Recently I’ve been reading a biography on the life of St. Augustine.

"Augustine in His Study" - Sandro Botticelli, 1480

Augustine remains one of the most fascinating and influential figures from church history – a giant of the faith along with men like Martin Luther and John Calvin.

One of the most surprising aspects of St. Augustine’s life was that he was not always a saint.  In fact, Augustine himself admits that in his pre-Christian life, he was an outright hedonist and enslaved to his an enormous sexual appetite.

However, after his salvation from empty pleasure seeking through Jesus Christ, Augustine did not go the way of harsh asceticism as a means of avoiding his hedonistic ways.  Instead, Augustine taught that all the good gifts of life (the pleasures of creation, food, drink, sex, friendships, leisure, etc.) are divine gifts that are meant to lead us to greater enjoyment of God Himself.

Augustine tells us, “From His gifts, which are scattered to good and bad alike in this, our most grim life, let us, with His help, try to express sufficiently what we have yet to experience.”[1]

In other words, the good things we experience in this life are meant to stir in us a greater appetite for heavenly things that we will one day experience in the presence of God.  Thus, whenever we experience these good things (vacations, big screen TVs, new babies, pets, time with loved ones…) we should make sure our enjoyment is not merely of the gift but of God.

“He loves thee too little who loves anything together with thee, which he loves not for thy sake.”[2]

And

But what do I love when I love my God? . . . Not the sweet melody of harmony and song; not the fragrance of flowers, perfumes, and spices; not manna or honey; not limbs such as the body delights to embrace. It is not these that I love when I love my God. And yet, when I love him, it is true that I love a light of a certain kind, a voice, a perfume, a food, an embrace; but they are of the kind that I love in my inner self, when my soul is bathed in light that is not bound by space; when it listens to sound that never dies away; when it breathes fragrance that is not borne away on the wind; when it tastes food that is never consumed by the eating; when it clings to an embrace from which it is not severed by fulfillment of desire. This is what I love when I love my God.[3]

To love the good gifts of God more than the gracious Lord who bestows them upon us is a grave insult to His infinite kindness.  Augustine warns us, “If the things of this world delight you, praise God for them but turn your love away from them and give it to their Maker, so that in the things that please you may not displease him.”[4]   He illustrates the problem like this,

Suppose, brethren, a man should make a ring for his betrothed, and she should love the ring more wholeheartedly than the betrothed who made it for her. . . . Certainly, let her love his gift: but, if she should say, “The ring is enough. I do not want to see his face again” what would we say of her? . . . The pledge is given her by the betrothed just that, in his pledge, he himself may be loved. God, then, has given you all these things. Love Him who made them.[5]

Therefore, let us be careful that our delighting in our big screen TVs, good movies, savory food, and game nights with friends are the grounds for great praise to God’s gracious goodness to us, and not become mere idols for us to cling to and cherish.  The end of idolatry is eternal emptiness and poverty of True Delight, Jesus Christ.

“Little Children, keep yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:21)

Open Discussion Question:

This is another question for open discussion/debate.

Is it possible to be a spiritual person without necessarily being a religious person?

Yes? No? Explain your answer.
Be sure to define your terms!

What is the greatest struggle/challenge of the Christian life?  This was the question posed a few weeks ago for your opinions and discussion.  Today, I will assert my own answer.

First, however, it’s important to see what the greatest struggle is not.  The greatest struggle of the Christian life is not primarily prayer, Bible reading, evangelism, or the spiritual disciplines in general.  The greatest struggle is not raunchy movies, worldly music, violent video games, or godless entertainment all together.  The greatest struggle for Christians today is not abortion, gay marriage, atheistic universities, or even that damn liberal media we hear so much about.

While all of the above are important and worthy of our serious thought, attention, and response, they are all ultimately secondary or even tertiary matters in the Christian life.

If intimacy with God, obstacles to holiness, and social justice are not the greatest struggle in Christian living, then what is?  Truly seeing Jesus Christ and valuing Him rightly‘

It is truly seeing and rightly valuing that transforms our lives and makes us fit for Heaven.

Seeing and Valuing is the Difference Between Being a Follower of Jesus or Not

“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing.  In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.  For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:3-6).

The difference between those who believe and are saved and those who reject and perish is that one sees Jesus Christ as infinitely good and valuable while the other sees Jesus as foolish and weak.

Truly seeing and rightly valuing is difference between Heaven and Hell.

Seeing and Valuing is the Power to Fight Sin and Live in Obedience

“By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.  He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.  By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:24-27; cf. Matthew 4:1-11).

When you read both Hebrews 11 and Matthew 4 we see that one thing Moses and Jesus had in common was that when faced with temptation they looked to something far superior.  Hebrews tells us that Moses valued Jesus more than the ease and wealth of Egypt.  Matthew shows that Jesus valued God more than an easy way out while in the wilderness.

In the same way, we are tempted to sin by false promises of satisfaction in things other than God.  Our strategy for defeating sin, then, is to remind ourselves of the superior satisfaction we have in Jesus Christ.

Seeing and Valuing is the Means to Our Transformation

” And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Our growing in the likeness of Jesus (sanctification) occurs as we gaze intently upon Him.  We do this through the spiritual disciplines of Bible reading, prayer, evangelism, worship, and many, many others.

Seeing and Valuing is the Power to Persevering to the End

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 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 (Hebrews 12:1-2).

The greatest struggle of the Christian life is to clearly see Jesus Christ and value Him rightly as the infinitely good and valuable person in the universe.  It is our success or failure at doing this that will determine whether our lives will be marked by holiness and victory or worldliness and defeat.

As you pray today, pray that God would give you eyes to see Jesus clearly and a heart to love Him rightly.

Discussion Question:

In your opinion, what is the greatest need and/or struggle for Christians/the Christian life today?

Give your answer in the comment section below!

In our day many religions and religious leaders claim that spiritual life can be found from many different places.  While many may claim to know the true source, it is still true that spiritual life can be found only in trusting in the person and work of Jesus Christ.  The Apostle John wrote in 1 John 1:1-4:

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life–and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us–what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.  These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

In these verses John reveals in whom spiritual life is found: Jesus Christ.  In no other person may life be found.  Perhaps all reading this blog agree with this truth claim – why should we need a reminder?

The fact is that while we may claim to believe this fact, perhaps most us deny it by our lifestyles.  That is, we never share the gospel with unbelievers, never serve the poor, never take time to fellowship with other believers, and never spend time examining on our souls to determine whether or not we actually have spiritual life within ourselves.  If Jesus is the only way, our lives ought to reveal the significance of this truth claim.  Perhaps those reading this article could leave comments suggesting how we can change our lifestyles if we have fallen into denying this truth by our lives.  I know that the more I study about Jesus being the only source from which we can have spiritual life, the more I am personally convicted of my neglect to live like this fact is true.

Sometimes — and usually when someone is trying to skirt a direct question about their spiritual life — a person will say their faith is “just between me and God.” It implies that everything about being a Christian is internal and personal.

But check out these verses:

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10

Believing in God internally is essential to being a Christian. Equally essential is how that faith is expressed externally and how it interacts with the rest of the world — almost always through your words and actions.

Keeping your faith to yourself is unnatural. Christianity is as fundamentally external as it is internal.

Nowadays some are claiming that the world will end on May 21, 2011 (just Google the date and you can find information on this claim).  As it turns out, the same guy who is claiming that the world will end this day is also the same guy who claimed that it would end in 1994.  Regardless of the evidence he thinks he knows, we can be assured that he is wrong.  The disciples asked Jesus a similar question in Acts 1:6, “So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’”  Jesus answered with, “⁷ He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.’”  Everyone should let these words of Jesus sink in.  The Father has fixed the end times and Jesus explains that it is NOT for us to know when the end will come.  Sure, Jesus could come back on that day.  But, He could just as easily come back tomorrow (the 12th).  Either way, we need to be ready.  Nevertheless, either way, we still don’t know and are not supposed to know, as explained by Jesus.

Are leaders born or made?  Surely, both.  On the one hand, leadership is an “elusive and electric quality” that comes directly from God.  On the other, leadership skills are distributed widely among every community, and should be cultivated and developed.  Often our skills lie dormant until a crisis arises.

Some people become leaders by opportunity and training.  A crisis comes, no one better qualified steps forward, and a leader is born.  But coser investigation usually reveals that the selection was less fortuitous and more the result of hidden training that made the person fit for leadership.  Joseph is a perfect example (Gen 37-45).  He became prime ministry of Egypt through circumstances that most people would call “lucky stars.”  In fact his promotion was the outcome of thirteen years of rigorous, hidden training under the hand of God.

When we contrast natural and spiritual leadership, we see just how different they are.

Natural Leadership:

• Self-confident
• Knows men
• Makes own decisions
• Ambitious
• Creates methods
• Enjoys command
• Seeks personal reward
• Independent

Spiritual Leadership:

• Confident in God
• Also knows God
• Seeks God’s will
• Humble
• Follows God’s example
• Delights in obedience to God
• Love God and others
• Depends on God

Thousands of high school and college students right now believe a total lie about their future: They will change.

Adolescence is treated like a free-pass to slack, experiment, get in trouble, and generally do as we please without consequences.  When Adulthood sets in (at a yet to be determined time), then we press the reset button on life, and proceed into a lifelong pattern of self-discipline, responsibility, and upstanding moral character.

This is the myth of bifurcation, and it can ruin your life.

“The bifurcation myth says that you can do what you want because after you move into adulthood, it won’t matter.  That myth caused me many problems, and it will create havoc for you as well, if you believe it…because the person you become as a young man [or woman] is the person you’ll drag into adulthood.  Your likes and dislikes – from food to music to movies – will follow you.  More important, your character will be formed, just as a concrete foundation outlines a house.”

The decisions and patterns you are making right now as a student, an employee, as a boyfriend/girlfriend, as a churchgoer, and a friend will determine who you are as an employee in future career, as a spouse in a marriage, as a parent to children, as church member.

So let me ask you: Do you like who you’ll be in five-, ten-, fifteen-, years?

The myth of bifurcation: the idea that who you are as a teenager or student won’t follow you into adulthood is an utter lie.  But there is hope in Jesus Christ who can put away our past mistakes and failures and transform character to be like His.

A Christian minister is a person who in a peculiar

sense is not his own; he is the servant of God, and

therefore ought to be wholly devoted to him. By

entering on that sacred office he solemnly

undertakes to be always engaged, as much as

possible, in the Lord’s work, and not to chuse his

own pleasure, or employment, or pursue the

ministry as a something that is to subserve his own

ends, or interests, or as a kind of bye-work. He

engages to go where God pleases, and to do, or

endure what he sees fit to command, or call him to,

in the exercise of his function. He virtually bids

farewell to friends, pleasures, and comforts, and

stands in readiness to endure the greatest sufferings

in the work of his Lord, and Master. It is

inconsistent for ministers to please themselves with

thoughts of a numerous auditory, cordial friends, a

civilized country, legal protection, affluence,

splendour, or even a competency. The flights, and

hatred of men, and even pretended friends, gloomy

prisons, and tortures, the society of barbarians of

uncouth speech, miserable accommodations in

wretched wildernesses, hunger, and thirst,

nakedness, weariness, and painfulness, hard work,

and but little worldly encouragement, should

rather be the objects of their expectation.

-William Carey An  Enquiry into the obligations of Christians to use means for the conversion of the Heathen. (1792)