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Author: Glen

I'm a preacher in Eastbourne, married to Emma.

About Glen

I'm a preacher in Eastbourne, married to Emma.

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Published on 20 Comments on Who the man?

So what are these parables about?

Matthew 13:44-46: "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it."

I remember John Piper taking quite a long time (in Desiring God??) to argue that the man is us, the treasure is Christ and so we should joyfully give up all for Him.  In fact I often read or hear Piper returning to these parables and this interpretation of them.  I think it's at least emblematic of three Piper distinctives:

1) treasuring Christ

2) joy as the atmosphere and motivation of our wholehearted service.

3) the gospel is not about Christ making much of us but freeing us to make much of Him

 

Now I have learnt as much from John Piper as I have from any contemporary Christian leader and I thank God for him.  Funnily enough though, it was his own arguments concerning the parables that convinced me of the other interpretation.  That is, the seeking man is Christ (just as Christ is the man throughout Matt 13), the found treasure is the church (eg Ex 19:6) and the world is the field (just as the world is the field throughout Matt 13).  Perhaps what tipped the balance most for me was the thought: if these were two parables about us finding Christ (rather than the other way around) they would be the only parables of their kind.  Elsewhere it is always we who are lost and Christ who seeks and saves. 

If this second interpretation is correct then it's about Christ giving all to buy the world so as to possess His church.  He is the great Seeker and He is the great Treasurer.  He is the great Rejoicer and He is the great Sacrificer of all. 

What happens when we go with the Piper interpretation?  We become the great seekers, we are the ones who treasure, we are the great rejoicers and the ones who sacrifice all.  The weight is thrown back onto our shoulders.  Now to encourage us in this gargantuan work, this sustaining power is held out to us: We are told to prize and value and esteem and treasure and glory in the inestimable value of Christ.  In that joy will we find the strength to give all for the possession of Christ.  But we are assured that this is the way it has to be because the gospel is definitely not about Christ making much of us.  It's about us being freed to make much of Him.  In fact I think it's this conviction (grounded in Piper's views of the self-centred divine glory) that underlies his interpretation of the parables.

What do we say to this? 

Well, first, just read the parables in context.  Shouldn't we assume that the main Actor of the chapter remains the same? 

Second, ask questions about the gospel.  Isn't Christ meant to be the active one?  Aren't we the ones acted upon?  The lost who are found?  And don't we love because He first loved us?

Third, ask questions about the nature of God's glory.  In the radical othercentredness of the triune life, isn't God's eternal glory precisely in making much of the Other?  Isn't it entirely fitting that this immanent love spills over in the economy of grace such that God is indeed glorified in His self-emptying exaltation of His people?  When we understand the trinitarian glory of God, don't we then realize just how glorifying it is for Christ to make much of us?  (And even to do so when people don't respond!)

Fourth, ask questions about the nature of the Christian life.  Sustaining joy is a wonderful thing, but doesn't it flow from receiving Christ's electing, sacrificial love first?  Doesn't it overburden the Christian to put them in the role of the electing, sacrificing seeker?

Just some questions.  Let me state again, I'm a Piper fan.  I've listened to hundreds of talks, read loads of his books.  Once I even described myself as 'a big fan' to his face (bowel shudderingly embarrassing!). 

It wasn't even my intention to write about Piper.  This post was meant to be the introduction to a mini-series on Christ in the parables.  Well, it is that too.  This is part one.  Christ is the man.  He is the merchant. 

There.  Point made.

Up next, the Good Samaritan, then the Two Sons.

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Published on Leave a comment on Blog Gold Dust

He doesn't blog as often as some, but when he does he's up there with my absolute favourites.  Andy Mason is consistently thought-provoking, Christ-centred, biblical, pastoral and stuffed full of grace through and through.  He's been blogging more than usual this month - check it out!

On the subject - what golden nuggets am I missing as I plod around the blogosphere?  Have a look at my blogroll and see if you think there are any glaring omissions - always glad to be pointed to the good stuff. 

(btw I'm sure you're all grown up enough to know that I don't always agree with those on my blogroll.  I think it's healthy to read beyond our own theological circles.  Maybe that's why some of you read me!)

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Published on Leave a comment on Barcode Gun or Magnum?

In this post I've been thinking about how we tend to pray before evangelistic efforts. 

Often the prayers we say will sound something like:

'Lord, open hearts in advance of your gospel. Prepare people now so that later we will come across those upon whom your Spirit has worked.' 

If this is how we think then we're basically conceiving of the gospel as a necessary instrument to salvation but it's not really at the heart of the action.  The action happens in some prior (wordless) event.  The gospel word merely comes as confirmation of a previous display of divine power - it's not the power itself.

 

On this view, the gospel is like a barcode gun. 

We zap a hundred people and - glory! - we discover that five had been slipped the right barcode in advance. 

The gospel here is confirmatory of a change that has happened elsewhere.  As I've said, it reveals a prior power.  It's not the power itself.

 

But there's another way to see the gospel.

The gospel is like a magnum!

The gospel is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16).  Proclaiming the good news is unleashing divine power.  We fire off a hundred rounds of the gospel and a hundred people have felt the power of God - whether for their salvation or their greater condemnation.

The gospel does not merely confirm a prior mark placed on a person. The gospel makes the mark!

 

So as you go out into the world with the gospel, let this affect your confidence, your reverence and your prayerfulness: It's not a barcode gun you carry - it's a magnum. 

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Published on Leave a comment on No worries

From this sermon on Luke 12:1-12...

What is the most common command in the Scriptures? 

Fear not.  Do not be afraid. Hundreds of times in the whole bible - the message is repeatedly given "Don't worry." 

But we do.  All the time.  About everything.

I bet if I asked you to make a list of things you were worried about at the moment, you could reel off at least five without thinking about it. If I gave you enough time you'd fill a sheet of paper with worries.  We are fearful people.  And Jesus knows us.  So He keeps on persisting with this teaching, till maybe some of it sinks in. 

In Luke 12 we are told not to worry 6 times:

 

4 "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid

 

7  ...Don't be afraid

 

11 "When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry

 

22 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life

 

26 ... why do you worry?

 

32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

 

The repetition tells you - we've got a problem with fear.  But it also tells us, Jesus has a solution to fear. 

But Jesus' solution to fear is different to our gut reactions to fear. 

We usually have one of two gut reactions to fear.  One reaction is to take the Nike logo to heart - Just Do It.  You're afraid, so what, just do it.  Notice that Jesus doesn't tell us that.

Everytime He says ‘Don't be afraid' He gives us a reason not to be afraid. And in this chapter it's always one of two reasons.  He says ‘Don't worry, God is very powerful.' Or He says ‘Don't worry, God loves you very much.'  He's very powerful, He's very loving - those are reasons not to worry and Jesus wants those truths to sink down into our hearts until the worry goes.  So Jesus does not say ‘I don't care if you're afraid, just do it.'  Jesus wants to address our fears, He wants us to examine them and to replace them with a confidence in His Father's power and love.  

The other reaction we have to our fears is simply to run from them.  If our first reaction is the stiff upper lip, this reaction is the cowardly retreat.  Our fears dominate our lives so that we never do anything scary and we just live very dull lives, never risking anything. 

Sometimes I've spoken about fears and people have said to me ‘I don't fear anything.  I'm not the kind of person that gets worried.'  My next question is - What risks do you regularly take?  When do you make yourself vulnerable to others?  How do you engage with and serve this broken world?  When have you tried to get new initiatives off the ground?  How often do you back a cause that won't necessarily be popular?  When do you take moral stands? And this is the one that really bites:  How often do you speak up for Jesus even when it won't be popular? 

Inevitably the answers to those questions are - I don't.  A person who says they have no fear is almost always a person who is very controlled by fears.  They live a life of humdrum mediocrity, with very few highs, very few lows, they don't speak out for Christ, they don't stand up for Him, they don't give their hearts and their service to others, they surround themselves with safety and comfort and in fact every aspect of their life is controlled by fear.  The cowardly retreat from fear is very common.  It's in all of us.  It's what stops us from being the radical disciples that Jesus calls us to be.

We're not the people we want to be because of our fears.  It's not that we've looked at the way of Jesus and said ‘I'd be perfectly happy doing that, I just don't really fancy it.'  We've looked at it and said ‘I can't do that - I'm petrified of living that life.'

And that's why Jesus keeps coming to us saying - ‘Follow me and don't be afraid'.  He doesn't say ‘Follow me and stuff your feelings'.  And He doesn't say ‘Don't bother following me if you're scared.'  He commands both: ‘Follow me and don't be afraid.'

And this puts us onto one of the deepest truths about fear.  Freedom from fear does not come by staying safe.  Freedom from fear comes as you put yourself in danger.  It's so counter-intuitive which is why we so rarely experience freedom from fear.  We try to find freedom from fear by avoiding all conflict and danger.  But you don't find peace there - not God's peace anyway.  You find God's peace on the front lines.  God's peace comes in war.  Freedom from fear comes as you take up your cross daily and follow Jesus to Golgotha.

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For more, go to my sermon on Luke 12:1-12

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Published on Leave a comment on Blood, blood, we cry

Check out this poem by D. Gwenallt, translated by Rowan williams - h/t Ben Myers

It's called "Sin"

Take off the business suit, the old-school tie,
The gown, the cap, drop the reviews, awards,
Certificates, stand naked in your sty,
A little carnivore, clothed in dried turds.
The snot that slowly fills our passages
Seeps up from hollows where the dead beasts lie;
Dumb stamping dances spell our messages,
We only know what makes our arrows fly.
Lost in the wood, we sometimes glimpse the sky
Between the branches, and the words drop down
We cannot hear, the alien voices high
And hard, singing salvation, grace, life, dawn.
Like wolves, we lift our snouts: Blood, blood, we cry,
The blood that bought us so we need not die.

Wow!

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Published on Leave a comment on The State of Israel

Bobby has moved to blogspot.  He describes himself as pre-mill but "a half-step away from being a committed amillenialist."  He's asked the question about how a-millers view the modern state of Israel. 

I gave an ill-considered half answer.  What about others?  Dan Hames I'm looking in your direction?  Or post-mills?  I'd love to hear other views on this. So why not go on over and share the wealth.

Play nice though!

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Published on 5 Comments on Where is the power?

We're in the middle of a mission at the moment (prayers always welcome!).  One of the things we're doing is door-knocking our neighbourhood and we've seen people turn to the Lord even on the door-step.  Praise God!

In our morning meetings there seems to be one kind of prayer that recurs more than any others - that God would prepare hearts so that when we arrive they are open to the gospel.  Now I'll give a hearty Amen to all such prayers and, in His grace, God may well grant this.  But when we think about hearts opened, wouldn't it be better to pray that the word itself will open hearts, conquer unbelief, awaken faith?  Is it possible that we're separating word and Spirit by conceiving of evangelism in these terms?  Is there a danger that the power is thought of as separate from the gospel and not as the gospel itself?  (Rom 1:16).

I think I'd rather pray, "Lord, though the people we meet be stone-hearted, blind and lost in sin and blackest darkness, bring life and immortality to light through your gospel.  May your word do its almighty work and bring life from the dead."

I'd certainly rather conceive of evangelism in those terms.  When we tell the gospel we're not basically hoping that some have previously enjoyed God's power.  Rather, we're going with the power of God which is unleashed upon all, every time we speak of Christ.

 

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Published on 3 Comments on Seeing the Doctor 1

Do you ever wonder, like this blogger, if Jesus would actually like you?  Not whether some abstract principle of grace covers you.  But the question, How would the radical Jesus of the bible deal with you?

I mean the Guy's fierce.  Totally uncompromising, pure.  No double-standards, no tolerance for double-standards.  He sees you to the bottom.  He knows your heart.  One sentence from His lips will expose you to the world.

More than this He's walking the road to Golgotha and there's only one way to follow - take up your cross and join Him.  On the way, confess His name to the world, stand behind His words, own Him to His deadliest enemies. Love your would-be killers, pray for your persecutors.  Got money?  Give it away.  Got possessions?  Sell them.  Let nothing hinder you.  Don't settle your affairs first, don't even bury your father.  Follow. 

Yikes.

Now think.  Who is surrounding Jesus, following along the Golgotha way?  The religious keen-beans right?  The professionally moral?  No chance.  Those guys are walking away conspiring to kill Him. 

Who is flocking to Jesus?  Sinners and tax collectors.  They run to the Holy One of Israel - the One who could throw them body and soul into hell. 

Try this as a test:  Read the last ten verses of Luke 14.  In it Jesus turns to the crowds and says:

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters- yes, even his own life- he cannot be my disciple.  And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple... any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Now read the first verse of Luke 15 (and remember that chapter divisions are not part of the original Scriptures):

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering round to hear him.

Huh??  Shouldn't the 'sinners' be running for the hills?  How can Jesus turn up the discipleship temperature to nuclear and at the same time have the most notoriously immoral people draw near??

Well perhaps these words from Jesus will help.  They might just be my favourite:

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:17)

Jesus is not the Health Police - enforcing wellness, punishing the sick!  He's the Doctor.  The sick do not run from Him but to Him.  It's the 'healthy' who run away.  The 'righteous' cannot bear His presence.  Ostensibly they worry about Jesus' reputation - eating with sinners.  In reality it is their reputation at stake - eating with the Doctor.  For to share His company is to admit to a deep spiritual sickness and to abandon the 'healthy' facade.

Yet for the sick, they have abandoned the healthy facade.  And they've come to realise that their sickness does not prevent them from coming to Christ.  Their sickness is why they come to Christ.  And so they come and find in Jesus a Doctor for Whom no disease is beyond His healing power. 

Jesus is the Doctor for sick sinners.  And this understanding is at the heart of the question 'How does the radical Jesus of the bible deal with me?'  Not as the Health Police but as the Doctor.  He calls me to Himself in all my sin - in all my inability to follow.  

So Christ's radical call to discipleship goes out.  If I'm seeing things clearly I know three things:

1) Jesus is right, that is the way. 

2) I have no chance of treading that path.  None. Zero. Squat.

3) Jesus is the Doctor - He and He only can take what is natural to me (desertion!) and turn it into discipleship.

In this way I answer Christ's call.  I draw nearer to the One who commands, not because I recognize in myself the strength to answer His call.  But I recognize in Him the power to redeem my weakness.  It's not about seeing health in us.  It's all about seeing healing in the Doctor.

In the future (when I've got some time) I'll look at Christ's actual healings as demonstrations of just this dynamic. 

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Published on Leave a comment on Please Pray

UPDATE 15 October 2008: News from Barnabas Fund

UPDATE:  A letter from Orissa

UPDATE:  Go here for more news on the persecution of Indian Christians

UPDATE: The latest from Gospel for Asia

I got this by text on Thursday night:

"Please pray for Pastor Paul Thangaia (I think it's spelt Paul Thangiah - Pastor of Bangalore's largest church - 12 000 strong). RSS planned to kill him. They have already burnt 20 churches yesterday. They plan to destroy 200 churches in Orissa. BJP has also planned to kill him and 200 pastors in the next 24 hours."

 

Gospel for Asia suggest the following prayer points for the situation in general.

  • Ask God to specially assign His angels to watch over and protect His people, evangelists, pastors and church leaders in these areas
  • Pray that police and government officials will bring the violence under control immediately.
  • Pray that God will strengthen the church with courage, boldness, strong conviction and faith in the Lord to stand firm for His name during these days.
  • Pray that the enemies of the Gospel will be visited by the love of the living and true God and that a great number of them will turn to Him.
  • Pray for the suffering Christians to receive justice and favor in this hour of crisis.

    • KP Yohanan recorded this three days ago:

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mmgm6JWxRU0]

    If anyone knows more, please do comment with links.  And let's pray.

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    1

    Published on 1 Comment on Jesus is the same

    The other night I was talking to someone about my latest hobby horse (personality types).  To my shame I found myself using the past tense about Jesus. 

    Now there are many appropriate ways of doing that: e.g. "Christ died for sins, once for all."  But when we're talking about Christ's character, how horrible to find yourself describing Him merely in the past tense.  Certainly His encounters with people in the Scriptures (whether with Adam or Jacob, Elijah or Nicodemus) show us brilliantly what He was like.  But, but, but...  It's all to the end of showing us who He IS.

    Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Heb 13:8)

    Who He is in His word is who He is right now as He encounters you by His Spirit in the pages of Scripture and the words of your brothers and sisters.  The same Jesus addresses you today with the same character and in the same power.

    It's been a real joy preparing a sermon on Mark 1:40-2:17 for this Sunday.  Jesus cleanses the leper, forgives the paralytic and dines with the tax collector.  That's what He was like.  That's what He is like.

    We the unclean, the weak, the sinful, the outcasts, the shamed - we are the same as them.  And He is the same as then.

    Do you recognize yourself in the leper, the paralytic and the tax collector?  Then Jesus is saying to you right now:

    I am willing, be clean.

    Son, Daughter, your sins are forgiven.

    I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.

    Jesus Christ is now to you what He was to them.  You can stake your life on it.

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