It’s a practical problem right? As a church gets sufficiently large, it starts running short on parking spaces and seating. You already have two or three morning services, one or two night services, a Wednesday night, and a Saturday night. At a certain point the church must decide between building a bigger building or adopting multiple campuses strategically located throughout the city.

It’s also hard for a pastor to tend to the actual needs of the individuals within his congregation once the population exceeds about 100. He might be able to remember your name and ask about your family, but he won’t be able to apply the gospel individually to the sin in your life, counsel you through a marriage difficulty, or train you for your own ministry.

I understand the legitimacy of these needs, but I think that the multi-site church can be short-sighted and miss out on some of the biggest ministry opportunities for these growing churches.

Opening disclaimer: Although many (but not all!) megachurches have deeply rooted theological, moral, and practice problems, for the sake of this post I would like to assume that these problems are not present and that the growth is a result of genuine ministry and the beckoning of the Holy Spirit. It will help this post to keep some focus.

The Unconvincing Reasons Against Mutli-Site Churches

Before I really get going, I’d like to mention some reasons against the Multi-Site church that I don’t agree with

1. The Lonesome Prophet Reason: It wouldn’t be that large if it were faithful. False. Acts 2:41. Three thousand people were saved by gospel preaching at once. They joined the church. The Spirit blows where it wishes and causes people to be born again. If the Holy Spirit decides to cause radical fruitfulness in one area and not another, this is not evidence of a counterfeit gospel.

2. The Hipster Reason: I stop feeling important when everyone is into the thing that I’m into. Examine your heart.

For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. (1 John 3:11-14 ESV)

3. The Ego Reason: The only reason pastors create multiple campuses is because their ego is too large for one building. Sure, their are certainly egotistical pastors out there who find their self worth in the number of people they can count at their church, and this is most certainly a horrible reason to open a church campus. Yet, the problems for a large church still exist. There is just not enough room for all of the members. The church leadership has to do something, and creating a new campus is as reasonable as any.

4. The Judas Reason: The money for buildings would be better spent on the poor. Yep, I went there.

So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”

He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.

(John 12:2-6)”

Yes, we should care for the poor and tend to their needs. Yet, churches also have a responsibility to shepherd the flock of God and that is done in actual locations. You have to solve the location problem or you neglect the ministry that God has called your church to. Churches ought to have a mission and budget to mercy ministry, but we still have to address the location.

The Birth of A Multi-Site Church

A gifted church planter and team of believers begin a church. They start meeting in a house, a theater, a school, a rented space, or in the facility of another gracious church. As time goes on this church outgrows their space and they buy a building based on their anticipated needs. At this point they perhaps make another facility change, until finally they have to pick between an absurdly large building or just a second campus. The bigger building still has some logistical problems, and the second campus has the advantage of covering a different region of the city and it could be effective in reaching people who would otherwise be unwilling to make the commute. In reality, the second campus sounds like a completely reasonable decision.

Growth is a Legitimate Goal

Christians have the message of good news. We have experienced the joy of salvation and adoption as sons. We have gloried in the cross of Christ, we have experienced change in our character, and long to serve others and worship God more deeply. In its purest form, Church growth is just “this” happening in more peoples’ lives. Naturally, church leaders and average Christians should desire church growth.

My Solution: The Church Planting Church

If we are so eager to promote this “good growth,” we should really pause to question if either the absurdly large building or the second campus gets us closer to this kind of good growth than planting a new church. While it’s true that the spacing problem can be solved in various ways, we still haven’t solved the bigger issue: how does a pastor shepherd people who he can’t spend his time with? Sure he can preach, but so can someone else. When his marriage is hurting, or he wants advice for reaching his coworkers with the gospel, how will he be supported? The normal multi-site church answer is “small groups.” In reality, that often means untrained volunteers with good intentions pooling their ignorance. I don’t trust my zealous friend and dear brother in Christ who is new to the faith and to help me through my spiritual doubts or relational problems. He isn’t my shepherds, doesn’t need the responsibility of shepherding.

Note that there is a very significant difference between a church plant and a second campus. A church planting church trains up leaders from within, cosponsors theological/ministry education, oversees the establishment of a new fellowship of elders, sacrificially generates support revenue for the church plant’s infancy, and creates a sense of unity among all Christians in the city by showing that they care more about the spread of the gospel than their own church’s name. In contrast, a second campus reacts to a space problem by adding a building, and the decision is deemed successful because the second campus grows.

Closing Remarks

It isn’t sinful to have a second campus. I know of several churches that I generally support and agree with who have made this decision, such as Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis or Mars Hill Church in Seattle. But in this opinion I stand firm. The church needs strong Christians who have been shepherded by qualified pastors who know them personally and care for them. The world needs Christians who are in line with the mission of Christ in proclaiming the message of reconciliation and being servants of all. For this reason, urge your large, faithful, church to plant and be a blessing to others.

The Danger of Theoretical Repentance

I remember hearing sermons as a kid which called us to “lay down our pride,” or “surrender to God,” or “give it to the Lord.” During the sermon it made sense, but I later realized that I have no clue what any of that means. What does it look like to lay down pride? I don’t have a suitcase labeled “pride” that I can set on the ground. What does it actually mean? Pride is something strongly tied to my nature and as much as I would like to lay it down, I don’t know what could actually be done to unload the burden of pride from my back. In other words, this call to lay down pride sounds good, but comes up empty. It works in the theoretical and theological, but in the real world it lacks meaning and does not help me.

I am worried that, for many people, repentance can be the same way. When left to the realm of the theoretical or theological, repentance makes sense. We repent of our sins and receive forgiveness from God on account of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. But what does it mean in a practical sense to repent? What does it look like? How do I do it?

Repentance Toward God

Faith always has an object. When the gospel calls us to have faith, it really calls us to trust a person named Jesus, specifically to trust him, his teachings, and his death on the cross and resurrection from the grave for your sins. Yet repentance and faith are always tied together, so wherever you find faith in Christ you also find repentance. As a result, repentance always has an object. Repentance is a change of orientation from sin to God that occurs while trusting in Jesus.

Practical Remorse

Before repentance, you must feel conviction or contrition, both that you are sinner by nature and that you have committed specific sins. Let’s take King David as a practical example:

It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.” (expand chapter) 2 Samuel 11

Here is a king of Israel who has been noteworthy for his impecable faithfulness and righteousness up to this point. Yet here, David sends his troops out to war while himself staying behind to lounge around. He rises from his couch to watch a woman bathe to prepare for worship, and abuses his position of authority to commit adultery with the wife of one of his own soldiers. We hear nothing else until she announces that she is pregnant. Next, he takes the husband through a dog and pony show where he tries to fool the husband into sleeping with his own wife, yet out of a noble loyalty to his fellow soldiers and king, he refuses. Finally, David creates a battle plan that will intentionally kill his own men and, to add insult to injury, makes Uriah the husband carry the letter containing his death sentence. Then David marries his wife and carries on as if nothing has happened.

Up until this point David has no conviction. Yet God sends Nathan the prophet to David who tells him a parable. David pronounces condemnation on the selfish man in the parable until Nathan exposes that the selfish man is really David. Conviction hits David deeply.

Our hearts are naturally blind to our own wickedness. We are always quick to see the wrong in others but slow to see it in ourselves. This is where the law of God comes into the picture. Sometimes, we are fortunate enough to have a “Nathan” in our life who will bring the law to bear against us when we sin, but other times we have to be our own Nathan and preach God’s law to ourselves. We should actually take the time to think about our sins, point them out, recognize that they are evil and come from within, and see the offense that they deserve from God.

Practical Confession

It is not enough to feel convicted or sorry about our sins. Judas felt sorry for betraying Jesus, but rather than repenting he hung himself. We must trust Jesus enough to not seek our own torment when we feel convicted but flee to the mercies of God found in Jesus Christ just as David did. The notes in Psalm 51 explicitly tell us that this is the repenting song of David after this sinful incident.

Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

It can be so simple that it is easy to overlook: Osama up to his death believed in violent terroristic jihad and has always had intentions to continue. If nothing else, Osama can no longer do this.

2. We should be thankful that our government uses lethal force in punishing those who harm its citizens

Romans 13:3-4

3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.

All civil governments have a God-given duty to avenge wrongdoers. Governments too have been marred by the consequences of sin and often fall short of what God has called them to, therefore we should be all the more pleased when they do succeed in becoming the vehicle for God’s wrath against criminal activity.

3. We should rejoice that God is so glorious that he would have forgiven Osama if he would have repented but also be glad his sins are not going unpunished.

This is the message of the gospel. All people have deeply degraded God through horrible sin. Jesus came to live a righteous life and die on the cross and rise from the dead to secure our justification so that by faith in him we might receive forgiveness, adoption, and joy. Yet for those who do no believe, the wrath of God remains on them.

John 3:36

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

4. Is Osama in Hell?

While it is not man’s position to judge the eternal destination of those who die, we do know clearly by what standard God makes his decision: Repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ. Osama has claimed allegiance to Islam, a religion that denies the saving work of Jesus Christ.

There is zero evidence that Osama ever trusted in Jesus for the forgiveness of his sins, but for the benefit of the doubt, if he did convert to Christianity secretly, the outcome would be even worse for him:

1 Timothy 5:8

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

He died using a family member as a human shield. Judge for yourself. Edit: As new details come to light, it appears that this element of the story has probably been fabricated.

5. Is it right for the government to have killed him?

This is one of the least morally ambiguous cases for the justification of lethal force: Osama personally took credit for the 9/11 attacks, he evaded arrest for a decade, he made clear his intentions for continuing with the attacks, and he died firing a weapon at those who would have taken him alive to try him in court. If you can’t warrant lethal force in this circumstance, you are not living in reality.

Today is Maundy Thursday, the day that the Christian church commemorates the Last Supper of Christ with His disciples; the institution of the sacrament of the Eucharist; and the Lord’s betrayal to the Temple authorities by Judas Iscariot. I was asked to share my thougts on the Eucharist/Communion/the Lord’s Supper with my church community group tonight, so I wrote this to collect my thoughts. One of the beauties of the meal our Lord has given us is how multifaceted it is. No matter what state you’re in when you come to the Table, there’s something there to come and meet you exactly where you are. Following are just the first few interpretations of the Eucharist that occur to me: The most obvious thing, I suppose, is the symbol our Lord Himself gave us when He said “Take, eat; this is my body,” and “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood[.]” The reality it pictures is the Lord’s sacrificial death on our behalf, and it gives us the chance to reflect on the gravity of our sins and sinfulness. As we tear from the loaf, we’re reminded of His flesh torn from Him as He was scourged, and when we see the wine dripping from the bread, we’re reminded of His blood, shed painfully on the cross. It’s a reminder of the horror of the murder of God, for which we are responsible, and a chance to repent, and to gratefully praise Him for the lengths to which He was willing to go to redeem us, who were His hateful enemies. The Lord’s Supper, at the same time, is an extremely accessible symbol, in that the mode that it takes is common to all human experience — just eating, simply. We can and do talk a lot about terms like substitutionary atonement and reconciliation and redemption — and we do well to do so, because they’re real and they’re life-giving and they build us up — but because those terms are disconnected by a degree from our daily experience, there is always the danger that they will pass, insubstantial, through our heads, without really touching anything. But it’s impossible to misunderstand a meal. It calls to our minds kindness, warmth, hospitality, and generosity. Jesus has given us a meal. We were like people starving to death in a wasteland, and since there was no other food that could possibly have saved us, Jesus broke His own body to give us food. And not just food, but a feast — because He didn’t say that His blood was water, which will do for thirst, but wine, indicating ease and enjoyment. (I miss, by the way, the loss of this last concept in taking juice instead of wine, but I understand that love for the Family in the culture of the American South demands it, unless we are well enough acquainted with everyone involved in the practice to know that there is no possibility of offense.) Finally, in being invited to the Lord’s Table, there is a reminder for us as the Church that we are a family. We are all brothers and sisters, adopted by the same Father, made heirs with His own natural Son, joining each other for a simple, unpretentious meal, graciously provided for us by Him. And just like a natural family, there are differences between us, because we are joined together not by our own preferences but by Someone greater than us; so there may be people at the Table that annoy us, or that we don’t understand, or even that we prefer not to be around. But ultimately, we are joined together by the fact that we share one Father, who calls us to one Table to eat together. Communion is a reminder to “love the brothers,” and to enjoy the unity that we share with them, and to be reconciled not only to God, but also to one another. Time would fail, let alone my limited intellect, to exhaust the meaning of the Eucharist, but those are the things that come most readily to my mind.

H/T: http://301cranston.tumblr.com/

“So… Ben, you know when Jesus is retuning? That’s pretty impressive considering that not even Jesus knows the day or the hour of his return according to Matthew 24:36.”

Ok, I’ll call uncle on this one. I don’t know the day or the hour when Jesus will return. However, I do know the main factor that is keeping Jesus from returning right now. Look at 2 Peter 3.

2 Peter 3

1 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Ha! Calvinism Defeated! …Right?

See, verse 9, “…not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” Calvinism teaches that God predestines some to be saved and the rest will perish, but if God doesn’t wish that any should perish then Calvinism must not be true, right? Not so fast. We need to put this verse into context. Let’s break down verses 1-13 into an outline.

1. Scoffers will claim that Jesus is not going to return because it has taken so long (v. 4).
2. They deliberately overlook the great flood where God destroyed the earth with water (v. 5-6).
3. Similarly, the world will be destroyed again, but this time with fire instead of water (v. 7)
4. God’s time is not man’s time (v. 8a).
5. God’s apparent slowness is actually patience towards “you” (v. 8b).
6. When Jesus returns, the fire of God will consume the earth and everyone on it whose works are evil (v. 10).
7. Therefore wait with patience and holiness (v 11-13).

So the overall effect of this passage is to state that the delay in Jesus returning is not due to God’s slowness in fulfilling his promises, but rather due to his unwillingness to allow certain people to perish (namely, his elect). I can easily see someone objecting to me inserting the idea of the elect into this passage, but I think that it is truly a necessary implication. If Jesus is truly not wishing that any should perish (not a single person), then why is this tied into Jesus’ second coming? Whenever Jesus returns, we know for certain from the Bible that many will perish. If Jesus is delaying the second coming to prevent any people from perishing, he will have to simply never return. Therefore the “you” of verse 9 must refer not to the entire human race but to a select group whom God refuses to destroy. We know biblically that this must be the elect.

Why Has it Taken 2000 Years?

The answer is simple: the elect are not gathered yet. If Jesus were to return right now multiplied millions of those who were destined to eventually repent and trust in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins would be destroyed by the fires of judgment before they reach repentance. God is faithful and does not wish that his elect should perish and therefore Jesus still waits to this day. In Biblical end-times prophesy, Jesus is portrayed as a bridegroom and the church as his bride. We can look ahead to the great wedding feast that will occur immediately after Jesus returns, but at our point in history, Jesus is not a husband to the church but a fiancé. I remember the days of my own engagement to my wife, and how difficult and painful the wait for our wedding day was. Jesus however has been waiting for 2000 years. Thank God for his patience! If he had returned a year of two after he ascended to heaven, imagine how many would have perished in smoke! Don’t scoff at the return of Jesus or consider it to be indefinitely far off. One glorious day, the fullness of the elect will be gathered and Jesus will not hesitate to return in glory and set everything right. He will destroy his enemies and marry his church.

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For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

The Wrong Application: God loves you and has an adventurous plan for your life. Quit living the same-old boring life of just going to church, and go do something great for God.

The Problem: If you zoom out and look at this verse in context, you see the background. Look at verse 4: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon…” These verse are not written about you. They are written about the Jews during the exile in Babylon and thus when God says that he knows the plans he has for “you” he was not speaking about the general reader of the book of Jeremiah.

The Right Application: God disciplines his covenant people when they engage in idolatry by delivering them into the hands of their enemies, yet faithfully promises to rescue them according to his predestined plans to bring them to repentance and bless them by grace.

John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

The Wrong Application: Your marriage, your finances, your relationships, your children, your health and everything else in your life may be ok, but couldn’t it all stand to be a lot better? The enemy wants you to give up and give in to just living the normal life, but God doesn’t want you to be mediocre. He wants to give you life abundantly. By applying biblical principles to our lives we can learn from Jesus how to quit being average and live the abundant life God has for us.

The Problem: With Jeremiah 29:11 we saw that the context and the audience make a big difference when it comes to biblical interpretation. Based on the wrong application above, who would you guess Jesus is speaking to? His disciples? A blind, lame, or leprous person that Jesus is about to heal? No, at this point Jesus is arguing with the Pharisees. If anyone applied biblical principles to their lives, it was the Pharisees. They also were rich, in places of honor, and seemed to generally maintain decent relationships with people. By most people’s standards, the Pharisees applied biblical principles to their lives and were living the abundant life as a result. Yet Jesus is in the middle of arguing with them.

The Right Application: Jesus is the great shepherd of his people. He lays down his life in order to save his sheep, because he knows his sheep, he loves his sheep, he gathers his sheep, and he has received the charge from his Father to lay down his life for his sheep. Jesus wants to give his people abundant, eternal life where he may dwell with all who have entered through the door: faith in himself. Any who enter another way have come to steal people away from the joy of life with Jesus.

Revelation 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

The Wrong Application: If you have never accepted Jesus into your heart to be your personal Lord and Savior, know this: Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart, asking you, begging you to let him in. If you have never done that before in your life, I want you to pray this prayer with me. Just repeat after me. “Lord Jesus…”

The Problem: In chapters 2 and 3 of the book of Revelation, Jesus is dictating letters that are to be sent to the churches of Asia. This particular portion is written to the church in Laodicea, a church with a reputation for well-being. By all appearances Laodicea would be a church where Jesus had been invited in a long time ago. Jesus is not knocking on the door of anyone’s heart, but knocking on the door of the church.

The Right Application: The reason that Jesus is at the door knocking is because the church has effectively removed Jesus. He is no longer present at the church and they are only keeping up appearances. Jesus is highlighting the irony that a church with a reputation of spirituality is a church where he needs to knock on the door and wait for it to be answered. Therefore, today we must recognize that outward growth and spiritual reputation can be present when Jesus is not. We need to bring Jesus back into our church by preaching the gospel and performing works that are worthy of the gospel of God.

Matthew 22:36-40

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

The Wrong Application: The Bible is not a book all about rule-following and keeping every “i” dotted or every “t” crossed. The Pharisees were experts with their traditions and kept thousands of man-made laws thinking that this made them right with God. God says this, “You want to know what the whole Bible is about? You want to know how to please God? You want to know how to live a life of meaning and purpose? Love God, love people. That’s it. This is the whole Bible whittled down to 4 verses.”

The Problem: It is certainly true that the entire law is summarized and fulfilled by the two commandments to love God and love people. In fact, it is even perceptive to notice that the commandment for us to love our neighbor is in fact a commandment to love mankind in general considering that Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan in response to the question “who is my neighbor” and furthermore Jesus has also said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Having stated this, the problem with the wrong interpretation is that the commands “Love God, Love People” are an adequate summary of the law, but not the gospel! See Romans 3:20 – “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” So the incorrect application of this passage actually teaches salvation by works rather that salvation by faith!

The Right Application: Since the entire law is summarized by the commandments “Love God and Love People,” consider the full scope of how gravely we break this every day. The requirement of this law is absolute, uninterrupted love for God. That is a terrifying thought. With or every action that does not stem from absolute love of God we are guilty of breaking the greatest commandment. The very commandment that seemed to be life-giving has actually condemned us! Yet thanks be to Jesus, who did in fact keep this commandment perfectly! Jesus always loved his Father and neighbor with perfect and unfailing love. Meditate on 1 John 4:10 – “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Through faith in Jesus, we are counted as if we lived Jesus’ life of perfect love. We are counted as if we loved God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength and our neighbor as ourselves. From this righteousness that comes from outside of us we can learn to actually obey Jesus. We learn that there is no sin that loves God and there is no good work without loving God.

Proverbs 29:18

Where there is no vision the people perish.

The Wrong Application:Your local mega-church pastor has been reading books by business gurus again and announces the newest topic of a sermon series: Vision-casting. When you totally surrender your life to God he will make a vision for your life to well up within you until you just can’t help but do something about it. This church was born from a vision we had a few years ago and if you’re not on board with the mission and vision of this church then it’s not you who is going to perish, but everybody else. This is a church for the unchurched, and if you’re not on-board with the vision of this church, you need to leave and find another church. Preferably one who doesn’t care about reaching the lost.

The Problem: Most fundamentally, the verse itself is quoted wrong. The verse actually says, “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.” The proverb is not talking about a church’s vision or mission statement but about God’s legal revelations.

The Right Application: If you are familiar with the Book of Concord’s three primary uses of the law, the correct use for this proverb would be the first: to curb sin in society. When there is no revelation from God concerning his moral law sinful human beings do whatever they consider right in their own eyes causing absolute havoc. When the God of Love reveals a law, it truly is good for society for that the law be kept and enforced.

Why does everyone know what “coming out of the closet” means? It’s such a cultural phenomenon for people to expose the long-kept secrets of their homosexuality or gender preferences that we have an entire unrelated phrase devoted to it that almost everybody understands. It really begs the questions, “Why do people feel like they needed to keep this a secret?” and “Why do they describe feelings of liberation when they’re vocal about it?”

Fear

What if “coming out” means that your roommate no longer feels comfortable living with you? What if you are afraid that people will judge you as morally bankrupt or disgusting? What if you’re afraid that you will lose relationships with friends, family, employers, and (if applicable) churches? Coming out would be terrifying. Naturally, it’s easy to imagine the sigh of relief of the LGBT person who has come out without their world imploding around them.

Who Discriminates Against LGBT People and How?

I find it difficult to believe that so many people would have this fear if it were unwarranted. For this reason I have come up with a list of what I consider to be legitimate discriminations against LGBT people and who is discriminating.

• Blame Shifting – Perpetrators include: The Catholic Church, the Religious Right. While the Catholic Church is buried in the quagmire of pedophilia, sexual abuse, and cover-up from within the priesthood, it really takes a lot of bigotry to blame homosexuals. Equally bigoted are leaders of the Religious Right/TBN crowd who would blame the 9/11 attacks on God’s wrath against the nation that tolerates homosexuality. Meanwhile their own folks are investigated for fraud and getting caught in adultery.
• Genuine Homophobia – Cowards include: Miscellaneous fearful. While often “homophobia” is used pejoratively against anyone with a less than favorable opinion of homosexuality, there are many who are genuinely fearful of LGBT people. It seems rather irrational to be literally afraid of people on the basis of homosexuality but, then again, I suppose that’s what a phobia is.
• Unintentional Condescension – Holier-than-thou include: Repentant bloggers, concerned friends. This one is subtle. It happens when Christians, desiring to be loving, urge people to repent and receive forgiveness when they discover their homosexuality, but can’t prevent themselves from talking down to them in the process. It tends to happen with that acquaintance that you haven’t talked to in a while, but think that the news of their “coming out” is the perfect time to confront them about it. Of course, plenty of other friends whom you know a lot better are openly unrepentant of a variety of other sins but unworthy of your loving exhortation. Hypocrite.
• Cavalier Mockery – Scoffers include: Middle schoolers, people trying to ruin any chance of relating to LGBT friends. “Man that movie was GAY!” ‘Nuff said.

But Homosexuality is a Sin…

So as a Christian who is politically conservative, why did I write this post? Have I lapsed in my belief that homosexuality is a sin? No. I want to call us all to repentance and the forgiveness of sins. But before I continue I want to acknowledge one final type of discrimination against LGBT people. It’s from an unlikely source: Liberal churches. In these churches, LGBT people are denied the good news that all other sinners can otherwise hear and believe for salvation: repentance and the forgiveness of sins purchased by the shedding of Jesus’ innocent blood and secured in his resurrection from the dead. We all need, it, so why withhold it from one group? Is that not discrimination?

Jesus

Jesus had one major stump speech, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” It applies to every person on the planet including the LGBT community and any who discriminate against it. Jesus has lived a life of obedience on your behalf and died on your behalf that you may have everlasting life, the forgiveness of sins, and victory over the power of sin to conform you to Satan’s will. Confess you sins and find them forgiven in Jesus. Experience the deep love of God, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us – the godly for the ungodly. Praise God!

It seems like the supposed experts agree: Jesus did not rise from the dead. If you’re looking for some scholarly or academic ways to deny the resurrection, just Google it, and you will have plenty of choices. That’s the problem. Among resurrection deniers, there is consensus that Jesus did not rise from the dead, but no consensus about what actually happened.

Around Easter and Christmas every year, someone who wants to sell books or make documentaries will create a cutting edge explanation of the historical Jesus, or the historical Bible, or the historical crucifixion. Sadly, these explanations are rarely historical or cutting edge. They tend to be recycled, dated arguments that make significant factual errors or expose unfair biases held by the purveyors of these ideas.

As a result, it would be worthwhile to take some of these ideas to task and examine the holes in the various theories against the resurrection.

1. The Man “Jesus” Was Made Up
Idea held by: the ignorant, atheist children

Of all the theories against the resurrection, this is the most foolish because the wealth of data is overwhelming.

Consider the historical testimonies of two contemporary non-Christians historians.

Tacitus, a Roman governor lived from 56-117 AD, wrote about the Emperor Nero’s treatment of the early Christians:

But not all the relief that could come from man, not all the bounties that the prince could bestow, nor all the atonements which could be presented to the gods, availed to relieve Nero from the infamy of being believed to have ordered the conflagration, the fire of Rome. Hence to suppress the rumor, he falsely charged with the guilt, and punished Christians, who were hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius: but the pernicious superstition, repressed for a time broke out again, not only through Judea, where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind.

Josephus, a early Jewish historian, wrote about Christians as a Pharisee, whom typically hated Jesus:

Antiquities 18.3.3 Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ, and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians so named from him are not extinct at this day.

The apostles wrote their works with minimal interactions making many of them semi-independent, and they line up exactly as you would expect eyewitness testimonies to line up. Additionally, we have smooth historical foundations along the timeline. For example, Polycarp was a disciple of John, the last living apostle, and we still have his writings today.

2. Jesus Didn’t Actually Die, He Just Went Into a Coma and Three Days Later he Woke Up and Claimed to Resurrect.
Idea held by: Apostate Christians, some Atheists and Agnostics

If you’re into fanciful explanations of things, you should be able to do better than this. Paul testified to getting “the 40 lashes minus one” 5 times at the hand of the Jews. Why didn’t he just say 39? Because the cultural idiom at the time claimed that 40 lashes will kill a person. So when someone is given 39 lashes it’s saying you’re taking them as far as you can get without killing them. Jesus got these before his crucifixion even began. In other words, Jesus was near death before he was even nailed to the cross.

Then, you put him on a cross and pierce him in the wrists and the head, where he will bleed the most. Simultaneously, his body weight is causing suffocation and the extreme blood loss is keeping oxygen levels to his brain low. He is lifting himself up to take breaths while near death for hours. Keep in mind that the night before he was sweating blood, meaning his blood vessels were bursting due to his immense stress.  He was in bad shape before he was even whipped.

At the end of his crucifixion, after he was already declared dead, a Roman soldier pierced his heart open with a spear, just in case.

In order for this theory to work, Jesus had to have survived this whole process. Then, he apparently chilled in a tomb for 3 days without food or water, with incredible blood loss, just to make sure he could fake this prophetic fulfillment. Then, he pushes away a 2-ton stone, fights off the armed guards from the most experienced army in the known world using karate, then jogs seven miles down the road to Emmaus to catch up with his disciples (Luke 24), gives them a Bible lesson of the entire Old Testament, and only then eats with them.

That, or the Bible was right.

3. Jesus Did Die, But He Didn’t Rise From the Dead.
If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead after dying, his body would be in the tomb until it had been decomposed. The Pharisees (such as Saul, who became Paul) persecuted Christians, traveling around killing them. If Jesus was still dead, then they could just go to the tomb, get the remains and parade them around the city. Then Christianity would have been instantly and reliably debunked. Yet, they couldn’t do that because the remains weren’t there.

Well suppose the disciples stole the body. Keep in mind the guard would have been executed if he accepted a bribe, so these fishermen would have needed to plan a pretty awesome ambush.

Ok. Suppose they pulled that off. Really. Now explain why all of the thirteen apostles suffered insane persecution repeatedly for their whole lives and lived in poverty and generosity their whole lives. Twelve were killed as martyrs on account of the resurrection and the remaining one died in exile after an escaped attempt at murdering him. These guys would have known if they stole the body, and there is simply no motive to propagate the lie.

But, now bear with me, suppose for some reason they did. Well, look at 1 Corinthians 15:6. Paul appeals to what is supposedly a shared fact among them that Jesus appeared to over 500 people at a time of whom there were living witnesses.

There is just no chance the disciples stole the body.

4. There was a decoy Jesus (Jebus?), He Died, Then Whamo-Blamo Real Jesus Pops Out Resurrected
Idea held by: Orthodox Muslims (a similar argument is actually in the Koran)

He wasn’t crucified in the dark. People knew what he looked like. They sat there and watched him die, and the Sunday before (Palm Sunday) they welcomed him hailing him as the Messiah. Thousands of people watched him teach for hours and crowds of people watched his crucifixion. If there was an impostor, someone would have known.

Bonus: Jesus Rose From the Dead Metaphorically/Allegorically/Spiritually

If this were true, then his physical body would have still been in the tomb and all the arguments from number 3 would still stand. Additionally, in the Grecco-Roman world, the only people with a theology/philosophy/worldview in which resurrection could occur were the Jews (See N. T. Wright’s The Resurrection of the Son of God). Hence it makes perfect sense that those in the Areopagus of Athens who heard Paul preach the resurrection of Jesus scoffed at the very notion of resurrection. Finally, in Luke’s gospel, Jesus shows his scarred hands and eats broiled fish purely to prove that he is not a disembodied spirit.

“Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

About the Experts

Yes, the experts go to incredible lengths to discredit the resurrection because they have an agenda. Scholars feel silly claiming that miracles happened and that Jonah was in a whale, so out of a desire to look smart they argue against the Bible’s claims. Many others have been radically hurt by legalistic religion and people who held to the inerrancy of the Bible and so they are really wanting to discredit the resurrection out of bitterness. A lot of people perceive Christians as bigots and want to spite Christianity in the name of gay rights or other issues that produce tension with Christianity. As a result, many academics propagate these myths with a lot of dishonest techniques.

1. Appeals to scholarly consensus that just isn’t there (but most people wouldn’t know)
2. Appeals to archeology that likewise isn’t there (but most people wouldn’t know)
3. Claiming (without citing) the presence of innumerable contradictions in the gospels
4. Pretending to discover something in the original languages (assuming that most people can’t read them)
5. Presupposing their arguments (“Since we know that resurrection is impossible, we need to read this narrative in light of…”)
6. Using academic condescension (“Surely you don’t believe that these are literal stories…”)
7. Making personal attacks (“All thinking men are atheists.”)

The real trick is to find a way to be kind and loving while absolutely demolishing the content of these arguments. It’s just like Romans 1 says. When you exchange the truth for a lie, God will give you over to a debased mind. Yet God is even merciful enough to pluck people out and bring them to trust in Jesus. As the saying goes, “There but for the grace of God, go I.”

If you read only Jesus’ words in the Bible, you will miss the majority of everything he has said in history. To elevate the direct words of Jesus above the rest of scripture is to put masking tape over the mouth of Jesus. We know that when Jesus quoted Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophets, he attributed the words to God, even in the same contexts where he acknowledges the human authors. At the same time, we know that Jesus is the God of scripture and history for a number of reasons, including this statement from Jude 1:5

Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

Therefore, do not fall for the foolish and devious lie that we should become so-called, “Red-Letter Christians,” or assume that if Jesus never directly said anything about a particular topic, then it must not be that important after all. If you really want to be like Jesus, read the rest of the Bible too.