How The OT Law Does and Does Not Apply Today

Mark Driscoll with a helpful illustration:

My current preaching series on the Ten Commandments is expressly dealing with what is referred to as “the Law.” While most everyone would agree that at least some of the laws in the Old Testament should apply today—no one wants to be robbed and then killed, for example—the controversial question is whether or not all Old Testament laws are binding on Christians today.

This issue is timely, as it has become popular to mock Old Testament laws as outdated, for example, whenever the issue of homosexuality arises in the media. The common way this plays out on television talk shows is simple: The Christian says that the Bible forbids homosexuality. The non-Christian then says that the Bible also forbids eating crab and wearing a poly-cotton blend shirt. Everyone laughs, the Christian loses, and the audience goes home to watch porn. 

Further on...

...perhaps a simple illustration will help. In high school there are a lot of rules/laws/requirements that I needed to abide by in order to get an acceptable report card and graduate. Once graduated, some of the laws at my school remained binding upon me while others were fulfilled and are no longer binding. For example, in my school I was not supposed to stab people, blow up public property, or pull fire alarms. Even though I have graduated, those laws remain binding upon me for the rest of my life.

There were other laws, however, that are no longer binding because the requirements were fulfilled. For example, I had to show up a certain number of days for a certain number of hours, I had to sit in class, and I had to take tests and pass them. Now that I have graduated, I no longer have to do any of those things because the demands of the law were fulfilled, which culminated in my graduation.

Similarly, Jesus went to school for me. He got straight A’s in life without ever sinning. He passed every moral test he took. He met every requirement of the law. And, by grace he is my report card. He has given me his GPA/righteousness and because of that I have graduated from the law and am no longer bound by its demands as I once was (Gal. 3:24–26).

However, Jesus is also my Lord and he has chosen some moral laws to remain binding upon me for his glory, and for other's good. So, I can eat shellfish while wearing a poly-cotton blend but I still cannot murder my neighbor or steal from my employer. Jesus wants me to obey these laws not for my righteousness, but from my righteousness in him and out of love for him and my neighbor.

Read the rest.

With Gratitude To The Guys on the Fence Line

Andrew Wilson with an intriguing post about courage.  Here is a portion:

But there is something very wrong with a lack of courage which masquerades as nuance, a rhetorically (even cynically) motivated dig at our friends to appear more palatable to our opponents. You can say what you like about Mohler, Driscoll, Wilson and the rest, but they don’t lack courage. In fact, our nuanced positions are only possible because they are out there on the fence line, since if they weren’t, we’d have to be. As Jack Nicholson famously put it in A Few Good Men, “Deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall.” Many of us know what that feels like.

Read the rest.

Have you seen Mars Hill's Myspace page?

Guest post by John Poitevent

Alex Murashko:

Being successful online is not easy, says Biola University's director of innovation, Dave Bourgeois. When it comes to churches, having at least a minimal digital strategy has become crucial in expanding Christian outreach even locally within their own communities. 

It is for this reason that The Christian Post has come up with its first Top 5 Churches That Use Social Media Best list. With the help of DJ Chuang, founder of the resource ministry, Social Media Church, CP has picked five churches based on their successful use of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and other platforms to build relationships with not only their own church members, but with active Internet users within the U.S. and internationally. 

"Digital technologies are changing and evolving constantly," writes Bourgeois, who is author of the recently released book, Ministry in the Digital Age - Strategies and best practices for a post-website world. "Websites that were once useful and efficient are now outdated (remember MySpace?). Even the logos and colors we use must keep up with the latest styles; what previously looked cutting edge may now convey the message that your ministry doesn't 'get it' anymore." 

In the introduction of his book, he adds, "If it is true, as Shane Hipps says, that Christianity is fundamentally a communication event, then it is imperative that Christians understand how to use the Internet well." 

Mars Hill Church, based in Seattle and led by Pastor Mark Driscoll made CP's list. Communications Director Justin Dean said that collectively, Mars Hill's social media channels are gaining about 6,000 new followers per week.

"Most of that is gained through people sharing our content with their friends, which puts us in front of new people who then follow us," Dean told CP. "They say content is king and we focus on creating good, valuable content that people will share."

He adds, "We pay a lot of attention to how people engage and interact with our posts. One example is that we recently started posting more images because we noticed that people will share an image 300 to 400 percent more than a post that is just text."

When looking at a church's Internet presence, included in Chuang's analysis are audience engagement, investment of resources, and the amount of social media participation by the church leaders.

Click here to see the Top 5 Churches That Use Social Media Best.

Does your church need help taking social media to the next level?  Consider taking part in Leadership Network's new "Beyond Digital" initiative.

The Beyond Digital Leadership Community brings together innovative church leaders who place a high strategic value on digital tools, tactics, and spaces for accomplishing their church’s mission. These are churches that have made a significant investment in “going digital”, but also recognize that having apps or an internet campus isn’t the extent of their digital reach. There is more to be discovered, much more.

Using the latest research, input, and models from digital strategists across multiple sectors, the Beyond Digital Leadership Community will explore key questions, opportunities, and obstacles related to “all things digital”, leveraging the group’s combined resources, experience, and expertise to develop new models and strategies that will multiply the impact of churches throughout the digital space. Church leaders will be challenged to bring their best technological minds alongside their deepest pastoral hearts to maximize the strength of a balanced, creative team. The result will be the deployment of the most innovative digital tools of our time for the accomplishment of the timeless mission of the Church.

To learn more visit Leadnet: Beyond Digital.

7 Ways Fathers Provoke Their Children

Mark Driscoll:

1. Make more withdrawals than deposits
2. Resort to physical or verbal abuse
3. Be emotionally absent
4. Publicly humiliate and criticize
5. Be no fun
6. Don’t be generous
7. Never say “I’m sorry.”

Click through to read the explanations.  

Mark Driscoll on What He Has Learned from John Piper

Mark Driscoll:

1. Study the Bible
Bible study will help deepen your conviction and clarify your confusion. But don’t just study to have great sermons or a great ministry—study to experience the love of God and grow in love for God. Out of that experience comes family and ministry.

2. Stay in one place
Many leaders, particularly young leaders, are like a husband with a wandering eye. They are never really married to a church or ministry, but rather only sleeping with one while they keep their options open, constantly looking for a potentially bigger and better opportunity. I recently spoke with a young leader and he asked me how you know which ministry opportunity is the best. I told him the best ministry is the one you marry. The family of God is like our own families. There is never an easy way to have a great family. It takes a covenantal commitment and lifetime investment.

3. Teach the Bible
The Holy Spirit, who wrote the Scriptures, is glad to anoint the man who opens the Scriptures to teach about Jesus. John was originally on a path toward a lifetime of professorship at a seminary when Jesus rerouted his life journey into a local church. And he’s been teaching the Bible ever since. A life spent teaching the Bible is not a wasted life but rather an invested life. Having a bit of passion never hurts either.

4. Care about young leaders
I first met John when I was a young man. I have seen him demonstrate a constant concern and commitment to young leaders. His care for them explains in large part why a generation of young leaders appreciates him.

5. If you can write, write
Very few are prolific enough to publish 50 books, but when we write down what we learn, we are forced to sharpen our understanding and we are blessed to share it with others. The first book I read by John was Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, which he edited with Dr. Wayne Grudem. I was a newer Christian in college, and my pastor recommended it. It’s a big book. But I read it, and it was foundational to the rest of my life, influencing how I read the Bible, how I lead our family, and how we govern our church. Another one of my favorite books from John is Finally Alive. In simple, readable language, he explores the new birth that happens when the Holy Spirit regenerates believers.

Writing is a way to serve more people than you will ever know, possibly beyond your lifetime, even if the writing is something simple, like position papers and blog posts for your own church.

6. You never really retire
While John is transitioning from leadership as the preaching and vision pastor at Bethlehem, he will still be serving Jesus and not playing shuffleboard for the rest of his life. Teaching and writing will be occupying much of his time, as he’s committed to investing—not wasting—his final years in God’s kingdom.

7. Glorify God by enjoying him forever
John once quipped in a conversation that he had only one sermon message and everything he’s ever taught was a variation of that big idea: God is greater than anyone or anything, and living for his glory in all things, by his grace, is why we were made and where we find our joy.

Diner Thinks That Saying He’s A Pastor Allows Him To Stiff Waiter On Tip

Don't be this guy.

Mark Driscoll on why tipping is a big deal.

"Over the next two nights, the world will watch as Lance Armstrong enters the celebrity confessional booth organized under the auspices of culture’s great high priestess. He will confess his sins, cry his tears, and cower in remorse at Oprah’s feet, seeking mercy from the Mother of Morality."

Mark Driscoll with an insightful commentary on the media feeding frenzy that will surely come after the airing of the Lance/Oprah interview.  He writes:

Get ready to be God. 

Over the next two nights, the world will watch as Lance Armstrong enters the celebrity confessional booth organized under the auspices of culture’s great high priestess. He will confess his sins, cry his tears, and cower in remorse at Oprah’s feet, seeking mercy from the Mother of Morality. 

Meanwhile, we get to play God. We get to cast our vote through blogging and social media to decide if he’s forgiven (salvation) or must be punished (damnation). The entire drama is exceedingly religious, with a priestess who ultimately cannot mediate between us and God (unlike Jesus), and a man in pursuit of a forgiveness that cannot save. 

Whether or not he walks away from the worst crash of his life, Lance Armstrong will forever stride with a limp. Mr. Livestrong will be Mr. Crashhard. The International Cycling Union stripped Lance Armstrong of all seven of his Tour de France titles back in October. His decorated identity is gone forever. The man formerly associated with perseverance and triumph over adversity will now be known as a cheat, a liar, and a self-absorbed worshiper of the god he sees every morning while brushing his teeth. No matter how many tears he sheds on national television, no matter how much money he pays in lost endorsement deals, and no matter what sanctions or legal punishment he endures, nothing will ever buy back the sterling reputation Lance Armstrong once enjoyed. 

His plight reveals just how fragile and fickle an identity truly is. When one of the greatest heroes in the world turns into a villain virtually overnight, each of us should take the opportunity to consider who we really are. 

You may not have any prestigious cycling awards to your name, but if all the ways you measure your value disappeared in an instant—health, wealth, spouse, children, beauty, girlfriend, Facebook friends, résumé, GPA, car, job—would there be any “you” left? Would your identity survive if your dark secret suddenly became international news? 

How we see ourselves is our identity. As a parent, a pastor, and a sinner, I believe that correctly knowing one’s true identity is the one thing that changes everything. The problem is, most of us don’t. The world’s fundamental problem is that we don’t understand who we truly are, and instead define ourselves by our appearance, our possessions, our relationships, our sexuality, our achievements, our suffering, our failures, etc. 

When we get our identity wrong, we become guilty of idolatry: living for a created thing (like cycling, people’s praise, victory, or money) rather than the Creator of all things. Tragically, many who lose their individual identity idol either fight desperately to keep it (so goes Mr. Armstrong, pedaling up a steep hill trying to regain his status as decent human being), or simply choose another one and repeat the entire painful process over and over and over. We move from one addiction to another, one religious commitment to another, one relationship to another, one cause to another, and one possession to another, continually seeking the answer to the question, “Who am I?” 

There’s only one true answer to our identity crisis: Jesus Christ. 

The absolute worst place to begin constructing an identity is yourself, which is precisely where most counseling begins. The absolute best place to begin constructing an identity is Jesus Christ, which is precisely where Scripture begins. Knowing that Jesus made us, and knowing that we are saved by him through faith is the key to your identity. It’s not about you—it’s all about Jesus.

A lesser-known figure in the sporting world articulates the practical implications of this theology well. “What I do is not who I am. If I become what I do and I become just a football coach, then you’re asking for disaster,” Georgia's Mark Richt said recently. “My identity is in Christ. I am a born-again believer in Jesus Christ. I know that he died for my sin and I am going to heaven when this is all said and done, forever. That gives me peace, no matter what happens here.” 

A relationship with Jesus isn’t just about future life in eternity—it’s about new life in the present. Jesus offers freedom from the pressure to create, maintain, hide, achieve, buy, or race your way to an identity that’s ultimately going to fail anyway. Jesus has already done all the work on our behalf: he lived the perfect life we could never achieve and died to cover our guilt and sin—so all we have to do is enjoy God. 

New identity in Jesus is God’s great gift to humanity, and it’s much better than anything Oprah or the watching world will offer Lance Armstrong. I pray that Lance receives it. And I pray that you receive it—before the other identity you’re clinging to crashes and leaves you with nothing but bitter confusion and pain as you lay on the shoulder of the road of life.

Get Mark's new book here.

On Trying To Lead a Church To BOTH Theological Precision AND Conversion Growth

Great post here from Matt Kruse on how our churches have to be both theologically precise and evangelistically effective.  Let's shoot for quadrant 4!

Driscoll, Piers Morgan, and Tolerance

Last night Mark Driscoll was on Piers Morgan.  As you can imagine, Piers was quite direct in his questioning.

You can read the full transcript here.

The issue of "tolerance" came up.  I am growing quite weary of that word.  It really means nothing anymore than, "Do you agree with me?"

Here is what Piers said last night amidst the discussion with Driscoll where he attempts to question Mark's views:

But I also think what is harming America right now, like many countries around the world, is just a fundamental lack of tolerance and respect for people who may not share your personal values.

Tolerance has to be a two way street if people really want to be serious about that word.  So I guess what I would seek to ask Piers is,  "If you are such a champion for "tolerance" why are you not tolerating my views right now?  Are you implying that tolerance has to be defined by agreeing with your definition of tolerance?"

I think in these types of discussions one can easily expose the hypocrisy and idiocy of our modern line of thinking about "tolerance" by putting the question back to the questioner.  "Why are YOU being so intolerant of my views?"  I think this needs to be spoken way more often by those who would seek to paint anyone who disagrees with them as "intolerant".  Who really is the intolerant one?

The question really has nothing to do with "tolerance".  People have always had and always will have different views about thousands of different topics.  The bigger question is how to be loving or just simply civil in the midst of those differences.  Which worldview can sustain that kind of love and civility?

But these days those two different concepts (tolerance and love) are being melting into one.  You can't disagree with someone and love them at the same time.  If you love someone that means you have to agree with everything they stand for.  That is the challenge in todays culture, but if people really think about it, it makes zero sense and we should help them see that.

Grace Means Saying, “I’m Sorry”

Here is a really good example of public repentance.  The Gospel informs this kind of response and I commend the author for it.  May we be willing and able to follow his lead in light of internet gossip.

More on this here.

Ed Stetzer Reflects on #TheElephantRoom

Here are his thoughts.

Doug Wilson and "Real Marriage"

Doug Wilson has been reviewing Mark Driscoll's "Real Marriage".  I think his post today (part 4) cuts to the heart of the issue.  He models a charitable and generous review that reflects a relationship with Mark.  It's harder to light someone up in a review when you actually know someone and have spent time with them.

Mark Driscoll on LoveLine With Dr. Drew

Click here to view.

10 Painful Lessons from the Early Days of Mars Hill Church

Interesting post here from Mark Driscoll.

On Yoga and Christians

Mark Driscoll has an extensive post dealing with the above topic. It's worth the read since Yoga is becoming quite mainstream in our culture.

I have three or four Yoga DVDs that I have used quite extensively in the past. I have found that it is one of the best ways that I can exercise. The instructors seem a bit fruity at times but seem to focus on the physical movements and that is about it.  I greatly enjoy the physical benefits that come from these types of workouts and would highly recommend it.

That being said I appreciated Mark's conclusion. The benefits of stretching and muscle building through isometric holding is just as spiritual (or non-spiritual) as doing 50 pushups. But we may want to watch the words we use to define the workouts we are doing because words have associations that may be unhelpful.  It's all about definitions.  This is an important nuance to this discussion.

He writes:

So, in conclusion, Christians must reject yoga, as defined here. I’d also go so far as to say you should reject the term “yoga,” as it is impossible to divorce it from its historical and spiritual context without much explanation and linguistic gymnastics. Instead, feel free in Christian liberty to stretch however you’d like, participate in exercise, calm your nerves through breathing, and even contemplate the Scriptures in silence. But do so in a way that does not identify with yoga and non-Christian mysticism. Do not seek to negate your mind, but rather renew your mind with the Word of God. Do not seek to empty yourself, but rather be filled with the Holy Spirit. Do not seek to turn into yourself for enlightenment, but rather look out to the God of the Bible. Do not seek to become one with the universe, but rather be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.

Exercise is a gift of God for us to take care of the bodies that he created for his glory. It’s good and important to exercise. But we should never, in our desire to be in shape and be healthy, adopt systems antithetical to Christianity because they make us feel good or have bodily value. Rather, let’s first stay true to God and his Word and work out our bodies to his glory by his values handed down to us through Scripture.

Read the rest.

Mark Driscoll and Doug Wilson on Men and Masculinity

Doug Wilson Interviews Mark Driscoll (Part 1) | Men & Masculinity from Canon Wired on Vimeo.

Has Jesus Lost a Christian?

A Poverty Theology Parable by Mark Driscoll

Mark Driscoll has a well written parable that seeks to make the point that we should not feel guilty about enjoying God's good gifts.

I don't doubt that there are people that fail to celebrate God's good gifts (1 Timothy 4:4) in the way that Mark illustrates in his parable.  Mark has been a pastor a lot longer than I have.  Maybe there are people out there saddled with guilt about their possessions who are endlessly introspective about how they use their money.  I'm sure they are out there, but I have yet to meet one in my 30 years of being a Christian.

Maybe I am the only one, but if I honestly diagnose my heart, I know that my tendency is not to reject all the good gifts of God because I fear idolatry or because I feel guilty about needy people in the world. It is rather to lean towards making those good things that God has given into God things.  It is to embrace those things at the expense of God.

Again, I don't doubt that there could be a problem in the way that Mark outlines here but I believe, on the whole, we are light years away from erring on that side of things and my own heart and Christian experience seem to confirm that.

Once we have our churches giving 50% of their income for the sake of unreached people groups, and once we have thousands of people from the US dying each year at martyrs, and once I hear about thousands of people donating cars to single moms, and once I see the orphan crisis eradicated,  and once I hear about people selling their property and giving it to the church (Acts 2:45), and once I see our people handing over loads of cash for the sake of financing church planting, then I might believe we could be running into the danger of being motivated by poverty theology.  But right now I don't buy it.  But maybe your Christian experience is different than mine.

Here is the other angle:  If you see someone who you think might be living with a poverty theology mindset, don't assume that they are living that way out of guilt or lack of joy in God's good gifts.  Maybe they are living that way because they believe it is the path to the greatest joy.  They are not burdened by the weight of guilt but are rather empowered to be like the man in Matthew 13:44: "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."

Sure, many people are reading David Platt, John Piper, and Francis Chan books.  They make bold statements about money and how we use it.  But of everyone who I know who has read those books and responded in "radical" ways, none of those people seemed burdened by guilt but rather seem quite joy-filled and free to give in ways the world does not understand for "it is more blessed to give than receive" (Acts 20:35).

Again, I think the solution is not found in the rejection of "poverty theology" or embracing "health and wealth" theology. It's found in focusing on the Gospel of Jesus that leads us toward contentment and generosity.  More on that here.

I would love your feedback.  Again, I could be totally off base here.

Father Hunger

What's Up With Jesus Riding on a Donkey?