The Holy Spirit

The fourth point of our Statement of Faith reads:

The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. He is in the life of the believer and He empowers the preaching and teaching of the Gospel. (John 14:15-26; 15:26; 16:8-15; Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 2:12; Eph.1:13)

In my sermon on this topic, we examined one of the main passages listed above, John 14:15-26. This is the first time Jesus tells his disciples at length about the coming Holy Spirit’s role in their lives. Here’s a quick recap of the main points:

• The Holy Spirit is not an “it”—like a divine force or energy—but a “he”—the third person of the Trinity.

• Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Advocate. In Greek, the word means, “One who is called alongside to help.”

• The Holy Spirit is the continued presence of Jesus with us. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is present to those who love and obey him, while remaining hidden from those who do not.

• One of the Holy Spirit’s main roles is to give us understanding. He helped the disciples remember and record the teachings of Jesus and proclaim the saving news of the gospel. These words are preserved for us in the New Testament. Today, the Spirit helps us understand, live out, and bear witness to what has been written about Jesus.

• The Holy Spirit brings us the peace of Jesus in a troubled world.

The Bible has much more to say about the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, he is often misunderstood or overlooked. Some treat the Holy Spirit as a force who can be harnessed to perform healings and wonders for financial gain, apart from the preaching of the gospel. Others virtually ignore the Holy Spirit altogether. One writer/pastor, Francis Chan, wrote a book on the Holy Spirit called Forgotten God, a title that sums up the attitude of many. But in the words of J.I. Packer,

[W]ere it not for the work of the Holy Spirit, there would be no gospel, no faith, no church, no Christianity in the world at all. - Knowing God, (1993), p. 69.

To understand more about the Spirit’s work in your life, read this good article called “How to Recognize the Holy Spirit”

To get more of a “big picture” view of the Holy Spirit’s identity and work, check out this helpful video from The Bible Project:

Finally, check out this great sermon on John 16:8-15 about the work of the Holy Spirit.

Questions to think or talk about:

• Respond to the quote by J.I. Packer above.

• How are you opening yourself wider to the Spirit and his work in your life? How are you neglecting the Spirit’s work?

• In what ways do you see our church empowered by the Spirit? In what ways might we be neglecting the Spirit?

Jesus Christ: Fully God, Fully Man

Missed this sermon or need to catch up on the series? Click here.

St. Michael Catholic Church, Livermore, CA

Jesus Christ was begotten by God, conceived by the Holy Spirt and born of the Virgin Mary. (Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1-2, 14, 18)

In the previous sermon and blog post, I focused on the importance of believing in the doctrine of the virgin birth. However, the larger theme is the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. John wrote that “the Word [Jesus] took on flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The Incarnation (from a Latin word that means literally, “taking on flesh”) shows us that Jesus Christ was at the same time fully God and fully human. In being born into this world Jesus neither lost his God-ness nor bypassed true human-ness. Here’s something I said in my sermon:

The omnipotent God became a helpless baby. The eternal one entered time. The Word of God had to learn to read and write. The Maker of the sun became hot and tired under its rays. The living water became thirsty. The bread of life became hungry. The Creator of life bled and died. If that idea shocks you, or even makes you uncomfortable, then you’re on the right track. That’s the wonder of the incarnation.

This is impossible to fully understand. But it’s true. And amazing. And should move us to worship.

“Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as is this truth of the Incarnation.” -J.I. Packer

One thing all false teachings about Jesus have in common is that they diminish or deny either Jesus’ humanity or his divinity.

Other Scriptures to Consider:

• 1 John 4:3 - “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.”

• Colossians 2:9 - “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form…”

• Hebrews 2:14-18 – “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not the angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

Why does it Matter?

If Jesus is not fully God and fully Man, he is not the Savior he claims to be. Only by being fully God and fully man can he bridge the chasm between sinful humanity and a holy God. The Incarnation is God giving himself to us to save us.

“Jesus Christ, in His infinite love, has become what we are, in order that He may make us entirely what He is.” - Irenaeus of Lyons (2nd Century)

In 325 AD, about 300 Christian bishops from around the known world met to deal with a heresy now called “Arianism.” Arius and his followers taught that Jesus was a created being, not equal with God the Father. In full rejection of that teaching, the members of the council of Nicaea adopted this creed about the nature of Jesus:

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

Further Resources:

• The Chalcedonian Creed, formulated in 451, attempted to more fully define the relationship between Jesus’ human and divine natures.

• Here’s a helpful article called “How Can Jesus Be God and Man?” - or if you prefer, here’s a video explaining the same thing.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion?

• Do you have a harder time believing that Jesus is fully God or that he is fully man? Why?

• Respond to this quote by Irenaeus: “Jesus Christ, in His infinite love, has become what we are, in order that He may make us entirely what He is.”

• What questions do you still have about the incarnation?

Born of a Virgin

The third point on our statement of faith reads:

Jesus Christ was begotten by God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1-2, 18)

pbs.org

We’re going to break this statement into two parts. First, the virgin birth.

The doctrine of the virgin birth repeats the Scriptural teaching that Jesus was conceived in his mother Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit, without the help of a human father, as told in Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-38. A more accurate way to say it would be “the virgin conception of Jesus.” (Two Catholic dogmas are not at issue here: that Mary was born without sin—called the “Immaculate Conception”—and that Mary remained in a state of “perpetual virginity” for the rest of her life. There is no biblical support for these doctrines.)

Why does the Virgin Birth Matter?

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many Christians were rejecting supernatural claims of the Bible in favor of a more humanistic and “scientific” approach. Many dismissed the virgin birth out of hand as an obviously legendary account added by the Apostles after the fact to make Jesus more god-like.

There are good reasons to accept the straightforward biblical teaching of the virgin birth, and many reasonable people do so. Listen to my sermon to find out.

However, the underlying issue is the authority of Scripture. Those who reject the clear teaching of the virgin birth also tend to reject other clear teachings of the Bible. Visit a liberal protestant church today and you will find that Jesus’ miracles, his atoning work on the cross, the Bible’s teaching on sex and gender, and more, are rejected or revised to fit a postmodern world.

Two Christs?

Liberal Christian theologians laid the groundwork for how Christians could have their cake and eat it too—that is, to reject virtually every historical claim of the Bible and still consider themselves followers of Jesus. How? They split Jesus into two parts: “The Christ of History” and “The Christ of Faith.” The historical Jesus (the Christ of history) may not have actually been born of a virgin, or lived a sinless life, or walked on water, or been literally raised from the dead, but it doesn’t really matter because the “Christ of faith” lives in our hearts. What matters is our present experience of Jesus, not the historical record.

Consider this statement from Marcus Borg, one of the leading liberal biblical scholars of recent decades:

Thus I do not see the story of the virginal conception as a marvel of biology that, if true, proves that Jesus really was the Son of God. Rather, it is an early Christian narratival confession of faith and affirmation of allegiance to Jesus. … The truly important questions about the birth stories are not whether Jesus was born of a virgin or whether there was an empire-wide census that took Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem or whether there was a special star leading wise men from the East. The important questions are, “Is Jesus the light of the world? Is he the true Lord? Is what happened in him ‘of God’?” Answering these questions affirmatively lays claim to our whole lives.

This theology sounds nice, but it is disastrous. Our faith rests on the truth of historical events: the incarnation, Jesus’ death on the cross, his resurrection from the dead, the teaching of the apostles. If these things did not actually happen, Christianity is a sham. In the words of the Apostle Paul, “If Christ has not been raised [from the dead], your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17).

To deny the historical claims of Scripture is to cut off the branch we are standing on. Once we sever our faith from the historic events and teachings of Scripture, we have nothing holding us to Jesus Christ.

“If one does not accept [Jesus’] birth from a Virgin, how can he accept His resurrection from the dead?” - Irenaeus, 2nd century Church Father

One Important Clarification

I must emphasize here that to have a high view of the authority of Scripture does not mean that we will never allow our interpretation of Scripture to be challenged or revised. We must never have a wooden, literalistic understanding of the Bible that shuts us down to what the Bible may actually be trying to teach us.

For example, how should Genesis 1-2 be understood in light of evolutionary theory? Bible-believing Christians come to different conclusions about this. We must discern what Genesis 1-2 is actually trying to teach us about God and the world. Scientific knowledge is not infallible; it is always being revised and challenged. But knowledge that God gives us about the world through science, rightly understood against Scripture, will be in harmony with the truth.

Likewise, as we learn more about the historical and cultural context of many biblical teachings, our interpretation and application should become more accurate. For example, was the Apostle’s teaching about women in leadership universal, or culturally bound (e.g. 1 Timothy 2:11-15, 1 Corinthians 11:3)? We must seek to accurately understand what the biblical authors wanted their audience to know, and then do the careful work of applying it to ourselves in our context today.

However, the case of the virgin birth is clear. It was not presented as a metaphorical statement, but a historical reality. It is not a tall-tale spun by the apostles. As the ancient Apostles creed affirms, “I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.”

Wonder and Worship

But let’s not miss the point. The virgin birth is not simply a test of orthodoxy or a theological fact to check off. It’s a marvel of grace, a shining thread in God’s redemptive plan. It shows that the Savior we need must be human, yet can’t come strictly from human effort or lineage. The name Jesus means “The Lord saves.” His conception by the Holy Spirit is evidence that through Jesus, God himself has become enfleshed in humanity in order to save us. This can only lead us to wonder and worship.

Christ, by highest heaven adored
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb:
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel

-Charles Wesley

Further Resources:

• An article about Harry Emerson Fosdick, who famously denied the virgin birth in his 1922 sermon “Shall the Fundamentalists Win?”

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

• Is the virgin birth hard to believe in? Why or why not?

• What does the virgin birth teach us about who Jesus is?

• Respond to this quote by Irenaeus: “If one does not accept [Jesus’] birth from a Virgin, how can he accept His resurrection from the dead?”

God the Father

Need to catch up? Listen to last week’s sermon by clicking here.

Why do we call God “Father”?

We call God Father because Jesus did. Jesus called God his Father (something which made the religious leaders extremely angry! See John 5:18). He had an intimate relationship with his Father. He talked about his Father over 150 times in the Gospels. Everything he did was in relation to the Father: he came from the Father and returned to the Father (John 16:28); he spoke on authority from his Father (John 14:7-10); he prayed to the Father—and taught us to do the same (Matthew 6:9-13); he revealed the Father (John 1:18); he preached about his Father’s kingdom (Matthew 26:29); he obeyed his Father to the point of death (Mark 14:36).

The Bible pulls back the curtain and shows us that God has eternally been a Father loving his Son, Jesus (e.g. John 17:42, John 1:18, Matthew 17:5, Mark 1:9-10). There has never been a time when God has not been a good Father.

Jesus revealed what his heavenly Father is like:

• He provides for his children (Matthew 6:32)

• He sees his children (Matthew 6:4,6)

• He gives good gifts (Matthew 7:11)

• He is “prodigal” (extravagant) in love (Luke 15:11-32)

• He is forgiving (Matthew 6:12, Mark 11:25)

Most amazingly, Jesus makes his Father our Father. This perfect father-son relationship can be ours. We can experience the perfect love of the Father as if we were Jesus. How? By trusting in Jesus, the “only begotten son” of the Father. He laid down his privileges and died to make us adopted children of God. According to J.I. Packer, this is the true heart of the gospel. Consider the following Scriptures:

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. - Romans 8:14-17

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. - Galatians 4:4-7

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. - John 1:12-13

"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” - Matthew 11:27

No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. - 1 John 2:23-24

Further Resources:

• Check out this sermon titled “God the Father” by Fr. Kevin Miller at Church of the Savior in Wheaton, Illinois. (If you want to skip the introduction to the series, start listening at 9:15.

• Meditate on this painting by Rembrandt titled “The Return of the Prodigal Son”

Questions for reflection and discussion

• What feelings does the word “Father” bring up for you? How has your relationship with your own father affected your relationship with God the Father?

• Do you think J.I. Packer is right that adoption is the heart of the gospel? If he is right, how does it change the way you understand salvation?

• Read the Gospel of John, paying attention to Jesus’ relationship with the Father.

God in Three Persons

The Doctrine of the Trinity

There is one God eternally existing in three co-equal persons, the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:6; Matthew 28:18-19; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

The doctrine of the Trinity reveals that God has eternally existed as a loving relationship within Himself. Salvation is nothing short of being brought into this relationship—Jesus sharing with us what has always been his, through the Holy Spirit.

“God didn’t start to become loving when we showed up…. He has always existed as loving within himself.” - Sam Allberry

“It’s only when you grasp what it means for God to be a Trinity that you really sense the beauty, the overflowing kindness, the heart-grabbing loveliness of God.” - Michael Reeves

Click here to listen to the sermon on this doctrine or to catch up on the series.

1. The Bible Reveals One God

• Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

• Isaiah 44:6:

This is what the Lord says—
    Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last;
    apart from me there is no God.  

• Ephesians 4:6- “…one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

2. Jesus is God

• John 1:1-4: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”

• John 14:9 “If You have seen me you have seen the Father”

• John 10:30: “I and the Father are one.”

• Hebrews 1:1-3a: “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”

3. The Holy Spirit is God

• The Holy Spirit does things that only God can do. The Spirit creates new life. The Spirit heals. The Spirit knows the mind of God (1 Corinthians 2:10). The Spirit can be lied to or grieved, just as God can. The Spirit makes us holy. The Spirit dwells in the temple of God’s people.

4. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are spoken of together

• Matthew 28:18-19: “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

• 2 Corinthians 13:14: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

5. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are united in identity but have distinct roles

• Only the Father begets the Son. Only the Son is sent to be incarnate and die on the cross. Only the Spirit fills God’s people.

What Would be lost if we denied the trinity?

1. The uniqueness of God - the Trinitarian God is unlike any other, and unlike any human projections of God. God is not a generic “higher power.”

2. The meaning of the cross - 2 Corinthians 5:18-19; Hebrews 9:13-14

3. Prayer - we pray to the Father, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit

4. Relational values - love, justice, righteousness. The Trinity shows that these have always been at the heart of reality.

Further Resources

• Check out this article called “The Trinity: Explain It to Me Like I’m a 2-Year-Old” (video from the article is below)

• Check out this wonderful, short, highly readable book called Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves

Questions for reflection and discussion:

• How does the Trinity reveal that God exists as a loving relationship within himself?

• Why does the doctrine of the Trinity matter?

• Why do we use the word “Trinity” when this word isn’t in the Bible?

• What would be lost if the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were simply three forms God takes at different times? (Hint: Think about Christmas and Easter!)

• How has your understanding of the Trinity changed how you relate to God?

The Authority of Scripture

The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, consisting of 66 books, are verbally inspired by God and inerrant and infallible in the original writings, and that they are of supreme and final authority. (Matthew 5:18; John 10:35; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 2:13)

Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels

Since the Bible is God’s Word, we believe it has unique authority over us. It is not the only authority, but it is the highest authority. We are bound to believe what it teaches and follow what it commands—as individuals and as a church. We have every reason to do so joyfully, because God only commands what is right and good. If we decide that we would rather be our own judge of right and wrong or true and false, we are in great danger. After all, rejecting God’s authority was the original sin (Genesis 3:1-7).

In my sermon on Sunday I focused on how to actually live under the authority of Scripture. I tried to make the case that not only should we believe what the Bible teaches, but we should let it “read” us. It is the only book that illuminates our lives (Psalm 119:105, 130) and penetrates our thoughts and motives (Hebrews 4:12).

But sometimes the truth of the Bible doesn’t come the way we expect. Instead of a list of principles, we get stories, poetry, prophecy, and letters written to people in other times. I can only conclude that the book we have is the book God wants us to have. So let’s get more familiar with the Bible. Let’s take it on its own terms. Let’s learn to be good readers and faithful interpreters. We can’t live under the authority of Scripture unless we engage seriously with the Bible.

Here are some good resources for doing so:

• How to Read the Bible - Video series by The Bible Project

• How to Read the Bible for All its Worth - An excellent, readable introduction to biblical interpretation

• Get a study Bible that can help you understand what you are reading. I recommend the NIV, NLT, or ESV Study Bible.

• Here is an article for learning more about the concept of the authority and inerrancy of Scripture

Questions for reflection

• When there is a conflict between what you want to do and what the Bible teaches, who wins?

• When was a time that God spoke to you clearly through His Word? What did you do about it?

• What parts of Scripture do you have the hardest time believing? It could be that you are interpreting the passage wrongly. It could be that you don’t understand the background. It could be that you don’t want to believe something because your life will have to change. Come to God with a heart that wants to believe his truth, and ask him to help you.

Scripture: "That's the Book for Me"

Click here to listen to this sermon or get caught up in the series.

What is meant by the doctrine of the “inspiration of Scripture”

Photo by John-Mark Smith from Pexels

The Word of God is “inspired”—literally “breathed out” by God. It is his voice, the work of his Spirit. God is a speaking, communicating God. In the beginning, he created all things by his Word (Genesis 1). He speaks to Adam, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, and the prophets in human language. He called prophets to speak for him. Old Testament prophets and New Testament Apostles claimed to be recording the very words of God, and spoke with God’s authority as such. Today, we have those words preserved in the Bible. Therefore, when the Bible speaks, God speaks.

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” - 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Other Scriptures to consider:

• "Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth! For the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 1:2)

• “The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah...The word of the Lord came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah” (Jeremiah 1:1-2)

• [God] spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David… (Acts 4:25)

• “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

“Where do we find God’s Word except in the Scriptures?”- Martin Luther

The unity of Scripture

Another reason to trust that the Bible is God’s Word is that it tells an amazingly unified story. Although the Lord used over 40 human authors over a period of 1,400 years, and although the Bible contains many different types of literature (narrative, poetry, law, biography, prophecy, etc) it all fits together to tell one unified message about God.

Imagine various pieces of a cathedral arriving from different countries and cities, converging on a central location. In fact, imagine that….forty different sculptors made contributions over a period of many centuries. Yet the pieces fit together to form a single magnificent structure. Would this not be proof that behind the project was a single mind, one designer who used his workmen to sculpt a well-conceived plan? The Bible is that cathedral, assembled by one super-intelligent architect.

-Irwin Lutzer, Seven Reasons Why You Can Trust the Bible

(I highly encourage you to pick up a copy of this book!)

the history of the Bible

The story of the Dead Sea Scrolls

questions for reflection

• What further questions do you have about the Bible’?

• How have you experienced God speaking to you through the Bible?

Doctrines for Life

What is theology? What is doctrine? Why do they matter?

I’m excited to begin this new series, Doctrines for Life. We will be using the Georgia Plain Baptist Church Statement of Faith as a template for learning basic Christian theology and doctrine.

If you missed the introductory sermon, “Doctrines for Life,” click here to listen.

Theology means literally “discourse about God” (theos, God + logos, word). Our theology is what we believe about God, mankind, sin, salvation, the church, and everything that God has revealed in his Word. Doctrine means “teaching.”

Our church’s statement of faith shows what we believe are the essential teachings of the Bible for us to understand and believe. To use an analogy, these doctrines are like the edge pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Getting these edge pieces in place is needed for having a good grasp of what biblical Christianity is all about. And once they are in place, it is much easier to make sense of all the rest that the Bible teaches.

Statements of faith—and ours is no exception—tend to highlight the doctrines most frequently rejected or disputed. In a sense, these are the points of Christian theology that are hardest to understand (i.e. the Trinity) or to accept (i.e., the doctrine of hell). However, our reading of Scripture “inexorably leads us to believe” these things—that is to say, we can’t take Scripture seriously and not believe them. Another analogy for the statement of faith is that it functions like guard rails on our faith to keep us from drifting off the road into heresy. This is why our statement of faith does not highlight certain foundational but non-controversial doctrines, such as God’s love or God’s identity as Creator. During this series, I will try to show the importance of the “guard rail” doctrines without missing the purpose of the road itself.

In the series we will be asking questions like:

• What does it mean that the Bible is the inspired Word of God?

• What is the doctrine of the Trinity and how does it change our understanding of God?

• What defines our humanity? What does it mean to be made in the image of God?

• What is sin? How does it affect us? Are people basically bad or basically good?

• What does it mean that Jesus is “begotten” of God?

• Who is the Holy Spirit and what does he do?

• How does Jesus save us? What are the biblical concepts of atonement, justification, and sanctification?

• What is really happening when we take communion?

• What does the Bible teach about the final judgment?

• What are heaven and hell like?

My prayer is that our minds would be renewed in the truth, and that the doctrines we learn (or re-learn) would change the way we live.

Two ways to go deeper in this series:

1. Each week on Tuesday or Wednesday I will post some extra resources for going deeper with the previous Sunday’s topic. Take some time each week to read/watch/listen.

2. Over the next few months, read the book Knowing God by J.I. Packer. This is a classic of basic Christian theology and faith. You can order it on Amazon or Abebooks.

Here’s a short video with J.I. Packer answering the question “What is Doctrine?”

A Praise Report from the Strangest Six Months Ever

The past six months have been challenging, surprising, and totally weird. Yet I think we should step back and notice the ways God has been at work. Here are 11 ways I have seen God moving us forward as a church in the past six months.

Raymond LaChance plays his sax at our first outdoor worship service on June 7th

1. Worship: The pandemic did not stop our worship. We’ve continued to praise together, pray together, and learn from God’s Word together. From March 22nd to May 31st, we were all-online. In June, we began to gather in person again. Through the summer we enjoyed worshiping outdoors (and in the church on rainy days). Every Sunday, people stepped up to make it happen. I was amazed at the adaptability that everyone showed with the constantly changing plans.

2. Serving the community: Members of our church (you know who you are!) made over 1,000 facemasks that we offered free to anyone in the community. We have continued to give to the Georgia Food Shelf and provide meals to Martha’s Kitchen once a month (also, you know who you are!). We had a “car parade” in May, driving through several Georgia neighborhoods to spread joy and love.

A handmade mask

3. Financial stability: When the shutdown started in March, we were concerned about how our church would fare financially. So far, not only have tithes and offerings continued steadily, but they have increased YTD from 2019. God is faithful.

4. Faithful servants: These times have demanded more from volunteers and leaders. Yet you have stepped up with consistent dedication, flexibility, and willingness to serve. You all know who you are. Thank you.

5. Extending our reach: Through our livestream, we have had many “virtual visitors” who have tuned in to worship with us and hear the Word. Those who previously could not participate due to illness or travel can now join with us on Sundays. We plan to continue the livestream even when (or if) things get back to normal. We’re learning the importance of virtual hospitality.

From a sermon on Matthew 28:18-20

6. Home groups launched: In September and October we launched 6 Home Groups to provide spaces for people to grow in friendship and in discipleship. These have been meeting in homes, at the JMMY Center, or on Zoom.

7. Rebuilding membership structures: Since February, a small committee appointed by the church has been meeting over Zoom to clarify and revise our policies surrounding membership. The goal is for the practice of membership to be simple, clear, faithful to Scripture, and doable for our church. We hope to have a plan by the end of the year to present for feedback.

8.  New faces: Even during the pandemic, we have seen new people come and begin to be integrated into the life of the church family.

9.  Growing our faith: We have all experienced new levels of anxiety and uncertainty. Will we be OK? What will life look like? How will this affect our jobs, our families, our church? These questions have driven us to a more robust trust in God.  

10.  Creative problem-solving: COVID-19 has given us many problems to solve. How can we worship together online? How can we gather safely? How can we provide Sunday School? By God’s grace, we have risen to the occasion. We’ve become more familiar with technologies like Zoom and Facebook to connect. Much of what we have learned will go with us into the future.

11.  Focusing on what’s important: As difficult as the last 6 months have been, I believe that God has used this massive disruption to help us focus on what really matters. We have been reminded that the church is not our building; even when we can’t go to church, we are the church. We are learning to focus on our relationships and discipleship beyond the Sunday service. Our times of isolation have made us realize how precious our relationships are. And through all of this, Jesus has been as dependably life-giving and joy-bringing as ever, reminding us that nothing can separate us from his love.

How have you seen the Lord work in your own life over the past six months?

Thoughts on Reopening Church

The following is slightly modified version of a column I wrote for the St. Albans Messenger, published on Friday, May 29th, 2020.

Over the past 10 weeks, churches like mine all over the country have scrambled to use technology to connect with their people. Terms like “livestreaming,” “Zoom,” and “upload speed” have caused more than a few pastors to lose sleep.

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

But with Gov. Scott’s announcement last Friday that churches can begin holding in-person services at 25% capacity, we have a new set of problems to solve. While we celebrate the end to a season of exile, the real test is still ahead of us. Churches will face significant challenges as we adapt to a COVID-19 world, but I am convinced that in those challenges lie opportunities for the church to be what she is called to be. Here are three such challenges and opportunities that every church is facing, in order of increasing importance.

First, the challenge of logistics. Re-opening a church is not a simple as one might think. Pastors and church boards are facing a gamut of interrelated questions: How many people will even want to come? How do we ensure that we don’t exceed our 25% occupancy limit? Do we need two services? Should we meet outdoors or indoors? Are masks required? Can we offer anything for the kids? What about people with underlying health issues who probably shouldn’t come but will anyway? Who will volunteer for the extra cleaning, setup, and teardown? Should we continue the livestream for those who can’t come? To make things harder, guidelines are ever evolving. But here’s the great opportunity: with all these limits and restrictions, we are forced to clarify why we gather. By necessity our church services will be shorter and simpler. Maybe the joy of simply being together again to worship God will remind us that the comforts and traditions we have to forego were never all that important anyway. Maybe we’ll realize that we can afford a little more spontaneity and flexibility. 

Second, the challenge of love. With change comes anxiety; with anxiety comes conflict. As our churches begin to make decisions about re-gathering, sparks will fly. Feelings will be hurt. But here’s the great opportunity: conflict has always been the soil in which Christian grace and love can grow. Perhaps more than ever we have the opportunity to put our money where our mouth is and extend true grace, love, and humility—the kind that is “patient, kind….[and] not easily angered” (1 Cor 13) and is “not looking to your own interests, but the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). Perhaps those who still who think the virus is a hoax can learn to be patient and loving toward those still wipe down their groceries, and vice versa. Jesus is famous for his love. Our churches should be also. 

Third, the challenge of long-term adaptation. This is the biggie. If we think we can simply get through this season and return to normal, we’ve got another thing coming. COVID-19 is a watershed event for our entire society and churches are no exception. As we move forward in this new world, many churches will find that their budgets, buildings, and programming of the past are no longer manageable or effective. Giving will decrease. Buildings will be used for fewer large group activities. The older generations—the majority in many of our churches—will not be coming back in full numbers.

All of this presents a crisis of identity and purpose. But it’s a needed crisis. For too long the church has seen as an archaic, irrelevant institution. Sometimes that reputation is deserved. A pastor friend of mine has been saying, “Let’s not waste a good pandemic.” He means that we have a once-in-many-generations opportunity to do some institutional soul-searching. We need to look in the mirror, open our Bibles and ask, “Who are we?” and “Why do we do what we do?” That process may be uncomfortable and scary. But Jesus specializes in leading his church through times like this. His church is not merely an institution but a movement that, through his power, has persisted through times of plague, persecution, and even affluence, in every culture where it has been planted. Jesus knows what he’s doing and where he’s taking us, even now in the COVID-19 crisis. Will we follow him?