Humble Orthodoxy

Humble Orthodoxy:  Holding the truth high without putting people down by Joshua Harris  effectively navigates the challenge of presenting biblical truth with a loving and humble spirit.  He describes “humble orthodoxy” as follows:  “we must care deeply about truth, and we must also defend and share this truth with compassion and humility” (p. 5).  He reveals our motive is not to simply win an argument but rather to win others to the truth.

The author has a strong emphasis on grace as he writes, “The message of Christian orthodoxy isn’t that I’m right and someone else is wrong.  It’s that I am wrong and yet God is filled with grace” (p. 19).  He writes that the passion of the pursuit of biblical orthodoxy must be, “Not to prove ourselves more right or better than someone else but to better worship the holy God, the one who forgives and accepts us for Christ’s sake alone” (p. 25).  Harris wisely observes, “If being right becomes more important to us than worshiping God, then our theology is not really about God anymore.  It’s about us” (p. 26).

How does one experience humble orthodoxy?  One way is by seeking to live by what you believe.  Harris writes, “Don’t measure yourself by what you know.  Measure yourself by your practice of what you know” (p. 37).  The book of James likewise encourages us to put our faith into action,

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.  (James 1:22)

This short book is filled with helpful biblical principles and includes a four part study guide for individual or group use.  If you’re looking for helpful principles that will enable you to lovingly share the truth you will find this book helpful.  (I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.)

 

Dr. Rick Higgins

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

The Church at LifePark

My current ministry position enables me to interact with a large number of churches.  I had the opportunity this past weekend to be with The Church at LifePark at the White Oak Conference and Retreat Center.  It was great to see what God is doing at LifePark – there was a spirit of excitement, joy, fun, and fellowship.  A special shout-out to the Retreat Planning staff and the leadership team at LifePark for a job well done!  Chad is doing a great job as campus pastor, Julianna is amazing at worship, and you can always count on Paul to keep it fun! As Bill Hybels is fond of saying, “The local church is the hope of the world.”  It’s great to see a church that has a high regard for the word of God, takes seriously their responsibility for the great commission, and is an environment of grace.  LifePark is clear about their mission and why they exist:

We exist to connect people to God. Worship is at the core of who we are as people, and we have been given a desire to devote our life to something.

We exist to connect people to people. Life is best when it is lived in community and fellowship with others.

We exist to help people grow in their faith. To be a healthy follower and disciple of Jesus, it takes spiritual growth.

We exist to serve others. Christians are called to serve and to be a blessing to the community… and the world.

 Do you need a fresh vision of the local church?  Read what Bill Hybels says about the local church and if you’re in Mount Pleasant visit The Church at LifePark,

There is nothing like the local church when it’s working right. Its beauty is indescribable. Its power is breathtaking. Its potential is unlimited. It comforts the grieving and heals the broken in the context of community. It builds bridges to seekers and offers truth to the confused. It provides resources for those in need and opens its arms to the forgotten, the downtrodden, the disillusioned. It breaks the chains of addictions, frees the oppressed, and offers belonging to the marginalized of this world. Whatever the capacity for human suffering, the church has a greater capacity for healing and wholeness.  (Courageous Leadership, p. 23)

Jesus gives us a tremendous promise for the local church,

I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. –  (Matthew 16:18)

Dr. Rick Higgins

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

Don’t Miss Your Opportunity!

What opportunities do you have in your life?   Thomas Edison wisely observed, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”   How many opportunities do you miss because they are disguised as insurmountable problems?  The Apostle Paul challenges us to make the most of every opportunity,

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.  (Colossians 4:5)

He gives similar advice to the Ephesians,

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.  (Ephesians 5:15-16)

So I ask you again, what opportunities do you have in your life?  The great theologian Wayne Gretzky said, “You always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”  Opportunities can be like sunrises – if you wait too long you may miss them. Therefore it’s necessary for you to prepare yourself so you are ready.  Benjamin Disraeli said, “The secret to success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.” 

What are you doing to prepare yourself for your opportunity?

 

Dr. Rick Higgins

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

Peace in the Midst of Uncertainty

Patriots Day in Boston is known as a day of festivities and celebration as the Sox are playing at Fenway and the world famous Boston Marathon is taking place.  The tragic bombing at the finish line of the Boston Marathon rudely reminded us of the presence of evil in this world.  The prophet Isaiah lived in a time that was characterized by uncertainty and significant danger to his country.  As he fearlessly prophesied to the nation of Israel he also delivered God’s perspective as a ray of hope in the midst of uncertainty,

The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You.  Trust in the LORD forever, for in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.  (Isaiah 26:3-4)

“Perfect peace” is the the Hebrew word shalom (שָׁלוֹם) which is quite rich in its meaning.  It conveys the idea of completeness, soundness, safety, welfare, peace, quiet, tranquility, and contentment.  Shalom is not simply the absence of war but it is the presence of peace.  The presence of trouble in your life does not mean the absence of God.  Perfect peace may seem to be an illusion in our fallen world but Jesus has made it a reality for you,

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.  John 14:27

We live in a world filled with tragedy and uncertainty but we do not need to live in fear and timidity,

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.  (2 Timothy 1:7)

May you go forth in God’s perfect peace knowing that He is an everlasting Rock!

 

Dr. Rick Higgins

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

How Salty is your Speech?

How would you evaluate your speech?  Jesus taught that your words reveal what is in your heart,

The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.  (Luke 6:45)

It’s essential therefore that we guard the condition of our heart (Proverbs 4:23) and that we also exercise discretion in our speech.  The Apostle Paul shows us how to have winsome speech,

Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.  (Colossians 4:6)

Paul writes, let your speech (literally your words) always be with grace.  My speech can be graceful when I want it to be but sometimes I don’t feel like being graceful – Paul doesn’t give us any exceptions.  The word picture is “seasoned with salt”.  In Paul’s day salt was a valuable commodity and was used as a preservative as well as to season food.  That’s what grace does to our speech, it keeps it from being corrupt (an example is Ephesians 4:29) and grace appropriately flavors our speech.

Paul goes on to say that you will know how to respond to each person.  Every encounter you have is an opportunity to add value to someone’s life.  C.S. Lewis reminds us in The Weight of Glory, “There are no ordinary people.  You have never talked to a mere mortal.  Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”

I was going to the store and I asked Jeanne if she needed anything – that can be a dangerous question, don’t ask it if you’re not willing to follow through.  She asked me if I would exchange a pair of Capri’s for her.  I saw my expeditious trip turn into a major event, I reluctantly said yes.  As I was waiting in the looooong line at Customer Service I could see the lady who was working threre was having a hard day.  People were asking her questions, the phone was ringing, and this long line of people wanted her to solve their problem (it was so bad this could have qualified as one of the levels in Dante’s Inferno).  When my turn came I explained to her the situation and I said to her, “When I face rough days I find encouragement from the Bible verse that says, ‘Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.'”  She smiled and thanked me and said, “I needed that.”  As I finished my transaction she laughed and said, “The next time you’re in here stop by and see me and bring me some more of those sweet words!”  Take some time to let your speech always be with grace!  Jesus reveals the significance of your words,

But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.  (Matthew 12:36-37)

Dr. Rick Higgins

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

 

How do you respond to the world?

There are two extremes that Christians follow as they respond to the world.  One is to separate oneself from the world and seek to live in isolation.  The other extreme is to fully immerse oneself in the the world so there is not much difference between the world and Christians.  Since Jesus is our example we should look at His life and ask ourselves “How did He respond to the world?”  We see that Jesus was criticized because he ate with “tax collectors and sinners” yet He was also sinless.  How do we live in this tension?

The Apostle Paul presents helpful advice to enable us to know to respond to the world.  The advice he gave to the Colossians is just as relevant for us today,

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.  (Colossians 4:5)

Paul is literally saying, “Walk with wisdom toward those who are outside of the faith . . .”  Outsiders is a technical term that refers to those who are not part of the church (see 1 Corinthians 5:12, 1 Timothy 3:7 for the use of this term).  The phrase “making the most” conveys the idea of buying out and referred to purchasing a slave with a view to his freedom.  This verse emphasizes that we need to be “redeeming the time”.  As you respond to the world you are to make the most of every opportunity, seeking the best advantage since they may not occur again if missed.  John Gardner wisely observed, “We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.”  Paul presented this  same idea to the Ephesians,

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.  So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  (Ephesians 5:15-17)

Are you walking in wisdom?  Have you ever thought about the significance of that question?  It seems that we are drowning in a sea of information, while starving for wisdom.  The world desperately needs you to make the most of every opportunity.  The world derives its opinion of the Gospel based upon the conduct of its followers.  Few men read the Bible but all will read your life.

 

Dr. Rick Higgins

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

What’s on Your Prayer List?

Imagine you’re in a prison cell.  What would be at the top of your prayer list?  That was the situation the Apostle Paul faced as he wrote to the Colossians.  He asked them to pray for him – specifically he asked for an open door – but not for himself!  This is what he requested,

praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.  (Colossians 4:3-4)

Imagine that!  Paul prayed for the furtherance of the Gospel rather than his own comfort.  He saw his situation as being allowed by God and he was going to make the best of it as a witness to his captors.  Paul didn’t need to be free from prison to experience true freedom.

We must realize that the purpose of prayer is not to get our will done in heaven, but to get God’s will done on earth.  So what’s on your prayer list?  Dick Eastman writes, “Only those who see the invisible can attempt the impossible.”  Prayer enables you to enlarge your horizons.  The great preacher F.B. Meyer said, “The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but un-offered prayer.”  What great work are you asking of God – don’t hold back, nothing is too difficult for Him!

You can expect God to intervene if you’re willing to intercede!  Remember that the purpose of prayer is not to get what you want, but to get what God wants.  Be encouraged by Jesus’ statement,

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  (John 15:7)

 

Dr. Rick Higgins

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

Devoted to Prayer

All of us are devoted to something – it may be a person, a product, or a cause.  I know someone who is devoted to Apple products.  He’ll buy anything that is new and shiny and says that it is made by Apple.  He commented that if Apple made a toilet he would buy it – can you imagine the itoilet (it would probably be expensive but I’m sure it would be a great experience).  You know this person is devoted to Apple because when Apple comes out with a new product he buys it.  How does a devoted follower of Jesus Christ act?   The Apostle Paul gives us a description of a devoted follower of Jesus as he writes,

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;  (Colossians 4:2)

The word devote literally means “to be strong towards, to endure in, or persevere in, to be continually steadfast with a person or thing.”  It is used of “continuing” in prayer with others, Acts 1:14, Romans 12:12, Colossians 4:2; in the Apostles’ teaching, Acts 2:42; in the Temple, Acts 2:46, and in prayer and ministry, Acts 6:4. (Vine’s Expository Dictionary).  As I read this description of a believer’s prayer life I ask myself, “Does this devotion characterize my prayer life?  Does my devotion to Jesus manifest itself in my prayer life?”

This verse teaches us that we are to be faithful, watchful, and thankful in our prayer life.  Devotion comes when we realize that God is for us and wants to have a relationship with us.  Prayer is not something we “have to do” but something we get to do.  My blog post entitled “Early Mornings” reveals some of the benefits of prayer.  Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance but it is believing in a God who hears, answers, and even exceeds our prayers!  Is that your view of God?  

 

Dr. Rick Higgins

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University