There is No Plan B

After reading chapter seven, I see that I have done an inadequate job at sharing the gospel. In this chapter Platt shares with us our spiritual condition without Jesus. We have all rejected God, and are guilty and condemned before him. Yet, Jesus came to live the life we cannot live, die the death we should have died, and rose victorious from death. This is the essence of the gospel. As Christians we believe this and preach this, but do we live it? We say that Jesus is the only way to God but by the way we live our lives we say otherwise. This is evident in how urgent we are to tell others about Jesus. We have the cure for cancer but aren’t willing to share it. I know I’m not doing all I can to spread the gospel. I call myself a minister of the gospel but I don’t share it, as I ought. What got me the most in this chapter was at the very end. Platt says that many of us wonder, “What is God’s will for my life?” We read books and listen to sermons trying to find something that gives us a tingling down our spine so that we know that God has “called” us to do it. Yet, we sit by twiddling our thumbs confused as to what we are to be doing, when it has already been given. God has not just called us to do something he has commanded us to do something. In Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’” I shouldn’t wonder what God has called me to do when he has already commanded me to do it. I am to be about sharing the gospel where I am at and around the world. I can’t wait until I am done studying how to share the gospel in order to effectively share it. I must be about the Great Commandment even while studying how to do it better. We, and I, must remember that we are God’s plan for sharing the gospel to people who have not heard the name of Jesus. If we don’t do it, the work will not get done. We must step up to the plate and do our job and not expect others to do what God has commanded us to do.

How Much is Enough?

Chapter six is a hard one to read. Usually I read the chapter, then write out my thoughts about the chapter as a whole. Yet, for this chapter I had to stop halfway through and write. If we truly think about it we are the richest people on earth, simply by living in America. We may not have billions of dollars in our bank account but even if we have a few hundred we are richer than half the world. There is a problem in the world called poverty, and it is true that most of us (I the foremost) don’t do much to help the situation. We feel that we grown up gone to college and worked our way to the point where we can have stuff. We tell ourselves that “we did it and I don’t want to give away my money”. Yet, the Lord has truly blessed us. He has blessed us so that we can bless others. What would do if the Lord told us to give away what we had and give it to the poor? Would we do it? I don’t know if I would. So what do we do? How do take what the Lord as given us and bless others? It is not a bad thing to have stuff. I don’t think that is what Platt is attacking. He is attacking our proclivity to have an over abundance of stuff. It is the American way to rise from rags to riches, that is what we are all striving for. Yet, as a Christian that is not be our goal. I feel as though what Platt is getting at is that we live well within our means and give away what we have in surplus. This takes a lot of discipline and sacrifice to take only what we need and give away the rest. It is true that many of the things we buy are not out of necessity. We spend thousands of dollars each week on things not that we need but things we want or desire. It is not bad to have possessions but when those possessions become our object of worship and fulfillment it is time that we get rid of them and give them to people that need them. I have to admit that my life here is New Orleans is pretty good. I don’t have to worry about much of anything. I live in an air conditioned apartment in a room that is bigger than some people’s houses. I complained when I was getting ready to move down here because I was going to have to downsize. I liked my 12x12 room and an 8x10 room seemed rough. Yet, in reality I’m living high on the hog. Admittedly I don’t have much money in my account but I know that I have more in there than over half the world lives on in a day. I spent more money today washing my clothes than many people have to live on. I’m not saying I don’t need to wash my clothes and give that money to the poor, my roommates would appreciate that I wear clean clothes. My point is that, even though I am living on my own with less than I had back home , I am considered rich when compared by the global standard of living. So how can I as a “poor seminary student” make a difference for world poverty? The first thing I need to do is pray and seek the Lord on how I can serve. That is where we all must start, on our knees. There is plenty of opportunity around us, we must pray that our eyes be open and we must be willing to obey whatever the Lord tells us to do.

The Multiplying Community

What is the church? That is one of the most important questions of our day in the realm of Christianity. Is the church a place where we gather once a week, sing a few songs, hear a lecture and then go home to continue our lives? Is the church a building? What is the church? In chapter 5, Platt dives in to answer this question. The answer he gives for what is church is different from what most of us experience as church. Platt argues that church is a place where Christians gather to fellowship and learn the Word of God, not for "what can I get of out of it", but for "what can I do with what I've learned". He challenges us not be receivers but to be reproducers, to take what we have learned while in a community of believers and teach others. This is something that many churches across our nation are struggling with. We worry about how many butts are in the seats and much money was given so that we can improve our programs. I was in a new church plant in Huntsville, AL and we started the church on the foundation of gathering as a small community to learn and take the gospel to the city. Yet, as time went on we didn't have many people coming to our weekly church services. We changed our mindset to butts in seats = money. We needed money to keep the church afloat. In my opinion we lost site of our mission and the church didn't make it (for several reasons not just money). It is our mission as Christians to take the gospel of Christ to the nations. We invite non-believers to come and see what Christ has done. It is ok for non-believers in the church to come and see, to sit and learn and not do anything. But as we grow in our faith we should change from come and see to go and do. We must be about our Father's business.

It sit here at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I am here to learn how to rightly handle the Word of Truth, to effectively teach it to others. Yet, that is a call that all of us have, not just those of us who go to seminary. We are all to be about the work of the Great Commission: "making disciples of ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit..."

The Great Why of God

Every single one of us asks this question: "What on earth am I here for?". The Westminster Shorter Catechism sheds light by answering it this way, "to glorify God and enjoy him forever". This is what David Platt wrestles with in chapter 4. We all enjoy hearing that God loves us, but as Platt says many of us stop there. We make ourselves the end to the means of the gospel. Yet, as Platt, points out, we are the not point of the gospel. God is. "God loves me so that I might make him - his ways, his salvation, his glory, and his greatness - known among all nations." We are here on earth the be loved by God and share that love with the world. I am guilty of hoarding the gospel to myself. Many times I am content just enjoying God, but I can't stop there. I must get off the couch and share the good news with everyone around me.

In three days I am moving to New Orleans to attend seminary. While there, I hope to learn how to properly teach God's Word. Yet, I also hope to learn how to more effectively share the gospel to all people. After reading this chapter I have become convicted because I have, as he says in the book, thought that God has given me a heart for America. Yet, as good as that sounds I only have a heart for 5% of the world. I am commanded in Matthew 28:19 to make disciples of all nations. So my question for thought today is: How do we, as Christians, make disciples of all nations where we are at? Is it just going on mission trips? Is it just giving money to mission funds like Annie Armstrong and Lottie Moon? Or is there something more that we should be doing?

I want to end with the lyrics from a song that I wrote a few years ago that explains perfectly what was talked about in chapter 4 titled "You've Told Me to Go!":

I stand here before you broken and afraid

to share your love with people who don't even know your name.

People whom everyday I look past and walk by

I tell myself that I'm too busy and I don't have the time...

To talk to them and share your name

Declare your glory and fame

But you've told me to go, go and share your love

with people who don't know you and tell them that you're enough

You've told me to go, all around the world

Go and be blessing to every man, woman, boy and girl

You've told me to go!

Sometimes I'm fearful and I admit I don't know why

fear doesn't come from you Lord, it's my enemy telling me lies

I may not always understand why you want me and how I'm of use

But I know that you have called me and there is no excuse

Not to talk to them and share your name

Declare your glory and fame

But you've told me to go, go and share your love

with people who don't know you and tell them that you're enough

You've told me to go, all around the world

Go and be blessing to every man, woman, boy and girl

You've told me to go!

Beginning at the End of Ourselves

I felt like a weak Christian when I read chapter three. In 11 days I am about to start seminary and I know for sure that I won't have to baptize 30 new believers and plant a church before I graduate. If that were the exit exam at NOBTS I don't know how many would graduate, but I can tell you it would be a smaller school. Yet, if we think about Dr. Platt is saying he's absolutely right. In our churches today, how much do we truly rely on the Holy Spirit to work in and through us? It's all about how many butts we can put in the seats and how much money we can raise to build this new building or start this new ministry. We can be so consumed with the entertainment factor, as he calls it, that we lose sight of what we are truly at church for. We gather each week, not to be entertained, but to worship the risen Lord Jesus, hear from His Word and fellowship with other believers. But, if we are not careful we can make church about ourselves and doing anything if we set our minds to it. Before long, we look back and see all that we have accomplished, how many people we have brought to church, how much money we have raised for this or that ministry and realize that we did not include the Lord in the process. It was all of our doing and he had no part of it. This isn't church, it's pursuing the American Dream "in the name of Jesus". Jesus didn't die on the cross so that we can live the American Dream. He died on the cross so that we can be forgiven of sin and reconciled to a loving relationship with the Father. We so desperately need Jesus and we can't live this life without him. I am reminded of a song by John Waller entitled "Something Big", in the song Waller is crying out for God to use his life for "something so big, that it's destined to fail without You Lord, something so great it will take a miracle to do...". That is life we are called to live. A life that, if not for the grace and strength of God the Spirit, would fail miserably. I can't wait to live this kind of life, a life that says "I can't do it, Lord, so you will have to do it through me"!

Too Hungry for Words

Wow, I don't even know where to start about this chapter. Like the first chapter many things slapped me in the face and makes me feel like my faith is nothing. The story about the Asian believers who for 10 days, 12 hours a day wanted to sit in a room risking their lives to hear him teach about the Old and New Testaments. It makes me realize that I am no where near as hungry for God's Word as that. I have countless Bibles in my room which is a good thing, I guess, but many people don't even have a complete copy of God's Word. I wonder if we took away about cushioned chairs and the production that we call church would anybody show up. It was refreshing to hear that people did at their Secret Church. Even then, they were in no immediate danger of being killed for meeting like they were. I wonder if I was born in another country would I even profess to be a Christian?

It hit me hard when he said that our form of the gospel has been Americanized. We have made it so cliche and about us really. We say that God has a plan for my life that is why Christ died, which is true, but as Platt said he died so that we may know God. I have to admit that I don't radically seek him every day. There are many days that I don't even pick up my Bible. I read a quote from RC Sproul "our failure in our duty to study God's Word is not a lack of intelligence or passion. Our problem is that we are lazy". I believe he is right. Many days, I am lazy and don't read God's Word because I don't feel like it. That is no excuse. I am 100% dependent of God, I need him every moment of every day. When I don't read my Bible I am telling God that I don't need him that day and that I can do this on my own.

I am about to move to New Orleans to learn how to rightly handle the Word of Truth. I can study all day long and learn the right things to say and do, but if I, deep down, don't have a true passion and desire to study God's Word and understand that I need him every moment, how can I ever teach anyone else to do the same?

Someone Worth Losing Everything For

I have heard Dr. Platt speak before at Collegiate Evangelism Conference in 2006, I was with the Calhoun BCM. He spoke about being a missionary in a country in Asia that he could not disclose the location for safety reasons. It is unfathomable to me that Christians in other countries are being persecuted for their faith. We live a very comfortable Christianity here in America, and I wander if some persecution would help the American church. What is amazing to me is to read about Christians around the world and they don't want it any other way, they worship the Lord in joy even in the midst of pain and suffering.

I was hit hard by his statement about abandoning everything to follow Christ. We read passages like Luke 9 and as he says "we don't believe it. We are afraid of what it might mean for our lives. So we rationalize these passages away". He again says that "we are giving in to the dangerous temptations to take the Jesus of the Bible and twist him into a version of Jesus we are more comfortable with". That statement hits me hard. I am about to give up everything I have known for 23 years and move to New Orleans in radical abandon to follow Jesus. But I don't want to just go to seminary, get my degree and then work at a church in a comfortable 40 hour a week job. I feel called to seminary because it is the next step to preparing me for what God is doing through me. People need Jesus, and not the comfortable Jesus that we make him out to be. They need the real Jesus that left the throne of heaven, lived the life we could not live, died the death we should have died and is calling us to do the same. He is calling us to give up our everything for him.