There was an issue that got a surprising amount of attention in last year’s U.S. Presidential election. And I don’t think I’ve ever heard it mentioned in political debates before. I’m not talking about taxes, or immigration, or public debt or reviving the economy. The issue was the human body. ‘Body shaming’ made its way into the race for political office as people discussed whether it was appropriate for a would-be President to refer to people’s weight in such demeaning terms. Now that the election is over people are thinking about the human body for other reasons. Many of us overate during the holidays and are pondering New Year’s resolutions and gym memberships. Recent studies indicate that a person’s theology of the body – what they believe about the nature of the human body – has a big impact on how they feel about their own body. With all of the negative messages our culture sends about body image, clear biblical thinking in this area could surely help all of us.
Since Monday I’ve been attending the national conference of our church association, the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Canada. In between business sessions, Paul Tripp has been encouraging us from the Scriptures. With 17 books to his name, he has been used to speak to the church in unique ways. His book on the perils and pitfalls of pastoral leadership, “Dangerous Calling,” and his encouragement to parents of teens, “Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens,” are two that I have that I can highly recommend. What I didn’t know was that he experienced acute renal failure two years ago – His kidneys were dying and he didn’t know it. His kidneys were only working at 65% and so his body went into spasms as a result. Five surgeries, and a sixth planned, have taught him much about God’s purposes in suffering. He shared some of the lessons he has learned through this time.
I spent the day on Monday with our missionary to urban First Nations people. It was an incredible day of learning for me as I heard not only his personal story but his insights into how our society has failed the First Nations people, what can be done, and how people are finding help from abuse, addiction and prejudice. When he spoke on Sunday, a number of people expressed an interest in hearing more about his background and road to recovery. I wanted to try my best to share his story for those who didn’t get a chance to hear it.
Last week I began to address a report on people’s beliefs by LifeWay Research and looked at what the Bible says about worship and the idea that we all ‘worship the same God.’ Today I’d like to consider people’s views on the afterlife. What do people believe about what happens when we die and what does the Bible have to say about it?
While guilt can be a clear-cut response to something specific we’ve done, shame is often a vague attack on our identity and value. And we don’t just feel shame over bad things we’ve done but we’re also affected with shame at the circumstances we experience. That’s why abuse and trauma are often accompanied by shame. And also why just asking for forgiveness doesn’t take it away.
I’ve heard stories about evangelistic tent meetings. And while I’m sure there were obstacles and challenges, I’m always amazed at the simplicity that seems to describe them. Hold a meeting in the biggest room you can find and with the right speaker and almost everyone would come – and many would find new life in Jesus. Times have changed. And while I’m still envious of the simplicity of former days, I’m also amazed at the new ways that the gospel is bearing fruit in our day. There are four characteristics of effective evangelism that I’ve seen recently.
I don’t think enough about how I think. Throughout the day I carry on dozens of conversations in my head and entertain a host of passing thoughts that range from dull to dangerous. Proverbs 4:23 compares the heart to the headwaters of a river or the groundwater of a spring: Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. The proverb has always been vivid to me probably because I grew up hearing environmental lessons about how factory pollution was causing acid rain and killing our planet. So I can picture a clean, pure spring being poisoned at its source and affecting everything that flows from it. It’s a clear warning to guard your heart but leaves me unclear about how to actually do it.
I love our church family and there’s no place I’d rather be on a Sunday morning. But I deliberately took time to visit other congregations during my vacation. Learning from other churches and getting to know the rest of the body of Christ is important to me as a pastor. Over the last several weeks I got a wide spectrum of worship experiences. None of the denominations was baptist. From Anglican to Christian Reformed to Brethren, the churches all had different traditions but were thoroughly evangelical, teaching Biblical messages focused on Scripture. From a church that met in a park, and another in a modern facility, to another that gathers in a building that dates to the 1800’s, it was clear that there is a great variety in church building aesthetics. I’m still trying to shake the image of the pastor preaching from his lawn chair.
One of Satan’s most successful strategies through the years has been to focus his energies not so much on making Christians deny the faith, but in convincing them that their faith is largely irrelevant. He loves for people to compartmentalize their faith so that Jesus is still Lord, while limiting His ‘area of expertise’ to some narrow fields of religion and morality. Whenever I have seen people come alive in their faith, it’s as they’ve seen how Jesus impacts all of their life: from family to finances to career and entertainment. When Alfonso began to live for God and see his skills as an auto mechanic as a gift from God, it revolutionized how he approached life.
When we work, we’re imitating God Himself. And our work takes on the greatest significance when we work the way God does. God never worked for a paycheque. He didn’t work to “get ahead.” He didn’t work to prove His worth. God worked to display His glory and to bless His creation. When we make the world a more beautiful place through flowers, art, computer code, or physical labour, we glorify God and bless people.
