Empathy

Romans 12:15

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”

Do I rejoice with those who rejoice because I celebrate with them in their joyous occasions, and do I weep with those who weep because it pains me to see them in sorrow? Or, do I do my best to put on the mask of empathy or delight because I know that’s what they need or desire?

One cannot manufacture these emotions but can only genuinely experience them if the Holy Spirit cures the heart of the symptoms  of a prideful, callous heart (from John Piper’s – “Live Peaceable with All if Possible” – 2.14.05 sermon)

1. We are too wrapped up in ourselves to rejoice or weep with others. We are so self-oriented that what is happening in the hearts of others has no effect on us.
2. We are hypercritical and our main reaction when we see emotion is to analyze it and point out its distortions or excesses or bad tendencies or shallow roots. So our hypercritical analytical heart keeps us emotionally at a distance and prevents our hearts from empathy with others.
3. We are resentful or envious they have joy and we don’t. We feel gypped, passed over, given a raw deal. So envy makes it impossible for us to rejoice in their joy.
4. We are simply the kind of personality that doesn’t have a discernable emotional life. We don’t rejoice or weep over anything. And so we don’t weep or rejoice with others. It may be owing to parents. Or to a traumatic experience. Or to some physical condition.
5. We may be depressed and temporarily numb in our own emotions.

Safe Prayer Requests

We should definitely be praying for these things but sometimes I wonder why these are the only requests I hear, and the ones I tend to ask for in my own life.

• Improved disciplines, battle laziness.
• Health (your own or friends/family)
• Salvation of others (friends, family, coworkers, strangers): do we share about these situations so that we can let others know that we’re actively working on evangelism?
• Employment
• Uncertainty of future (anxiety, stress)
• Relationships (significant other, roommates, coworkers, family): We pray for improvement in being patient with each other and loving one another. “Love others even when it’s hard to love them.”

Again, it’s not that these things aren’t important, it’s just that they’ve become these prepackaged prayer requests that are safe to share in small groups, ministry meetings, and even discipleship settings.

They are:

• Deep enough to reveal some of your sin
• Impersonal enough to not get too involved
• “Respectable” enough to not feel judged by others
• Actually ways we can even make ourselves look good.

I understand that it also depends on the relationship and that we should use discernment in how much we share. But if these are the only ones we share to everyone, there might be problem.

Another thing that crossed my mind is that I hear these requests a lot because the majority of my friendships are shallow. That’s not a plea for deeper friendships. It’s just an observation.

Matt Chandler

“Some of you are absolutely controlled by morally-neutral things.”

Matt Chandler then followed with this example.

“For you to be emotionally affected by whether or not a twenty-one year old boy catches or doesn’t catch a ball, makes you immature, and maybe in the eternal realm, a fool. So it’s a weird thing that we have men of God that don’t get torn up emotionally about the things of God, but they do about their basketball team.”

Let us pinpoint any morally-neutral thing that hinders us on this race, and throw it away. Hebrews 12

Earlier today, Mark Driscoll tweeted that Chandler had suffered from a seizure today and was rushed to the hospital. Doctors soon found out that he has a small mass on his frontal lobe. It must be no coincidence that I’ve heard of several faithful pastors suffering from unexpected health complications this year. Yet each of them has been able to see God magnified even more despite their trials. In the end, their flocks are encouraged and better prepared to face obstacles in their own lives. It’s not easy to say that God would ordain even these horrible things to happen but I think there is evidence that the only proper way to understand why bad things happen is through the Christian worldview. The crushing of the Son being the ultimate example.

It is so fitting that the following verse in Hebrews 12 would be:

“looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God”

Prosperity

This stuck out to me while listening to this Q/A session with Piper. Here are some thoughts…

When we hear “prosperity gospel” we often think of names such as Joel Osteen or TD Jakes.
What happens when we equate a message to a person and demonize the messenger is that it becomes an issue with the person rather than the principle. Don’t get me wrong, I believe the prosperity gospel is a lie and unbiblical. However, I think we’re not above it. RC Sproul once said that everybody believes in the prosperity gospel and you can tell by the fact that as soon as you take away some benefit, we get mad. You take away our health, job, or comfort, and we begin to complain.

Before we criticize public figures, let us search our hearts to find that this improper thinking might have spread further and deeper than we thought.

Wordle.net

-My Testimony

T-ulip

This line got my attention today during my daily blog surfing.

“It is easy to see this doctrine [of total depravity] as one that is terribly depressing and deflating, but when we properly understand depravity I think we can also find it very liberating. It gives us cause to praise God for His grace.” – Tim Challies

Some might say that we need to look past this and celebrate in God’s grace. For sure, it isn’t easy talking about something that humbles us and convicts us of our wickedness to the core. But how can we ignore this doctrine when it’s in the Word (e.g. Ephesians 2)? Who needs grace if there’s no real need for a Savior?

But like Mr. Challies said, the doctrine of total depravity does not only reveal our sinfulness but magnifies the Savior. For God, being rich in mercy, made us alive while we were dead in our trespasses. It truly is by his sovereign grace.

Today, this girl asked me how I knew Christianity wasn’t just another man-made religion that’s out there. Without getting into all the apologetics, I told her that if you study the Gospel message and look at your life in light of it, you’ll soon realize how crazy it is. No man could have thought of this. From the world’s point of view, the Gospel message just doesn’t make sense.

As you examine it more, you see how it brings together all these aspects, such as God’s character (holiness, love, and justice), creation, and sinful man, to fit perfectly. One area is not compromised to allow for the other, but all are full blown/active. Yet, while it’s so complex, it’s actually pretty simple.

However, I do not have saving knowledge of the Gospel because I had the innate ability to choose God or seek after the good news, but by the work of the Holy Spirit and the grace of the Father. I pray that God would do the same in the life of Alisha.

Treasure stored in jars of clay…

“In short: We have the gospel with its light-giving power. Now the encouragement is this: “We have this treasure in jars of clay.” Jars of clay is a reference to us. We are the jars of clay. That is, compared to the treasure that is in us, we are clay. We are not gold. The gospel is gold.

This means that if you feel average or below average in your fitness to share the gospel treasure, you are closer to the truth than someone who feels powerful and wise and self-sufficient. Paul wants us to realize that we are clay pots. Not gold or silver or crystal. He wants us to realize that from the most sophisticated to the most average, we are all clay pots when it comes to containing and sharing the gospel. It is so valuable and so powerful that any thought of its container being something special is foolish.

So what’s the point of being a clay pot? Back to 2 Corinthians 4:7: “We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” God’s aim is that his own power through the gospel be honored, not us. Which means that if you feel average or less than average in your sense of fitness to tell the gospel, you are the person God is looking for—a clay pot, who simply shares the treasure of the gospel, not the glitzy intellect, not the glitzy eloquence, not the glitzy beauty or strength or cultural cleverness. Then God will do his work through the gospel, and the surpassing power will belong to him and not to us.

Be encouraged, ordinary Christian. You are appointed, precisely in your ordinariness, for the greatest work in the world: showing the Treasure of Christ.”

- John Piper

We are so unworthy of the calling and our work is tainted with sin, yet God chose to involve us in the outreach/evangelism ministry of His Church. If left to ourselves, we would screw it up every time. Yet God, in his love and grace, uses the Church, sustains the Church, and grows the Church. Through it all, may He be glorified.

The Living Word

“The whole doctrine of inerrancy lies upon the foundation of the character of God. If God is true (and He is), then His Word is true, and it is without error…We don’t need to alter Scripture to bring it into harmony with truth; rather we must understand that Scripture needs to change us and the way we live so that we are brought into conformity with the Word of God.”

4 Basic Attacks on Scripture:

Higher Critical Attack: where everything in the Bible is questioned. The Word of God is submitted to the mind of man rather than the other way around.

Cultic Attack: where men add or subtract from the Word of God.

Cultural Attack: Scripture is interpreted through the culture’s lens. Scripture becomes subject to modern science, psychology, history, and culture.

Hypocritical Attack: where one believes and preaches and fights for inerrancy but then treats the Word of God in a shoddy, slipshod, inadequate, halfway manner.

– Richard Mayhue (How to Interpret the Bible for Yourself)

If I believe in the authority, inerrancy, and relevance of the Word, then why don’t I study it more, cherish it more, and share it more??

I have decided to stay Part 2:

2. Fellowship of Believers: This is something that I have grown to really love about the church. It also might have been what initially kept me at Lighthouse when I was a newcomer.

When you visit the church, you see a congregation made up of youth, collegians, single adults, and families. But it’s not just the makeup of the congregation but what goes on within it. The effort people make to get to know each other and the relationships that are formed are so encouraging to see.

Whether it’s going to the movies, eating out, playing sports, or just hanging out it is very easy to say you’re doing it all in the name of fellowship. By simply tacking on that title we think it might be pleasing to God. Of course, I’m not saying these things are bad, but I believe they can all be done in ways that might be God glorifying. Though this is not done perfectly, it’s cool to see many do strive to have this true fellowship. This has been quite a challenge for me.

The other aspect of the fellowship at Lighthouse, and perhaps my favorite, is the discipleship environment you get as older Christians (both in age and maturity) reach out and invest in the lives of younger Christians. As a recent convert, it’s a blessing to have older men at the church who show signs of faithfulness in ministry, wisdom, and love for Christ. It’s one thing to read and hear about godly men and it’s another to see them live it out, personally challenge you, and lead by example. I was once told that you should be discipled or be discipling someone at all times as a Christian. Scriptures show that this is crucial for a healthy church (e.g. Titus 2) as it cultivates spiritual growth in the congregation.

 

 

I have decided to stay…Part 1:

The popular question for graduating seniors is, “So, what are you doing after college?”

After talking to a few people and praying throughout this past quarter, I have decided to stay in San Diego. For now…

A couple years ago, I would have eagerly chosen to go back home in Orange County. The logical choice would be to go back and live with my parents, find a job, spend little, and save a lot. However, things have changed. More importantly, things I value most have changed.

What really tipped the scale in favor of staying was church. Lighthouse has become my home. This is where God saved me and where I grew to love the church. Over the next few days I’ll elaborate on this. Here’s today’s topic.

1. Bible: I can go on for paragraphs on why I appreciate how the church holds a high view of the word, but I’ll try to highlight something that has come to my attention recently.

The leaders of the church have made it clear that the source of truth we have in this world is the Bible. The Bible’s inerrancy, consistency, and relevance in all cultures and times are all taught and held onto. I think the leaders really applied this teaching this year when the church faced very serious and difficult circumstances. The leaders could have easily acted on feelings or secular teachings, but instead they went to God and his word.

When it came time to make decisions, no matter how emotionally, spiritually, and physically drained they may have been, they were confident in their actions. Through much prayer, study of the scriptures, and Biblical counsel from other pastors, they were able to make their decisions with courage. This confidence came from knowing that their decisions were consistent with the Bible so that it might be God glorifying. This confidence did not come from themselves but from God who graciously provided the wisdom through the word.

However this does not mean that the pastors will always make the best decisions in all areas. They are not perfect. But it gives me hope and peace knowing that their deep love for God and His church drives them to invest that kind of time and effort into this ministry. This is serious business and they don’t take it lightly. The Word is their map so to speak and I want to be at a church that clearly exhibits this mentality.