Light to Live By

"The unfolding of your words gives light ..." (Psalm 119:130a)

A Conspiracy of Breath

May 21, 2019 / / 0 Comments

I wasn’t far into A Conspiracy of Breath when I realized I was in over my head. I surmised the mind behind this story-telling is brilliant. It’s not that this novel is difficult to read; it’s that it is so weighty, so substantive. I realized that not only was I in the presence of a mind far greater than my own, but that I was swimming in deep waters spiritually. Reading A Conspiracy of Breath would be work, but pleasant work; this might not always be comfortable, but it would prove to be exhilarating. As I continued to read I was swallowed up by—what can I call it?—a powerfully sensory experience. The book awakened my senses and commanded and demanded of them in ways that were powerful, and sometimes taxing.

By now you’re rightly surmising that this is no shallow, bubblegum novel that leaves you with warm fuzzies and saccharine morality. This is a deeply probing, soul-searching, heart-turned-wrong side-out kind of story, told with consummate skill.

There is behind this story a massive intellect, a soul of deep dimensions, a heart alive with a panoply of sensory vocabulary. It is an intimate novel. One feels oneself being drawn, via the story, into a depth of relationship with the author that feels profoundly personal. But—and I’m struggling here—my words simply don’t convey the depth and power of my experience with this book. I’m still reflecting, still ruminating, and still emoting over this read, even now days removed from turning the last page.

This is, then, an exceedingly well-written novel. Yet on another level this functions also as an apologia for the idea that Priscilla, co-laborer of the Apostle Paul, is the author of the New Testament letter to the Hebrews. In the introduction and a concluding “Author’s Note” Scott sets out her convictions about this hypothesis. She believes this is not only possible, but probable (397). She writes to convince us of this, yet says, “my book does not pretend to be anything but fiction” (398).

So I should say something regarding this matter of Priscilla as the author of Hebrews. Personally, I have never been uncomfortable with agnosticism about the authorship of Hebrews. The Scriptural and historical record has left with us in this position. The author rightly quotes Origin, “Only God knows the truth as to who actually wrote this epistle” (vii). So I’ve never felt the need to hazard a guess about who wrote the letter. It makes no ultimate difference, for if it did, God would have left us record of this fact. To speculate—and that is what this book, as a novel, does—is not something we need in order to receive and live fully in the revelation given to us by God in Hebrews.

Is it possible that Priscilla wrote Hebrews? Well, I don’t think one could say it is impossible. Is it, then, possible? Sure, I guess. But so are dozens of other possibilities. None of which help me go any deeper into Hebrews or with the God it holds forth to us.

So in that regard, I must say, I didn’t come away convinced. Others will conclude differently. At this level, A Conspiracy of Breath provides an opportunity to carefully weigh what the Bible actually says about such matters. This is a good and profitable exercise for us all.

But Oh! There is so much more that makes A Conspiracy of Breath a worthy read. I am convinced that several re-reads of this book would yield up treasures I’ve overlooked as in this first reading I found myself swimming in the intellectual depth, the sensory tsunami, and spiritual deep-end of this book.

On its Way!

May 14, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Coming this summer! Pray with me for the final preparations and printing and as I work with the publisher on a pre-release plan.

I am thankful for Kristen Carruthers’s great design work on the cover. Check out some of her other work at www.kristencarruthers.com.

Humility

May 7, 2019 / / 0 Comments

“… it is not sin that humbles most, but grace …” — Andrew Murray (Humility, p.8)

A Faithful Servant

May 3, 2019 / / 3 Comments

Today the world learned of the passing of Warren W. Wiersbe—man of God, student of the Bible, devoted family man, prolific author, and gifted Bible teacher.

I first became aware of Warren Wiersbe as I was trimming azalea bushes just outside Columbia, South Carolina in the early 1980’s. I worked on the grounds crew at a large condominium complex while working my way through seminary. While I worked I listened to Dr. Wiersbe teach the Bible on the Back to the Bible broadcast. I was amazed. He fed me and made me more hungry. He opened the Scriptures in a way I had scarcely heard before, and he did so day after day. The depth of his Bible knowledge was impressive; the depth of his heart commitment to the Lord was infectious.

After graduation from seminary a couple of years later I became a pastor and began teaching and preaching the Bible myself. Dr. Wiersbe’s books were an enormous help to me.

In the early 1990’s I had the privilege of sitting under Dr. Wiersbe’s instruction in a Doctor of Ministry class he taught at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His insights on the role of imagination in preaching lit up my mind and heart and sent me out with fresh desire to be faithful to the Scriptures and powerful in the Spirit.

But one day during class Dr. Wiersbe gave us all a fright. As we regathered after a lunch break Dr. Wiersbe, standing at the front of the class, suddenly fell strangely silent and his eyes glazed over. Very quickly we realized something was wrong. Those closest to him in the front row rushed to his side and helped him land gently as he collapsed to the floor. Paramedics soon arrived and they wheeled Dr. Wiersbe out, strapped on a gurney. We prayed fervently for him. And we worried that perhaps the entire Bible-believing world would lay upon us the death of the beloved Dr.!

We were relieved when he returned to the classroom within a couple of days reporting that a drop in his blood sugar had been the culprit. We breathed a sigh of relief and lifted a prayer of thanks to the Lord our healer. Dr. Wiersbe completed a wonderful week of learning for us all.

Then in the early 2000’s God began to open a publishing ministry for me. My publishers wanted me to get endorsements from famous authors who could recommend my books. I’m not famous. I don’t know anyone famous. But I asked myself whom would I most desire to offer an endorsement for my book(s) if it were possible. Warren Wiersbe was the immediate response within my heart. But he didn’t know me. I was just one of hundreds of students he had instructed over the years in various seminaries. But I ventured a letter and Dr. Wiersbe graciously responded with an offer to consider my book. He wrote the following for my book Song of the Satisfied Soul:

There is always room on the shelf for another exposition of Psalm 23, especially when it is as balanced and practical as this one. The author allows the text to speak for itself as he reveals the richness of the believer’s relationship to Jesus Christ. The ideal book for a pastor or other care-giver to share with those needing encouragement.

Later he offered another endorsement for my commentary The Pastoral Epistles for Pastors:

I heartily welcome and endorse this encyclopedic study of Paul’s Pastoral Epistles. For years we have had Eugene Stock’s Practical Truths from the Pastoral Epistles and W. Edward Chadwick’s The Pastoral Teaching of St. Paul: His Ministerial Ideals, but this volume goes beyond them in exposition and application. The beginning pastor and the seasoned minister will both discover in these pages enlightenment, encouragement and a new sense of wonder and privilege of being a servant of God. You can live in this book for the rest of your life and have a more fruitful and rewarding ministry!

I found Dr. Warren Wiersbe to be a gracious, kind man. He was a man of great conviction and strength. He was a ravenous student of the Scriptures and he lived out a lifetime of faithful ministry for the Lord. I am just one of a vast multitude who has been profoundly blessed by this godly man. I give praise to the Lord for the grace He has poured into my life through him.

And, oddly enough, I discovered today that Warren Wiersbe was the same age as my father. They were both born in 1929, just months apart from one another. My father passed away nine days before Dr. Wiersbe did. I just conducted my father’s funeral three days ago.

It reminds me that a faithful generation is passing off the scene and the responsibility to live wisely and well for the honor of the Lord is upon me and my generation in a new and unique way. May the God who empowered these two faithful men also empower me to faithfully serve and honor Him for however long I have left on this earth.

The Living God

April 25, 2019 / / 0 Comments

This year as Resurrection Sunday approached I had a phrase of Scripture repeatedly pop into my mind: “the living God.”

I went searching through the Bible and discovered it occurs twenty-eight times in the Scripture (ESV). It is like a vein of gold running from cover to cover (literally, from Deuteronomy to Revelation).

The Bible sets “the living God” over against “vain” idols (Acts 14:15). God alone, uniquely is “the living God.” There is no other. Idols, whatever form they take, are “vain.” That is to say, they are empty. They are non-existent, except as a figment of the imagination in the minds of those who attribute being to them. They are nothing. They can do nothing. They are a lie.

God, on the other hand, is “the living God.” He is. He lives, moves, acts, speaks, does. He is alive, present, and active. God is self-existing.

God possesses life in a way that is unique to Him alone. Jesus said, “the Father has life in himself” (John 5:26). His life is not a derived thing; it is not a contingent thing. God’s life is dependent upon nothing external to Himself. That is why when He revealed Himself most intimately and personally to Moses He called Himself “I AM.” He declared, “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:14). Not, “I was.” Nor, “I will be.” But “I AM”—ever, always, perpetually, without end He “is.”

The psalmist declared to God, “with you is the fountain of life” (Psalm 36:9). Paul said, “he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). This means that our life is a derivative, contingent thing. Job affirmed, “In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10). Our life, then, is derived from “the living God.” The life you now enjoy comes from and is contingent upon Him. Your heartbeats, brainwaves, respirations continue at His will.

God possesses life as something internal, immediate, and self-possessed. It is like the difference between being the fire and sharing the flame. The “living God” gives us “life” like one lights the end of a stick from a bonfire; it can only continue to burn by remaining in the fire. But taken from the fire, that flame eventually flickers out—unless it is brought back to the fire again and again.

But what if the fire itself came to dwell in the stick? Well, it might be like a bush that burns, but is never consumed (Exodus 3:2)!

Indeed, “the living God” “alone has immortality” (1 Tim. 6:16). His, uniquely and solely, is unending, inextinguishable life.

The Bible sets “the living God” before us as a Triune being—one God, yet existing in three persons. In the pages of the Bible we meet God “the living” Father. Jeremiah declared, “The LORD is the true God; he is the living God” (Jer. 10:10a). We meet in its pages, God “the living” Son. When Jesus asked His Disciples who they believed Him to be, Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). The Scriptures hold Him before us as God “the living” Spirit. Paul told the believers in the city of Corinth, “you are a letter from Christ … written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God” (2 Cor. 3:3).

The Triune God is “the fountain of life” (Psa. 36:9). But Jesus promised He would be more than a fountain to which we must return again and again. He promised the one who believes in Him, that “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). And John immediately explains: “Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive” (v.39a).

As “the living God” He is not content to keep that life to Himself. He gave life to animate creation at the beginning, but uniquely breathed the breath of life into humans whom He’d made in His own image (Gen. 2:7). When our ancient ancestors rebelled, they incurred the judgment of “death”, a death that they passed on to every human being (Gen. 2:17; Rom. 5:17a). But “the living God” determined the sentence would not end with the period of “dead,” but with the exclamation point of “life”!

So—and here is the grand, good news (gospel)—God “the living” Father sent God “the living” Son to die for our sins. Then God “the living” Father, by the power of God “the living” Spirit, raised the Son from the dead, restoring Him to an “indestructible life” (Rom. 1:4; Heb. 7:16).

When a person hears this, believes this, and turns their whole life to Him, God plants that very, indestructible, immortal, eternal life within that person by coming Himself to take up residence within that person. We then exist not just a brand plucked from the fire, but as one with the fire itself now dwelling within! He is then to us not just a fountain to which we must return again and again, but within us has become rivers of living water!

The “living God” comes to be this life within us when we turn from “vain idols” and believe in and serve “the living God”—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Allow me now to provide a quick fly-over of what the Bible teaches about how we are to live in relationship to “the living God.” Think of this as a drone’s-eye-view of things. Imagine the drone sending its video footage from far above back to your earth-bound heart.

When we repent and believe in Jesus Christ we become …

  • Children of “the living God” (Hosea 1:10).
    • We become “sons of the living God” (Rom. 9:26).
    • That is to say, we are made family, sharing the very life of “the living God.”
  • Servants of “the living God” (Dan. 6:20; Heb. 9:14).
    • That is to say, we owe allegiance to “the living God.”
    • We actively devote the whole of our time, talents and treasures to the mission and purposes of “the living God.”
  • The Temple of “the living God” (2 Cor. 6:16).
    • That is to say, we become the dwelling place of “the living God.”
    • We become the very place where God delights to make His residence.
  • The Church of “the living God” (1 Tim. 3:5).
    • That is to say, we form that assembly of “called out” ones (for that is what the root word of “church” means).
    • We are called out of death into life. We are called out of the world and its purposes into relationship to God and His purposes. We are called out of the kingdom of the evil one and into the Kingdom of God’s beloved Son.

When we repent and believe in Jesus Christ we are to …

  • Fear “the living God” (Jer. 10:10; Dan. 6:26).
    • Progressively, as we come to know Him more and more, we move down the continuum from terror (Heb. 10:31) to awe-struck, love-enfolded worship (Psa. 84:2).
  • Listen to “the living God” (Deut. 5:26).
    • To “listen” to God is to hear, heed and obey His Word, as opposed to twisting His words (Jer. 23:26) to our own ends.
  • Worship “the living God” (Psa. 84:2).
    • Responding to what He has revealed of Himself in His Word and becoming trumpets of His glory and worth.
  • Thirst for “the living God” (Psa. 42:2).
    • Finding that while as “living water” He satisfies our deepest parts, He simultaneously creates within us an ever-greater desire for Him.
  • Serve “the living God” (Heb. 9:14).
    • As His life becomes our life we move, act and do to pass on this life to more and more people.
  • Hope in “the living God” (1 Tim. 4:10).
    • “For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior …” (1 Tim. 4:10a)

We are all thus warned against …

  • Mocking “the living God” (2 Kings 19:4, 16; Isa. 37:4, 17).
    • The lowest form of “fool” in Proverbs is called the “scoffer” (e.g., Prov. 9:7-8; 13:1; 19:29).
    • What else could you name one who, in the face of death, mocks the only life that survives death (1 Cor. 15:54-57)?
  • Falling away from “the living God” (Heb. 3:12).
    • And thus …
  • Falling into the hands of “the living God” (Heb. 10:31).
    • For “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31), having spurned Him who alone is life.

Would you be willing to turn to “the living God”? Do you desire to receive life—everlasting, eternal, indestructible—from Him?

I invite you right now to bow your heart before Him and tell Him so in prayer. Thank Him for not leaving you in the grip and terrors of death. Thank Him for triumphing over death by the cross and in His resurrection. Turn yourself over to Him who alone is life and ask Him to bring you to new life through a living, eternal relationship with Him.

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