The conundrum of God's preservation and our perseverance

This week I encountered two people from our past that have walked away from their faith in God.

My heart is sick to hear these things. What makes a person walk away from a faith they once so passionately professed? I know the intellectual answers – our own sin and unbelief. But how does God allow people who once so loved him to now vehemently oppose him? I believe this illustrates Romans 1:1-22:

¹⁸For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools.

I think the answer lies in verse 18 – they suppress the truth of God that they once believed.  

This situation reminds me of the dual conundrum of God’s preservation and our perseverance. As Paul writes to the church at Colossae in Colossians 1:9-14:

 ⁹ And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

God has delivered those who believe from spiritual darkness. He has redeemed us. That is the message of the gospel, the message of Christmas, the message of Easter. Without Jesus’ condescension as a human baby with the purpose to die for our sins and unbelief, without his resurrection from the dead, we would have no hope of forgiveness of sins, eternal salvation, or redemption to the Father. This is God’s preservation of us. He has secured redemption for those who believe. They will remain in him.

Paul goes on to describe who this Jesus is in verses 15-20:

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. ¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

And then I find stunning words in Colossians 1:23 in the next section:

²¹ And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²² he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,²³ if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation^[g] under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Believers will remain in Christ IF they continue in the faith and don’t shift from the hope of the gospel. God’s preservation, though his alone, is intimately tied to, but not conditioned upon, our perseverance. I don’t understand this mystery of the two, how they can come together, each independent of the other but so uniquely linked as to work together.

When my faith has wavered (sometimes seriously), I always come back to God’s faithfulness, his covenant love, and commitment to his people (me). I respond with the apostle Peter in John 6:68 “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,” and Jesus’ own words in John 6:14: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” No one else offers eternal life. No one else offers complete forgiveness of sins. Even, and especially, when I experience little faith and many sins. When I read the Old Testament, God reminds me of his commitment to his people (including me) and his passion that all would know that he is the Lord God. How could I walk away from such commitment, such covenant love, such sacrifice? I don’t trust myself. Yet, I place my trust in the one who holds me in his hands. I don’t trust my own faith. Yet I trust the object of my faith – the one who never changes.

May God preserve his own and cause his own to persevere.

My Only Hope

UPON LIFE I DID NOT LIVE

Words by Horatius Bonar (alt. K Twit), Music by Kevin Twit ©2012 Kevin Twit Music (ASCAP)

lyrics

1. Upon a life I have not lived, 

Upon a death I did not die, 

Another’s life; Another’s death, 

I stake my whole eternity. 

2. Not on the tears which I have shed, 

Not on the sorrows I have known, 

Another’s tears; Another’s griefs, 

On these I rest, on these alone. 

Chorus: 

O Jesus, Son of God, I build on what Thy cross has done for me; 

There both my life and death I read, my guilt, and pardon there I see. 

3. Lord, I believe; O deal with me, 

As one who has Thy Word believed! 

I take the gift, Lord, look on me, 

As one who has Thy gift received. 

(Chorus)

Upon a Life I Did Not Live on YouTube

South India Pastoral Training - Module 2

Recently Mark, Jamie Howell, and I spend about 11 days in both Hyderabad and Giddalur of southern India. We went at the invitation of a local Indian pastor to provide pastoral and theological training for rural pastors who have little opportunity to receive formal theological training. Mark visited Hyderabad (with pastors from Giddalur) last August to introduce them to several biblical topics. (See 8/3/17 and 8/8/17 posts) We called this trip “Module 2” where Jamie taught several sessions on the Doctrine of God and Mark taught several sessions on the Doctrine of Scripture.

While the trip was exhausting and frustrating at times, the teaching went really well. The men hunger for solid biblical teaching. We all watched men take notes, visibly process new information, and wrestle with doctrines they had never heard. Jamie consistently encouraged them to be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 “…[who] were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Each time we asked our hosts if the men profited from the training, they reminded us that these men don’t have access to such training or resources.

 

In addition to providing solid biblical teaching, Mark aims to identify men who possess leadership skills  and qualities who can carry on the teaching and training. What better way to contextualize the gospel and the Bible than with local leaders? Several men showed such characteristics. Pray with us for wisdom for future endeavors.

 

Here are some photos of the trip.

Jyothi and Suresh Gumma - our gracious hosts in Hyderabad

Paul Gumma, age 16-17. In October, Paul (son of Suresh & Jyothi) had major heart surgery and is still recovering the use of his legs. As the photo shows, he has a contagious smile and laugh.

 Simeon - son of Suresh & Jyothi

Newlyweds Deborah & Praveen. We talked a lot about the Indian culture of arranged marriages.

Sunday Worship at Jesus Holy Church Hyderabad

Jamie teaching the Doctrine of God in Hyderabad

Two of the men with books donated by Ligonier Ministries.
These men know enough English to profit from the books.

Men in Hyderabad who completed the training.

Tuktuk - Our common mode of transportation

Mark teaching the Doctrine of Scripture in Giddalur.

Men who completed the training in Giddalur

The Indian custom of removing shoes before entering church (or a home).
It reminds me of Exodus 3:5 "Take off your sandals, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." What if we considered our worship space as holy ground?

The Indian custom of women covering their heads during prayer or worship.
Their application of 1 Corinthians 11:4-10  4 "Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, 5 but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head... 7 For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. 10 That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head."  The photo shows people lined up for the Lord's Supper. The elders walked between the lines passing out the elements of communion.

A peaceful excursion one afternoon outside of Giddalur, away from the hustle and bustle of town.

A Mighty Fortress is OUR GOD

A Mighty Fortress is our God

1.     A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;

Our helper He, amid the flood, of mortal ills prevailing:

For still our ancient foe, doth seek to work us woe;

His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate,

On earth is not his equal. 

2.     Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;

Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing:

You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;

Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,

And He must win the battle. 

3.     And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear, for God has willed, His truth to triumph through us:

The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him

His rage we can endure, behold, his doom is sure,

One little word shall fell him. 

4.     That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, is with us

The Spirit and the gifts are ours, through Him who with us sideth:

Let goods and family go, this mortal life also;

The body they may kill: God's truth abideth still,

His kingdom is forever. 

This old faithful hymn rings true for us. It reminds us of its source in Psalm 46:10-11:

“Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

People Stories - Denis

We met Denis from Uganda in the airplane on our way back to Guangzhou from Nairobi. As I heard his story, his testimony, and his dreams, never have I met a more brilliant young man of his age.

Mark sat next to Denis on the plane and they talked for hours getting to know each other. Denis was heading to Shanghai while we were heading back to Beijing. After about three days, Denis discovered he had some free time so he came to visit us and we learned more about his life.

Some life stories are just meant to be told.

Denis was born in 1993, the fifth of six children from a Catholic background. After he turned five, his parents divorced.  As a result, he and his next older sister, a year old than he, lived together for two years, struggling to survive. Eventually the parents were forced back together, by whom he didn't say, in order to provide for the children. However, the father proved to be a drunkard and a womanizer so he didn't provide a loving, stable home environment.

In 2009, the family experienced a traumatic home invasion in which injured Denis, a sister, and his mother. Denis received four gunshot wounds, one in each leg, one arm, and his back. He showed us the entry and exit wounds that led to a long year's recovery process. At the time he thought he might never walk again. However, the Lord used this experience to bring Denis to Himself. Denis remembers thinking that many people who get shot once don't live yet he was still alive after four shots therefore God must have a reason for him to live.

God showed himself real to Denis in many aspects of his life, from providing financially for high school, to providing jobs for university.

Fast forward to why he flew to Shanghai. During his university years he developed a honey processing business which expanded to need a particular packing machine made in China. He had come to complete the machine's purchase and learn how to use it.

Denis displays an incredible passion for the Lord, for righteousness, and for the Ugandan people. He is working to develop an industry that he hopes will eventually employ 15-20% of Ugandans by processing and selling honey around the world. He also dreams of becoming president of Uganda some day, maybe in about 20 years or so but to do that he must first help the Ugandan economy and its people.

When I see his godly passion, love for the Lord, and brilliant mind, I sometimes forget he just turned 24 years old.

May God grant him ability to serve and glorify Him by doing righteousness for his country.

People Stories - Peter

We met Peter about one week after the Lord had saved him in November 2016. Since that time we have spent lots of time together; he has consistently come to our Guys’ Night; and we have connected with his pastor. When I think of how he has grown and changed, I say WOW! God really does transform people and make them new creatures. Although we didn’t know him as a nonchristian, he has shared some about his past. He often tells us about his family life and how the brokenness of his parents’ divorce affects him. When he spends the night with us on Guys’ Night (he lives far away), we always have thoughtful discussions about how to apply biblical principles to his life and problems.

Recently we talked about how, knowingly or not, he will carry attitudes from his current relationships with his parents into a future marriage. We could see that he had never thought about that before. So then how does the gospel change our relationships, or our thinking about relationships, toward our nonchristian family members? Only God can change relationships, but we can use principles from God’s Word to change our thinking about our relationships. God calls us to focus our thinking on thoughts that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable. “If there is anything worthy of praise, think on these things” (Phil. 4:8). We talked about how love is a commitment. Yes, true, but what does that mean toward people who are difficult to love or who treat you like an enemy? How can he show love by committing to do the highest good for his parents? Difficult questions without easy answers.

Please pray for Peter as he navigates difficult relationships and seeks to apply gospel wisdom to them.

He makes all things new

Revelation 21:4-6 (ESV)

⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

⁵ And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

As I pondered what to write at the beginning of this new year 2018, God brought these verses to mind. He reminds us that He makes all things new. The old year is gone. The new year has come. What will this new year hold? How will the blank squares on the new calendar fill up? What life stories will be written this year?

I thank God that He makes all things new. He takes our old ways, our old hearts, and our old desires and transforms them into something that brings Him glory. But what does that look like? Who does He transform?

Of the many things that we do in Beijing, we love spending time with people - getting to know them, hearing their stories, and encouraging them to walk with the Lord. Because so many ex-pats stay in Beijing for a short time, we take the perspective of sowing gospel seeds with the prayer that God will eventually grow a gospel plant in each person’s life. In addition to people who attend Beijing Baptist Church, we seek to plant gospel seeds in the lives of nonchristians that God brings across our paths. As we reflect over the last few years, we think of the people with whom we built friendships in their times of need, walked beside them, shared the good news with them, loved them, and then they moved on.

Will you pray with us that God will transform our non-believing friends with the good news of Jesus? Would you pray that the gospel seeds that we and others sow will bring lasting gospel fruit? For security reasons, I will not name our friends but please pray for S, F, K, J, S, D, L, M, B, F, M, C, A, M, A, Gs, QJ, LR, Fs. Although many of these friends have returned to their home countries, pray that God will remind them of our conversations and bring other Christians to point them to Jesus.


May 2018 be the year that God makes all things new by transforming lives for His glory.