type of Christian practice a successful daily devotional time. One of the worst excuses for a devotional time I ever heard was this: “I have my devotions by reading the Christian bumper stickers during my daily driving.” Many so-called Christian bumper stickers are biblically inaccurate, and the rest hardly give the reader even a spoonful of spiritual skim milk. Not to get away from what we’re talking about, but I also would encourage people to keep “Christian” bumper stickers off their cars. Okay, back to the subject at hand – devos.
Others claim that since they “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17) they do not need a specific devotional time. To commune constantly with God and to send a continual stream of prayer requests to heaven is wonderful. But this does not substitute for a daily devotional time. Believers can pray without ceasing while driving a vehicle, doing housework, or tending their lawn. But they cannot give undistracted attention to the Lord while doing these other activities. Suppose I tell my wife I am going to spend some quality time with her by thinking pleasant thoughts of her and saying endearing things to her while I mow the lawn. She may appreciate my pleasant thoughts and endearing words, but she will hardly think this practice can replace quality time when I focus just on her and our relationship. Likewise, a quality devotional time with the Lord must include our undistracted personal response to Him.
Well, we’ve covered what a devotion or quiet time is not, next blog, we’ll look at why we should have one. By the way, I mentioned the key is to start. So while I’m writing on the subject, I would highly suggest to begin now with a pre-packaged devotion. There are many out there on the market and many more that are free on the internet. A good one can be found at: DavidJeremiah.org. It’s free and you can subscribe and have it delivered to you every day via email and also to your blackberry, iphone, and many other devices.
Because of this, I wanted a class that would explain our basic orthodoxy - what we believe and in conjunction with that our orthopraxy - what we do or how we practice what we believe. Not only do I want to tell them what we believe and what we do, but in addition, I want to give them some basic tools. So, as I was doing my daily devotions this morning, I got to thinking how many people don't have a daily devotion. Something that is crucial in our relationship with our Lord, and yet most in the church today don't do them, and so I began to ask myself why is this. I believe one reason is people really don't know what a devotion time is and have never been taught how to have one. With that in mind, I'm going to launch out and try to define it and give practical ways in how a person can have one. Of course, there are going to be many different techniques that are good, and I believe the important thing to do is to just START.
So what is it? Daily devotional time is a regularly scheduled period in each twenty-four-hour cycle for undistracted personal response to the Lord and nurture of our spiritual relationship to Him. This practice is also known as a daily quiet time or simply daily devotions.
Two or more persons may have devotions together, such as Christian parents leading their children in devotions or a gathering of several Christians for a devotional time. However, here we are emphasizing personal daily devotions as a private time of fellowship with God.
The personal devotional time is not primarily academic Bible study or preparation of spiritual truths to share with others. This is where many pastors and even Sunday school teachers go astray and count their study time as their devotional time. Remember, Christianity is a relationship and devotions, in my mind, is time that I hang out with the God of the universe. What an incredible humbling thought, that God greatly desires just to spend some time with Him to talk and listen. Thus, this is a special time focused on intimate fellowship with the Lord.
Our personal response to the Lord and nurture of our spiritual life during devotions should be empowered by the Spirit and directed by Scripture so that our devotional time is dynamic, spontaneous, and properly controlled rather than dull and rigid. Consequently, Christians should not take a legalistic approach to their daily devotions. Neither should they try to impose a daily devotional time on others or require a strict format for personal devotions. Legalism makes a daily devotional time dead and discouraging rather than attractive, vital, and spiritually uplifting. Furthermore, legalism can mislead people by causing them to measure and compare each other’s spirituality by the length or other characteristics of their devotions. This is why as a pastor, I don’t usually share with people exactly what I do, but to give them many options and to encourage them to find out what works for them.
We should also avoid judging others’ preferences concerning the best time, place, length, and contents for personal devotions so long as one’s devotional practices are within biblical bounds. Our daily devotional time must be handled within a context of grace.
Nor should we call just any type of Christian practice a successful daily devotional time. One of the worst excuses for a devotional time I ever heard was this: “I have my devotions by reading the Christian bumper stickers during my daily driving.” Many so-called Christian bumper stickers are biblically inaccurate, and the rest hardly give the reader even a spoonful of spiritual skim milk. Not to get away from what we’re talking about, but I also would encourage people to keep “Christian” bumper stickers off their cars. Okay, back to the subject at hand – devos.
Others claim that since they “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17) they do not need a specific devotional time. To commune constantly with God and to send a continual stream of prayer requests to heaven is wonderful. But this does not substitute for a daily devotional time. Believers can pray without ceasing while driving a vehicle, doing housework, or tending their lawn. But they cannot give undistracted attention to the Lord while doing these other activities. Suppose I tell my wife I am going to spend some quality time with her by thinking pleasant thoughts of her and saying endearing things to her while I mow the lawn. She may appreciate my pleasant thoughts and endearing words, but she will hardly think this practice can replace quality time when I focus just on her and our relationship. Likewise, a quality devotional time with the Lord must include our undistracted personal response to Him.
Well, we’ve covered what a devotion or quiet time is not, next blog, we’ll look at why we should have one. By the way, I mentioned the key is to start. So while I’m writing on the subject, I would highly suggest to begin now with a pre-packaged devotion. There are many out there on the market and many more that are free on the internet. A good one can be found at: DavidJeremiah.org. It’s free and you can subscribe and have it delivered to you every day via email and also to your blackberry, iphone, and many other devices.
Friday, April 16, 2010
The Image of God in Man
In his article The Image of God in Man, Gordon Clark gives Scriptural bases, secular opposition, theological diversity, but the majority of his article is devoted to the doctrinal aspects of the image of God. The importance, he states, of this doctrine is emphasized in its implications with the whole system of theology especially to key doctrines such as sin, atonement, sanctification, and glorification.
He states that man is not a dual image as many theologians believed because of the occurrence of sin and that a “part” of man was somehow lost. He then goes on and states the severity of sin, however, is supported in both the Old Testament and the New Testament and that it is impossible for the unregenerate man to please God. Yet this is the very reason he states that man is made in God’s image because sinning presupposes rationality and therefore the image of God is reason.
Without reason, man would be no different than that of animals, stars, or rocks, which do not have what the Bible calls eternal life. Eternal life is to know the only true God, and knowledge is an exercise of the mind or what is known as reason. He also states that men were created with the light of logic as a distinctive human characteristic. That light as stated in John 1:9 is the redemptive work of Christ. For this reason, the fall and its effects are that of the heart or mind. Sin then does not take away the image of God but causes it to malfunction. This brings us to the doctrine of regeneration and sanctification which corrects the malfunction caused by sin. The person becomes a new person in Christ and is given His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Man then begins to evaluate and conform to God’s precepts and this will continue to improve his thinking in all matters.
In conclusion, the image of God is determined by mankind's ability to reason. Sin therefore requires God's image because man is responsible for his sins. If man was not responsible and answerable for sin, repentance would not be needed. Salvation is what enables us to reverse the effects of sin and begins the process of sanctification or conforming to the image of Christ and also fulfills the purpose of glorifying God.
Bibliography
Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society The Image of God in Man 12-04 p. 215-222 @ 2006, ATLA Serials files
He states that man is not a dual image as many theologians believed because of the occurrence of sin and that a “part” of man was somehow lost. He then goes on and states the severity of sin, however, is supported in both the Old Testament and the New Testament and that it is impossible for the unregenerate man to please God. Yet this is the very reason he states that man is made in God’s image because sinning presupposes rationality and therefore the image of God is reason.
Without reason, man would be no different than that of animals, stars, or rocks, which do not have what the Bible calls eternal life. Eternal life is to know the only true God, and knowledge is an exercise of the mind or what is known as reason. He also states that men were created with the light of logic as a distinctive human characteristic. That light as stated in John 1:9 is the redemptive work of Christ. For this reason, the fall and its effects are that of the heart or mind. Sin then does not take away the image of God but causes it to malfunction. This brings us to the doctrine of regeneration and sanctification which corrects the malfunction caused by sin. The person becomes a new person in Christ and is given His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Man then begins to evaluate and conform to God’s precepts and this will continue to improve his thinking in all matters.
In conclusion, the image of God is determined by mankind's ability to reason. Sin therefore requires God's image because man is responsible for his sins. If man was not responsible and answerable for sin, repentance would not be needed. Salvation is what enables us to reverse the effects of sin and begins the process of sanctification or conforming to the image of Christ and also fulfills the purpose of glorifying God.
Bibliography
Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society The Image of God in Man 12-04 p. 215-222 @ 2006, ATLA Serials files
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