What’s in a name?

 

 

More than once, friends of mine have wondered about the name I chose for this blog: Postmortemism. Yeah, at first glance it might seem…morbid sounding. I felt it was clear enough with the verse from Romans tacked up below it, but  perhaps some more explanation might be helpful. Hopefully this makes everything clear.

 

 

There are a few factors that led to me choosing this name:

1. It is a misnomer. The idea of “postmodernism” is popular in Christian and secular circles right now. “Postmortemism” looks like it, but it’s not it. Essentially, I think postmortemism is opposite postmodernism. Which leads to my second point…

 

2. The idea I had about postmortemism contrasts sharply with postmodernism. Postmodernism seems to be obsessed with relating things to one’s self. “That doesn’t work for me“, “Perhaps that’s your truth, but…”, and “I feel like God is saying…” etc. I don’t like that kind of thinking. Not only do I not like it, it’s just a quick way to rationalize something. Is something automatically true because you’re thinking it, you’re feeling it, or it seems right to you? No. So find a better justification.

 

3. It encapsulates one of the main ways Jesus and Paul characterized the Christian life: dying to the self-centered life in order to know and love Jesus. Thus, the “post-mortemism” exists in regularly avoiding selfishness and living for Jesus instead.
   

~

It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

2 Timothy 2:11-13

Take a Guess

The following is taken from a sermon that has become fairly popular as of late. But I felt the need to quote some of his words for further reflection. So consider what you would think of someone who started his sermon this way.

~

When introducing his sermon, “There’s so much going on here that you don’t understand.”

And again, “I will tell you things that you will misunderstand.”

He then warns, “If I correctly interpret this passage…your problem will not be with me, it will be with God and his word.”

He continues his warning (to a collection of Christian youth groups), “Within a hundred years the great majority of people in this building will possibly be in hell.”

He justifies this point by saying, “I can say such a thing because I don’t do my Christian work in America. I spend most of my time preaching in South America, in Africa, and Eastern Europe.”

Upon receiving applause from his audience for his stern rebuke of carnality prevalent within the Christian community, “I don’t know why you’re clapping, I’m talking about you.”

When considering the venue at which he speaks, “Do you know what it’s going to cost me to never be asked back again to something like this?”

After all this, he finally gets to his discussion of the Bible by saying, “I want to go into Scripture now that I’ve shocked you into life.”

Who said all this?

What do you think of his approach?

The Gift

How do you show someone unadulterated love? How do you give such an expression of genuine affection that there can be no doubt in the object’s mind about the depth of your care?

Generosity usually counts for something. Few would have misgivings about someone who gave them something free of cost, such as food, clothing, jewelry, or a song. When someone hand-picks or designs something with the desire to show affection, the gift is often received in like sentiment.

But everyone knows a gift can be manipulation.

Think of the flowers which said “I love you” but meant “Love me!”, the song with the chorus “I’ll never let you go” but meant “Don’t leave me!”, and the expensive jewelry which makes a break-up just that much more guilt-wrenching. Sometimes even the gratitude itself which we receive in return raises our own estimation of ourselves far too high, leaving that as our focus, rather than the joy with which the gift was received by our beloved one.

So how do you prove your love absolutely?

Ultimately, it comes down to this: giving a person your self.

Consider what Jesus says to his disciples only a few hours before he was murdered:

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”
(John 15:12-13)

When you give your life up on someone else’s behalf, you have proven your love. True love is self-sacrificing.

I think that’s why we love dogs so much.

Ever wonder what’s so lovable about dogs?

I heard a story of a boy who had never cried at a funeral for a relative, but cried deeply and passionately when his first dog died. I can understand. Dogs (good ones, that is) are utterly faithful. If you love your dog, chances are high that you believe this animal would protect you to the point of its own death.

But a good dog doesn’t just die for its master. In fact, dogs seldom need to die in order to prove their love. They prove it by greeting you excitedly every time you come home, licking you excessively even when there is no apparent reason why, barking at all strangers who come within one-hundred feet of your home, and growling at any other animal, even their own kind, should they see it as a threat.

Make no mistake, the canine is stupid sometimes, but we call it “man’s best friend” because it tends to be more fully devoted to its human master than any other animal.

Back to Jesus.

This Good Friday, I just want to make a simple point, Jesus loves people more than anyone else.

Consider Paul’s epistle to the Romans,

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:6-

When Paul says we were “yet sinners”, his is only recapitulating his diatribe against the human condition from chapter 3, where he says “There is none who seeks for God…all have turned aside and together become useless…their feet are swift to shed blood…there is no fear of God before their eyes.” (3:10-1 We are not merely people who mess up. We are not merely weak. We are not merely wounded or broken. We are rebels with a cause. We have hated God and despised his influence on our lives.

Yet, “Christ died for us”.

He loved us before we knew him, and he died for us so that would would be reconciled to God. In his death, Paul says, we were, “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith.” (3:24-25a)

What of all of my rebellion, hatred, and disobedience toward God? Jesus was the propitiation for it. God assaulted his son on our behalf, publicly, so that I could be guilt-free, justified completely in the divine presence.

If you love someone, you are willing to do whatever it takes to meet their greatest need.

He suffered and died in my place so I could be with him.

Jesus loves me, this I know.

Theology: The Practical Push

“The primary purpose for pastors is to produce greater faith within the members of the church,” said my English professor at The Master’s College, Dr. Pilkey. He said it at least three times during the semester I studied with him.

I tended to agree with him, though he would often make theological propositions many deemed questionable. But he was always good at addressing the root of the matter, whether you agreed with him or not. Even though I’m still not sure I agree with that statement, I must concede it comes very close to my idea of what pastors and preachers try to do.

But how does someone “produce greater faith” in someone else’s heart? That’s such a hard idea to accept. Not only is it difficult to understand, it’s difficult to do.

I would characterize a preacher/teacher’s duty as this: explaining and applying God’s word to his congregation. The Bible says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Jesus further elaborates that the entirety of Scripture points to him when he says, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me.” (John 5:39) So all the Scripture is valid for “producing faith” in Dr. Pilkey’s terms.

Furthermore, Paul confirms this when he says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17)

With that settled, I simply have one observation to make about the way in which the Scripture generates faith within us. Specifically, I am referring to Christians when I say “us” at this point, though one could develop the principle in a different way to relate with people who are not in the church. Scripture generates faith within us by making God’s purposes clear. When we are made aware of the purposes of God throughout redemptive history, we see how our salvation is important.

Let me give a few examples:

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” (Romans 12:1)

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galations 5:1)

“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-3)

“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12)

“Therefore as your have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2:6)

And consider this one,

“Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.” (Deutoronomy 28:47-4

Do you see a pattern?

In each of these verses, we see that our righteous conduct is predicated not on the intensity of our will to do right, but on our recognition of the honor God has already bestowed upon us. Except for the last passage, all the other ones come at the end of a lengthy theological discussion. Paul has gone on and on about theology. Topics included in these passages are predestination, justification by faith, the propitiation of Christ on our behalf, God’s gift of his church to his son, salvation by grace, Christ’s death, and God’s love.  We realize he has been merciful, gracious, providential, even sacrificial. 

Do you enjoy studying or thinking about these things? If you don’t, or you do but you haven’t done it lately, perhaps you’ve found it particularly strenuous to act righteously.

Get Back

I’ve had quite a break from blogging, to say the least. But after listening to the Al Mohler interview of Phil Johnson, in which it was mentioned the average blog lasts only 8 weeks, I was inspired to attempt to post more regularly. I don’t want postmortemism to be just another statistic. Additionally, I’ve grown more accustomed to my workload as a student teacher, so perhaps I’ll be able to budget my time well enough to designate the hour or so it usually takes to make a decent post.

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As long as I’m writing, I figure it would be good to tell you a bit about what I’m planning on doing with my life. My plans are always subject to God’s design for my life, so I say this with a certain amount of uncertainty, but I do have a vision for what I want (at least part of) my future to look like.

Currently I’m training to be a teacher in the public schools of Washington state. I expect I’ll pass this student internship, Lord willing. But I don’t plan on being an English teacher forever. Ideally, I’d like to spend enough time in this occupation to get familiar with how to teach effectively and enjoyably. I want to be able to say things that are entirely relevant, interesting, and educationally effective. I also want to teach myself biblical Greek and Hebrew during this time, so that I can come to a better understanding of the Bible.

Then one day, after I’ve collected some cash (and strong understanding of said biblical languages) I would like to go to a good, conservative seminary and be trained to be a pastor.

Why am I not going now? It’s a good question, and I admit I don’t have a perfect answer that would assuage all naysayers who would argue I ought to. But there are a few factors that I have kept in mind for a few years that give me a sense that it’s not good to do just yet.

1) I don’t want to train to only have a church job. It’s not that I think myself above such a vocational training, but I would rather engage in seminary to learn the Bible and be prepared to teach it, than to need such training in order to have a job. I want to serve the church I am a part of, not be forced to be a part of a church in order to maintain my career.

2) I believe it’s important for teacher/pastors to have a godly family. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 is clear about this. A family proves (and hones) my ability to lead an exemplary life for others to follow. It prepares me for all the issues and problems that come up as a leader of a group of people, too. I want to be just as “trained” in these areas by the time I get out of seminary as I am in the Bible.

3) Being a teacher now will help me in many ways. I will gain a lot of experience with communicating complicated and difficult ideas to people who are unfamiliar; I will gain a lot of experience communicating simple ideas to people who should’ve learned them already. I will learn to be gracious to people who have had it tough, and be tough to people who have had too much grace.

4) There are many opportunities to serve (and even teach) at my church already, as God chisels me in to a more Christlike servant of his people. It’s not as if becoming a leader in a church happens instantly. I think it is biblical and realistic to understand leadership as something which may be evident early in adulthood, but developed over time. I don’t want to jump into a state of massive responsibility at this age, beyond that which God has already put on my shoulders.

Pray for me

In the next few weeks, I’ll be starting my student teaching at Blaine High School. I’m hoping to have a good time doing this, but I’m nervous. I may continue my lack of posting for a while longer as I get comfortable with my new responsibilities. I would really appreciate your prayers as I begin this new adventure.

It’s been a little over three months that Natalie and I have been together. We’re doing really well. I’m a very lucky guy. Rather, God has been very gracious to me. I’ve never had a relationship that was so enjoyable, but where God was so much at work within me. Please pray for us, though, that we would continue to honor God together, always striving to know him more intimately.

In the last few days, I’ve been able to reflect on many of the ways God has blessed me. Life is not always good, but God is always very good. I heard a great quote from Piper (who was quoting Randy Alcorn) who said something like, “God does not bless us into a higher standard of living, but a higher standard of giving.” I’m not making any more money right now, but with all the blessing God’s given me, I should be giving a lot more. In the future, though, I probably will earn more money (hopefully quite a bit more), but I just want to state here and now that I will never need a higher standard of living than what I have today. If you want, you can pray that I hold to that conviction.

And if you’re anything like me, you can pray that you’ll hold to that conviction as well.

The Pyro is on Fire

Phil Johnson has just written an excellent post on some of the core-differences between the Emerging Church and the Bible. I have shied away from writing many articles specifically grappling with this issue because I’m neither as familiar with it as he is, nor am I as adept at characterizing its differences with the Bible as he is. I think all Christians would do well to consider what he’s written here.

Espresso

 

Modern espresso machines range from $40 to over $1,000 for some higher end models. I’ve heard you have to spend at least $150 to get a decent machine that will last for a significant period of time.

I recently acquired something I expect to use for quite some time: a stove-top espresso maker. At $22 on amazon.com, I thought it was a steal.

To make espresso, you first fill the bottom unit with water. Then you fill the middle unit with coffee grounds. Next, you secure the top unit together with the bottom and middle unit, and place it on your stove-top on “high”. As the water heats up, it moves up the coffee maker through the grounds and into the top unit that catches the espresso.

I wanted to write about this for a couple reasons: first, I’m a huge fan of any easy, cheap way to make delicious food.

But also, I want to encourage you, the reader, to consider how much money you lose on coffee every year. Now, I understand that, at times, coffee can be a great energy boost on a busy day, but I find it shocking how people lose $3 or more a day just to get a coffee buzz. Do you realize that $3 a day on coffee (or you could say a $2.50 cup and a .50 cent tip) adds up to nearly $1100 a year? Just imagine what kind of retirement plans my fellow college students could have if they invested that money instead!

More significantly, what should a Christian’s buying habits look like? Excessive espresso may not be my own indulgence, but I spend a lot of money on fast-food, restaurants, and clothes…where should I draw the line?

If my money is nothing more than that which God has entrusted to me to use wisely for his purposes, does that carry the obligation of me developing habits that make me less of a consumer, and more of a giver? I think the answer is yes. But it would be nice to know exactly how that applies to me next time I want to buy a burger (or a mocha, for that matter!).

~

“Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 25:13-30, NASB)

Thankfulness

 

Natalie and I have been reading through C.H. Spurgeon’s “Treasury of David” (a priceless gift from my brother) and it has been inspiring to study the Psalms in this way. Spurgeon gives a vast amount of commentary to each Psalm, even faithfully expositing the more obsolete references to aspects of the Psalms’ musical notations. Additionally, Spurgeon includes copious commentary notes from other pastors and teachers from ancient to contemporary times. Finally, he gives several “hints to preachers” at the end of each commentary, which include some very thought provoking ideas for the inclusion of each verse in a sermon.

 

 

Today, we went through Psalm 9. As we came to the end of it, Natalie gave particular attention to v. 20 “Put them in fear, O LORD; Let the nations know that they are but men. Selah.” As I considered the meaning of that verse, it gave me room for pause as well. What am I to make of the phrase, “Put them in fear, O LORD”? What will happen when “the nations know they are but men”?

Calvin said this about that verse, “The original word [for "men"] is enosh; and therefore it is a prayer that they may know themselves to be but miserable, frail, and dying men.”

Without question, the most humbling times in my life have come from the instances when I was most overwhelmed by my own need for either divine or earthly grace. So when I consider what it means to be in fear of the LORD, and how that can be synonymous with recognizing my own earthliness, I am struck mostly by the constant reliance I must place on the grace of God. The times when I am most ungracious, intolerant, and unloving are the times when I have forgotten I am nothing more than a dirty vessel cleaned by a holy God to be used for a divine plan. When that happens, it usually takes some sort of humiliating experience to come back to the realization of my own reliance on grace. Afterwards, for a short while, I may actually become a more gracious person, knowing that I ought to expect from God nothing more than what I am prepared to give to others.

One of the most magnificent passages in Scripture is Luke 7:47 “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” In the context, Jesus has just had his feet washed by the tears of a crying woman. She was called “a sinner” by a Pharisee named Simon. Nothing is more clear in this passage than the contrast between the Pharisaical self-righteousness and this woman’s overwhelming sense of her own need of Christ’s forgiveness.

All this makes me think that perhaps the most important reason to be thankful to God is so we become continually purer reflections of his Son. His grace paid the ultimate price of rejection by God; our own demonstration of grace only draws upon that payment and distributes it to other people who need grace from us. I have nothing of my own to give anyone.

I like what Spurgeon has gleaned from the puritan Stephen Charnock,

We should otherwise think ourselves gods. We are so inclined to sin that we need strong restraints, and so swelled with a natural pride against God, that we need thorns in hte flesh to let out the corrupt matter. The constant hanging the rod over us makes us lick the dust, and acknowledge ourselves to be altogether at the Lord’s mercy. Though God hath pardoned us, he will make us wear the halter about our necks to humble us.

A haiku

Of all God’s creatures,
Man is the only one, who
Knows that he will die.

~

Ecclesiastes 3:11

He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.