Idolization of Work and Rest

This season has been unlike any before. Seminary has become almost all that I spend my time doing. This has been necessary for the short term. However, this has led me to be either totally consumed with Seminary or to have almost nothing to do when class has ended. I experienced this in part when I was home for a week around Thanksgiving. I had a few finals to study for but nothing that needed 8-10 hours a day. I lived that week pretty aimlessly and I left that week tired, unfulfilled and purposeless from lack of activity.

Right now, I am in the middle of taking two compressed classes. These classes are pretty intense, and I have been equally busy during these two weeks. Some of the work carries over through the Winter break, so I will have a few things to do then as well. I am worried that once I don’t have work that occupies a good chunk of my day, I will become lazy, lonely and depressed.

I believe these basic feelings to work and to rest are right, healthy and biblical, but I think that this is revealing a deeper issue.

Man was created to work. Man was not created to lie around and do nothing. Especially in the West, we have a deep desire to accomplish and conquer, particularly as males. I think this desire within me is God-given, but I am prone to take this to wrong ends.

Our work is never to be the end for which we were created. Our work is meant to glorify God. Adam was told to fill the earth, to subdue it and to have dominion over the creation. Habakkuk provides further understanding of the purpose of Adam’s work.

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” –Habakkuk 2:14

This knowledge, before the fall and partially after the fall, comes through the creation. Paul describes this in Romans.

“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” –Romans 1:19-20

So as we subdue the earth we are to be about making God and the gospel known. There is also a God-given desire to rest well. This basic desire is good, but can also be taken to wrong ends. We can become lazy bums or we can be led into temptations not likely for busy people. So is the answer to this predicament to work more, less or find the right balance? Partially, but I think this reveals a deeper issue.

As we work, we are advancing the creation and creating in order to show who God is. The purpose of our work is to glorify God and to point to his glory in creation. The purpose of our work is not that we would be fulfilled or satisfied, but these are definite outcomes of doing what God created us to do. As a man I am prone to making my work define who I am—I idolize work to the point that it defines who I am.

As we rest, we are being reminded of our limits and finiteness. The purpose of our rest is to glorify God and be energized to do this better. The purpose of our rest is not that we would be fulfilled or satisfied, but these are definite outcomes of doing what God created us to do. Again, I am prone to making rest ultimate and idolizing this comfort.

This idolization happens regardless of the circumstances (busy or free) and reveals a deeper issue.

So the point of this is not that I should work more or work less. Surely there is wisdom in doing both at certain times. All will certainly go through seasons of busyness and freedom. The real issue is that I work not for the glory of God and that I rest not for the glory of God. The real issue is that I am too focused on myself too much and not on the purpose for which I was created.

I am praying that I would learn to not use busyness to mask the issues in my heart. I am praying that I would learn to rest well and not over-analyze my own heart. I am praying that whether I am busy or free, I would be about glorifying God. May we exalt the gospel of Jesus Christ in our work and in our freedom. May the gospel advance in our own hearts so that we might not idolize either work or freedom, but instead worship God fully regardless of the circumstances.

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” –1 John 5:21  

Stiff-necked Rejection of the Trinity

What does it mean to be stiff-necked? I have come across this phrase in Scripture recently and wanted to know more about it. The place I read it first was in Acts 7, but it occurs often throughout the Old Testament to describe God’s people in rebellion. So why does Stephen call the Jewish leaders this in Acts 7 and why does that lead them to kill him?

On the surface, it describes someone who is unwilling to be led, stubborn, and indignant against authority. The Israelites were called this when they rejected the prophets’ words from God and when they resisted the prompting of God to repent from their sin. Stephen calls the high priest and the council this in Acts 7 and is killed for it. Stiff-necked is a term that never has a positive usage in the Bible. Stephen was telling them that they were not listening to God and were rejecting God. Stephen drew a line in the sand, and forced them to respond. They chose to be stiff-necked and resistant to the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. This they did just as their fathers had done to the prophets in times past.

On a deeper level, to be stiff-necked is to be anti-Trinitarian. This is not at first obvious, but I believe can be seen in Acts 7 through Stephen’s sermon. To be stiff-necked is to deny true orthodoxy.

In Stephen’s defense before the council, he systematically summarizes the Old Testament. He works his way from the choosing of Abraham down to Solomon. It seems to be a tame summary of the Old Testament and seems to be going well, but then he changes course in verse 48.

“Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? Did not my hand make all these things?’”

Stephen quotes Isaiah 66 to show how the Jews had completely missed the point. They had the same history as the Christians, but had made a wrong turn at Jesus. They took a right, when they should have gone left. They juked, when they should have jived. They missed it. Ultimately, God was not concerned with earthly buildings and earthly practices, but instead was concerned with the Righteous One, the Messiah, the Christ, Jesus. The Jews were so caught up in the buildings, the practices and the culture that they missed the pinnacle of all of history.

When I first read this text, it seemed to be a small disagreement between Stephen and the Jews. It does not seem like the events that followed were the natural consequence of this sermon. However, Stephen was calling them ‘their fathers’ which was an indictment that they were rebellious men who knew not God. This was a serious claim and not something small to call the most religious, pious men of their day.

Stephen is about to get murdered for professing this message; Jesus is the point of your Law. He is the Word of God. He is God. He is the beginning of the time of the Holy Spirit. He is the beginning of this new covenant. He is the propitiation for the sins of the people. He is the fulfillment of the Law. He is the end of the Law as they knew it. The Jews did not believe this though and were forced to kill him for this fundamental disagreement about who God is.

So how is Stephen's understanding of God Trinitarian? In the Old Testament, the usage of 'stiff-necked' meant that one had rejected the words of God from the prophet. John, in his gospel, calls Jesus Christ the Word of God. So there is no longer a need for new prophets because Jesus has come as the final, full prophet of God the Father. However, Stephen says that they are stiff-necked because they have resisted the Holy Spirit, not because they have resisted the Word of God. Is this so different though? He goes on to declare that they have not accepted Jesus, the Righteous One. I believe this all points to Stephen's implicit understanding of the Trinity in this text. I also believe that this is why the Jews killed him. They did not believe that Jesus Christ was divine nor was he the Messiah sent from God. 

The Jews are resisting the Spirit. They are resisting the Word of God. They are resisting God the Father himself. 

This is how we know whether we are of the faith or not. Do we glorify God the Father? Do we profess Jesus as the Christ? Do we respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit? Are we Trinitarian in our understanding of God?

So, what does it mean to be stiff-necked? Stiff-necked people do not respond to the Holy Spirit. Stiff-necked people reject the Word of God. Stiff-necked people do not believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God. Stiff-necked people do not believe that God has made a way for us in his Son Jesus Christ. Ultimately, to be stiff-necked is to reject that God is Trinitarian in His nature. To be stiff-necked is to have a false understanding of who God is and who man is.

May we not be stiff-necked but instead be repentant. May we respond to God the Father, to God the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. When this belief has not been present in church history, the church does not thrive. We must hold fast to this message of the Trinity as proclaimed by the Apostles.

“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” Hebrews 2:1

Iron Sharpening Iron

This past weekend, 5 buddies from Midland and myself took off to Ruidoso, NM to rest. We got a cabin for two nights and made zero plans on how to spend our time. Our plan was to have no plans.

The idea was born out of a few sermons that our pastor preached two months ago on Sabbath and rest. We decided that we needed to make rest a rhythmic part of our lives, so we chose a weekend to escape. The plan was to meet with God and rest as much as possible.

The funny thing is, we all rest differently. Some of us need to sleep for days. Some of us need to be adventurous and active. Some of us need a good book and a cup or two of coffee. Some of us need to be surrounded with people. Some of us need not see another soul for days. Some of us need to pray constantly and be filled with Scripture. Some of us need to process things out loud in group discussion and argument. Some of us need to process things on the inside through meditation.

I needed to be alone and have time to deal with God by myself. I would rather not have much outside stimuli such as discussion or activity. I need coffee, my Bible, a journal and some background music.

So we all entered the weekend with different ideas about what that rest might look like. Our group was very diverse and our resting styles did not jive with each other. This caused much frustration within each of us. The self-smart introverts needed to be alone and this caused the people-smart extroverts frustration because they couldn't work things out with conversation. The people-smart extroverts needed intense community and this frustrated us self-smart introverts because we needed time alone to be with ourselves and God.

For me though, even in the frustration I found great rest. I learned so much about myself and how sinful my heart is. Playing Settlers of Catan taught me more about myself than sitting with my Bible open for two hours ever could have. I need a community of brothers around me to rub against me. I need some friction to create sharpening. As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. That Scripture verse sounds so sweet, but in reality iron sharpening iron is a very destructive and painful process. Rubbing against each other causes sanctification and growth in different ways than being alone ever could. Self-smart introverts need this. People-smart extroverts need this too.

God I pray that you would rub off the edges of our sinful hearts and sharpen us for greater effectiveness in ministry. I pray that community and Your Word would cause friction and shape us into Your image more and more.

Secret Thread

Last week, I had the opportunity to go to Youth Camp with my church here in Midland. This camp was quite different than my previous experiences with camp while growing up. In Huntington, we felt good when we loaded up a whole bus of people. Stonegate took 11 buses, plus more personal vehicles. I was only a face in the crowd of 100+ volunteers who poured their lives into students’ lives that week. It was a joy and an honor to be part of such a great week.

I have learned much about myself over the years, but I still surprise myself with my weaknesses. I am initially hard to get to know, because of my natural self-smart, introverted personality. I can come across as cold, guarded and unfriendly. These traits are only partially true. It takes me time to warm up to people and feel out the situations to know what role I am to play in the groups I find myself in. In some sense, this is a beautiful trait, but it is also a broken trait. I use my personality as an excuse to seek comfortable situations instead of putting myself out there in friendship and vulnerability. This became evident throughout the week with my 10^th and 11^th graders. God used all of this anyway and He was glorified in spite of me.

Our Senior Pastor spoke on Monday night to the high-school students and it was a very powerful talk. As I have said often, the books, messages, and songs that speak the deepest to me speak of things that I already  sense of the truth of. These things I am usually passionate about, but have yet to speak such eloquent words concerning. C.S. Lewis called this idea the ‘secret thread’. He said that normally we could not put this secret thread into words, but we centered our lives around this ‘secret thread’ which binds us to such ideas, scenery, hobbies and friendships. Our Pastor spoke of this ‘secret thread’ and I deeply connected with his message. This became more evident when the next night, others deeply connected to an outside speaker, Kathy Koch, and I found myself disinterested. There may have been other barriers in place, but I think for whatever reason, God has designed our hearts to desire this ‘secret thread’.

Our Pastor made this statement, backed it up with Scripture, and then he dialogued with us for an hour.

‘We are all preparing to give our hearts away to that thing, person or idea which we believe will give us the greatest joy, satisfaction and ultimate purpose. We will not do this half-heartedly, but will sell completely out for this thing, person or idea. No matter what this thing, person or idea is, it will suck the life from us. All things will steal the life out of us, but only Jesus Christ will give that life back.’

I think this is very true. We give ourselves to whatever it is that we believe will satisfy us most deeply. We all seek our own good, without exception. In America, we see most people pursue this through material possession or immaterial ‘success’, however they might define success. We think that a certain salary or level of status or personal gain will make us worth something in a deeper sense. We think that the cares and pleasures of this world exist to give us joy, but Jesus said that these choke out the fruit and steal life from us. He went on to say that unless a grain of wheat should fall to the ground and die, he will never bear fruit and have life. We must die to ourselves and pursue Christ in order for true life, satisfaction and ultimate meaning to be had.

This message resonated with me and spoke in a very relevant way to the youth in our church. In wealthy, upper middle-class Midland, Texas, we have more than we ever need and in turn do not know what it is to rely on Jesus Christ or to face persecution for our faith. If we allow our riches to get in the way, they will steal life from us and keep us from experiencing the gospel which gives life.

In the rest of the Parable of the Sower, the other ‘soils’ respond differently to the seed, that is the word of God. Even this very true message bounces off some people and has no effect. For others it never takes root and does not bear fruit. For others it takes root, but gets choked out by the pursuits of this earthly life. And for the few on the narrow way, it takes root and bears fruit. This message was very poignant for me in our discussion groups. For some, they couldn’t get enough of the message and for others they couldn’t wait to get out of the group.

This message was again confirmed in me today as I read an email from the team that just got back from Guinea, West Africa. It was heart wrenching to hear of some who had claimed to follow the Jesus Way, but have turned to their own way. And still others are continuing in the faith, bearing fruit in keeping with repentance. They are pressing into knowing Jesus more and being faithful to Him in the face of persecution.

Thinking about all of these things has made me so thankful and humbled to have experienced the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was no doing of my own. Even in my desperate sinfulness, He reached in and intervened. Even in my wavering, He is faithful. Even in my undeserved flesh, He sees me as perfect, holy and righteous. This is the gospel. This is what gives life, not more money, fame or status.

Jesus is worth it all.