Thanksgiving for a Life Well-Lived

Yesterday, at 3:50 pm, Kyle Wagner joined the chorus of the saints who have gone before us.  I must say that I have never looked back on the life of any individual with as much gratitude as I do with Kyle.  I am grateful to God that I was able to know Kyle, for the conviction that he often gave me, and the encouragement that he always was to me.  Although he wasn’t convinced by all of my theology (he told me that I wasn’t making any sense) he willingly suffered for the glory of God. 

Kyle regularly sent emails out to his church family and friends.  In recent days, his emails grew shorter and shorter.  Here is the final email he sent out.  Be blessed by it:

READ: Philippians 3:1-11

By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. —Ephesians 2:8

 

 

By grace now I’m saved—Hallelujah!
Praise God, and through faith it’s been done;
Naught of myself, but believing
In the finished work of His Son. —Gladwin

We are saved not by what we do but by trusting what Christ has done.

– Asa

The Hypocrisy of Gay Marriage Activists

I am weary of talking about this issue.  I am weary of the tired rhetoric of homosexual activists.  I am weary of Keith Olberman’s polarizing caricatures of conservatives.  Most of all, I am weary of the liberal intolerance (interesting article here).  There will be a powder keg issue on the ballots for the next 12 years.  No, sadly, we cannot vote on propositions to halt the murders of unborn children.  The issue will be homosexual marriage.  There is a militant drive to adopt such legislation across the United States seen just recently in the Pan-American protests in lieu of the majority’s acceptance of Proposition 8 in California.

 

When gay marriage is accepted in America, we will lose something which Americans have treasured since we founded this nation – separation of church and state.  Incidentally, Separation of Church and State began as a Baptist doctrine.  Read on the life of early Baptist pastor James Leyland if you don’t believe me.  Separation of church and state is something the liberals don’t even understand, and the evangelicals hate the “wall of separation,” not realizing that they should be grateful for it and support it!  This is because both are working from the same understanding of the idea.  Incidentally, godlessness and atheism is as much a “church” as Christianity and Islam, and the state must be separated from such control. 

 

I slap my forehead when I hear the protestors chanting “Separate Church and State!”  Oy vey!  When gay marriage had been legalized in California they immediately began to pressure the Methodist church telling them to “live up” to their slogan (“Open hearts, open minds”) by performing gay marriages.  School children had to sign pledges to accept gay marriage.  Similarly, a pastor in Canada (where gay marriage is accepted) was arrested in the last year for preaching that homosexuality was a sin.  So the state has begun to make hermeneutical interpretations for the Church up in Canada.  Also of note, a Christian adoption agency was shut down in Great Britain because it was their personal conviction not to allow homosexuals to adopt.  There were plenty of other orphanages and adoption agencies through which homosexuals could achieve this, but they specifically targeted the Christians.  Shutting down orphanages to achieve one’s own agenda… classy.  Article here.

 

We will eventually see homosexual marriage adopted in America on the Federal level.  This will be a grave time for the Church.  Preachers of the Gospel will be indicted for hate crimes, but hopefully this will not go too far before our leaders see their hypocrisy.  I expect then that, like in the case of abortion, free speech will be allowed to everyone except to Christians in the vicinity of a metropolitan church performing a gay marriage.  In view of such dark times, Christians should take hope in and be reminded that we are citizens of a Kingdom far greater than America.  Build that Kingdom:  Preach the Gospel, though the pagans demand your blood, and Herod rages against the children! 

The Gospel Poem

 

His Wisdom shone forth

On Calvary’s tree

And shown to mankind

God’s blessed decree!

Wrath, yet mercy’s beauty –

No indulgence was free.

 

“Finished!” came the cry

Submission sealed in word;

On Crimson blotted weathered wood

The Church in Him was gird.

Far better than the blood of rams,

The Elect now walk assured!

 

The Lord, The Lord, just and holy,

While He loved His precious Son

Laid His Righteous wrath upon Him

Forsook Him as His will was done

The Carpenter sighed… then limply hung.

Behold – a greater Priest than Aaron!

 

They locked Him in a guarded grave

And the damned devils danced with glee

The Eleven hid in despairing doubt

Till Christ appeared in victory!

Then spread their message through the world:

“HE HAS RISEN, and so shall we!”

 

 

– by Asa Hart

 

From Gospel For Asia: Christians Martyred in Orissa

The following is an excerpt from Gospel For Asia’s website www.gfa.org :

Three more believers were martyred and twelve others were severely wounded in a fresh wave of violence in Orissa, India, on September 30. The latest attacks occurred in villages near Kandhamal, which has been the epicenter of violence against Christians since August 22.

The violence in Orissa came as attacks in two other Indian states targeted a Christian pastor and a Bridge of Hope center.

An estimated 30 Christians have been killed and thousands of others have lost their homes since Hindu extremists went on a rampage after their leader, Swami Laxmananda Saraswati was murdered. His followers are seeking revenge for his death, for which Christians have been blamed. However, Maoists have claimed responsibility for the murder.

A Gospel for Asia correspondent in Orissa said Tuesday’s attacks came at 4:30 a.m. when mobs of as many as 5,000 Hindu extremists attacked three separate villages. The extremists burned down about 150 homes and three churches. The Indian media reports that police opened fire in an attempt to disperse the violent forces.

Despite such persecution, the Gospel is booming in Asia (not to mention Latin America and Africa).  Too donate financial aid for the persecuted church in India and Nepal visit http://www.gfa.org//persecution-donate

– Asa

Some Thoughts on Prayer

For now, I must take a brief hiatus from the Art and the Gospel posts.  I find my mind to be stuck on some thoughts about prayer at the present moment.  Now as one who used to be a mystic of sorts, employing a variety of rather odd calisthenics praying in the woods and various places, I must say that I have become quite skeptical of those who cleave to the mystical power of prayer for the precise reason that it is prayer.  The power is not found in prayer, but in the One whom we call Lord.  For example, see Dutch Sheets book Intercessory Prayer where in chapter 2 he states that God needs man.  He needs man to pray, needs man to preach, needs man to be faithful etc.  “Doesn’t He need us to ask for His kingdom to come, His will to be done?”  Such a thought places the emphasis of the power and grandeur and glory upon prayer and the individual praying rather than upon Him who is able to strengthen you according to the Gospel, to the only wise God, to whom be the glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen! 

 

Here are a couple of thoughts on prayer that I find helpful to somewhat deflate my pride before God: 

 

–         Prayer itself reminds us of our inability and God’s sovereignty.

–         Don’t try to be overly eloquent as that is not in itself an indicator of passion or sincerity.

–         Don’t intentionally try to be ineloquent or vernacular as that seldom denotes authenticity. 

–         Your prayers speak little of your righteousness (Luke 18:9-14), but if they are sincere display the greatness of God.

–         “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”  (Psalm 51:17)

–         “For this is what the high and lofty One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”  (Isaiah 57:15)

–         John Bunyan once said that even in his best prayers there was enough sin to damn the whole world to hell.  The prayer of a Christian is an exercise in Gospel faith.

–         Gospel prayers forever bear in mind the life and sacrifice of Christ as the righteous merit by which we approach the high and exalted throne of God.

–         Praying with humility will bring about a change of heart, so that God’s will, glory, and honor (ultimately the Gospel) will go forward rather than you experiencing personal vindication. 

 

One more thought:  I get email updates from Gospel for Asia about the persecution our brothers and sisters are facing in that region of the world.  I will be posting these prayer needs from time to time for all of us to put these things into practice.

 

God bless,

Asa

Art and the Gospel, part 2

It is important that we are not misled by a red herring that says that an emphasis on art in the Church is directly connected to a selfish and stingy heart. I know men who preach the Gospel out of selfish envy and vain conceit. I know men who collect books and study theology with visions of accolades and glory dancing through their heads (I confess my guilt). I know men (and have read of some) who give ostentatiously and sacrificially as Ananias and Sapphira did. I know men and women who have sacrificed much on the mission field, some of whom anticipate and long for the praise of men when they go in and out the door of the churches they visit. Don’t you dare think for a moment that because you are not prone to idolatry and selfishness in one area or that because you avoid one form of idolatry through the stifling of God-given talent that you avoid such sins altogether!

“Worship that is acceptable to God is self-abasing, not self exalting.” This is from Allen Ross’ Recalling the Hope of Glory. This statement rings true in all aspects of life, and there is a rightness about it that resonates within our hearts, (hopefully) humbling us as we read it. And then we see that the prayer of the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14 was not an exercise in godliness, but a self-glorifying mantra bent on misconstruing one’s own self-image (and conversely robbing God of His glory). The art we produce as believers must not be guilty of such a charge. There certainly is something wrong with large productions within the Church which are bent on making man feel good about man. This can take the form of plays, sculptures, music… and outreach programs, missions (Matt. 23:15; Phil. 1:15), tithes (Matt. 6:1-4), and prayer. But the Church should and must be patrons of God-honoring, Christ-exalting art!

Jan van Eyck’s painting the Adoration of the Lamb is a wonderful example of such art. How rich the theological tones of the atonement which were beautifully stroked into this work! It is impossible for a believer to view such a painting without its vivid potrayal effectively etching a breathing theology into our heads! C. J. Mahaney once said that worship music was take-home theology for the Church to easily memorize. How true! Does not a van Eyck’s painting work to the same end? How destitute our churches are when it comes to beautiful stained-glass theology lessons! Art is not to our detriment but will aid in building the strength of the Church!

I have not yet delved into the idea of man as the image bearer of God. God is creative! He made the universe in fact! Man is to bear such an image with excellence in all his craftsmanship and works of dominion over creation.

Do not stifle such an opportunity in your churches, and yet do not let them run with reckless abandon. We must be guided by the Word of God, always checking our hearts to guard against the folly of idolatry which we are always so prone to wander into.

– Asa

Art and the Gospel

The following post is by contributor Asa Hart

Of late, I have been taking an interest in Sojourn Community Church here in Louisville.  I have been quite taken by the artistic thrust which the church puts forward.  This emphasis has not only caught my attention, but the whole city!  As I was inviting my barber to church the other day, she had heard of Sojourn’s artistic bent as well.  She was dying to see what was going on there!  However, it seems that not everyone shares my excitement on the issue of art.  After my visit, I came home and recounted the experience to my roommate.  Given that we are both wanna-be theologians who have no dates, we spent the evening in a theological discussion over the matter.

The position which I maintain is that art is not simply a cosmetic luxury for the church, but a necessary avenue of worship (for the community and not for the artist alone) and a testimony of the Gospel.  My roommate’s position is not that art is wrong, but that spending resources and time on art rather than on preaching and missions is wrong.  My roommate, who in fairness should be allowed to present his argument (open invitation), holds that all the endeavors of the Church should find their end in Gospel proclamation.  I completely agree with this last point, but I hold that the avenues in which we proclaim the Gospel should not be restricted to the pulpit and the tongue, not that these avenues should be abated by any means (I hate that Francis of Assissi quote which everyone seems to be convinced is canon).  Art influences the mind and sparks the tongue into discussion.  If you disagree with me, let us view the effect of movies on culture. 

Dostoevsky pointed out that at first art reflects and mimics life, but eventually life will reflect and mimic art.  The cycle closes out with life deriving its very meaning for existence from art.  Observe this pattern in the role Hollywood played in the normalization of homosexuality.  Homosexuality was once whispered in movies.  Before long it was winked at in jokes and spoofs, and now it is celebrated openly.  Here’s a scary thought – the last year’s movies have introduced a new moral low to maintain something of the shock value (beastiality, child rape, etc.) which can no longer be achieved through blatant homosexual overtones.  If the end result of humanism is depression and nihilism (as per Francis Schaeffer), is it any wonder that recent movies have come to this conclusion before our culture has (i.e. No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, The Dark Night)?

Art is not only paintings, sculptures, and songs but also the architecture, writings, and furniture of a given culture or community.  Art conveys the views and the message of the Church.  Frankie Schaeffer claimed that the lack of ornate architecture and the presence of “vomit colored carpet” served as his reasons for leaving the Protestant Church.  According to Schaeffer, these shortcomings are reflective of shallow theology and an overemphasis upon the immanence of God.  Touche’! 

What are your views of Art and the Gospel?  More to come on this one in the future…

-Asa

C.S. Lewis and the Irony of Temptation

The following post is by contributor Asa Hart:

The battlefield on which the fight with sin and temptation takes place does not reside in the malls, on the internet, in the bars, or in the bedroom.  It takes place in our hearts.  The sin battle is a battle not of avoiding pleasures, but for our pleasures.  C.S. Lewis illustrates this well in his book Perelandra, the second volume in his space trilogy. 

In this book, the main character, Ransom, lands on a planet which has never seen the devastation of sin.  Perelandra is a planet which has characteristics very similar to Eden.  Shortly after he arrives, Ransom encounters the first female of this creation.  He is shocked to find that he has difficulty in defining sin to her.  Lewis masterfully crafts this discussion:

“At least,” he added in a louder voice, “this forbidding is no hardship in such a world as yours.”

“That also is a strange thing to say,” replied the Lady.  “Who thought of its being hard?  The beasts would not think it hard if I told them to walk on their heads.  I am His beast, and all His biddings are joys….”  (pp. 75-76)

Lewis is pointing out that the matter has everything to do with joy or pleasure.  In a prior conversation, the Lady tells Ransom that she was separated from her husband during a storm and has yet to find him.  Ransom then asks her how she can find pleasure in God in the face of such disappointment.  The Lady’s response reveals the author’s deep contemplation on the issue: 

“What you have made me see,” answered the Lady, “is as plain as the sky, but I never saw it before.  Yet it has happened every day.  One goes into the forest to pick food and already the thought of one fruit rather than anotehr has grown up in one’s mind.  Then, it may be, one finds a different fruit and not the fruit one thought of.  One joy was expected and another is given.  But this I had never noticed before – that the very moment of the finding there is in the mind a kind of thrusting back, or setting aside.  The picture of the fruit you have not found is still, for a moment, before you.  And if you wished – if it were possible to wish – you could keep it there.  You could send your soul after the good you had expected, instead of turning it to the good you had got.  You could refuse the real good; you could make the real fruit taste insipid by thinking of the other.”  (pp. 68-69)

So then, all our responses to God’s sovereign will and decrees is a matter of pleasure.  When we grumble against our lot in life in the most seemingly trivial situations, we are saying that God is not good!  We are saying that He is unwise, and not a good Father.  This is me when my car is submerged in flood water.  This is me when I run out of money.  This is me when I don’t get my way.  This is me in traffic! 

The irony of temptation is that it cannot deliver the pleasure it promises, while rebelling against God, the source of immeasurable pleasure.  We relentlessly seek to be satisfied and to find pleasure in everything but the One who truly satisfies.  We have hewn out for ourselves broken cisterns that can hold no water.  We drink deeply from these wells and come out with nothing but mud in our mouths.  But God, in His great mercy, pleads with us to come to Him, the fountain of living water (Jer. 2).  Every pleasure which is not rooted in God is a mirage – though you try it again and again you cannot taste the pleasure which God crafted it for!   

I realize that this whole post probably sounds John Piperish to no end.  While I could live with such a criticism, I do apologize if this is nothing new to the reader.  In any case, Piper’s conference sermons on “God is the Gospel” resonate in my ears.  In the second session, he quotes Augustine:  “For he loves Thee too little who loves anything together with Thee, which he loves not for Thy sake.”  This is our source of pleasure.  This is where we find all satisfaction.  Amen.

-Asa

Voddie Baucham Tackles Feminism on CNN

It is sad to see the beauty of femininity mutilated by attempts to be masculine.  Feminism is the greatest violence against femininity.