The New Precious

How pleasant it is to notice still more ways in which God differs from His creation!

The Koh-i-Noor diamond is a stunning piece of the history of India, an exceptionally large gem that was unearthed hundreds of years ago.  For a time, it reigned as the largest diamond in the world.  Generations of rulers and aristocrats have regarded it with calculating eyes, and as one might expect of an oversized diamond, it has passed rather forcibly through many hands and nations over the years, being carried away time and again in the aftermath of some conflict.  This gem currently resides in the Tower of London.

It is large, rare, and old, and so increasingly precious.  This axiomatic:  a thing is hard to come by, or it ages through the centuries, and so becomes precious.  Be it a Stradivarius, a first-edition Dumas, a Colt-Paterson 1836, or a photograph of a 19th century ancestor, scarcity generates "precious." 

So says the world, and so it often contents itself with this sort of "precious" - and to be honest, there is some truth here, of course.  The intent here is not to puncture our notion of preciousness, but rather to demonstrate how wonderfully precious God's character is, and in an entirely unique manner.  Think about this a moment - if you told me that there was something which was found throughout the world, and could be had freely, and would never wear out, and indeed more could always be had, I would conclude you were speaking in riddles, and perhaps the answer was "dirt."  "Precious" would not be the first adjective I would ascribe.

Of course we refer not to dirt in this description, by to the nature of our Lord!  If we can turn our thoughts from dirt and the like, and consider instead God's character, then things curiously transform.  Let us consult the authority and take a brief sampling:

• God's ways are unsearchable.  (Rom. 11:33)
• God's judgments are unfathomable.  (Rom. 11:33)
• God's wisdom and knowledge are profoundly deep.  (Rom. 11:33)
• God's love surpasses knowledge (Eph. 3:19) and extends to the heavens (Ps. 103:11)
• God's peace surpasses comprehension (Phil. 4:7)
• God's faithful love never ends (Lam. 3:22)
• God's mercy is rich (Eph. 2:4)
• God's grace is surpassingly rich (Eph. 2:7)
• God's sovereignty encompasses all (Ps. 103:19)

Thus the things God is, and the things God does, are precious, but they are not rare; they are superabundant!  Were all believers, for instance, to devote themselves to standing on the nearest street corner and crying out continually of our Lord's abudant forgiveness and saving love, and were each of us seeing ten lost souls come to repentance in every hour, we would no more risk exhausting the extents of that love and forgiveness than I would risk blotting out the sun by standing atop the CN Tower.

The outpourings of God's character upon us are exquisite, but not fragile; valuable, but not rare; priceless, but not locked away; as old as time, but new every morning.  How then do we explain how wonderfully precious He and His character are to us?  It is simply as follows:  the preciousness of God's character does not stem from its scarcity, but from its perfection.  Who God is, and what He does, are so entirely and unfailingly perfect that He immeasurably distinguishes Himself from His own creation until even His holy seraphim, who have never tasted evil, cannot look upon Him, and and are pleased perpetually to cry out His utter holiness (Is. 6:2-3). 

This perfection, and the incontestable separation that it brokers, mean that God possesses what we cannot.  Here we perceive the scarcity of it - it is alien to our fallen sensibilities - and when by those very perfections our spiritual eyes are opened in salvation to the sheer wonder of God, He is made exceedingly precious to our hearts.  We are prostrated before the glorious grace He bestows, and then are pressed down again as we perceive the magnitude of grace yet promised but not dispensed, an infinity of unceasing glory which will serve through long and tireless epochs to increasingly demonstrate just how precious He has been all along.

Our Lord Jesus, grant that we should regard you with the value that is Your glorious and unique due, and may appropriate and genuine worship issue not only from our minds and our hearts, but from our hands in service to You alone!

The Ruthlessness of Prayer

On November 15, 1864, some 62,000 Federal troops departed the still-smoldering city of Atlanta under the brilliant and collected generalship of W.T. Sherman.  Year's end would see this force having won to Savannah, leaving in its wake a scene of immeasurable devastation some 300 miles long and 40 miles wide.  Their mission was complete - they had driven to the ocean, effectively taking or destroying anything which the South might employ in its rebellion against the North.  The railroads were smashed, the cattle harnessed, the field pieces taken, the cotton burned.  Many miles behind its tenacious soldiers and exceptional generals, the Confederate war effort lay in ruins.

In a way, we are all of us Sherman in Atlanta - everyone who has been saved by the precious blood of Christ is engrossed in a brutal conflict, albeit one that is won or lost in the human heart.  We are consumed in a constant clash between the godliness which our Lord is actively creating within us, and the sinful impulses that foray sharply from the quiet corners of our hearts (Rom. 7:22-23).  This is a battle that must be accorded our fullest measure of sobriety and perseverance, for though a hundred grim specters of temptation may fall upon the Sword of the Spirit, yet there are untold thousands behind them.  The press of battle is always upon us in this world.

It is an irony that the most seasoned and mature Christians you will meet are at once accustomed both to the most gracious gentleness and patience with the rest of humanity, and yet to the quickest and strongest violence against the incursions of temptation and pride within themselves.  In this respect, the gift of prayer becomes either a formidable ally or an exercise in wanton futility. 

Prayer is formidable only if pride is stamped out while the prayer is being made; otherwise, it is pure futility.  Elihu wisely instructed Job, "[God] does not answer [prayers] because of the pride of evil men." (Job 35:12b) The psalmist explains that this is so because the prideful are not actually interested in God at all:  "The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him.  All his thoughts are, 'There is no God.'" (Psalm 10:4)

In other words, pride serves to remove any true regard we have for the Lord in a given moment.  Prayer, then, must be effected in such a way that our pride is devastated to the utmost.  Any tool that pride might grasp in a bid to dominate our hearts must be broken, or else wrested away for the worship that is owed only to the Lord.  We must sift through our hearts as Sherman sifted through the South, not hesitating to smash what merits destruction, and to take back whatever we in our pride have stolen.

Consider the elements of prayer for a moment.  We are called, for instance, to reverent praise of our sovereign Maker, Sustainer, and Savior.  The barest tinge of pride blights our praise by introducing falseness and sin.  This is especially sad, given that prayerful praise is calculated to draw our adoration to its rightful divine recipient - recalling the excellencies of the One to whom we pray should serve to shape the course the entire prayer.  Remember, His character is our lifeline, but we must achieve a purity of heart in our pursuit of His glory!

Another crucial feature of prayer is repentance.  Of course, pride is the bane of true repentance, but we must take care, lest we suppose that the simple desire for repentance indicates an absence of pride.  We can always muddle through repentance simply because we know we should, or we can congratulate ourselves that we so humbly desire repentance that, ironically, the repentance itself is spoiled with pride.  It is also sometimes the case that we freely confess some sins, but not others - pride restrains us from acknowledging certain sins. 

Finally, there is the matter of supplication in prayer.  Pride can certainly spoil this activity, and if such is the case, we must not expect the Lord to respond with pleasure.  If we can unshackle ourselves from pride (say, through humble confession of sin and genuine worship of our Lord), then our requests will be made for His sake, and not ours, and so will work toward His enduring kingdom and glory.  Think a moment, and I am certain that you, like me, will be able to recall certain requests you once made of the Lord that now only induce cringing for their selfishness.  What waste, no? 

It is not unwise to patently assume the presence of pride in our lives - we will usually be correct - and prayer life can serve as good gage of pride.  Do you hesitate to repent to your God?  Do your prayers themselves die in your throat?  Are your praises brief and skin deep?  Then you have but one recourse:  you must go before your worthy God and admit of your prideful indifference, and beg His help once more as you move through your heart with an attitude of ruthless impatience, seeking to stamp out every instance of pride - identify it, confess it, and set yourself against it!  Do this again and yet again until every spark of pride is devastated and the Lord crowds your heart!  This absolute ruthlessness against ourselves must be an indispensible feature of our prayers.

The Tragedy of Tolerance, from Christ's Own Lips

In the front entrance of my middle school, there was displayed prominently a single word:  "TOLERANCE."  No doubt you have seen something like this yourself, no?  To be fair, the idea of tolerance is not a bad one, if it is contained properly.  Tolerance with regard to ethnicity or social standing, for instance, is wholly appropriate from a biblical standpoint:  Colossians 3:11 comprehends no difference in the kingdom of God between "Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman."  We have each of us become new creations, and so we all find ourselves placed by adoption into the same eternal family, and purchased as redeemed slaves into the same eternal household.

However, the idea of tolerance is nearly always pressed beyond this, far into the realm of ideological open-mindedness.  We are urged to develop and maintain a wideness in our regard for systems of thinking which differ from our own - we must ascribe genuine worth to the philosophies of others, even if they are starkly and completely contrasted to ours.  This sort of tolerance is repugnant to the Lord because it delights in spurning absolute truth, and so it cannot help but lead people astray.

Christ Himself spoke in no uncertain terms regarding the danger of tolerance as He saw it spreading through one of His churches like a growth of hardy weeds, choking out true growth and sapping spiritual vitality. We see His words in Revelation 2:18-29 to the church in Thyatira. 

A key truth we must establish is that the church in Thyatira constituted a legitimate body of believers.  The Lord Jesus takes special notice of both their inward and outward qualities, such as faith and service (v. 19), and He calls their partakers "My bond-servants" (v. 20).  As such, He approaches this group as their acknowledged Lord, carrying righteous jealousy and intent upon their purity. 

In direct contradiction of their acknowledged status as a true church, they harbor a devastating problem:  they are tolerating a woman who is improperly functioning in their midst as a teacher, and a false one at that (v. 20).  The result is a devoted following of this Jezebel, and the spread of immoral living (vv. 22-23).  Christ has been patient (v. 21), but He promises that judgment looms large and certain unless there is repentance (vv. 22-23).

We have here an absoluely chilling instance in which there is laid up, even for believers, the most dire earthly consequences for sin - death itself.  Our God promises death to His wayward children!  There is a tendency for us to suppose that, as the cross has sponged away the sentence of eternal doom awaiting us, we would never be compelled to suffer such weighty temporal punishment for our sins, but of course this simply is not the case.  John speaks of believers who engage in "a sin leading to death" (1 John 5:16a), and of course the writer of Hebrews declares that where God bestows His love, He also delivers His discipline (Heb. 12:6).  While it has no bearing upon eternal salvation, it is nevertheless a terrifying prospect, is it not?

Note that tolerance in this case is not the sterling example of grace or kindness that your school counselor tried to palm off on you - it is pure selfishness.  The Thyatiran church is saying, "Tolerating this heresy in our midst is not costing the rest of us anything personally, so we do not agree that it is a problem to the church."  This, of course, is tantamount to declaring, "We will tolerate heresy that devastates our brothers and sisters, so long as we are left untouched ourselves." 

This is like watching a stranger give your younger siblings each a popsicle laced with turpentine, and smiling as you walk away because you know where the Good Humor man is parked.  It denies every fundamental uproar of Christian love, and it all but shouts a contentedness with an unbecoming isolation.  This sort of spiritual climate; that is, spiritual foolishness mixed with spiritual isolationism, will see even a formerly thriving church laid waste in all quarters.

These things ought not be so.  Slap the popsicle out of your kid brother's hand, take that stranger by the lapel, and make sure he finds his way out of your neighborhood for good.  And go take your brother, who's crying now, to the Good Humor man. 

The Bold and Martial Livery of the Faithful Christian Soldier

A person can go through his or her whole life and not know what a ghillie suit is.  Indeed, you may read this and think to yourself, "Yes, and I would be quite content."  Indulge me but a moment, though, and be assured of a spiritual component directly.

Ghillie suits are wearable coverings intended to closely simulate natural foliage.  They are worn and cherished by military snipers, civilian hunters, and, inexplicably, by ardent proponents of a false and absurd machismo whose experience with foliage consists solely of removing it from their lawns with a rake and plastic bag.

That aside (I write with an admitted chuckle), the ghillie suit represents perhaps the pinnacle of camoflage (if not practicality), which is of course a pressing concern for militaries the world over, which endlessly seek to devise a better way to conceal their soldiers in plain view.  This is why, by and large, one does not see frontline soldiers parading about in bright yellow (although the clamor of decency and basic fashion might factor into this as well) - it does not trick the eye; it is not camoflage.  It will draw attention and thus draw fire (and ridicule). 

Now, when we picture the Christian soldier, arrayed for battle and attentive to the commands of our divine Captain, we see no camoflage.  This is a curiosity, for the battles that rage in the spiritual realm, and in which all of Christendom must take part, are for far higher stakes than territories or rights.  We fight for the good pleasure of our Lord - our long campaign is a running war to escape temptation, and we make careful forays into strongholds of darkness, seeking only the spoils of lost souls for our Lord's kingdom (Jude 23).

One would suppose, then, that we would desire to employ every advantage close at hand for this, the most important warfare in all the world, but interestingly, on these fields of battle, camoflage is entirely unbecoming.  Think what camoflage is in this case - if we Christians desire to blend into our surroundings, "camoflage" is merely another word for "worldiness," for our surroundings are the world of the unredeemed.

On direct opposition to this, we are exhorted in Ephesians 6:14 to buckle the breastplate of righteousness firmly into place.  We conclude from the defensive nature that Paul attributes to righteousness here that it is meant to protect us, and, of course, a moment's reflection will prove the truth of this.  The arrows of evil will always find their mark unless we strive for righteousness - the righteousness which comes from the power of God and is therefore sufficient to turn aside every treacherous barb of temptation. 

Naturally, the course of righteous living will render us conspicuous and will thus cause us to draw additional fire - just as the soldier who leads the charge or fights more fiercely will attract more attention.  Spurning the temptations that cause unbelievers not a moment of hesitation or consideration will turn us into objects of curiosity,and, many times, derision.  There are those who make it their duty to induce a Christian to commit those acts which are clearly sinful - laughing at the wrong jokes, reacting to verbal stings with anger, and so forth.  We know even that Satan was interested in Job even before God pointed Job out to him. 

It is ironic, then, that the unique characteristic that protects us is the selfsame one that causes us to need that protection all the more.  God has made it thus so that He may prove Himself both the only and the sufficient source of our strength - we will never do on our own what His power in us accomplishes so simply.  And God's strength, sent in righteousness and sent for righteousness, is indifferent to the stir and clamor it causes in realms of evil - if its presence serves to increase the volleys of trial, then so be it! This power turns aside a thousand temptations with no greater effort than it does one, and this so often defines the struggle of the Christian life, does it not?  So often, the biggest obstacle we face is simply getting it into our obstinate hearts that God's strength is sufficient and suited to the temptation of the moment, and letting this belief galvanize us to convicted action.

Apart from God's blessings, we wither under the slightest assault, but with His grace empowering our souls, we can stand firm and stand again, though the attacks against us are doubled, re-doubled, and brought to an ardent boil. 

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

     - Psalm 18:2

Thus Says the Lord: I Know

Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea - each of these churches were addressed specifically and individually at the end of the first century, in the work of John that would become known as Revelation.  These very brief epistles contained within Revelation differentiate themselves from the other inspired letters in one dramatic way:  while the others were crafted by godly men who wrote from their own hearts and minds, under the sure inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Revelation epistles came directly from the mouth of none other than the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and John had only to write them down as they were spoken.  Christ addressed these church directly and personally.

These letters (Rev. 2-3) served as encouragement or warning, or sometimes as both, depending upon the course which each church had laid out for itself.  The Lord of glory commends, condemns, and commands as needed, but before He embarks upon any of these tasks, He discloses His close and specific understanding of whatever church He is addressing.  In each letter, He starts this section by declaring, "I know..."  I know your deeds; I know your circumstances; I know your true condition; I know your attitude.  I know. 

The Greek of the day afforded two very common ways to say "I know" - oida, which connotes a complete knowledge, and ginosko, which suggests a growing sort of understanding.  There is, of course, no need to question Jesus' perfect grasp of the linguistic nuances at His command - John himself recorded His words to the unbelieving Jews regarding His Father in John 8:55a:  "and you have not come to know [ginosko] Him, but I know [oida] Him."¹ 

Christ declares His mature knowledge of His churches, then.  Revelation 1:14 recounts that His eyes are "like a flame of fire" - a graphic testimony of His omniscient, omnipresent gaze as He moves among these seven churches (vv. 13, 20).  The truth about each of these churches, then, is laid stark before the eyes of the Lord; nothing can be concealed, exaggerated, or explained away.  The darkest, quietest, most secluded bowers in every human heart of these churches are nevertheless familiar to the Lord; they are continually bathed in the impartial brilliance of His absolute understanding, and they lay immediately before His eyes. 

Consider what effect this complete divine knowledge would visit upon the unfaithful churches mentioned in Revelation (which comprise a shocking five of the seven, to varying degrees), and by logical extension, upon the unfaithful churches of today.  The "I know" statements of the Lord of the church in Revelation should be among the most fearful and sobering pronouncements a church may encounter, but of course the effect of these assertions upon those in unfaithful churches will certainly vary quite dramatically. 

The true believers in these places, anemic or lukewarm, may be galvanized to earnestly pursue a return to faithfulness in their church, or else, in bleaker circumstances, they may be moved to seek out a truer fellowship.  They may choose to do neither because they are unmoved, but they will find biblical assurance dashed from their grasping hands, and may choose to settle for a transient substitute, to their folly.

False professors, on the other hand, may be moved to repentance, or they may perceive the distant pulse of needling but idle fear, and come away unmoved.  They may also scoff and reckon such ideas as naught but fancy, a misguided foray upon the presumably ironclad strongholds of human philosophy and wisdom.  There is tragedy laid up for these last two groups, for they will discern the magnitude of their folly only when their would-be Savior-turned Judge will declare, "I know [oida] your deeds, but I never knew [ginosko] you." (as in Matt. 7:23) Tragically, here ginosko represents intimate connection unto salvation. 

This is a woeful position for a church, for God's displeasure is assured and just.  Think, though, what the "I know" omniscience of God means to the churches that cling to God and His Word!  I know of your faithfulness, in spite of your imperfections.  I know your genuine needs as you work for my kingdom.  I know the difficulties in which you are embroiled at this moment, and I know how to care for you in the fiery heart of affliction.  We need not wait for God to perceive our condition; He understood it completely before He set into careful motion any star in the heavens.  He responds with pleasure to His faithful churches, and will not suffer them to want for what He knows they will need in their zealous bid to worship and obey Him. 

"I know," says our Lord - a simple statement, but one that spells our endurance and lasting comfort in Him. 



¹ Vine, W.E., Merrill Unger & William White, Jr.  Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words.  “An Expository Dictionary of New Tesatment Words with their Precise Meanings for English Renderings.”  Nashville:  Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1996.  p. 346.

Prison Perspectives on Progress

"Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear."
- Philippians 1:12-14

Paul sat in a prison in Rome for charges fantastically conceived and untenably forwarded.  In subsequent verses, he would describe how some of his fellow workers for the Lord, blinded by their thirst for power and seeking to take advantage of Paul's lamentable absence, had taken to haunting the church, effectively seeking to fill the vacuum Paul had left.  They proclaimed gospel truth, but did so in a bid to rob Paul of his influence - incredible!  This is the situation with which we, the eager readers, are met in this passage. 

If we know Paul at all, then it is no surprise that he did not draft a tally of his sorrows for the Philippians to feast upon - there were far, far more important considerations at hand.  How went the work of the Lord?  Was the gospel progressing in the world?  It was far better for Paul to focus on this at the expense of his own sorrows, and it was far better for the Philippians to receive this lasting example of the Savior's pre-eminence in all things. 

Paul turns to his present circumstance, then, and describes how the gospel is prospering.  In so doing, he delivers to the church three points which demonstrate some of the means by which the gospel progresses, and which indeed may serve to refine our definition of  "gospel progress."

1.  It progresses in proclamation.  Paul equates spreading the knowledge of his "imprisonment for the cause of Christ" with the progress of the gospel.  For the present, he says nothing of conversions or responses, but merely that he has been able to acquaint everyone around him with the circumstances of his imprisonment, and, in the process, to proclaim the salvation of his excellent and unique Savior.  Certainly, salvation is a clear indicator of the gospel's movement; however, we see here that the Spirit-filled proclamation of salvation is, in itself, gospel progress.

This is a healthy attitude to adopt, for we do not always see the results of evangelism.  While we cannot discern how a person will respond to gospel truth, it being the province of the Lord to grant growth unto salvation where he sees fit (cf. 1 Cor. 3:6), we know that faith never comes apart from knowledge of the gospel (Rom. 10:9-17).  The gospel is the seed of salvation; it must be planted before precious life can erupt from dead soil.  So indeed may we reckon the proclamation of the gospel to be progress for the gospel, even if salvation is not immediately evident.  In disclosing saving truth to partakers of unbelief and death, we are working to advance the gospel, regardless of the visible results.  This is encouragement to those who preach good news to their fellows with often very little sign of spiritual life or concern.

2.  It progresses in preparation.  Paul's travails, he writes, have served to encourage his brethren to fearlessly proclaim Christ.  This too, says Paul, is gospel progress.  If we are fitted with stronger courage, or with fuller understanding of truth, or with a greater heart for sinners not so unlike ourselves, then we are better fitted for kingdom work.  This sort of growth constitutes an advancement of the gospel which should by all means endure upon this earth, and even continue to grow, for as long as the will of the Lord binds us to our earthly stations.  It becomes but another avenue by which we may continually work for the gospel, even in solitude - by striving to grow in Christlikeness.

Time spent on our knees, or with scripture in our hands, grants us a greater gospel strength and serves to further the gospel.  Does this spark a flame of conviction in our hearts?  There is always more we can do to gird ourselves as soldiers for our Lord.  There is certainly more that I can do, I know, whether I am with unbelievers, other believers, or by myself.

3.  It progresses in persecution.  Paul labored under, but was not conquered by, persecution here.  The world had struck at him with a substantial brutality, and in the midst of this, opportunistic believers came in like vultures seeking to feast on him, so that hatred piled atop hatred.  And yet in both of these cases, in both of these hardships, somehow the gospel not only prevailed, but shone through all the brighter.  Persecution birthed unique opportunity and movement for the gospel!

On one hand, Paul was thrust into the thick of Roman society, even into the very highest levels (Phil. 4:22), with fresh ears all around him to receive gospel truth.  He was propelled into this arena due to the hatred of his countrymen.  On the other hand, his fellow believers were strengthened by his testimony in difficulties to proclaim the name of the Lord more strongly!  Some loved Paul, and others certainly did not, but whatever the case, believers were opening their mouths and bringing forth the truth of the Savior!  We do well if, in the midst of calamity, we can look about us to see either how we might use our circumstances for God's kingdom, or else how God has already begun to work for His kingdom through our plight.  Do not squander your trials, Christian!  Who can fathom what riches of grace the Lord has made ready to unleash in the grimmest crucibles of your hardships?

The gospel has a divinely-imparted buoyancy, dear friends. and it progresses easily in the hands of our Lord.  What more fitting work is there than to devote ourselves to its spreading?  It is grace to sinners, joy to saints, and glory to our God!