When We Think on Heaven
Nothing can stop us when our eyes are focused on glory. Fear is vanished, anxiety disappears, and worry exits the door. We become so enraptured with what we will experience in the New Earth that the cares, fears, and temptations of this present Earth quickly fade into the abyss.
There is something sanctifying about fixating our eyes on Heaven and the glories to be experienced there. It’s no wonder the Apostle Paul exhorted us to do so in Colossians 3:2, where he wrote, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (ESV).
Setting our minds and hearts on Heaven is not optional for the Christian. Amid the allurements of this world, indwelling sin, and Satan’s influence, it’s all the more imperative that we take heed of Colossians 3:2 by fixing our gaze on glory.
When we consistently obey this exhortation, several things take place, but let’s draw our attention to two.
Sin Becomes Less Appealing
I tweeted recently, “Today, think on the glories that await us in Heaven. I find that the more I think on Heaven, the less appealing sin becomes.” Indeed, it does. The more I stare at the glories of Heaven, the easier it is to ignore the deceptive enticements of sin.
It is when we daydream about the world and get caught up in worldly pursuits that sin is more prevalent in our lives. We give sin—whether intentional or not—a firm grip on our hearts when we take our eyes off the glories of Heaven. We lose the eternal perspective and replace it with the anxieties of this world.
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Johnson To The PCA: “Merry Christmas. Here Is A Lump Of Coal For Your Stocking”
Written by R. Scott Clark |
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
There are several serious problems with Pastor Johnson’s reasoning here. First, his speech was highly biographical, emotive, and even prejudicial. He implied that anyone who disagrees with his position “hates” homosexuals. It equates traditional Christian sexual ethics with anti-gay bigotry. Second, he assumes that, except for his commitment to Christ, he might have taken a same-sex husband and had a family and that by not violating God’s natural and moral law thus he has made a great sacrifice for the sake of Christ and his kingdom.For several years now, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) has been roiled by controversy over whether to admit to her ministry men who are same-sex attracted but celibate. The debate has centered around a the so-called Revoice movement which openly celebrates “Gay Culture” and has come to focus upon the Rev. Mr. Greg Johnson, pastor of Memorial Presbyterian Church, St Louis. His views have been investigated by his Presbytery. The Standing Judicial Commission of the PCA ruled that Presbytery followed the correct process. NB: To the best of my knowledge, the SJC has not ruled on Johnson’s theology nor has it rendered a decision on the Revoice theology and rhetoric.
One might think, in light of the angst and grief generated in reaction to Revoice and to his rhetoric, e.g., his 2019 speech on the floor of General Assembly, and the serious concerns that have been raised across the PCA, in multiple presbyteries about the Revoice theology and the very idea of a same-sex attracted man serving as a minister in a confessional Presbyterian denomination, that the Rev. Mr. Johnson’s posture might be that of a grief-stricken penitent. One might think that his apparel might be sackcloth and his attitude one of gratitude for the privilege of being able to continue in the service of Christ and his church despite his self-professed handicap of being immutably same-sex attracted. The PCA, however, awoke this morning to a diatribe published, in all places, in USA Today (HT: Presbycast) implying that he has been vindicated by the courts of the PCA and giving advice to other homosexuals on how to deal with their uptight relatives at Christmas. I kid you not. You should read the article for yourself.
You can imagine how fun denominational gatherings can be. Me with a couple thousand mostly older white, churchgoing, Southern, heterosexual religious conservatives with children and grandchildren and seersucker suits. One of us is not like the others.
As before, he suggests that by not acting on his sexual orientation, he is making a sacrifice:
And while you might be forgiven for assuming that my willing celibacy and lifetime of sexual sobriety might make me acceptable in such conservative religious spaces, it’s not always so. I’ve been investigated by church authorities, both formally and informally, because of my sexual orientation.
Remarkably, he claims:
After a recent investigation, I was exonerated in January 2020. Then exonerated again. Finally, this October, our denominational supreme court cleared me.
That ruling can’t be appealed. So I kid you not, my critics are now trying to change our denominational constitution to get rid of me, barring from ministry anyone who is honest about not being heterosexual.
Even 49-year-old virgins who are saving themselves for Jesus.
Here is his characterization of the concerns being debated by the PCA:
How can I love family members who seem at times so blind to their own failings? To their own insensitivity? When they seem to be making bad decisions motivated by fear and suspicion? When they don’t think I belong?
Again, you should read Johnson’s essay for yourself.
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Are You Having an Influence?
There are all sorts of folks in the world seeking to be an influencer, seeking to push a product or concept. The most vital sort of being an agent of influence is to be a sold out, Spirit-empowered, biblically-literate follower of Jesus Christ. The world is starved for those sorts of influencers. Will you be one?
One hears a lot in recent times about “influencers”. They get a fair bit of press lately. The other day I saw a few headlines – out of many: “Revealed: Victoria’s top 100 Instagram Influencers.” And this: “From celebrities to relatable mums, cleaning trick gurus to fashion models, these are Victoria’s top Instagram influencers. See who ranked number one.”
But who they are and what they do has largely eluded me up till now. So I did a quick online search and got a few definitions: “Influencers in social media are people who have built a reputation for their knowledge and expertise on a specific topic.” Another says this:
“An influencer is someone in your niche or industry with sway over your target audience. Influencers have specialized knowledge, authority or insight into a specific subject. Their pre-existing presence in a niche makes them a useful launching pad for brands in search of credibility.”
So that got me thinking. (Most things get me thinking.) Christians of all people should be influencers. And not just the big cheeses: pastors, teachers, preachers, evangelists, and so on. ALL people who know Christ should be influencers. We all should have a reputation for being experts in our particular “brand”. We should all be having an impact as we seek to “sway” others.
And that will involve two elements of course: the sort of life that we live, and the words that we speak. We must show the world what a real Christian life is all about, but we must also share the gospel message. Our lives must be Christlike and we must be willing to share biblical truth.
Jesus did not command his disciples to go into all the world and influence folks, but to preach the gospel. Sure, our lives should back up our words. Our walk should match our talk. But our influence will always contain content. Our witness will always involve communicating the Christian message.
The idea of being salt and light is certainly involved here. But how can we be an influencer for Christ? Much can be said, but something John Stott wrote the year he passed away (2011) is worth sharing parts of here. He penned a piece called “Four Ways Christians Can Influence the World”. Early on he says this:The word influence can sometimes be used for a self-centered thirst for power, like in Dale Carnegie’s famous book How to Make Friends and Influence People. But it can also be used in an unselfish way of the desire of Christians who refuse to acquiesce to the status quo, who are determined to see things changed in society and long to have some influence for Jesus Christ. Are we powerless? Is the quest for social change hopeless before we begin? Or can Christians exert some influence for Jesus Christ?
He continues:
What is the nature of this influence? Let me suggest to you a few ways in which we Christians have power.
First, there is power in prayer. I beg you not to dismiss this as a pious platitude. It isn’t. There are some Christians who are such social activists that they never stop to pray. They are wrong, are they not?Read More
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Who Created God? Two Answers and an Application
We’ll never understand fully God here, on earth. In fact, being finite we won’t fully comprehend God then, in glory. The reasons are simple: God is spirit (John 4:24); His thoughts aren’t ours (Isaiah 55:8); We’re are finite, with a beginning and an end, thus our minds are limited (Deuteronomy 29:29). As those whom God created, we’ll never fully grasp the nature of God. That being said, he has revealed himself. We can know him now and Jesus promised that we’ll see his face then (Matthew 5:8).
Sometimes, even when we’ve been believers for years, we lack answers to simple questions. This seems to be especially true when those questions come from children. It may not be your case. But somewhere someone is scratching their head for the right answer to explain who created God; the nature of the Trinity; or where the dinosaurs fit in.
One day, as our Sunday service was coming to end, two children approached me. They said they had a question, which I said was very welcome. Then they asked: “God created us, didn’t he?” Yes, I replied. Then: “God created all things, didn’t he?” Yes, I said, again. Eventually they got to this: “So, who created God?” This question has likely been heard in many places, from theological teaching programs to Sunday School. But it caught me off guard.
Perhaps without the clarity of hindsight, I managed an answer, which I’ve reproduced below. Whether you’re a theological lecturer or a youth leader, I hope that it’s of some help.
1. No One Created God
In Genesis 1:1 we read, “In the beginning God created.” Thus, everything has an origin. A beginning. That origin or source is God. He was there at the beginning of all things. But he himself was not made by another being. Consider Paul’s words in Colossians 1:17, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Everything we can see—and all that we cannot—comes from God. He always existed. He’ll exist forever.
What does this mean to us?
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