Suffering and Darkness

I've heard it said that we must approach ministry to each other as "sinners, saints and sufferers." That is a pretty holistic view of our fellow brothers and sisters. We've been going through a rather protracted darkness (maybe a haze) more intensely for the last 15 months or so. There have been feelings of abandonment and darkness. In his book While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks, Tim Laniak's chapter on darkness is riveting.

Many of us have experienced the desperate isolation and cold darkness that Job describes in his memoir. These season of life with out the light of understanding or any sense of God's presence test our faith in an invisible Shepherd. My wife and I journeyed through such deadly shadows for several years when our children were young. Faced with disabilities and the resulting shift in our life's direction, we entered tsalmavet ['shadow of death' or 'deadly darkness']. the light we longed for did not dawn as we expected. Only slowly did we reemerge from this valley as sobered believers and humbled leaders. When a friend recently explained the devastating impact a family tragedy was wreaking on their spiritual life, I couldn't respond like Job's friends. I simply said, "Welcome to the darkness. There are more questions than answers in this place. But you'll find good company among those who understand how little we understand--but still hold on to God's hand. Saint John of the Cross describes a particular kind of spiritually arid experience as the 'dark night of the soul'. This journey through shadows purges the soul of its pride and earthly attachments. Our challenge in dry and dark times is to respond in simple faith--to believe that the unseen Divine Shepherd is with us in our unlit valley. we grope in hope until rays of light begin to push the night away. Eventually, as Job confessed, 'He reveals mysteries from the darkness, and brings the tsalmavet into the light.' These shadows come at unplanned awkward times in our ministries as leaders. Just when we need to show enthusiasm for a vision. Just when our families need us most. Just when we thought we could enjoy the status quo. When we least expect it, the lights go out. and our faith, the only fire in the soul's night, barely smolders. As we remember those segments of our journey that have been covered in deep shadows, can we now see some evidence of the Shepherd's presence? If not, will we continue to walk by faith and not by sight? How do we respond to others who feel destabilized in a dark spiritual wilderness? Do we try to fix their feelings with pat answers, or are we content to sit with them in tsalmavet? If the darkness has settled across our employees, have we looked for ways to replace them with happier or more productive individuals, or have we treasured them as uniquely vulnerable to the deep work of God? Having emerged from some dark valleys, do we now have a more balanced response to the 'mountain tops'? Are we ready for more valleys, should they come--even the 'valley of the shadow of death'? (172-73)

A 2012 Challenge

When people challenge you to something what do you think? Have you ever been challenged to a sword duo and lived to tell about it? Has a close friend or relative challenged you to lose weight or confront some other physical obstacle? Often challenges are wrought and fought in the realm of a community of sorts.

So, if you have stumbled here or through a social media link, would you consider joining me for a challenge this year? What is it?

Memorize a part of the New Testament.

Part= 80 (?) verses or more.

Backstory on the Challenge

Back in 2005 or 2006, I read Juan Piper's book When I Don't Desire God. It's a book, well, about John's favorite subject to write on. In it, he mentioned a resource that he has employed to store up God's Word in his heart. I took it as a challenge. I started memorizing a chapter here and there, but didn't get serious about it. Maybe not as serious as the author of the article. So in mid-2010, I committed to memorize a small book of the New Testament using the tool: An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture. Since then, I've stored up 3 mid-size NT books; no big deal; nothing to really be proud about. The effect has been both rewarding and constantly rebuking and the full effect, well, remains to be seen which is the beautiful thing about the Word of God (not returning empty). I don't promise that you'll be a better wife or husband, student or pastor. If anything you'll be a more awakened sinner. Perhaps, you'll gain discernment and wisdom along the way.

Without feeling the need to convince you of the importance of storing up God's Word in your heart and before you read the whole article, let me give you the skinny.

1. Choose a book that is neither too long or too short that stirs your soul. For your first go at it, I would recommend a book that has between 80-120 verses; maybe even smaller for starters.
2. Identify the same time of day that you'll do this (before kids get up, morning commute, before you jump into bed, etc.)
3. Count the verses and add about 10 or 15% more days to give you some space for a break or the occasional miss. So, if you are shooting to memorize 60 verses starting on January 2nd, 2012, then mark that date and Saturday, 3/10/2012 allowing for that 15% fudge space.
4. Learn one new verse a day.
5. Prioritize the review of all old verses before learning new ones.
6. When you finish around the 10th of March, then pause to celebrate and praise God. However, your work has only begun.
7. Commit to a 100-day review of the chunk. Start the day after you finish your regular, daily memory to keep it fresh. Mark your calendar for the finish of the 100-day review (again, I would add a 10-15% fudge factor).

My challenge is for you to join me in memorizing something. I am considering Romans 1-8. You may want to start w/ something smaller. Would you start w/ me on January 2nd? would you even bring someone along in your church or geographic area to do this w/ you? If you're a church leader, how about taking another elder, emerging leader or a deacon and pass the challenge on to him/her?

Would you contact me via email if you are considering this? willpareja [at] gmail.com.

The nice thing about such a challenge is that you and I don't have to live close to each other and say verses to each other. We can pray for one another in the endeavor and check-in regularly that would be the accountability side of the challenge.

Let me relay an example of a way you could bring others along in this even in some modified form. Last year as I was contemplating what book I should take on next, I challenged one of the guys in my community group to memorize one chapter of 1 John with me (for I had decided that that was the next book to memorize). Without telling him my full ambition, he accepted my challenge for those 10 verses. We decided on a 3-4 week space to memorize and set a date to get together for coffee and say these verses to each other. By God's grace, my friend nailed it and so did I. Then, I just kept on going.

Wouldn't it be great if in 2012, we could see a wave or movement of God's people around this country committing to this (or some similar) method? Elections and Olympics, what would the effect be in 2012? over 5 or 10 years?

Pray about this. Think about it.

Email me by December 10th to let me know if you are in for January.

Resolved Re: Scripture in 2011

This year, I have some ambitious aspirations regarding the Word of God.
By God's grace in the latter half of 2010, I memorized 2 Timothy and 1 John. I have been employing a tweaked version of this method. My greatest "fears" are pride, forgetfulness and spiritual obesity (if that is even possible or an appropriate analogy). I fear pride b/c of my own propensity to take something given to me and steal the divine "copyright" for my own glory and ambition. I fear forgetfulness because, well, look at God's people Israel in the Old Testament. I fear becoming spiritually obese, that is, I would not in turn apply it and live out its powerful truth. In other words, if I have faith and hope and knowledge and speaking (or memorizing) ability and determination and great self-discipline and not love my wife, kids, God's people and his image bearers, who cares what I memorize. I'm just an intellectually, overweight "spiritual" wanna-be.

In 2011, I hope by God's grace to:
1) Read the New Testament in Spanish.
2) Read the Old Testament in English (probably chronologically).
3) Read through a third of the Greek New Testament. I studied New Testament Greek for over 5 yrs and am not staying as current in the language as I would like. There are right around 7,957 verses in the New Testament. Over the next 1,095 days (3 years), D.V., that would translate into about 8 verses a day. Of course, I need to allow a fudge factor for missed days (about 15% of the total) and that'll put me over 3 years from now. While it could have benefit to my soul as I become more proficient, I should not be disappointed if I miss the mark after 3+ years. If anything, I will just keep pressing forward until it gets done.
4) Continue memorizing and reviewing portions of the New Testament.

Over the years, God has allowed me to get through the Bible a number of times, read it in about 6 English translations, use different "plans", and I have come to the conclusion that sustained exposure to the Word over years and years will not only sharpen my discernment but also will forge the story of Scripture more deeply into my heart and mind. While I do believe that piety and transformation are the effects of exposure to God's voice, I believe that the little-by-little, day-after-day, month-after-month, year-after-year, decade-upon-decade reading will bring about gradually the piety and transformation that (from our consumer mindset to sanctification) we long for NOW. We won't have to work ourselves into a "tizzy" about meditation on the Word of God, b/c we will find that the Scriptures starting seeping into many areas of our thinking and confronting us w/ the need to destroy rationales and every lofty opinion that raises itself against God's knowledge. The amazing thing about Spirit and Word working in concert is that they change my will. I have no boasting outside these gifts of Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria. Really.


For some brief yet helpful thoughts on Bible reading and New Year's resolutions, see:
Matthew Hoskinson series on Bible Reading.
John Piper on the "flexibility" resolutions.
Matt Perman on looking back and looking forward.

What is the Gospel?

Recently, I was licensed by my church (Now, I can officially "marry and bury"). In the process, I had to think hard about and formulate in a paragraph an answer to the question: "What is the Gospel?" Greg Gilbert has even written a book on it.

My answer:
A happy God eternally existing in three persons out of his good pleasure creates time and space and fills both with created things. Man, his image-bearer and apex of his creation rebels against his Creator. In his good pleasure, God chooses to redeem his fallen creation. The Gospel particularly is the great news of God's coming promise in the form of Jesus, the Son of God to incarnate, obey the Law's demands perfectly, suffer for sinners to atone for their guilt and satisfy God's rightful wrath. Furthermore, it is the death, the burial and the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It is further good news that this Jesus' death and life (his righteousness) are graciously "imputed" to a believer's account. It is good news that the Holy Spirit is given as a sign and seal of that redemption. The gospel at the end of the day is the hope and joy of eternal life. Amen!

Also, I got the chance to answer this question in a video format:

Is Christianity Biased Toward Book Lovers?

Interesting question posted at the Desiring God website.
Answered by John Piper in the video here.

The Problem with Evangelical Sola Scriptura

I live in an ecclesial world that rightly touts the Reformation doctrine of Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone!). I have grown up in this tradition (after my early years in a tradition that held to Scriptura et Magisterium). A lot of ink and spiritual sweat has been spilled over clarifying the fact that for the believer in Jesus Christ, the Scriptures alone as breathed out by God are the final authority for faith and practice (I sometimes refer to that as Scriptura Ultima). As I understand it, this doctrine doesn't snub the fact that truth can be presented via common grace in other earthly texts. And insomuch as they accord with the Sacred Writ, they are true statements. The Scriptures are the final arbiter of all other writings.

Not too many card-carrying evangelical Christians have a hard time disagreeing w/ the above understated formulation. Nevertheless, in the day-to-day life of the Church, I sense perhaps an all too often tendency to take Scriptura Ultima in a literal chronological sense. That is, we read and are heavily influenced by the voices, authorities, and texts of our culture (NY Times, Bono, Oprah, the Academy...you name it) first. Then (!), we run the noise through our evango-high def sola scriptura. No doubt, this isn't as mechanical as I'm making it to sound. I am asking: is our reality that we literally sometimes listen to the Word of God last (or finally, ultimately)?

I guess I am proposing a practical and daily return (yea, application) to the Scriptures not just as our final court of appeal but as our first consideration.
The problem with evangelical sola scriptura in the life of the church is that it often makes the Bible the last consideration (almost like throwing a bone at God). Maybe I'm proposing that embedded in this great historic doctrine is Scriptura Principium. The definition would then be that Scripture is our first and final authority in faith and practice. This allows for common grace and culture "conversations" in between, but it properly keeps the front and back doors of the Gospel well-protected.
Thoughts?

Being a Disciple of Jesus and your Money

Had the opportunity to teach again at HTC. This time from the text assigned to me for our stewardship series: Matthew 6:19-34.
Audio here.
Video here (be warned: it comes in five parts; better for the attention"ly" challenged=+)

America's Favorite Unopened Text

I came across this stimulating article on Christian illiteracy among youths. Author, David Nienhuis, argues cogently for the need to get past mere "sword drill" or trivial type of Bible knowledge and encounter the Scriptures in a more holistic, multi-perspectival fashion.
He particularly draws upon his context-- the Christian college.
"It is not enough for a Christian university to function as an outpost of the academy; it must also take up the task of serving the church by becoming an abbey for spiritual growth and an apostolate for cultural change."

While my experience in university lectureship was short, I think I would have a class which had a semester project that would be pass/fail. The students would have to write about one ideology, philosophy or theology that they would die for.

Praying through Scripture: An Idea...

I'd like to share an idea with you. It regards my inability and sometimes my sinful propensity to not prioritize my time to spend with Jesus in his Word and in prayer. Sometimes, lack of time to commune w/ our Savior isn't about inability or sinfulness. Maybe it's just providential circumstances that purposefully have squeezed out your regularly scheduled time. This, too, we must accept from the Lord with willing hearts not being super-pious thinking we have somehow let God down or those who "expect" us to be with Jesus regularly.

Today, I basically had about 5 minutes of undistracted time before I woke my son up to go to school. In that time, I read four verses from Colossians on my knees (again, not that it indicates anything of my personal piety). Then, I prayed through each phrase of this portion. That's it.

I might add that the "daily" things I pray for, I was able to pray through the grid of those four verses. This is just creative ideation and not at all meant to propose one method toward holiness. If anything, it's more like another way toward fighting for joy in Christ.

Suggested Reading about praying Scripture: A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers (by D.A. Carson)

Guarding the Good News

This is one of the major themes of the book of 2 Timothy which my church is currently preaching through right now. I had the opportunity to deliver the message on July 5th. Here's a link to the recording. The last 20 or so minutes of the recording shouldn't have been recorded. What matters is the first 30 minutes and even more the Word of God itself.

Anthrodudes

I had the opportunity the last 5 weeks to teach a men's class at my church called "Anthropos" (Greek for man). We kind of kidded around about the modern equivalent to 'anthropos' being "dude." So, we struck a happy medium of "anthrodudes."
Anyway, we looked at men of faith in the New Testament book of Hebrews; particularly the 11th chapter. Here are some questions I posed at the beginning:

• Where does God call us as men to grab hold of ‘nothing’?
• What does it mean to “grow in faith”?
• How does faith affect our leadership?
• Do you lead your family in faith? Or is your wife always the one driving the direction of your family?
• Are you living in a state of extended adolescence?
• What are the areas of your life that are “unturned stones” that need redemption?

Here is the class outline:

a) Intro to Faith & Faith from the First Dudes (Hebrews 11:1-7)
b) Abraham: Man of ‘Other-Worldly’ Faith (Hebrews 11:8-22)
c) Moses: Man of ‘Non-Conformist’ Faith (Heb 11:23-31)
d) Women Warriors, Wussies & Cavemen: From Judges through Intertestamental History (Heb 11:32-40)
e) God’s Gym: Faith & Discipline (Hebrews 12:1-17)

The last one we didn't even get to. We barely touched on the 'wussies' section (yes, too pithy, I know even for my taste). I will tease out briefly some of the major points we covered in that class.

I'm grateful for Wesley, Jon, Andrew, Eric, Brandon, Joshua, Scott, and Kevin-- all who 'persevered' the class at some point perhaps 'not realizing the promise' the class was supposed to deliver.=+)