Warren Rachele

Facing Calvary

Lenten Reflections Anno Domini Nostri Iesu Christi 2012

Unlike the anticipation of the Advent season where the focus is on new birth and the manger, Lent leads our thoughts inexorably to the cross. The crucifix often becomes invisible to us when we see jewelry and other decorations fashioned in the cruciform shape. We take for granted that it is situated in a prominent place in our sanctuaries and often fail to register its significance as our eyes survey the space on Sunday mornings. A visitor to one of the grand cathedrals of historic Christianity would be confronted the cross adorning everything at every turn but left to wonder, why the cross? Why has the Savior’s death furnishing become symbolic of the faith of hope?

The answer to this question is simple..and complex. The death of Jesus Christ and His subsequent resurrection are the key elements of the gospel; without them one came preaching good news but left us wondering. Escaping the confinement of the tomb on that first Easter morning dismissed all doubt. Sin had extracted a terrible toll but hope brought a new radiance as the living Savior showed himself having overcome the greatest fear of humanity, death.

Reflecting on the empty cross reminds us of both the cost of redemption and the hope brought about by not having to face the debt ourselves. We have about six weeks in which to prepare ourselves spiritually for the celebration of the resurrected Christ. We will keep the cross in front of us and reflect on it in depth so that when the beauty of the draped cross confronts us on Easter morning we will never again be tempted to take it for granted.

Grace and peace from the One who is over all and through all and in all.

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How Long Will You Love Your Simple Ways?

The Richest Man Who Ever Lived by Steven K. Scott

How much better to get wisdom than gold,
to choose understanding rather than silver! Proverbs 16:16

Scott’s book comes to the reader presenting an attractive idea; follow and apply each of the hundreds of proverbs to your life and you will be the beneficiary of untold success and wealth. As the author intertwines his stories of financial success and vignettes of nearly every rich person on earth with the proverbs, he intimates that by simply following these wise rules you too can become unimaginably wealthy. What appears to be missing from the consideration of the proverbs is their source.

That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon answered God, …”Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people.” (2 Chron 1:7,10) Though Solomon is credited with writing this book of wisdom, its source is undeniably divine. Missing from this book until the very end is any mention of the need to trust in God as the foundation to any endeavor. For the multitude of believers through the centuries who have lived without wealth and success, who even gave their lives for their belief in God, this is an inexcusable omission.

Steven Scott’s enthusiasm is understandable. It would appear that he has been richly blessed with material success. In each story of triumph or failure, he attributes the outcome to the application or ignorance of a particular proverbial concept. In reading the chapters, one begins to get the sense that Solomon’s sayings are conformed to fit Scott’s concepts of business or used to explain those times of need. He utilizes a very loose interpretive scheme, utilizing multiple translations of the Bible to get just the wording that he needs to make his point. (Review his use of the oft-mistranslated and misinterpreted Proverbs 29:18.)

Solomon’s secret to wealth, happiness and success was simple: trust in God and lean not on his own understanding. Perhaps brother Scott could benefit from a review of Proverbs 11:2.

I am grateful to Waterbrook Press who provided this copy for review.

Psalm 112 ~ His Heart is Steadfast

Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. Psalm 112:6

The psalter can be a challenge to understand in some cases. We must read with the eyes of those who first received the psalms while applying to our lives many centuries past, not always the easiest task. In other cases, the inspired phrasing of the Psalmist make his intent crystal clear. Such is the message of Psalm 112.

The Lord is praised by the life of a godly man. Praise without the need for words is lifted by the God-honoring life of those who fear the Lord and obey Him. Those who pay notice to their abundant lives see no other explanation except divine favor. The just and compassionate fear nothing of men, knowing that they live in the light.

Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn will be lifted high in honor. (vv 8-9)

There is no place other than in the light of the Lord for man to be.

Grace and peace to your soul…

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Teach Me Some Melodious Sonnet

Then Sings My Soul Book 3 by Robert J. Morgan

Unlike other books of this genre that provide insight into the background of our favorite hymns, Then Sings My Soul inspires. Christians raised on the worship music of today will discover the passion and depth of songs that they had never considered including in a set as they encounter the stories outside of John Newton or Horatio Spafford’s lives. Reading the accounts of tragedy and triumph that have led those who came before to pen the words that have endured as tools of worship for centuries in the ever-transitive life of the Church.

Morgan expands the individual accounts in this volume with material that expands the perspective of the reader in a number of directions. Brief sketches of musical movements throughout different eras broaden our understanding of why, for example, the German hymns follow the developmental course that they did and that the English hymnal is more than a collection of drinking songs. At the other end of this volume, Morgan includes a series of extended stories that will open the reader’s eyes, in many cases bringing new color and texture to some long-treasured life stories shared over and over in worship.

Of special interest is a brief plea to worship leaders to reconsider the concept of blended worship. Having spoken these same words to the Church many times, to read Robert’s eloquent support of intertwining ancient-historic-modern music was heartening. All inspired music has a story to tell, and the worship leader facing an intergenerational congregation honors God and His people by blending all of the eras to lead each to learn from another.

I am grateful to Thomas Nelson who provided this copy for review.

Spiritual Gifts: Cautious Openness

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. 1 Cor 13:12

Where the Cessationist takes the view that certain of the spiritual gifts-specifically those of a miraculous nature-have ceased to be given to modern believers, a mediating position grants that they may be seen again. This position is often labeled open but cautious, indicating a recognition of God’s sovereign ability to once again visit believers with spiritual gifts of a miraculous nature. If He were to do so however, their receipt and use would align with the experiences recorded in Scripture in both purpose and practice.

Arriving at this theological position follows many of the threads that establish the cessationist position. Though the Holy Spirit distributes gifts to believers as He sees fit to edify and build the church of Christ, certain of the gifts —tongues, prophesy and healing-– were given for an earlier time in church history. Their purpose was to establish the authenticity of the Apostles and to aid in establishing the Church in the world. In the broader scope of all Scripture, the bible records miraculous events and happenings being clustered around three eras in history: Moses-Exodus, Elija-Elisha and the Christ-Apostolic era. (This does not diminish or dismiss other singular manifestations; it simply recognizes a concentration of activity around these points in history.) This review also establishes that nowhere does scripture indicate that the miraculous gifts are to be considered a normal condition of the Church era experience.

Complicating all theological discussion of the spiritual gifts is the lack of any explicit biblical statement with regard to the cessation of specific gifts. The cessationist position hinges upon the statement made in 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 as evidence for the discontinuation of the miraculous gifts. Contained within this pericope is the reference to that time “when completeness (cf: perfection) comes (1 Cor 13:10)” which is read as pointing to the time of the Lord’s return. This schedule thus leaves open the possibility of continuation for these gifts.

Limited openness to the continuation of the miraculous is encouraged by further examination of the New Testament record. First, the silence of the scriptures on the matter of cessation must cause us to expand the scope of our consideration. Second, the scriptures do not testify to the state of the Church in a post-Apostolic era. For this reason, we must rely upon recorded history since that century in evaluating what is to be normative, and this history includes limited manifestations of the miraculous. Finally, as God elected to utilize the signs of the miraculous for specific purposes in His unfolding of history, we must always be cognizant of His sovereign ability to do so again.

Though an openness is encouraged in this theological position, it is intertwined with the belief that nowhere does scripture support the apprehension of the miraculous gifts as a normal part of the Christian’s experience. Since every manifestation in the scriptures is given by God for a ‘sign’ purpose or an exercise of His grace, this precludes the use of these gifts as a test of salvation. Nor does scripture support the giving of the spiritual gifts at the request of an individual for their personal use.

Any purported manifestations of the miraculous gifts must be joined with the Apostle’s exhortation to “test everything” (1 Thes 5:21). Any instance of these gifts should align with the historical purposes of their past application (purpose, use, etc.) and their manifestation in the Bible. Prophecy will be for the edification of the church, rather than individuals. The expression of tongues will be languages which express thought, not gibberish that cannot be interpreted by others present. Healings that are a part of a campaign are foreign to the scriptures and will likely remain so. In all things God is sovereign but He is also a God of order and verification.

Marana Tha …

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In Him All Things Hold Together

Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian

Thomas Paine described the crisis of revolution as the “times that try men’s souls”, a season of life in which one would have to be undeniably sure of the foundation on which his feet rested. Without that assurance there would be no resistance against which to create forward motion. Though not as momentous as the birth of a nation, author Tullian Tchividjian was confronted with a leadership challenge in the melding of two ministries that brought an unexpected resistance. The crisis forced him back to the irreducible minimum that formed his foundation, faith in Christ alone.

Driven to reflection, Tullian renewed his understanding of the rock on which he stood as character attacks and questions of ministerial competency swirled around, making him doubt the efficacy of what had brought him to that point. A performance ethic in particular threatened to derail his belief in the completed work of Christ as the touchstone against which he pushed for momentum. His exposition of key passages in Paul’s Letter to the Colossians restored his understanding of the sufficiency of Christ and the atonement and it is these reflections that form the core of the book.

Tchividjian’s writing and structure are dense, limiting the appeal of the tome to those willing to reflect alongside him. It will be read in small sections that turn your attention back to the Scriptures to see things that may have been masked to your eyes on previous reading. It is this density that gives the book its timeless appeal. Unlike the myriad volumes that will be published giving advice that quickly goes out of date, Pastor Tullian has written a book that can be pulled from the shelf over and over in the years to come as a guide to returning to the key, Christ alone.

Snipping the Tail of Rupert’s Drops

As readers have come to expect from Dr. Sweet, an upending of long-held paradigms is to be found in the pages of I Am a Follower. Less about mimicking the the ego eimi statements of the Savior and more about challenging modern perceptions of the Mission, Sweet’s book orients around the idea that leadership was not in Jesus’ mind when He set about discipling His followers and the generations that follow through the Bible. Sweet may be right, but a mature and finely-honed sense of discernment are needed to apply this notion, something that those new to the author’s works may not be prepared for.

Many Evangelical’s are immediately critical of Leonard Sweet and his body of work labeling it emergent and him as being on the fringes of orthodoxy. This misses his role as a provocateur working to prod the Christian masses to a deeper meditation of what Christ and His Church are to be about. In Follower, Sweet challenges the infatuation we have leadership in all of its permutations. He critiques the corpus of leadership material, training and practice, saying that it has led Christians away from the true command of Jesus to “follow me.” Creating an environment in which leaders are celebrated threatens to diminish Jesus when those leaders are not intentional about pointing others back to Him. The cure, he says, is for leaders to return to the original position as disciples at the feet of the Rabbi. As their wonder and humility are restored, a new attitude will be reflected in their discipleship of others.

I agree with Dr. Sweet in his premise that good leaders must be first and foremost good followers of Christ. I don’t believe that he intends to say that there should be no focus on leadership in the Church though it is difficult to see in his blanket indictment. Clearly, the Spirit calls some to be leaders. The illustrations that Sweet elects to provide of leaders who ‘get it’ show his bias. Standing up Shane Clairborne as a model of humility is difficult to accept as everything about the carefully cultivated image of Clairborne screams ‘look at me.’ Effective leaders such as John Piper, Bill Hybels and Jim Shaddix can both impress us with the leadership gifts and the calloused knees of true disciples.

Reading Sweet is never easy and Follower is no different. He will cause you to stop and think, considering his use of scripture and illustration. Dr. Sweet’s work is not for the casual Christian who lacks the ability to process the often challenging ideas that he types. The reader must be able to not only say that he or she doesn’t believe what is written, they must also be able to state why.

I am grateful to Thomas Nelson who provided this book for review.

That’s Not Like Me!

Enemies of the Heart by Andy Stanley

How many times have we heard,

I can’t believe I just said that or I don’t know where that came from?

Dr. Luke records the words of Jesus that put these exclamations to rest: “A good man brings good things out of the good things stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Luke 6:45) As Pastor Stanley points out, regardless of our attempts to control, hide or otherwise diminish its impact, the heart is the source and control of our speech, action and thoughts. Troubles in the heart will soon become troubles in life.

Four enemies of the heart capture Stanley’s attention in this excellent book: guilt, anger, greed and jealousy. Four poisons that we allow to take root in the soul and then act surprised when their green tentacles reach out at the most inopportune time and damage the relationships that we value so much. Though Oprah would suggest a different path, Stanley correctly identifies these monsters as having spiritual components. Ever the excellent pastor, Andy devotes the largest portion of the book to armor and weaponry needed to combat them.

Pastor Stanley has penned a long string of must-have books for any Christian’s library and this volume belongs on the top shelf. Better yet, buy two copies so you can keep one and pass the other one around to everyone you know. (You should be aware that the book was previously published as It Came From Within, and you may already posses the material.) A useful discussion guide is included with the book enabling you to develop a dialog around the material, whether in a one-on-one relationship or in a group setting.

I am grateful to Multnomah who provided this copy for review.

Danger Close

A ship in a harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are for. J.A. Shedd

Moving forward in any meaningful way demands a step in faith. Faith–deep soul-rooted, life-directing faith–may lead to danger. We take the steps of faith because we trust in God for what may come, whether it be into blissful comfort or the first tentative steps into the enemy’s territory, fully aware that sacrifice may be the result. A church that never moves from the sanctuary is safe, but that is not what the Church is for.

Read Paul’s boasting in 2 Corinthians 11:16-33. Contrary to the witness of those who merely call themselves Apostles, Paul has the scourge scars and water marks of one who has walked, trusting God with each step as he fulfilled His calling to bear witness to Christ to the Gentile world. We continue to marvel at his effectiveness thousands of years later as he is held up as the model for our own vocational calling. We marvel, but are tempted time and time again to retreat to the safety of tradition and practice.

Church, this is not what we were created to be or do. We are the last hope of a dying world. We possess the fire of the indwelling Spirit meant to guide our hands and feet in boldly stepping into the darkness to call others out. Like the sailor who knows nothing of buoyancy and displacement but who trusts the Oak, nails and pitch to keep them afloat in the capricious and danger-filled seas, Christians need not know how or why God may lead them into a ministry effort, only that they may trust Him that it will not be in vain.

Grace and peace in the Spirit to you…

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Author: Warren Rachele