Formation Friday: Jim Elliot

Jim Elliot may be a well known enough name to some, yet I am surprised all the time by people who ask me, "Jim who?"

Today, 59 years after his death I wish to share his story with you in hopes that the passion in his heart for the Gospel will be an encouragement and an influence for you.

“Forgive me for being so ordinary while claiming to know so extraordinary a God.” - Jim Elliot

Jim appeared to be a normal American boy growing up in the shadow of WWII. He was born in Portland, Oregon to Fred and Clara Elliot, and became a Christian at a young age. Jim grew up to be a very good wrestler and a writer, which made him fairly popular throughout his teen years, his good looks and physical strength were matched by a deep introspection.

In 1945, Jim Elliot entered Wheaton College, a private Christian college in Illinois. Believing in the value of physical conditioning and discipline, he joined the wrestling team during his first year. The following year, he refused a staff position within the college that would have given him a free year of tuition but also a significant time commitment and what he considered foolish responsibilities. He was not even fully convinced of the value of his studies, considering subjects such as philosophy, politics and anthropology to be distractions to one attempting to follow God. After a semester of relatively low grades, he wrote to his parents that he was unapologetic, deeming study of the Bible more important.

Where You Go, I Go

This week we're taking a break from our traditional Formation Friday post and instead looking at a person from the Old Testament. -Nate
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I hurt a guy once. He was one of my best friends and I pushed him out of my life because he was angry. Granted I’m summing up a deterioration of a close friendship in a sentence, but essentially I didn’t know how to handle his anger or his bitterness, so I let him go. I didn’t really ask why and I didn’t like the reasons he blamed either. He acted out in anger against me for a little bit and I cut him out. His anger brought me somewhere I didn't want to go.

 To this day it’s one of my biggest regrets.

This past weekend I spoke on the book of Ruth. Ruth is interesting story because like Jesus’ story doesn’t start with Jesus, Ruth’s story doesn’t start with Ruth. It starts with Naomi.

Does Theology Matter?

What if...

"How many angels could dance on the point of a pin?"

... is after all, a very helpful question?

Perhaps you are not familiar with this question.
Maybe you are someone who asks it quite often.

Let me explain.
One would usually not come across such a question unless you were in a conversation with someone who is attempting to simply mock the idea and/or minor points of theological reflection.

It is a question someone would ask if they were making fun of or pouring contempt on theology and the speculations of theologians.

It is a similar question to, "Could God create a rock so big that he could not lift it?"

(Answer: Yes, and he would drop it on you for asking such a dumb question.)

This is what many people think of when they think of theology. Old guys locked away asking questions, absorbed in meaningless debates over the most trivial, pointless questions, such as, "how many angels could fit onto the point of a pin?"

It leaves us sometimes wondering...

Does theology really matter?

I mean, isn't believing in God enough? Isn't belief in Jesus enough?

Do we really need to know and study the Bible?

Isn't faith enough?
Doesn't the Bible even say that faith is enough?

These kind of questions run rampant in churches these days.
And I believe it is mostly due to our lack of study, or care for the intricacies of theological thought.

We don't want to turn into those people, who waste away studying things that don't matter while the world around them struggles through problems that theology is meant to provide solutions for... So we just run from it.

Humans tend to do this kind of thing with everything.
Sometimes it can be healthy to do... Most of the time though, it isn't.

Formation Friday: George Whitefield

This week was crazy, what with 8 Christmas Eve services at the church I work at and travelling across the country to visit family and friends; I was unable to write a post for this week. But, do not be in dismay, for we serve a God much bigger than my schedule, and He provided at just the right time. In lieu of a Formation Friday post I would like to share this article with you that was posted today from RELEVANT Magazine on one of the greatest preachers to ever live: George Whitefield.

Enjoy!

George Whitefield http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/church/13-george-whitefield-quotes-will-challenge-your-spiritual-life

-Nate

Immanuel Has Come!

Did Jesus enter into human history as a baby?
Yes.

Is Christmas meant to celebrate the coming of Jesus into human history?
Yes.

BUT...

The reason we celebrate the coming of Jesus is because of what he did on the cross about 30 years after his birth. More than that... That what he did on the cross had any meaning because of who He is.

In other words, if this man, Jesus, was born 2,000 years ago and lived for about 30 years and died, and that was it, end of story, then we would have nothing to celebrate.

Christmas at Job's House

Two years ago, Jon Acuff wrote a piece about the worst guy to invite to a Christmas party on his famous blog “Stuff Christians Like”. He began saying to never invite this guy,

He is even more annoying than the friend who doesn’t even own a TV and tells you that constantly when you’re not even talking about TV. (And we know you watch Hulu, or Netflix or Youtube. Quit acting like you’re a 4th century Desert Father.)

Upon entering your home, the guy who tells you Christmas is a pagan holiday will proceed to do exactly that:

“Oh, you’ve got a Christmas tree? Didn’t realize you were into celebrating the winter solstice. Interesting. Are you doing that because you’re recognizing the Egyptian tradition of decorating the house with palm branches to symbolize resurrection? Or does your family swing more Northern European? Is your Christmas tree a shout out to the Germanic god Woden? Or perhaps a Roman tribute to Bacchus? Wait, don’t tell me, don’t tell me. It’s the Greeks and Adonia, isn’t it? I felt like I was getting an ancient Greek vibe in here.
What’s that you’ve got hanging over the entryway? Mistletoe? Or as I call it, “Pagan Fertility Plant.” Babylon in the house!
And do I smell ham? Are we having a Christmas ham? That will be delicious. But then you know that is a symbol of Tammuz who was fatally wounded by the tusk of a boar. Pagans started that tradition by sacrificing a boar on this pagan holiday. What do you serve with a big plate of meat heresy? Mashed potatoes? What’s the side dish in that situation?
Red and green? Occultic colors!
Yule log? A reference to the sun god!

The worst guy to invite to a Christmas party.

And some of you are thinking of that friend we all have right now aren’t you?

I can think of the second worst guy to invite to a Christmas party.

The second worst guy would be Job, well, MAYBE the second worst is Eeyore the Donkey... but Job is a close third.

Can you imagine being one of Job’s friends at Christmas time?

You’re at the party… 

Perhaps you walk up to the table where all the finger food is...

And there he is.

“Job! How are you doing?”

I imagine his response something like,
 

“If only my anguish could be weighed
    and all my misery be placed on the scales!
It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas—
    no wonder my words have been impetuous.
The arrows of the Almighty are in me,
    my spirit drinks in their poison;
    God’s terrors are marshaled against me.”

Job! Sounds… disturbing… Here, take some deviled eggs, they came out really good this year. Maybe that will make you feel better?

“Does a wild donkey bray when it has grass,
    or an ox bellow when it has fodder?”

Job… I , I don’t know.

“Is tasteless food eaten without salt,”

No… It’s not, here take some salt… (I just asked how he was doing…)

“ or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow?”

What’s a mallow?!

“I refuse to touch it;

such food makes me ill.”

Now I share that as a light introduction to a more heavy topic...

So many people run around just wanting to throw Christmas Spirit into every dark corner of their lives. And sometimes… well most times, they want to throw it on others as well.

Because it’s Christmas, nothing can be sad around Christmas time!

But if you are Job at Christmas... the last thing you want is someone telling you that you need to be happy.

Advent // Love

Christmas is about...

Sometimes I wonder if we really understand what we sing.

I'm not talking about all times I've heard people sing along mindlessly to country songs about girls dancing in the back of some beat-up truck while drinking beer. Maybe there's a time to ask why we sing dumb songs, but not today.

I'm talking about when we sing mindlessly to glorious songs. Don't just skip over that word. Glorious.

When words come out of our mouths, voicing truth that is pregnant with....glory, do we really understand what we are saying? 

We do this all year long, but nowhere is it more evident than during the Christmas season. I mean, think about it. How many of the Christmas carols have we sung our entire lives and never stopped to think about what we are really saying?

Try reading these lines. Read them slowly. Read them more than once. Think about what you're reading here:

"Long lay the world in sin and error pining, till He appeared and the soul felt its worth."

"Glory to the newborn King. Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners RECONCILED."

"Son of God, love's pure light....the dawn of redeeming grace."

Think about that last one...the dawn of redeeming grace. We celebrate the dawning redeeming grace. What does that mean? It means we were enemies of God, bound by sin, hopelessly lost. BUT, Jesus came. Jesus redeemed us by His grace. 

Advent // Joy

Giving Control to the Infant King

By this time in December, you've probably heard the Christmas story reiterated by radio plays, church sermons, and festive books multiple times now: Mary, the virgin, conceives a child after being told by an angel. Joseph is a little freaked out at first but after a visit from an angel, he keeps his faith and sticks with Mary. They travel to Bethlehem because of the census, and there was no room in the inn, but no worries, because the stable was free. The baby is born, the wise men bring gifts, and the shepherds stop in. The end.

Yet I'm convinced that there is so much more depth to this Christmas story - that the Christmas story is wedged deep in each of our hearts because we can relate to some, if not all, characters in the story. The storm of questions that must of entered Mary's head when the angel bestowed her with the impossible anointing of being Jesus' mother. The initial fury and feelings of betrayal that welled up in Joseph, and the incredible doubt acting as an initial roadblock to faith. The uncertainty of the shepherds who felt filthy and unworthy of being in Christ's presence, even in a stable. The furious ruler who is terrified of losing control of his kingdom, who goes to all lengths to kill this babe of a savior who could supersede his power and reputation. They're all human, some of them presented with Jesus so closely that they could touch him. They all get to witness the beginning of heaven kissing earth. But when we're confronted with Jesus, it means He's the real king. It means we're not in control anymore.

I'm finding the Christmas story is one of losing control, and one of trusting the strangest and strongest Savior we've ever known.