What is dBu? dBu stands for developing Biblical understanding. Something every Christians hsould want to do. Developing Biblical understanding of deep truths and aspects of the Christian faith is essential to our ongoing health and well-being as believers. It helps equip us to better serve the God who gives us life and eternal life and live and share the gospel.
dBu comes with a Warning: an understanding of deep and sometimes confusing and mysterious aspects of our common life in Christ will change you life. You will continually come to a crossroads, where you will need to decide - where you will be called to commit to or reject a certain way of seeing things. dBu counteracts me-centered, independent and critical mindsets that cheats us, the church and the world of all that God intends for His family to be. We are called many times in Scripture to "know". Jesus said, "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
A Gospel Manifesto, Part 4 of 4
It is about Recovering a Gospel mindset after drifting. Reattaching to Gospel moorings, continuing in the faith. Let me give you some numbers…85 days, 16 hours, 25 minutes. That’s the amount of time elapsed since the April 20 explosion of a BP oil rig in the gulf of Mexico to its shutoff. And we’re still not out of the woods. It is estimated that somewhere between 94 and 184 million gallons of oil were spilled during those 85 days, 16 hours and 25 minutes. Spiritually, you may feel like it’s been longer than that since you had a solid connection to God. You feel like they continually leak God’s grace, drifting dangerously in a poison mixture of good and evil, living in fear of God’s retaliation against your sin rather than the freedom of the children of God in Christ; living by feelings rather than truth; shrinking in shame; not boldly drawing near to God.
If you are a Christian, hear this clearly: God already retaliated against sin at the cross. Those who reject Christ stand condemned by their own choice. But there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. But moved away from the hope of the gospel, many Christians flounder. If you are like me, your love for Jesus easily grows cold. What you experience on Sundays sometimes only lasts as long as it takes to get to your car. Nothing seems to stick. You show up each Sunday in a spiritual fog. Depleted, in desperate need a gospel transfusion.
How to do it? Non-Christian, you need to turn from your sin to Jesus and trust Him to save you. Christian, you need daily through the power of the Holy Spirit to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10:5. Love the Lord with all your mind. Because the gospel defines reality resolve to live in the gospel of Christ and Him crucified, by taking every thought captive to Christ. 1 Cor. 15:58 Steadfast, immovable. Maybe we have so many problems because we look for answers outside the gospel of Christ.
Among the gospel’s enemies are several things we bring to the party – uninvited guests not welcome at the table of grace that don’t help our propensity to wander: Legalism, basing our relationship with God on our performance; condemnation, being more focused on our sin than on God’s grace; and subjectivity, basing our view of God on our changing emotions and opinions. We need to continually be aware of our need to recover a gospel mindset. Banishing all rivals to Christ’s throne.
Milton Vincent wrote “The gospel is so foolish (according to my natural wisdom), so scandalous (according to my conscience), and so incredible (according to my timid heart), that it is a daily battle to believe the full scope of it as I should.” Move away from the gospel and what do you have? Man’s empty philosophy & wisdom. Gospel-void living is slavery. Gospel-saturated living is freedom, but not easy. Negative influences throw us off balance in a bad way. The Bible throws us off balance in a good way, makes us reevaluate our priorities and version of reality. The gospel is sweet to our souls, & as long as we are alive it will also seem strange to us. Until we die we will find it hard to believe the bad news about ourselves and the good news about Jesus. We do not naturally think we need a mediator due to our sin, that we start out spiritually dead and helpless, unable to do anything to help ourselves or gain God’s favor. It does not occur to us that our greatest need is to be redeemed from sin, justified, regenerated, sanctified, glorified by God's saving work in His Son by His Spirit. Our minds must be captive to Christ. What we think shapes us.
The bible is not a resource manual for self-Improvement; it is a story of crucifixion. The gospel is a non-gentle jolt to self-dependence and self-absorption. It is a violent affront to a hell-bent agenda; it is death to the lie that you can be your own savior and owner. The gospel speaks peace to our souls through death to our godhood. The gospel is an external word. It stands totally independent of me. Last week I mentioned we are like elbow macaroni, God working in and through us as His tools. Redirecting us. We should also be like sponges, soaking up gospel truth. Whatever is in closest contact with will be what we are saturated with, what will soak in and flavor us. We should be always marinating in the gospel. Taking on it's full flavors, being taken over by it's influence. We are like spiritual Sham-wows.
We soak up whatever is near to us. Whatever is near often becomes dear to us. So we need to speak, pray, memorize, and meditate on the gospel. Gal. 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and delivered Himself up for me. 1 Pet. 2:24 He Himself bore our sin His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, for by His wounds you have been healed. 2 Cor. 5:14 He died for all that they would live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Memorize Eph. 1-3, Col. 1-2, Rom. 1-11. We cannot do it alone. We need the Holy Spirit. D.A. Carson says "there has not only been an objective, public act of divine self-disclosure in the crucifixion of God’s own Son, there must be a private work of God by His Spirit, in the mind and heart. If we express unqualified gratitude to God for the gift of His Son, we should express no less gratitude for the gift of the Spirit who enables us to grasp the gospel of His Son. Unless the Spirit enlightens us, God’s thoughts will remain alien to us."
Here is where it comes into focus. Read 2 Tim. 1:8-14. God guards us, and we also have a part in guarding the gospel. It will lead us to Glory in Christ. Col. 1:22 "in order to present you holy, blameless and above reproach before Him." Col. 1:27 "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Col. 3:4 Christ is our life. The gospel's ultimate goal is glory, and honor and praise to God.
Can you think of some times where you drifted from the gospel and God brought you back? What did you learn? How were you strengthened for more fruitful service?
Soli Deo Gloria
If you are a Christian, hear this clearly: God already retaliated against sin at the cross. Those who reject Christ stand condemned by their own choice. But there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. But moved away from the hope of the gospel, many Christians flounder. If you are like me, your love for Jesus easily grows cold. What you experience on Sundays sometimes only lasts as long as it takes to get to your car. Nothing seems to stick. You show up each Sunday in a spiritual fog. Depleted, in desperate need a gospel transfusion.
How to do it? Non-Christian, you need to turn from your sin to Jesus and trust Him to save you. Christian, you need daily through the power of the Holy Spirit to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10:5. Love the Lord with all your mind. Because the gospel defines reality resolve to live in the gospel of Christ and Him crucified, by taking every thought captive to Christ. 1 Cor. 15:58 Steadfast, immovable. Maybe we have so many problems because we look for answers outside the gospel of Christ.
Among the gospel’s enemies are several things we bring to the party – uninvited guests not welcome at the table of grace that don’t help our propensity to wander: Legalism, basing our relationship with God on our performance; condemnation, being more focused on our sin than on God’s grace; and subjectivity, basing our view of God on our changing emotions and opinions. We need to continually be aware of our need to recover a gospel mindset. Banishing all rivals to Christ’s throne.
Milton Vincent wrote “The gospel is so foolish (according to my natural wisdom), so scandalous (according to my conscience), and so incredible (according to my timid heart), that it is a daily battle to believe the full scope of it as I should.” Move away from the gospel and what do you have? Man’s empty philosophy & wisdom. Gospel-void living is slavery. Gospel-saturated living is freedom, but not easy. Negative influences throw us off balance in a bad way. The Bible throws us off balance in a good way, makes us reevaluate our priorities and version of reality. The gospel is sweet to our souls, & as long as we are alive it will also seem strange to us. Until we die we will find it hard to believe the bad news about ourselves and the good news about Jesus. We do not naturally think we need a mediator due to our sin, that we start out spiritually dead and helpless, unable to do anything to help ourselves or gain God’s favor. It does not occur to us that our greatest need is to be redeemed from sin, justified, regenerated, sanctified, glorified by God's saving work in His Son by His Spirit. Our minds must be captive to Christ. What we think shapes us.
The bible is not a resource manual for self-Improvement; it is a story of crucifixion. The gospel is a non-gentle jolt to self-dependence and self-absorption. It is a violent affront to a hell-bent agenda; it is death to the lie that you can be your own savior and owner. The gospel speaks peace to our souls through death to our godhood. The gospel is an external word. It stands totally independent of me. Last week I mentioned we are like elbow macaroni, God working in and through us as His tools. Redirecting us. We should also be like sponges, soaking up gospel truth. Whatever is in closest contact with will be what we are saturated with, what will soak in and flavor us. We should be always marinating in the gospel. Taking on it's full flavors, being taken over by it's influence. We are like spiritual Sham-wows.
We soak up whatever is near to us. Whatever is near often becomes dear to us. So we need to speak, pray, memorize, and meditate on the gospel. Gal. 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and delivered Himself up for me. 1 Pet. 2:24 He Himself bore our sin His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, for by His wounds you have been healed. 2 Cor. 5:14 He died for all that they would live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Memorize Eph. 1-3, Col. 1-2, Rom. 1-11. We cannot do it alone. We need the Holy Spirit. D.A. Carson says "there has not only been an objective, public act of divine self-disclosure in the crucifixion of God’s own Son, there must be a private work of God by His Spirit, in the mind and heart. If we express unqualified gratitude to God for the gift of His Son, we should express no less gratitude for the gift of the Spirit who enables us to grasp the gospel of His Son. Unless the Spirit enlightens us, God’s thoughts will remain alien to us."
Here is where it comes into focus. Read 2 Tim. 1:8-14. God guards us, and we also have a part in guarding the gospel. It will lead us to Glory in Christ. Col. 1:22 "in order to present you holy, blameless and above reproach before Him." Col. 1:27 "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Col. 3:4 Christ is our life. The gospel's ultimate goal is glory, and honor and praise to God.
Can you think of some times where you drifted from the gospel and God brought you back? What did you learn? How were you strengthened for more fruitful service?
Soli Deo Gloria
Thursday, July 22, 2010
A Gospel Manifesto, Part 3 of 4
It is about Remaining in Christ. Anchored. Not moved. Heb. 6:19 says this hope we have in Christ is an anchor for our soul. Then comes in Colossians 1:23 a great conditional clause…"If indeed you continue (stay on, persevere) in the faith, firmly established (foundation, grounded), steadfast (a seat, sitting, firm)." Points to abiding in Christ. Col. 2:6-7 says just as we have received Christ, so we are to walk (live our lives) in Him, rooted (to take hold), built up (build on foundation), established (make secure, strong). Our tendency is to become complacent. C.J. Mahaney said “Never be content with your current grasp of the gospel. The gospel is life-permeating, world-altering, universe-changing truth. It has more facets than a diamond. Its depths man will never exhaust.”
Jesus is all-sufficient. It bears repeating often. We’ve been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. The only begotten Son of God, the eternal Word made flesh, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; perfect in nature, teaching, obedience; fully God, fully man. Was always with God. Is God. Through Him all things came into being and were created. He was before all things. In Him all things hold together by the word of His power. He is the only Savior, who shed His blood and died in our place on Calvary’s cross. He revealed God’s love & upheld God’s justice, removed our guilt & reconciled us to God. He redeemed us from sin, rose bodily from the grave, victorious over death & all powers of darkness. He ascended into heaven where, at God’s right hand, He intercedes for his people and rules as Lord over all. He is the Head of the Church, should be adored, loved, served, obeyed by all as the all-sufficient One. Salvation is the free gift of God, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for God’s glory alone. If anyone turns from sin in repentance and faith to Jesus and His substitutionary death they receive eternal life; declared righteous by God; fully accepted by Him through faith in what Jesus did. Forgiven the debt of sin; freed from the law of sin and death. His child forever.
The Holy Spirit works in believers, producing evidence in their lives. He renews our minds so we want to please God & grow in our knowledge of God. We get to know God’s Word, pray, worship, confess our sins to God, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus. The Holy Spirit empowers us to serve God, build up believers and reach the lost. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. John 15:5; with Him, all things. Phil. 4:13. We are dependent on Him for everything. To be IN CHRIST is to know Him as our total sufficiency 2 Cor. 12:9, your adequacy 2 Cor. 3:5, your life. Col. 3:4. Jesus is totally sufficient.
I often think and say that it is a blessing that sanctification is progressive. If it were instant I might think somehow I earned or deserved it. God continually allows us to get glimpses of how much we need Him. God has been teaching me many things about the depths of my sinfulness and the magnitude of His goodness and grace. How His grace abounds to overcome my competitiveness and my tendency to overreact; how to handle being misjudged and misunderstood; and being gracious when I am the receiver & humbly repentant when I am the perpetrator.
What is the number one struggle or temptation you face as you seek to remain steadfast in Christ?
Jesus is all-sufficient. It bears repeating often. We’ve been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. The only begotten Son of God, the eternal Word made flesh, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; perfect in nature, teaching, obedience; fully God, fully man. Was always with God. Is God. Through Him all things came into being and were created. He was before all things. In Him all things hold together by the word of His power. He is the only Savior, who shed His blood and died in our place on Calvary’s cross. He revealed God’s love & upheld God’s justice, removed our guilt & reconciled us to God. He redeemed us from sin, rose bodily from the grave, victorious over death & all powers of darkness. He ascended into heaven where, at God’s right hand, He intercedes for his people and rules as Lord over all. He is the Head of the Church, should be adored, loved, served, obeyed by all as the all-sufficient One. Salvation is the free gift of God, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for God’s glory alone. If anyone turns from sin in repentance and faith to Jesus and His substitutionary death they receive eternal life; declared righteous by God; fully accepted by Him through faith in what Jesus did. Forgiven the debt of sin; freed from the law of sin and death. His child forever.
The Holy Spirit works in believers, producing evidence in their lives. He renews our minds so we want to please God & grow in our knowledge of God. We get to know God’s Word, pray, worship, confess our sins to God, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus. The Holy Spirit empowers us to serve God, build up believers and reach the lost. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. John 15:5; with Him, all things. Phil. 4:13. We are dependent on Him for everything. To be IN CHRIST is to know Him as our total sufficiency 2 Cor. 12:9, your adequacy 2 Cor. 3:5, your life. Col. 3:4. Jesus is totally sufficient.
I often think and say that it is a blessing that sanctification is progressive. If it were instant I might think somehow I earned or deserved it. God continually allows us to get glimpses of how much we need Him. God has been teaching me many things about the depths of my sinfulness and the magnitude of His goodness and grace. How His grace abounds to overcome my competitiveness and my tendency to overreact; how to handle being misjudged and misunderstood; and being gracious when I am the receiver & humbly repentant when I am the perpetrator.
What is the number one struggle or temptation you face as you seek to remain steadfast in Christ?
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
A Gospel Manifesto, Part 2 of 4
It is about being Reoriented in Christ. Colossians 1:21-22 says "you were once alienated (estranged, excluded) and hostile (enemies), doing evil deeds. Now, God has now reconciled (completely restored) in His body of flesh by His death." Points to the Incarnation. God becoming man in the person of Jesus Christ. It points to Substitution. Christ taking the place of sinners. It points to Justification. God declaring them not guilty, bringing them into right relationship with Him. Points to those who are regenerated, born again, made alive spiritually. Michael Horton said, "The good news is not just a series of facts to which we yield our ascent but a dramatic narrative that replots our identity." Picture a theatrical play. Each week we come with our own scripts. But God comes and gives us a new script: where our original character dies and is raised with the lead character. Instead of us finding a supporting role for God in our play, God writes us into His script, does not simply offer a blueprint, if we only follow curtain steps but instead through the gospel the Spirit brings us into God’s drama. No longer in Adam, under the reign of sin and death, we are alive in Christ. If you are a Christian your life is completely reoriented in Christ. You have been regenerated, made new.
If you are a Christian, think through the process God took you through when you came to know Christ then share it with someone. If you are not a Christian, you need to turn from your sin to Jesus and trust Him to save you.
If you are a Christian, think through the process God took you through when you came to know Christ then share it with someone. If you are not a Christian, you need to turn from your sin to Jesus and trust Him to save you.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
A Gospel Manifesto, Part 1 of 4
All our problems really are a failure to apply the gospel truth of Christ and Him crucified. When I do things fall in place, when I don’t things fall apart. The answer to all our problems, and all our weaknesses lies in the gospel. We need and have a gospel manifesto by which to navigate life. We know gospel means good news. In the secular Greek context in which it was originally used, the word euangelion was usually used for the announcement of victory after battle, news a herald would bring from the front lines. The primary word early Christians used as the basis for their new identity in Christ and the message and mission God entrusted to them. Manifesto is a different animal. It’s an Italian word. A Manifesto is a clear call for a course of action; to act upon a certain teaching or way of viewing the world; a statement of purpose and intent. A Gospel Manifesto says here's the need and agenda based on Christ’s work on the cross.
You could say that the entire bible is a gospel manifesto. Every passage of Scripture either predicts, prepares for, points to or proceeds from the work of Christ. In Rom. 1-11 are some of the most gospel saturated words in the Bible; 12:1-2 gives a course of action based on the truths laid out in the preceding 11 chapters, based on God's grace poured out on ill-deserving sinners. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 is based on the cloud-parting truth revealed in chapters 3-5. Ephesians Chapters 1-3 are pure gospel; everything that follows is how to live the gospel. They reveal God's sovereign choice and purpose; His justification of sinners, their subsequent God-initiated and sustained resolve to trust Him and love Him in everything. Colossians chapters 1-2 are pure gospel. Colossians was written to believers battling false teachers and were in danger of obscuring the gospel by lesser things. Col. shows the superiority of Christ over everything. How right living is rooted in the heavenly not earthly.
We need to be saturated by the gospel, continually marinating in the gospel, fully immersed in its truths, anchored in it, lashed to its mast, giving the gospel central place in our lives everyday, even under the intense pull to abandon it or drift away from the message of Christ and Him crucified. To continually refocus and retool as we retell the life-giving, life-altering, life- transforming truth of God's victory over sin and death in His Son, Jesus Christ. That is God’s calling for every Christian & God's intent for us.
Col. 1:21-23 is a manifesto; a statement of intent from God to us. Here is what He has done, will do and will enable and empower us to do – as He works in and through us. And here is what He expects us to do. Paul said, 1 Cor. 15:10 not me, but the grace of God with me. Colossians 1:23 warns us not to be moved away from the hope of the gospel. How do we make sure we are not moved away from the hope of the Gospel? If we have moved, how do we get back?
We shall see. But let’s just chew on this thought for today: Our great need, on an ongoing basis, as we are reoriented around gospel truth in Christ; is to remain in the realm of the gospel; & recover a gospel mindset whenever we drift; by God’s Spirit, through His Word and for His glory.
You could say that the entire bible is a gospel manifesto. Every passage of Scripture either predicts, prepares for, points to or proceeds from the work of Christ. In Rom. 1-11 are some of the most gospel saturated words in the Bible; 12:1-2 gives a course of action based on the truths laid out in the preceding 11 chapters, based on God's grace poured out on ill-deserving sinners. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 is based on the cloud-parting truth revealed in chapters 3-5. Ephesians Chapters 1-3 are pure gospel; everything that follows is how to live the gospel. They reveal God's sovereign choice and purpose; His justification of sinners, their subsequent God-initiated and sustained resolve to trust Him and love Him in everything. Colossians chapters 1-2 are pure gospel. Colossians was written to believers battling false teachers and were in danger of obscuring the gospel by lesser things. Col. shows the superiority of Christ over everything. How right living is rooted in the heavenly not earthly.
We need to be saturated by the gospel, continually marinating in the gospel, fully immersed in its truths, anchored in it, lashed to its mast, giving the gospel central place in our lives everyday, even under the intense pull to abandon it or drift away from the message of Christ and Him crucified. To continually refocus and retool as we retell the life-giving, life-altering, life- transforming truth of God's victory over sin and death in His Son, Jesus Christ. That is God’s calling for every Christian & God's intent for us.
Col. 1:21-23 is a manifesto; a statement of intent from God to us. Here is what He has done, will do and will enable and empower us to do – as He works in and through us. And here is what He expects us to do. Paul said, 1 Cor. 15:10 not me, but the grace of God with me. Colossians 1:23 warns us not to be moved away from the hope of the gospel. How do we make sure we are not moved away from the hope of the Gospel? If we have moved, how do we get back?
We shall see. But let’s just chew on this thought for today: Our great need, on an ongoing basis, as we are reoriented around gospel truth in Christ; is to remain in the realm of the gospel; & recover a gospel mindset whenever we drift; by God’s Spirit, through His Word and for His glory.
Monday, July 19, 2010
A Clear Call to a Gospel-centered Life
Because the Gospel defines reality and reorients us to that reality, we resolve to live the gospel, preach the gospel and glory in the gospel, by taking every thought captive to obedience to Christ.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The Gospel: A Non-Gentle Jolt to Self-centeredness
The Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified is a non-gentle jolt to self-dependence, self-sufficiency and self-absorption. It is a violent affront to a hell-bent agenda. It is death to the lie that you can be your own lord and savior. The gospel of the grace of God in Christ speaks peace to my soul and death to my godhood.
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