Flight

"Well, that's a great question..."

And with that, the screen goes black and the credits roll. 

Flight ends in introspective, open-ended fashion.  The question posed prior to these words demands an answer from the viewer.  We will never know Whip's (Denzel Washington's character) full response.  But that's not important.  His life's literal and figurative plane crash play out before your very eyes on the screen.  By the movie's end we know enough about him.  What question was he asked? And why?  Well you'll have to pay the $10 to find out, or wait until it hits redbox.

But before you see Flight, I'd like to explain a few things about it.  First, it is Rated R, and for good reason.  Scores of scenes with bad language, alcohol, and drugs fill the screen - as well as some very naked women.  Incidentally, this is why you must always buy at least a medium sized bag of popcorn at the theater and have your wife close by.  That way you can block your face from seeing lewd images and she can tell you when the coast is clear, haha.  I normally avoid putting myself in situations like that, but this movie was worth it.  Why?  Because it succeeds in adequately portraying the plight of humanity living in a post-Fall (Genesis 3) world.  G movies can't do this.  They can't provide a dark enough backdrop for grace to sufficiently sparkle.  The entire movie we watch Whip retreat from the grace that could be his, by denying he has any need for it.

So, all that to say, I strongly suggest you see this movie.  You can read ahead if you'd like for a preview of what you're in store for.  I'll try and not give away too much.  Or you can just watch the movie and then check out the rest of this post to see if you agree or have anything else to add.  Right out of the shoot you'll need to stare at your big bag of popcorn for awhile, as Whip's slavery to drugs, alcohol, and sex takes center stage within seconds.

After staying up all night indulging in these formidable vices, Whip reports for duty as a pilot for a commercial airline.  He's clearly in no shape to fly, yet his condition health wise is trumped by both the condition of the plane and the weather.  The flight was doomed from the beginning.  After overcoming extreme turbulence in the early part of the flight due to weather, the plane's equipment malfunction proves insurmountable.  Somehow Whip manages to miraculously land the plane in an open field, but not without loss.  6 of the 102 "souls" (this word is used several times) on board perished in the crash landing. 

Whip becomes a hero overnight for saving everyone else.  What he did in maneuvering the plane prior to taking it down earns him pilot par excellence status in every one's eyes.  Except in those of the agency charged with investigating the crash.  They must discover the culprit and will leave no stone unturned.  While the plane's blame cannot be skirted, they soon discover that Whip was intoxicated as well.  The plane flight ends with a crash, and we soon watch Whip's efforts at sobering up follow the same course as he awaits his hearing with the agency. 

A few things the movie teaches us as we observe Whip's tailspin:

God is sovereign.  You can't walk away from this movie without acknowledging that its makers believe in God.  And they present a big God.  The kind that controls every aspect of creation and answers to no one.  The kind that can send wind and a fish or a plant and worm like in the book of Jonah.  God is actively engaged with His creation and nothing happens by accident.  Several characters affirm that the crash landing had to have been an "act of God."

Whip doesn't buy this right away however.  While hovering over the crash landing site and observing the plane's wreckage, he states, "Whose God would do this?"  That's certainly a fair question.  Which leads to the next point.

God is gracious.  We'll never know why certain events in our lives take place.  As the priest in the classic movie Rudy reminds us, "I've come to know two hard facts throughout my life...there is God, and I'm not Him."  But as time goes by we can come to understand at least part of the desired result God had in sending certain obstacles our way.  Yes God does send obstacles.  Again the book of Jonah helps us here.  When Jonah flees from His presence in disobedience, God graciously sends a storm and a fish to get him back on course.  It's gracious on God's part because He loved Jonah too much to let him remain in a state of defiance. 

God's engagement and confrontation of sinners is Him showing grace.  Whip certainly didn't deserve this grace...and he didn't ask for it.  Yet God gave it to him anyway.  If the plane had never gone down, Whip likely would've carelessly continued his descent deeper and deeper into the destructive pit of servitude to sin.  But because of the wreck, he's brought face to face with the reality of his harmful addictions.  He doesn't like what he sees and he's powerless to set himself free, but he's brought face to face with it nonetheless.  God's grace has begun to teach his heart to fear but has not yet been fully embraced so as to relieve his fear.  The next point then becomes critical.

God is relentless.  You cannot out sin the grace of God, nor can you out run it, if indeed you are a true child of God.  The Puritans used to speak of this by depicting God's relentless love for His own by referring to "the hounds of heaven."  Even more so than a skilled hunting dog following a scent, God in His relentless love pursues sinners in their sinfulness.  He loves us too much to give up on our trail, and will stop at nothing to find us.  Even if that means crashing planes.  The only hope we have as humans in a fallen state in a fallen world is the truth that our God is more relentless in His love for us than we are in our disobedience to Him.  Apart from His pursuit of us we are destined for an eternity apart from Him.  And there will be no one to blame but ourselves if we end up there, and no one to thank but God if we are rescued and redeemed. 

God relentlessly pursues Whip in spite of Whip.  So will he spend his whole life in flight rather than surrendering His life to a sovereign, gracious, and relentlessly loving God?  I'm not telling.  Just know that we too have the same choice. To fight or flight.  Fight the good fight, or flee from God's presence into coping mechanisms to numb us to the pain of living in a fallen world without a Savior.  We are all sinners in need of a Savior. 


In closing, the only thing different about Christians (or should be different about us) is that we have already given up denying our need for Him.  We've embraced His grace and acknowledged our helplessness without Him.  And He's blessed our surrender with victory.  I pray that all who haven't yet experienced this would confess their sinfulness and then trust in Christ, who paid our ransom with His blood at the cross. 

There is true freedom in surrender.  Brokenness is something we never like in the moment, but the hope of the gospel is worth our temporary discomfort and vulnerability.  In fact we'll never be fully whole until we see Him face to face in heaven.  If saved, then brokenness, surrender, and repentance should characterize your life all the more.  Because only in rededicating our lives to Him daily can we experience His sweet provision. 

Whip's story is your story and it's my story.  Christians and non-Christians alike experience the same pull toward to self-sufficiency and idol worship.  May we all receive His grace, which meets us right where we are, and calls us to something greater.  May our flight be to His divine oasis, rather than to a demonic mirage. 

And may our answer to the question asked at the end of the movie be rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Praying for and Honoring U.S. Leaders

I was convicted last week while reading through the book of Jeremiah.  With God's judgment coming quickly and no hope of Him relenting, Jeremiah was told three times not to pray for the people of Judah (Jeremiah 7:16; 11:14; 14:11).  It wouldn't do them any good.  Their exile to Babylon was sure.  In 15:1 God says that even if Moses and Samuel (some of the most powerful intercessors in the Bible) were to pray to Him, His heart still would not turn toward His people.

But Jeremiah prayed anyway.  Isn't that amazing!  He had such a heart for his nation and how his people stood in relation to God.  This got me thinking.  Would God have to tell me even once not to pray for America, if in fact it would do no good?  And if He did tell me that, would I pray anyway? 

I don't think it's too late for Christians to pray, and I was convicted because I rarely if ever pray for my country and its leaders.  May I repent of this immediately!  May we as a church rise up to pray for those God has placed in authority over us.  May we not simply pray about them or talk about them in a spirit of slander.  While there is certainly a time for confession and acknowledging sinfulness individually and nationally, why not also honor our leaders by praying for them?  Surely this will do more good to aid our cause than anger and bitterness. 

Whether or not you voted Democrat or Republican, the twin issues of the sanctity of life and marriage should be near and dear to your heart if you believe in God and His Word.  There are other issues out there certainly, and neither party is perfect, but these two issues should not be dismissed flippantly.  Having said this, I truly believe that within the church we should pray for God to stir and awaken us to the reality of what it looks like to not only favor the sanctity of life and marriage at the ballot box, but also in our everyday relationships.

I've been greatly aided by hearing other Christians like Dr. Russell Moore and Governor Mike Huckabee pray for our country and its leadership, so I'd like to offer this prayer in hopes of catalyzing my own prayer life and yours as well. 

God what a blessing it is to be a citizen of Heaven.  I thank you for sending Jesus Christ into the world to live the perfect life that I could never live, and for Him dying the death I deserved to die on the cross.  Your raising Him from the dead demonstrated His Worth and Your Power, and I pray that I would not doubt either while I am temporarily an ambassador in a foreign land.  May I first be loyal to you and your kingdom, and may I have the grace and discernment necessary to live my life in line with the principles and practices Jesus demonstrated while He was on temporary assignment here.  May I anxiously and expectantly await the day when He returns not as an ambassador but as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

God what a blessing also to be a citizen of the United States of America.  I'm so thankful for the sacrifices countless soldiers made to allow my freedom in an earthly sense to become a reality.  God may I exhibit a zeal and passion for this country on par with the price that was paid to establish it, all the while keeping in mind that there is no comparison to the price that was paid on my behalf by Christ.  May I honor such men that follow His supreme example of sacrificial service, but recognize that Christ is in a category all by Himself.  May I myself strive to live a life of sacrificial service, through the power of the Holy Spirit.  And may I strive to be selfless even at the expense of my own self-preservation.

God I pray for this country and for its leadership.  You say in your Word that the king's heart is a stream of water in your hand; and that you turn it wherever you will.  God please turn our leaders' hearts toward all that is good and righteous and just.  You also say that no one is in authority that was not placed there by you, so we pray that your appointed leaders would be completely successful in achieving all that is good.  And may they be hindered in areas that are not.  God may these men and women who ascend to these positions of leadership have a servant's heart and truly comprehend the truth that power is something to be stewarded and not lorded.  May they understand that to whom much is given much will be required.  Give them the grace they'll need to one day hear, "well done good and faithful servant."

Please bless our President, the First Lady, and their family.  God what a tremendous burden they have to bear as leaders of our nation and the free world.  I pray that stress would not lead President Obama to neglect his family, and I pray that there could be many treasured memories from their time in Washington.  God I know the President is made in your image, and you love him so so much.  May my heart for him become more like yours.  And through consistently praying for him and honoring him may you mold my heart as well as his.  God bless our leaders, and teach us your church to honor them.

God also teach us your church to value life and marriage.  May we allow your work to be done in us before we ever expect secular leaders to do work in impacting the culture outside us.  May we not just vote for sanctity of life and marriage, but may our actions reflect a truly redeemed heart as a result of the gospel.  May we become defenders of the least of these in our world and may this point outsiders to you.  May our marriages line up with our belief that we are to be imitators of Christ in His relationship with the us, His church.  May husbands model grace and wives model trust.  May we realize that avoiding divorce is not the same as striving for unity and loving each other sacrificially at any cost.  God forgive us because we have failed and the world has noticed.  Give us the grace to return to you, and to live our lives in a manner worthy of the high calling we've been given as sons and daughters of you.  As we prepare and apprentice in this world now, may we keep our eyes fixed on Christ, and the mission we'll have with Him in ruling and reigning for forever and ever. 

We ask all these things in the name that is above every name, Jesus. Amen.

Where was God?

The words prayer, hope, blessing, gift, and tragedy all occured numerous times last night in a 20/20 Nightline documentary.  In what is being dubbed "The Movie Massacre," breaking news in this leading story was reported to a vast viewing audience hungry for answers.  While sparse information and insider accounts sought to satisfy this appetite, many I'm sure still longed for more; their soul's uneasiness not the least bit satisfied.  It's hard enough for a Christian to watch something like that and struggle through the why's and what for's.  How much more confusing and unsettling must it be for those without a Biblical perspective on sin, suffering, and the sovereignty of God? 

When planes get flown into buildings, when drunk drivers cross the double yellow line, or when one man ends the lives of dozens in Aurora, CO, and forever alters the lives of many more...what is the answer?  Why and whose to blame?  And if there is a God up there out there somewhere, how can that jive?

I'd venture to say that anyone you talked to on the street today would agree that what that killer did was wrong.  Who could possibly answer, "Well, it might seem wrong to you, but that's just your opinion.  It all depends on your personal stance and standard."  Now that might work for the philosophy room or a campfire discussion, but if Diane Sawyer had mentioned anything to the tune of that proposed response, there would've be a gargantuan outlash.  Everyone of sane mind and sober spirit must concede that this was a tragedy, evil and wicked.  Must you concede then that evil has a source?

One of the points repeteadly made throughout the night was this idea that life was a gift not intended for squandering, but for enjoying to the fullest.  We don't know how long we have here on this earth, each day is a blessing.  Our time should consist of reveling in the midst of our loved ones while taking nothing for granted.  Sad days such as these should serve as a reminder and a wake up call to us all.  A reminder to be thankful to and for the gift though, or the giver as well?  Should we rip open the package without first reading the note from the sender, the source whose goodness made it a reality?

It also seems strange that this goodness is especially highlighted in the midst of a season when it's seemingly not present.  When evil and suffering rule the dark night, what dawn is there to eagely anticipate?  What comforting words can a neutral and secular TV anchor give a crying mother whose daughter was taken all too suddenly in the prime of her life?  We naturally know it's right to condole, but does Diane Sawyer have the right club in her proverbial golf bag to hit an accurate shot in that situation?  What about Christians...do we?  Does anybody?

I think the answer for us as Christians is yes and no.  We should always be prepared, as 1 Peter 3:15 says, "to give an account for the hope that is in us, yet with gentleness and reverence."  Our hope in trying situations is what a lost world longs to glean.  Though we know not why shootings take place, that's not our job to communicate anyway.  We must share what we know to be true about the sources of good and evil, and the "already" and "not yet" variety of Christ's victory over sin and Satan at the cross.  That victory is final, yet unfinished.  It's already won, and irreversibly so, and the day is hastily approaching when Christ will return and put an end to the enemy's activity forever.  Yet Satan still is allowed by God to prowl around the earth in search of prey.  Why does God allow him to wreak such havoc?

The most helpful thing for me to turn to is the cross itself.  Later explaining the situation that surrounded the crucifixion, Peter prayed to God in Acts 4:27-28 that "truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place."

My Spiritual Formation book at seminary summarizes well what this implies:

In one and the same action, Herod, Pilate, and the Romans, and the Jews committed the greatest miscarriage of justice in the history of the world.  Yet, this atrocious act fit in accordance with God's plan.  D.A. Carson writes that:

"A moment's reflection discloses that any other account of what happened would destroy biblical Christianity.  If we picture the crucifixion of Jesus Christ solely in terms of the conspiracy of the local political authorities at the time, and not in terms of God's plan (save perhaps that he came in at the last moment and decided to use the death in a way he himself had not foreseen), then the entailment is that the cross was an accident in history.... On the other hand, if someone were to stress God's sovereignty in Jesus' death, exulting that all the participants "did what God's power and will had decided beforehand should happen" (Acts 4:28), while forgetting that it was a wicked conspiracy, then Herod, Pilate, Judas Iscariot, and the rest are exonerated from evil.  If God's sovereignty means that all under it are immune from charges of transgression, then all are immune.  In that case, there is no sin for which atonement was necessary.  Either way, the Cross is destroyed."

The only conclusion then is that somehow, in some mysterious way that is beyond our full comprehension, God's sovereignty (His absoulute control and rule over the universe) and our human responsibility fit together.  So somehow, someway beyond our ability to comprehend, what happened in that movie theater shooting was a part of God's plan, and the shooter is guilty as charged!

In one of his books, Tommy Nelson tells the true story of a man whose son was killed in a motorcyle accident.  Someone came up to the grieving father and said, "Where was God when your son was killed?"  The father looked his friend in the eye and said, "He was in the same place He was when His Son was killed.  He was with my son, and He will use his death for His own purposes."

We worship a wonderful, awe-inspiring God.  He's a good God, a loving God, a merciful God; but He's also mysterious.  His ways are not our ways.  Like Job said in Job 26, all the wonders of God's workings in creation are "but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder and fullness of His power who can understand?"  We worship a God we aren't able to fully grasp, because He's that amazing and magnificent!  Would you prefer that your God could be fully comprehended?  Our greatest gift from Him will be getting to unlock the treasures of His rich beauty and majesty for all of eternity in heaven.  It'll take that long (forever) to plumb the depths!

These words and this post may not be so profitable for comforting the afflicted.  Who would dare venture or attempt to explain away pain of such magnitude.  But just maybe this could aid someone in seeking to better grasp why evil sometimes seems to be winning. 

So where was God when sons and daughters were being brutally massacred in Colorado?  Answer this question by making a beeline to the gospel and to Calvary. 

"On a hill far away, as the old hymn reads, "stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame. And I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain. So I'll cherish the old rugged cross..."

BK Edition Christmas Letter 2012

   

Family and Friends,

2011 has truly been a whirlwind for Katy and me.  We’ve hopped from Tennessee to Texas, with some interesting stops along the way, and are so thrilled to now have a new city and church to call home. 

While we were still in Memphis deciding whether or not to come back to the Dallas area our prayer was that God would lead us and go ahead of us like He did with the Israelites throughout the OT.  It is amazing to see God move in situations like that and we are so grateful His cloud and fire rested over Allen, TX (I think our parents are a little excited to have us back closer as well).

My classes so far have been great!  It has been my dream for several years to attend Dallas Theological Seminary and follow in the footsteps of great men such as Howard Hendricks, Chuck Swindoll, David Jeremiah, Tony Evans, and Tommy Nelson.  These alumni and many others like them have had a huge impact on countless lives throughout their respective ministries.  Hopefully I will be able, to a certain extent, keep to the trail they’ve already blazed.  My prayer is that I do them, DTS, and my family and friends proud by taking all the knowledge and experiences I gain over these next several years and eternally impact lives for the kingdom. 

I also just recently took the position of Student Ministry Director at Allen Bible Church.  This has been great in several ways, one of which being I’ve gotten to work and minister alongside Katy.  She really is so great with the girls and it’s so fun to see her in her element with them.  But that’s not the only element she’s been in lately, as the business cards she flashes will inform you that she has recently become a Recruiter and Business Developer for Alliance International.  This company helps men and women transitioning out of the military find jobs in corporate America.  So far Katy has wowed her associates with a keen business savvy and killer charm.  You never know, by this time next year she might even be running the company (snuck this stuff in without her noticing haha)…did I marry well or what!

Katy wears many hats to say the least but she also aspires to one day become the mother of several little Kimmey babes!  Lately I’ve been (like RGIII) giving her the Heisman stiff arm though because we aren’t quite ready yet I don’t think ha.  Right now we are striving to soak in this season of life we are in and trying to juggle everything with focus and balance. 

We are so excited to be back in Texas and able to hopefully see more of you in 2012 as a result.  Have a blessed Christmas and holiday season, we wish you and yours all the best!

With Love,

Brooks and Katy

Knocking on Heaven's Door

This past semester I've enjoyed meeting several prominent Christian leaders. A few months back I wrote about my encounter with Chuck Swindoll, and since then I've also come in contact with David Jeremiah and Mark Dever. Lucky for me all of these men have had speaking engagements in the Dallas area in the last few months. Even if it's just shaking a hand and talking idly for a minute or so, something about being in the presence of men God is working through and using mightily serves as an encouragement.

At another recent event I similarly met and heard a young pastor by the name of JR Vassar. He is a DTS grad, and serves as the founding and lead pastor of Apostles Church in NYC. He spoke at a conference put on by RightNow Ministries, and the session I heard him do was on the topic of "Creating a Culture of Prayer". He started out by mentioning that we often affirm the necessity of prayer, but our lives are not saturated in it as they should be. His message's main objective was giving insights into how we can take prayer from the realm of Articulated Value into Activated Value.

A few things stood out to me about what he said from there on out. First, how many of you have thought of prayer as a privilege secured for us by Jesus, and that one of the main reasons He died for you was so that you might be able to pray to God? As it says in Hebrews 4:16, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence because of Jesus...Christ has won the ear of God for us!

So why don't we pray, Vassar then asked? He first cites the reason of our failure to reflect on who God is and who we are. He states that that which was Jesus' by nature becomes ours by adoption, that is "sonship". God is our wise, compassionate, merciful, loving, perfectly powerful, and limitless in power Heavenly Father. And we are His children! In order for us to view prayer in the proper light, we first must think truer thoughts about God and of ourselves. Only then will we commit more time to prayer.

Another reason he gives is that we simply don't hunger and thirst after God. And if we do ever pray, we see the reward as simply being an evident answer to our request. So if we don't see the results we desire, we chalk it up as a loss and we become discouraged and frustrated. This is the whole "vending machine" approach to prayer as he credits Paul Miller to coining in "A Praying Life". Instead of only moving quickly toward the vending machine to get what we desire and then going about our regular daily routine, we should instead employ a "family-meal" mentality and make time with God the reward. Just like when we gather in a few days with family and friends for Thanksgiving, we count the reward being simply getting to catch up and enjoy community and fellowship with loved ones. That's the whole purpose. The treasure is in the time we spend together! We should then in prayer aim our attention more on God and delighting in His presence. This should be our focus, rather than the quick-fixes and answers we want that trump intimacy with our Heavenly Father.

This next point was huge for me, and has the potential to radically change your prayer life. Vassar warns that we mustn't confuse our judicial favor with God with His relational favor. Those of us who have been saved by God's grace are accepted and favored by God solely on the basis of what Christ has done for us. The gospel is essentially that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, and He bridged the gap between a holy God and a sin marred humanity. Christ being fully God and fully man lived the perfect life that we as fallen humans could never live, and in so doing was also the only suitable and acceptable means to which God could apply His holy and perfect wrath. On the cross God poured out His wrath and punished Christ for the sins of the entire world. All who put their faith and trust in Christ's perfect life, His substitutionary death and punishment in our place, and His subsequent burial and resurrection can be set free from sin and be born again to a living hope. We as sinners can be viewed by God as if we had the perfect righteousness of Christ, because God viewed and treated Christ as a sinner at the cross. We are accepted unconditionally now by God in a judicial sense. His judicial pronouncement of us as righteous is binding and unconditional. Nothing can be done by those of us who are in Christ to compromise this pronouncement and all that it entails.

But relationally it is another story. We as Christians, eternally secure and saved, can still in this lifetime grieve God by neglecting to seek Him. We can grieve God by letting certain sins remain a part of our lives and letting them go unconfessed and unaddressed. There is a relational capacity we have with our Heavenly Father. Certain things He wants to do in our lives and give to us are conditional, and our receiving them is based on whether or not we persistently seek after and ask Him. We mustn't presume upon God and use our judicial stance with Him as an excuse for our laziness to seek Him and persevere in prayer and service to Him.

Vassar then asked us this question, "Are your knuckles bleeding from knocking on Heaven's door in prayer...is there anything that for the last say 6 months you have been just wrestling with God about, passionately pursuing both His presence and His provision in a matter you know is in line with His will?"

Man when he said that I was very convicted, because I realized that there really wasn't. But God only does business with those who mean business, and sometimes He withholds answers for a time to see just how much business we really mean.

So then, what should we pray for? If we shouldn't view God as a vending machine and instead should consider time spent with Him as the reward - BUT He also desires that we persist in asking Him for things...then what should we be asking Him for?

Start by praying the PASSIONS OF GOD! That the renown of the Trinity would be known in all the earth, and that the Kingdom of God would gain greater and greater traction. Pray that God might bring expressions of that future kingdom to earth now. For as Dallas Willard says "You hear God's voice clearest when your passions are in line with His." Pray also for the power of the Holy Spirit, because if we are going to carry the message of God it cannot be done apart from His power at work in and through us.

Vassar closed with this "May we be freed from the fear of man by replacing it with a healthy fear of God, so caught up in sonship that we might be unleashed into the world to radically transform it with the power of the gospel."

Charles Spurgeon, regarded by many to be the greatest preacher other that Jesus to walk the face of the earth, was once quoted as saying he'd "rather teach 1 man to pray than 10 to preach." Indeed there's power in prayer, and this oft untapped resource attained through long lingering and communing with the Father is available to all His sons and daughters.  Let's start knocking on His door!

"Our Quest for the Life which is Spiritual"

This is the Course Integration Paper I wrote for my Spiritual Life class.  It basically sums up the majority of the things we covered this semester, which served as a foundation for "our quest for the life which is spiritual", as my professor would say.


Perhaps the following phrase “of Biblical proportions” sounds familiar.  This popular saying used commonly to describe the immensity and magnitude of a given scenario or situation could easily be used as a tag line to depict our quest.  Though unlikely, its meaning could also very well have originated from this quest that God put mankind on from the beginning.  Indeed, God set the bar extremely high for all of mankind.  Through the creation process, God (who is Spirit) brought order to what was previously formless, void, empty, and chaotic.  And despite everything that was created by God, including the sun, moon, stars, mountains, oceans, etc., nothing except humans are said to be created in His image.  Only humans then can represent, reflect, and spread His likeness throughout the entire world.  We are to be fruitful and multiply by having children, and also work, rule and have dominion over all God’s creation, so that the entire world may be an enormous sanctuary filled with true worshippers.

The task sounds appeasing and light enough until we come to grips with God’s holiness.  For though God is Spirit, and we in His image likewise are spiritual beings, there still exists between our nature and His an unbridgeable gap.  Even before Adam and Eve sinned, this gap existed.  That God is holy means that He is distinct and set apart; unique, special and different in an awesome, out of this world kind of way.  Before He turned the pre-creation chaos into beauty and order, He alone existed.  If we are to follow in the footsteps of this Holy God who spoke the heavens and earth into being from nothing, and are called to represent Him and create and cultivate in a way that suitably reflects Him, we certainly have both an honorable and formidable assignment.

Fast forward to the Fall at Genesis 3.  When Sin enters, our mission becomes now all the more difficult and frustrating.  The enemy tempted Adam and Eve with the forbidden fruit, saying that if they ate of it they would be like God.  But they already were like God; they were made in His image!  Their disobedience in effect communicated that they’d rather replace Him than replicate Him.  Consequently, this rebellious act served as the inauguration of Sin’s rule over all of humanity.  All since then have been under Sin’s curse, and the quest for the life which is truly spiritual becomes tarnished at every level.  However, amidst God’s indictment of Adam and Eve and the serpent we hear a brief hint of hope in Gen 3:15.  This foreshadows Christ, the one who will bruise the serpent and in turn become bruised Himself.

A few Chapters later in Genesis 6 we read that every formation of man’s heart is evil, and God is grieved, pained, and offended.  Adam’s descendants were born into Sin’s wicked and oppressive dictatorship and they also willfully obeyed and followed suit by their sinful actions.  So God decides to start over, takes Noah and gives him the same opportunity as He gave Adam.  But Noah too fails, as does humanity as a whole throughout the redemptive episode of Genesis 1-11. 

Continuing on in Episode #2, God in Genesis 12 takes Abraham, and from his descendants (specifically Jacob) will come the nation of Israel.  He establishes this nation through the patriarchs and during the last part of Genesis guides them away from famine into Egypt where they can be safe under Joseph’s care and leadership.  Then after there for several hundred years, a King rises up in Egypt who remembered not Joseph or his deeds.  So God delivered them, parted and led them through the Red Sea, fed them and cared for them in the desert, gave them the 10 Commandments, and a track to the Promised Land.  He also later provided them a Temple in Jerusalem where His glory could descend, and gave them Kings such as David.  Yet after all these allowances Israel drops the ball and fails. 

Psalm 78:37-39 provides a fitting snapshot of the nation following the Exodus, and it also serves as a representation of Israel’s falseness and God’s faithfulness throughout the rest of the OT: “Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant. Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath.  He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.” Countless OT passages portray them as a selfish, stiff-necked, idolatrous nation.  The route again that God desires for His people to take in displaying His Kingdom comes to the disappointing conclusion of “apparent failure”. 

For the next stage in redemptive history, God decides to send His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into the world.  Christ models perfectly what it looks like to live a life which is truly spiritual and does what all before Him had failed to do.  He being the last Adam does not balk at the opportunity given Him by the Father like the first Adam did, but instead embraces His role.  But as John’s gospel records, the light came into the world, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  God’s chosen nation Israel should have accepted Him as their King and Messiah but they crucified Him.  After His death there was darkness; chaos ruled over the earth as it did prior to creation.  The expected and just response of God would’ve been to give up. 

Instead God gives life to the body of Christ and raises Him from the dead.  He then at Pentecost births the Church, and we learn from history and the Bible that we too during this current redemptive episode will fail at spreading His image throughout all the earth.  So in the next and last episode of redemptive history, God creates a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells.  He establishes justice and rule and everything will be made new.  Nothing more will be accursed, no more darkness, and Jesus will make all of God’s commands and desires for humanity become certain success in reality.  Sounds amazing even just thinking about it, what a day that will be!  But until that day comes and the fulfillment is realized, we must obediently wait in eager expectation.  Our apparent failure as a whole doesn’t excuse our individual responsibility to engage in this quest God has called all Christians to. 

I’d venture to say most Christians genuinely feel the pull like countless others before us have to press on and seek after the things of God.  We desire to be distinct and not to chase after the things of this world.  Yet we are so easily drawn away from God toward idols and mirages.  These deceitful, false, and empty images fuel our selfish longings to replace God’s best for our lives with a counterfeit.  Why is this so?  Why do Christians along with God’s people from other episodes of history struggle so unsuccessfully to obey God and live lives that are truly spiritual?

One reason is that we have an enemy who relentlessly prowls about seeking to destroy the image of God on the earth.  Satan has been deceitfully destructive from the beginning.  His work in tempting Adam and Eve to sin proves this point.  Furthermore, for him to make sin appealing to us now, he uses the same tactics he did with them.  If sin seeks to do its worst, it must look its best.  It must look attractive and good in order to be destructive and deceptive.  Among other things, sin is a parasite that lives off of a host until it overcomes.  It acts in a perverting way to turn something God intended for good into something to be used for evil.  Sin twists and turns the truth to gain allegiance and loyalty.  This is how Satan and sin operate, and it is an extreme barrier to living the spiritual life.

However, through the gospel of Jesus Christ, we who have been saved through putting our faith in Him have been set free from the power of sin.  Prior to conversion a person has no choice but to submit to the rule of Sin.  Because Adam’s sin in the garden, Sin became ruler and we all are born into that kingdom.  Christ abolished this rule through His perfect life and subsequent death, burial, and resurrection.  For all believers in Him, we are not under the old mastery of King Sin, but the new order and rule of King Grace.  Through Adam’s disobedience Sin’s rule was inaugurated, but through Christ’s obedience Grace abolished the former rule in all the lives of those who put their faith in Christ.

This seems great for ivory tower theological discussions, but does it have any relevance for our pursuit of authentic spirituality?  If we’ve been set free from the dominion of Sin and it no longer rightfully has authority over us to make us obey its commands, then why do we still struggle and commit sins?  The answer is that although we’re now under a new ruler in King Grace, the same selfish desires and tendencies that were alive in us under Adam/Sin still remain with us.  Our new man united with Christ and under the rule of Grace still has the fallen flesh that is wrapped up in all of fallen humanity.  This does not disappear or go away upon conversion.  This is where we get to the heart of what it means to live a life that is spiritual.

Once saved, each believer receives the gift of the Holy Spirit.  This active agent animates a God-oriented life within us.  He reorients our affections and attentions toward loving God and loving others.  If we desire to live a life that is truly spiritual, we must trust and rely on the Spirit of God to produce in us what only He can.  Our job is to pursue intimacy with Him so that He might work through us to manifest the things in our lives which are in line with God’s will.  Everyone was saved by God unto acts of service and good deeds, and these things can only happen through the Spirit causing them to happen.  By practices such as confessing every known sin in our lives, yielding and surrendering our plans to His, and pouring out our hearts to Him in prayer, we can live Spirit-filled and led lives.  We already have as much of the Spirit as we ever will have upon conversion, so the key to living a life that is spiritual is letting the Spirit of God get more and more of us.  We can also grieve the Spirit of God by sinning or not completely yielding to Him.  When we act in these disobedient ways, the Spirit’s ministry shifts from working through us to working on us.

Since the work of the Spirit in our lives is vital and crucial to our becoming effective in our quest for spiritual living, anything we can do to strengthen our intimate dependence on the Spirit is welcome and beneficial.  This is where Spiritual Disciplines tremendously aid the believer.  Like any worthwhile pursuit in life, one doesn’t become adept and skillful overnight.  It takes consistency and dedication in almost any arena, and spiritual living is no different.  Dallas Willard uses the analogy of a young baseball fan imitating a big league player seen on TV.  If that little fan wants to really be like the star player, he’d do well to imitate his training regimen and not just his “in game, on the spot” style and technique.  So it is with us and our model Jesus Christ.  If we want to live a life that is truly spiritual like He did, we should definitely do more than seek to imitate His “in game, on the spot” actions.  Why not imitate what He did to prepare Himself for the big moments?  Things like prayer, fasting, meditation, service, etc.  These disciplines can serve to strengthen the Spirit as it carries out its primary role of doing battle against the flesh and its selfish desires which are in opposition to God and the spiritual life. 

When engaging in these practices though, we must be careful that we do not somehow falsely gauge our success in living a spiritual life by our own performance in certain disciplines.  Once we start thinking in that way we start drifting toward potential legalistic behavior.  Legalism is rooted in the idea that God’s holiness can somehow be attained and His favor can be to an extent merited by how well you conform to a strict pattern of rules or disciplines.  Legalism is toxic and destructive because it presents a diminished picture of God’s holiness and the person’s sinfulness.  This must be understood so it can be guarded against.  When we talk about living a life that is spiritual, and imaging God and reflecting Him, we do not mean these things to be attempted from one’s own spiritual stamina or strength.  Living a life that is spiritual and holy can only be accomplished through an agent that is both perfectly spiritual and holy, the Holy Spirit.  Our only chance is to live in dependence on Him to produce in us what only He can produce. 

He will not produce spiritual fruit in people who simply jump through religious hoops in hopes of somehow earning points or extra merit before God in order that God might owe them something.  God doesn’t owe us anything!  It’s not that setting rules or goals for yourself is bad in and of itself, but the flesh sees those rules and goals as an opportunity to fuel selfish ambition and pride.  So guard against that and check your motives to insure you are solely seeking a closer walk with God, rather than an opportunity to pat yourself on the back.  God is not impressed with people who keep rules for the sake of keeping rules, as if that somehow makes them better and more worthy of God’s attention and blessing.  We should obey God and serve Him because we are already infinitely blessed being united with Christ, and we should desire no matter what the cost to experience His presence and power.  To obey and serve with the motive of gaining superiority over others and an upper hand on God in hopes of disqualification from suffering is legalistic and impure obedience and service.

The quest for a life that is spiritual includes dying moment by moment to the flesh and to selfish ambition, so that the Spirit can most effectively work through you to selflessly serve and love others the way Christ did.  To embark on this journey of spiritual living means to commit to a life yielded to the Spirit, so He can empower you to put others before yourself, and Christ above all, to the glory of the Father.

The Prowess of King Grace

"Brooooks...you know what we forgot...?" 

Katy posed this question to me in the car last Saturday when we were driving through Hearne, TX on the way to watch our respective Alma maters compete in the gridiron version of the Battle of the Brazos at Kyle Field.  Instantly I recognized that we had traveled all this way from Allen, TX without our game tickets! 

This might appear innocent enough, and to some of you this dilemma evokes personal memories of similar blunders.  Everyone has surely experienced something like this, right?  But for myself and Katy, this was the SECOND time in two weeks we'd done it.  I guess we both expected the other to get them both times, or it just flat out slipped each of our minds all-together.  At least when we did it before the A&M v. Arkansas game we were closer to Allen and were able to swing back home to get them.  Our realization in Hearne, TX though definitely fell under the category of "too late..nothing we can do about it now."

What made it worse was that both sets of tickets were gifts from my parents.  Some son and daughter-in-law we are huh!  I told Katy to just go ahead and call my Dad and explain the situation...but she couldn't muster up the courage necessary I guess haha...so she declined and proceeded to go into panic/scramble mode and attempted to recall all the people she knew coming to the game in hopes that they might be able to perform a miracle of some sort to get us in.  Amidst the drama we eventually discovered that at the will call ticket office they frequently encounter forgetful and careless fans like us and that it was no problem at all for them to reprint the tickets.  WHEW!!! Dodged a bullet there for sure, thank goodness!  Some form of "Katy and Brooks-Aggie Jokes" undoubtedly and unavoidably will emerge from family and friends.  Maybe one day we'll learn and change, but it's doubtful ha!

Moving on, every time I return to College Station, and particularly when attending a sporting event, I'm reminded of how I used to be such a big Aggie.  I bled maroon as much as anybody.  If you look at my room in Temple where I grew up you'd still to this day find it with A&M wallpaper, an A&M bedspread, pillows, trashcan, balls, stuffed doll A&M corps guy, and (if it hadn't busted some several years back) an A&M beanbag.  In my closet if it hadn't been recently cleaned out you would have discovered countless A&M T-shirts, jackets, old baseball camp certificates, and pictures of A&M athletic greats and old inspirational 12th Man magazine articles. I could go on for a really long time, but just a few more items you'd discover in my room would be an R.C. Slocum autographed picture and hat, an old toddler play A&M football Jersey, pants, and helmet, a baseball Jersey signed by an early 2000's A&M team, and last but not least...a picture of me in a yell leader outfit when I was maybe 3 or 4 years old. 

I used to wear A&M jackets all the time when I was in HS, even more so than my Belton High letter jacket.  I had an A&M baseball cap that I wore ALL the time, so much so in fact that today it probably wouldn't even fit a pre-school aged Aggie fan due to having shrunk so much from my constant and frequent sweating while wearing it. 

So you get the picture...I was a Texas A&M Aggie, and all that that encompasses, through and through.  I was born into it, was surrounded by it, but also willingly followed and embraced the practices which were in line with it.  It was part of who I was...a big part!

Now since I was such a big Aggie, it should come as no surprise that I desired to play baseball for them in college.  But of course that's not how it turned out.  And to make a long story short, I ended up getting an opportunity to play at Baylor University instead.

Hmmm...given my background...that sounds "interesting" doesn't it...to say the least!  Some reprogramming was definitely in order.

All of these things again were called to mind when I went to the A&M v. Baylor football game a week ago.  So why do I bring them up?  Because what took place in my life by shifting my allegiance, loyalty, and identification from Maroon and White to Green and Gold must occur on a much larger scale for all who have accepted Christ.  If you want to play on His team, if you want to serve Him and walk in the the good things for which He saved you, then you have to acknowledge that you are not under the old regime of Sin, but the new rule of Grace.

A great passage that is foundational for this truth is Romans 6:1-14.  In my Spiritual Life class at DTS we've been going through it, and it definitely parallels my situation in shifting from Aggie to Bear.  It doesn't fit exactly, and off course I'm not meaning that the A&M culture is synonymous with the ruling power of sin and the kingdom of darkness, nor that Baylor is on par with grace's new rule and the kingdom of light.  Just hang with me and hopefully it will begin to come together and make sense. 

The following definitions from and paraphrase/explanation of Romans 6:1-14 was one of my assignments for my Spiritual Life class.  I've adapted it slightly to fit in with this post.  Read through this passage if you'd like, then look at what I wrote below.

For this assignment I read for preparation Thomas Schreiner’s Romans Commentary. 

Definitions

Sin in Romans 6 represents a tyrannical governing authority which exercises its rule and power over every unregenerate creature; a mark of the old era of history due to Adam’s sin.  Sins should not fill a completely different category apart from sin, for it is solely because of sin’s ruling power over men prior to their conversion that causes them as slaves to naturally obey and commit various sins.  The word continue when used here in relation to sin carries with it the implication of remaining under the authority sin wields as master, practically acting out of allegiance to its reign, obeying and submitting to its orders and regulations. 

When in this passage Paul brings up the concept of death, his main objective involves a statement of fact that upon conversion all who were in Adam, and hence under sin’s tyranny, are by all intents and purposes now dead to sin’s power; it’s a literal reality that sin’s hold on them has been cancelled out and nullified. Baptized when used signifies our identification and union with Christ, our belonging to and incorporation into Him, the last Adam, as opposed to the first Adam, who led us into the realm of sin's dominion. 

The term Old self refers to the pre-Christ era reality that all were helplessly yet willingly enslaved to sin’s wicked sovereignty, and it serves to represent and explain the plight and identity of humanity, both collectively as a whole and each individual within the whole.  The term body of sin means the physical nature of sin and the way the body was used for it.  When brought to nothing is used, the idea is its exile or banishment, so that no longer it may control.


Paraphrase/Explanation

Paul’s argument in this passage is that it is inconceivable that we remain under the repressive rule of King Sin so as to allow grace to increase. It doesn’t work that way he explains. For once we have accepted Christ we are no longer alive to this evil emperor and empire.  Paul is stating a fact that we have indeed been lifted up from underneath this corrupt governing authority. We may no longer act out of allegiance and loyalty to our old King.  King Grace is our master now; to him we owe our dedication and commitment. We wear his colors, follow his agenda, bow and serve him alone. Through Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, we become set free from sin’s grip and stronghold. Whereas before we were under sin’s curse, now we are under grace’s freedom. Our identity is now wrapped up in Christ, unlike before when we were tethered to sin.

King Sin’s administration characterized by oppression left none in its wake unmarred.  But because of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, each individual that puts their faith and trust in Christ’s finished work has the same power that raised Him from the dead within them.  The notions and powers that caused the body to commit sins compulsively have been banished. That which remains in the physical body should then contend to commit righteous acts that lead to life, rather than sins that lead to death.

A conquering King has plundered the old dynasty and has set up a new organization. His purpose in doing this was to completely obliterate everything from the previous dictator’s ruthless agenda, so that the people would finally experience liberty. Their desire now should certainly be to follow the new King’s instructions. To cut all ties with the past and get on board and in line with these realities and with what the new King is doing. The people should put the past behind them and focus ahead so to discover how best they might serve wholeheartedly this King that has pure motives and commands justly.

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Just as when a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly there is no turning back, so also when we become Christians the former reality is cancelled out.  Same thing when I became a Baylor Bear.  I signed with Baylor and consequently that meant signing off on everything A&M.  I've got a new coach, a new assignment, a new group of teammates, a new uniform, a new environment.  I might as well "know" this and act accordingly, "consider" myself dead to A&M, and "present" myself in full-fledged service and devotion to Baylor.  Even today, after all the ways Baylor University and the baseball team blessed and provided for me, how bizarre and treasonous would it be for me to revert back to my old desires and ways with respect to A&M.  I can never be an Aggie again, it's impossible!  And why would I want to, I have a new home and a new family.

Same thing once you become a Christian.  Know you've been united with Christ and therefore dead to sin and its authority.  Ponder this and line your life up with this reality.  Consider (some translations use "reckon") yourself dead to sin (why would you go back and serve a tyrant like Sin when you can flourish under Grace?) and present yourself as a tool for righteousness. 

Understanding these truths is essential to Christian growth and maturity.  Not regarding my A&M stuff alone of course, but how it relates to Christianity.  I'll confess that you might occasionally catch me kissing my wife when A&M scores or swaying back and forth sawing Varsity's horns off in order to keep the peace in the stands.  But I must take far more seriously my reverting back to sinful habits in line with sin, my former master. 

Thanks be to God for saving me from sin's authority, giving me over to grace, placing me in Christ, indwelling me through the Holy Spirit, and granting me precious things such as redemption, justification, forgiveness, and eternal life.  May the work of the Godhead in our salvation be our utmost delight and, a la "The Spirit of Aggieland", may our boast be of prowess bold. Of the ruler we think so grand - Grace!