One Way The Prosperity Gospel is Dangerous

Today in our series on Tough Questions we asked “Is the prosperity gospel dangerous?”

Here is one way that it is dangerous: it messes up our view of pain and suffering.

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If you are not familiar with the prosperity “gospel” turn on your television and watch TBN for about 15 minutes.  There you will be exposed to the damnable teaching that what the gospel is really about is securing our health, wealth, and happiness and our best life now.  Consider these words of Kenneth Copeland concerning Paul’s thorn in the flesh:

Paul's thorn in the flesh is a tradition that Satan has used to deceive and rob many people. Using it as an excuse, tradition says that God gets glory from sickness because the world sees how marvelously the Christian bears pain and agony. Tradition never adds up to the right answer - anyone knows that the world has all the pain and agony it can stand. The world wants a way out of sickness, not another way into it.

The typical mantra of these shiny watch-wearing, jet-flying, shysters is that God is in the business of blessing people.  If you want to see someone who is living in the favor of God you will not find it in a poor widow, a sickly orphan, or in a downcast soul.  You will find it in a first-class flyin’ preacher that spends his time helpin’ poor folk get their blessings by sowing their seed into his tailor-made suit pocket. 

Because of this belief Paul’s teaching on the thorn in the flesh is completely reversed.  Rather than Paul saying that he is glorying in an unremoved thorn and that the Lord’s grace is sufficient in the midst of hardship these prosperity teachers do a ton of gymnastics to get around what the text clearly says. 

Paul’s thorn

According to Copeland the thorn is an “evil angel”.  This isn’t any of God’s doing it’s all of the devil.  Pain, suffering, sickness, all of those things must not have anything to do with the work of God.  And according to Copeland “this evil angel was assigned to Paul for one reason—to stop the Word from being preached”.  Forget that Paul said it was “given me in the flesh” for the purpose of “keeping me from being too elated”. 

You see within the framework of the prosperity gospel God is not glorified in  our weakness.  God is glorified in our strength.  Or to put that another way the way that God receives glory is when my past is conquered and I live in victory.  If I am not living my best life now then I’m not giving God the glory that He deserves. 

Copeland even has the gall to say that Paul erred in pleading with God to take away the thorn.  As he says, “If you want results, do not ask God to deal with the devil for you…He instructs you to drive out the demons or evil spirits.”  Had Paul not pleaded with the Lord to remove it then he would have gotten the results that he desired. 

While you have a thorn in your flesh you aren’t able to glorify God as you ought because you are living in the devils defeat and not the Lord’s victory.  Therefore, you believe on what you want.  You unleash your faith on removing this thorn and you believe God for it.  You let go of it and you start believing God for victory. 

But what happens when “victory” doesn’t come?…

The Effect on Pain

The problem with this false teaching is that it tries to wipe away ever tear from our eye before we are living in the Redeemed Eden.  That sounds nice and some of these false teachers may very well have good intentions and believe every word of the garbage spewing out of their mouth.  Problem is, they sound more like Job’s miserable counselors than the counsel of the Lord.

What they are subtly communicating—and sadly I think many within the church have bought into this—is that God cannot use me until I have this thorn conquered.  I am a little less than acceptable until I get a grip on this depression.  Certainly people will rally around me and help me remove this thorn—that’s what Job’s friends did.  But what if this thorn is never going to be removed?  Am I supposed to hide this part of me?  Should I shoe my thorn?  Dare I walk with a limp? 

You see I’m becoming increasingly convinced that faith doesn’t look like a man living in success and victory in the Christian life, where everyday is better than the next.  I’m convinced that a better picture of faith is when a man is almost totally overcome by doubt, fear, anxiety but he still keeps a white-knuckled grip on the promise of future redemption.  I’m convinced that a better disciple is one who fixates his eyes on “things that are above” instead of trying to live his best life now. 

Of course we all want mountain moving faith but the faith as tiny as a mustard seed is just as miraculous.  So, why don’t we rejoice in feeble faith? Why don’t we celebrate those souls that are shamed and yet trusting, like Jesus does?  Can we celebrate a wound that isn’t yet healed?  Why do we have to wait for victory?  Why can we not dance with a limp? 

Maybe because we’ve bought into the lie that people with thorns are a little less than what it means to be a disciple.  And maybe we’ve made thorn removal the goal instead of dancing in grace. 

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Originally posted here.

10 Books that Shaped My Theology of Suffering

In Torn to Heal I encourage readers to develop a robust theology of suffering and to not be surprised to have to use it. This language comes from Peter’s exhortation in 1 Peter 4. As I’ve sought to obey Peter’s exhortation I’ve found a few books very helpful in this quest.

Certainly the Scriptures are the most helpful. If our theology of suffering doesn’t match up to Scripture then it isn’t worth much. There have also been a few other books that have helped me greatly:

1. D.A. Carson, How Long, O Lord? provides a biblical and theological framework for understanding suffering and evil. If you want a book that is a little more intellectual to help you think through issues related to human suffering then this is your book.
2. Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed, absolutely broke me and healed me at the same time. Sibbes has a way of opening up wounds and then pouring the gospel in.
3. Wesley Hill, Washed and Waiting, is the reflections of a man that is suffering and struggling with unwanted sexual desires. More than many others this book helped me see how the gospel not only heals us but it also afflicts our fallen inclinations.
4. Randy Alcorn, The Goodness of God, is a helpful little book that really shines in giving anecdotes and illustrations to give life to a book like D.A. Carson’s. I owe a great deal to Carson in providing the framework for my theology of suffering. But I owe a great debt to Alcorn in helping me put words to that framework.
5. John Piper, Desiring God, along with many other works from Piper were influential in laying a God-centered foundation of a theology of suffering
6. Christopher J.H. Wright, The God I Don’t Understand, gave me permission to be comfortable with mystery and questions that remain unanswered.
7. Samuel Rutherford, Letters of Rutherford, was used by God several years ago to awaken in me a desire to value Christ above comfort. Reading the passionate letters written from prison by this man of God caused me to question my own devotion to Christ.
8. William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast, has been personally beneficial in my own battle with depression and discouragement. He not only diagnosis the reason for our depressive episodes but provides sweet counsel.
9. David Murray, Christians Get Depressed Too, put words to my developing thoughts that things like suffering/depression can still be used for God’s glory.
10. Robert M. McCheyne, Memoirs and Remains, modeled for me what humble brokenness looks like. His dedication to Jesus assisted me in thinking through the trials that come with mission and ministry.

If you want to develop a theology of suffering I would suggest getting these 10 books. (Of course I’d also be honored for you to give my book a read as well).

Painful Loss and Urgent Need for a Dear Brother & Sister in Christ

My friend Brian and his wife Kassie are hurting right now. A few days ago Kassie wrote in response to John 5:

We’ve had some dark days lately. Honestly, sometimes we just don’t even know if a pool of healing exists for us. But something we do know is that a lot of you are lifting us up, and we really appreciate that. Eventually God will give us the comfort we yearn for, and we thank you for your part in pleading for us. 

One of those “dark days” is that Brian & Kassie are grieving the loss of their unborn child. This loss will be especially trying for the couple (and their three young children) because they are in Spain, away from family, serving the Lord.

To compound their problems they are without a vehicle. Now that’s not quite as bleak as it sounds. They do have funds available from their ministry fund to reimburse their travelling expenses. But what is happening is that a good chunk of their expenses are being soaked up because they have to buy train tickets or rental cars (which are quite a bit more pricey than here in the US).

I told Brian that it’d be easier to inspire people to help them with a car if I could tell people that they had to use pack goats to transport their young children. While that, thankfully, isn’t the case, their work is significantly hindered by a lack of personal transportation. As Brian told me, “it is a stewardship issue”.

Personally, I believe it will be vital for their healing to be able to “get away” from the crowded streets of Granada occasionally. They can’t do this at present. This family needs our help. Brian and Kassie are people that really love the Lord, they are raising three sweet children, and are attempting to share the gospel in a very dark place in Granada, Spain.

There are two ways that you can help. First and foremost dedicate to praying for this family. Pray for healing. Pray for a resolution to their car situation. And pray that the Lord would use them to further His kingdom in Granada, Spain.

Secondly, you can give. This gift is NOT tax-deductible because it will be for personal property. They need about $6,000 to get a dependable car for a family of five. Think outside the box. Don’t ask “what can I spare?”, ask “What it will take to get them a car?”

You can send checks to:

New Life Church

427 S. Highway 71

Anderson, MO 64831

In the memo-line be certain to put Brian & Kassie Car Fund

Let’s figure out a way to bless this family with a car.

Why Were Job’s Friends Rebuked?

Don’t be like Job’s friends.

I’ve said that quite a few times when encouraging people not to be miserable counselors to suffering people. In the face of a hurting and destitute Job—who at times was even suicidal—all these friends did was spout theological truths and tell Job that if he would repent then things would get better for him.

Finally in Job 42:7 we hear what we have been longing for throughout the entire book; namely, the rebuke of Job’s friends. The LORD said to Eliphaz, “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.”

What did they say that was untrue?

The core of their theology was that God does not punish the righteous. Suffering comes because of discipline from the Almighty. “Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal.”

All suffering is a punishment for sin. All prosperity is a reward for righteousness. God is just and He does not punish the righteous. Therefore, Job must be sinning or else he would not be suffering. If he repents the Lord is gracious and He will heal and restore Job.

Before we dismiss their theology we should consider a key verse in the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 28 the Lord outlines what will happen if the Israelites faithfully obey the Lord. “All these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God”. Prosperity is the reward for righteousness.

“But if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.” Suffering is the punishment for sin.

Job’s friends passed their Old Testament class in seminary. Sort of. They got the multiple choice questions correct but they blew it on the essay where they were to apply their theology.  The problem is that they take something that is true and offer it as the only explanation for Job’s suffering. This is where I get an axiom that I teach my students: good theology that is wrongly applied, stinks.

Proverbs 22:6

It is a general principle that if you “train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it”. Except sometimes they do. And the parents did everything they could to train up their child. They were good and godly parents just like Job was a righteous man. But for some reason their child departed from the faith.

Those that follow in the stead of Job’s friends will assume that a rebellious child must equal ungodly parents. It might. But it does not have to; assuming that it does will cause one to speak things that are untrue of God.

There are some things that are always true no matter the context; i.e. Jesus Christ is the only way to God. But there are some things that are generally true but shouldn’t be applied as if they are always true. The wise counselor won’t flatten truth the way Job’s friends do. Instead the wise counselor will hold the hand of suffering people as they, as Job, grope to find the One that is Truth and in whom is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Tornadoes and Theology

Yesterday a tornado devastated Moore, Oklahoma. Leaving 51 dead, with nearly half of that number being children. Events like this leave those effected with a myriad of questions and a flood of emotions. One article I read described survivors as in a zombie-like state.

What would you say to those grieving in Oklahoma?

Mostly nothing. There is a time and a season for everything. This is not the season to theologize. At present we weep with them. Job’s friends were good counselors until they opened their mouths and tried to give an answer to Job’s questions. In the midst of a sorrowing event, heeding James 1:19 is a necessity. Slow to speak and quick to hear.

Those directly affected by these storms will experience a range of emotions. These emotions will be expressed within a whole range of theological positions. Ranging from this to varying atheistic expressions. In times like this one of the best things that we can do is direct people to use the Psalms to give words to the emotions of their hearts.

And just be there. Give a shoulder to cry on or a shoulder to punch. There might be a time to teach and help with theology…that is probably not today.

But there are also those that are not directly effected by the Oklahoma tragedies. We grieve. We weep with them. We ask questions as well. And at times events like this trigger our own pain. But we are in a much different position in regards to teaching. Our emotions are not as raw. Thinking through events like this will assist us in times when we are the ones with tears streaming down our face, filled with raw emotion.

What do you say to those watching the events in Oklahoma?

In Torn to Heal, I present a bare bones biblical theology of suffering.

1. God is not evil and does not do evil.
2. God is executing his long-term plan to eradicate all evil.
3. God is sovereign, and everything that happens comes from his hand (whether directly or indirectly).
4. As autonomous human beings we are personally responsible for our own evil acts (that is, we cannot evade responsibility for our actions by claiming they
   were caused by God, Satan, circumstances, our past, our limitations, or other people).
5. God ultimately does all things for his glory.
6. God is ever working all things together for the greatest good of his adopted children (and this redounds to his glory).
7. Ultimately, our greatest good is conformity to Christ, which gives us the capacity for an eternal enjoyment of God himself.

I respond to that biblical theology of suffering by saying this:

To be honest, not everything in this list makes me theologically comfortable. It’s hard for me to see how these pieces combine into a picture that is both complete and fully coherent. But that’s okay; the Bible was not written to make us theologically comfortable or satisfy our curiosity. The Scriptures exist for a far more important purpose—to point us to the living God who provides eternal comfort. This God, after all, is infinitely beyond our ability to fully comprehend. That’s one reason eternity will be endlessly revelatory and fascinating. So it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that the God who is about the business of working out our redemption can, in our fallen and limited sensibilities, sometimes make us uncomfortable.

The truth is I don’t know specific answers to what God is doing in Moore, Oklahoma. As Samuel Rutherford once said from his prison cell, “I see not the other side of my cross, or what my Lord will bring out of it”. All we can say is that the Lord is good and the Lord is sovereign. Denying either of those is not helpful. I agree with Sam Storms that “it will not accomplish anything good to deny what Scripture so clearly asserts, that God is absolutely sovereign over all of nature”.

We must boldly assert everything that Scriptures say about suffering and evil and pain. Therefore we can say that God is sovereign and He is good. Somehow the events of Moore, Oklahoma will work together for the good of His children and to the furtherance of His glory. But we are not wise enough to connect the dots. Any pontificating about “why” this happened is likely foolish.

Someday we will no longer have tornados. Today we do. May we trust Him with the mystery that is in between.

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One of the things that we can do in the “in-between” is give and serve. One of the best organizations as far as responding to disasters is the SBC Disaster Relief. You can donate here.

John Newton On the Boston Bombers

There was no little turmoil in the world in 1801. England was only a few years removed from the Revolutionary War and now they faced the ever-increasing advance of Napoleon Bonaparte’s rule. Newton, writing to Hannah More, reflects upon the times:

He does and will overrule all the designs of men for the furtherance and accomplishment of his holy plan. Not only his friends but his enemies contribute to it. The wrath of man, so far as it is permitted to act, shall praise him, and the remainder of their wrath, whatever they mean more than is subservient to his purpose, He will restrain…We, perhaps, have been tempted almost to wish that some persons had not been born, or had been taken away before they had opportunity of doing so much mischief, but what the Lord said to Pharaoh will apply to all like-minded, ‘For this very cause have I raised thee up.

Words like this usually draw sharp criticism in our day. How in the world can we say that the Boston bombers are somehow instruments in the hands of Almighty God? Doesn’t this make God evil and wicked? How could we serve such a God?

Such questions are tough. And I don’t know all of the answers to them. But at the end of the day I find comfort in the words of Newton, especially these:

When I consider all second causes and instruments as mere saws and hammers in the workman’s hands, and that they can neither give us pleasure nor pain, but as our Lord and Savior is pleased to employ them, I feel a degree of peace and composure.

Suffering is tough. Easy answers do not suffice. It seems that every day we open a newspaper some new story of suffering is unfolding. Abortion clinics, bombers, train wrecks, explosions, tsunamis, on and on the litany of pain continues. We either believe that God’s drama is somehow unfolding or we believe that He’s a reactionary. I don’t understand all the implications of it but I believe Scripture paints the first picture. 

Newton went on to say, “how little can we judge of this great drama by a single scene!”. We don’t have all the answers and that is intentional. But somehow we have to trust that God has a good purpose in all suffering.

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For a more complete treatment of this theme I would invite the reader to check out my book, Torn to Heal, which releases tomorrow.

When Jesus Looks Like a Failed King

And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”

I don’t blame John for his question. Actually I identify with it. Sitting in a discouraging prison, looking upon a world that seems the opposite of Jesus’ rule, shaking his head wondering if maybe this isn’t the Mighty One that would baptize with the Spirit.

I wonder what John thought the world would look like once the Mighty One began His reign? Did he picture rejoicing throughout the land? Did he believe that Jesus would quickly overthrow his enemies and put justice in its place? Certainly he did not envision himself shackled by a wicked Roman ruler.

I understand why he asked that question. John’s world didn’t look like one painted by the Loving Messiah. It looked the opposite. And that discouraged him and caused him to question everything he knew to be true. I understand John’s question because I have asked it myself.

Is Jesus really overturning darkness? Is he really the One that He says that He is? John’s prison stay caused him to question Jesus’ identity and the validity of His reign.

A different prison

Fast forward a couple decades. A follower of Jesus, named Paul, is housed in a prison much like John the Baptist. Here is his response:

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel…Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Rather than seeing his prison time as a hindrance to the kingdom of God, Paul saw it as a beautiful plan. You see, Paul wasn’t chained to a Roman guard in prison. A Roman guard was chained to the gospel. And once his shift changed a new unsuspecting victim would be handcuffed to Paul, who would then lovingly proclaim the gospel of Jesus.

Paul was able to see the reign of the Mighty One through prison bars. John saw it as defeat. My natural tendency is to be more like John the Baptist. (I am a Baptist, after all). I tell my daughter to watch out for the thorns while she smells a rose. I’m prone to darkness and discouragement. But the gospel transforms our natural tendencies.

The difference Maker

The difference between John the Baptist and the apostle Paul is the resurrection and the outpouring of the Spirit. I live in the age of Paul’s prison—not in the excuse of John’s.

Jesus’ answer to John is the same to use today. “Look…darkness is being overturned”. He’s also saying, “…blessed is the one who is not offended by me”. Which means, “blessed is the one that trusts me in prison instead of questioning my identity and the validity of my reign, just because I’m accomplishing my kingdom purposes in a way that flies in the face of everything you expected me to do”.

God is overturning your darkness and the darkness of our world. At times it doesn’t look like it, but that prison cell might be the very means that God uses to shovel dirt onto a defeated devil.

Why Ministers Need the Wilderness

“It takes a crucified man to preach a crucified Savior.” –Alexander Maclaren

“I abhor the thought of God being robbed of his glory…” That was part of the response that a young man was giving in one of my seminary classes. I shudder as I type the latter part of his comment. “…and if that means the damnation of infants then so be it”.

It’s not my concern to throw this dude under the bus. Truthfully, I see some of myself in him. Getting so wrapped in theology, idealism, and the way things ought to be that I forget the way that things actually are. Grace will likely grab hold of this young man and transform him. Jesus has a way of doing that. While we roll our eyes at statements like this (and maybe rightly so) Jesus moves in and administers grace. Grace that crushes…but grace still.

I was concerned that day as I thought about this young man pastoring a church. I was worried for him and for his congregation. Mostly because broken men don’t say things like that. Even if it were theologically true, broken men just don’t speak like that. As I’ve gone through seminary for a few years now I am becoming convinced that students should have to spend at least one semester in the furnace of suffering before we can graduate.

Jesus was 30…

And he didn’t start his public ministry until he was in the wilderness. The wilderness is necessary. As are the wilderness temptations. There in his, dare I say, weakness, Jesus was confronted with the full onslaught of hell.

• Would he trust in God’s sufficient Word or would he rely on a quicker fix?
• Would he plod along God’s redemptive (though rocky) road or would he sell-out to the flash?
• Would he remain faithful to serving the Lord, careful to follow the God-ordained means or would he take the shortcut with no suffering?

Jesus conquered Gethsemane and embraced the Cross because he had already won that victory in the wilderness. The same applies to ministers today. It is in the wilderness that we learn to rely upon the Lord, to trust His narrow and often frightening path.

A broken minister

When the Lord bruises a man in the wilderness he doesn’t hide behind “correct theology” and call it “just speaking the truth”. He, with dust in his throat, simply holds the hand of the mother who lost her infant. He weeps with her. With nothing to say. No sermon to give. No lesson to be learned. No pontificating about the Lord’s glory. A broken man knows how to be silent and speak with only his empathetic brokenness.

Seminaries and churches that are training ministers ought to be careful about unleashing an unbroken man onto a congregation. Put him in the wilderness for awhile. Ministers need the wilderness.

Life After the Fires of Affliction

Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. –Isaiah 48:10

It was a terrific dog. For three whole weeks I had spent my time in 8th grade Art class crafting this marvelous ceramic dog. Now only one step stood between Fido and a sweet blue ribbon. That final step…cue the drums and dark music…was the furnace.

Fido didn’t make it. He kind of made it. But not really. He lost a leg, a tail, and his ears folded over. Truth be told he went into the furnace as a beautiful dog and came out the other end as a three-legged pig.

I had only one option. Fido’s dog days had to be over. He’d now have to become Wilbur the pig. So I put on him a curly tail, a new leg, and tweaked his face a little. One quick trip into the kiln and out came Wilbur the pig that used to be a dog.

The moral of the story: The furnace of affliction changes us.

As believers the Lord puts us into the furnace of affliction for our good and His glory. It is in the furnace of suffering that he chisels away our impurities. It is here that we become more moldable and easier to be used for His glory. We often go into the furnace as an arrogant dog, sure to win first prize. We come through the other end a maimed pig--but a maimed pig that is more fit to be used for God’s glory and more receptive to enjoying God.

Yet I find in my heart a terrible tendency on the other side of the kiln. After I’ve been through the season of affliction I expect things to soon return to normalcy. “Normalcy” meaning life before the kiln. I long for things to go back to how they were before the furnace.

But it can’t. Life can’t go back to how it was because I am no longer who I was when entering the furnace. And I’m not meant to be. Nor should I want to be. The furnace is meant to strip away the old and shape us into who God wants us to be.

When I come out the other end of the furnace I’m not charged with getting my life back to how it was before the season of affliction. I am charged with learning to live and walk and breathe in the new. Trying to live like Fido doesn’t work when God decided Wilbur the pig was a better option.

Walk in the new.

When Cancer Hi-Jacks Your Reunion

A little over a year ago Jason Taber had supper with his sister, Tonya. This was no ordinary meal. This was the first time they had met. On Jason’s 38th birthday he reached out to his sister for the first time in his life.

Now, one year later Jason stands beside Tonya’s hospital bed as she is fighting complications from Hodgkins lymphoma*. Their story is a testimony of God’s grace and the uniting power of the gospel. Jason was kind enough to share his story with us.

Jason, can you share the back story to your relationship with Tonya? What inspired you to finally reach out to Tonya?

My birth father left me when I was a baby. I learned that I was adopted at the age of 12 or 13. I first learned that Tonya existed when she first got married about 13 years ago. I had always stayed away because I assumed that the family wanted nothing to do with me. In reality Tonya had known about me her whole life, and had prayed for the day that we would meet.

God had been working in my heart for awhile about my propensity to isolate when things get difficult. One Sunday a man from our church shared his testimony of reaching out to his estranged daughter. On November 22, 2011, my 38th birthday, I finally decided to contact Tonya. I feared that it would be awkward. It has been everything but that; it is as if we had known each other those 37 years.

Shortly after our reunion I met my dad for the first time. Or rather I saw him for the first time, he was lifeless on a hospital bed. Tonya’s relationship with him had been fractured. We were able to be there for one another during this time.

When was Tonya diagnosed with cancer?

Tonya was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in October of 2012, just under a year of our first meeting.

What was your initial reaction?

My first reaction was a mixture of fear, anger and confusion. I was terrified to lose this person that I had just found. We had quickly filled empty spots in each others lives and become extremely close. I was also very angry and confused with God. I could not understand why He would bring us together only to take her away from me. That along with other setbacks in my life made me pull away from God and those close to me. I was becoming bitter.

About a week ago Tonya had some major complications from the cancer. Can you tell us a little about this recent trial?

About two weeks ago Tonya experienced extreme fatigue from chemotherapy treatments. On February 10th she collapsed in the shower. She was admitted to the hospital the next day. At first the doctors assumed they were treating dehydration and other deficiencies due to her weakened immune system. Little did they know an infection had taken hold, with her body having no way to fight it. On February 15th, Tonya developed a fever and labored breathing. They quickly determined that she had fluid in her lungs and feared she could be septic. Within hours she crashed, with her blood pressure dangerously low and unable to breathe.

I received the call that she had been rushed to ICU, and I needed to come quickly. Shortly thereafter the decision was made to put her on a ventilator. Things looked very bleak. For three days she was under constant sedation as they tried to kill the infection in her body. On Monday the 18th they awoke her from sedation. It took me 2 hours to get her to open her eyes. She has steadily—actually quite miraculously—improved since then. From last Wednesday on she has improved leaps and bounds every day. (Tonya was actually released yesterday, to continue recovery at home).

How have you seen God's grace during this time? 

God's grace was evident in so many areas. Tonya's immune system was completely gone, medically speaking she should not have made it. The outpouring of prayer on Facebook and in churches all over the place was an act of grace. The cancer that had caused me to isolate from God and other unbelievers, had now by the grace of God drawn hundreds of believers to my side to encourage me. There is no way on my own volition I would have done that. God was gracious to draw me to Him, and believers to me when I needed it most. It was by God's grace that Tonya received amazing care. Doctors somehow made the correct choices without even knowing what they were fighting at first.

How has this trial of suffering strengthened your relationship with Tonya? with the Lord? 

My relationship with Tonya was very strong to begin with, but this situation has made it even stronger. We lived 37 years without being able to be there for each other. We both suffer from abandonment issues due to our history with our dad. He wasn't there for her much more than he was for me. Tonya knows now that even in the worst circumstances, I will never leave her side. Watching my sister through a window, many mornings at 3 or 4am, struggling to just take each breath, made me realize just how much that I love this person.

These same times alone in the morning, also strengthened my relationship with God. I was at a point where I was helpless to do anything. All I could do was cry out to God to save my sister. Sometimes I didn't even have words, just sobs or tears. In the beginning, I felt alone without my sister. By the end, it was obvious that God has carried Tonya and the family through. We had given everything, we were drained and weary. He picked us up each time that we felt like we couldn't go on. I feel ashamed for pushing God away while I attempted to fix all my problems on my own. I have no doubt that it was only by God that Tonya was healed. His grace and love was so great that at times it felt like being hit by a truck. It was overwhelming each time Tonya was able to do something she had no business being able to do. This is one of those markers in life I can look back on and say “look what God did!”

What is one thing that you would say to estranged siblings?

For those who know they have a sibling out there, don't ever give up. Tonya prayed for years to have a relationship with me, her brother. For those scared to reach out, take the risk, it is worth it. For years, I missed out on a relationship with an incredible woman, my sister. I was held back by fear. We have a God who forgives, and who heals broken relationships. Pray!!!  I can't say enough about Tonya praying and the faithfulness of God to hear that prayer.

Lastly, how can people get involved? How can we pray?

Pray for Tonya to continue gaining strength. Also, she does still have cancer. Pray that she can get rid of the cancer when her strength returns. Pray also for her three young children.

If you are interested in further updates to the story, or to know how to pray with more information, you are invited to join the Praying for Tonya Hief page.

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*Tonya was actually released from the hospital yesterday to continue her recovery at home.

Seeing God’s Hand When He’s Holding the Hand of Another

It had been a really bad few years for the Israelites. And in the midst of this intense suffering the Lord says to them through the prophet Isaiah:

“Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you…”

The Lord promised to Israel that she was special to him. He was going to rescue her and bless her abundantly.

And then He starts holding the hand of Cyrus. “Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped…” You don’t expect the name Cyrus in that sentence. You expect something like Hezekiah or Uzziah or some other Jewish sounding name. Not Cyrus.

And so the Lord holds the hand of Cyrus and causes him to make some serious bank. He blesses Cyrus in a way similar to what He said was going to happen for Israel. Certainly this would have caused great consternation for the faithful Israelites.

We have the advantage of history.

We can look back and read Isaiah as well as Ezra/Nehemiah and see how God used Cyrus to bless the Israelites. Cyrus was God’s instrument to fulfill His promises to the Israelites.

Yet I have to wonder what it looked like to the Israelites when they were actually living this. I know in my own life it seems as if the Lord is doing the exact opposite of the promises that He has made. It seems like rather than restoring us he is wrecking us. Sometimes the gospel of peace feels like everything but. From the outside it can look like the Lord is giving all of the fruit of His promise to those like Cyrus while His church is left to sift through ashes.

In my weaker moments I want to bicker and complain and try to tell the Lord that the way that He is shaping His church is totally backwards. “Why does He have to raise up a Cyrus? Why not a Hezekiah. Why can’t the sovereign and all-wise Lord of the universe fill His church with passionate and holy worshippers without all of these bumps along the way?” And to these bickering and foolish questions the Lord says:

Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles?’

There is beauty here that should calm my questioning heart. God can use even a Cyrus that doesn’t know Him to bless His church and fulfill His covenant promises. Everything in all of creation is at His disposal to actually accomplish the rich blessings that He has promised to us. This ought to cause great comfort. So when I see Him holding the hand of another, and I feel cast off to the side for a season, it is best for me to trust in His wisdom. And know that His holding the hand of another isn’t divorced from His earlier promise to do me much good.

Christ is Sweeter Than All Time-Eaten Pleasures

Confined to prison for preaching the gospel Samuel Rutherford writes of his sufferings and his hope of their result:

It is my aim and hearty desire that my furnace, which is of the Lord’s kindling, may sparkle fire upon standers-by, to the warming of their hearts with God’s love. The very dust that falleth from Christ’s feet, His old ragged clothes, his knotty and black cross, are sweeter to me than king’s golden crowns, and their time-eaten pleasures…Oh that men were taken and catched with his beauty and fairness! they would give over playing with idols, in which there is not half room for the love of one soul to expiate itself. And man’s love is but heart-hungered in gnawing upon bare bones, and sucking at dry breasts. (From the Letters of Samuel Rutherford)

Even Our Suffering Can’t Provide The Redemption We Need

     O LORD, in distress they sought you;
        they poured out a whispered prayer
        when your discipline was upon them.
    Like a pregnant woman
        who writhes and cries out in her pangs
        when she is near to giving birth,
    so were we because of you, O LORD;
        we were pregnant, we writhed,
        but we have given birth to wind.
    We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth,
        and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.
(Isaiah 26:16-18 ESV)

One of the most special days of my life was the day that my wife gave birth to our son*. One of the most trying days of my life was that same day. I forget how many hours of labor she endured but I remember it was difficult. Not the worst pregnancy in the history of mankind but far from the easiest. As a man that deeply loves his wife, I hate to see her suffer. And for about 5 out of the 9 months of that pregnancy it was very difficult for my wife.

Yet, as any parent knows once that baby is born every bit of suffering is worth it. Forgive me for being crass here. But I can’t imagine what it would have been like to have waited nine months, to have endured the agonizing labor, and then to only deliver what amounts to a passing of gas.

Yet, this is what Isaiah the prophet says of Israel. They were to be God’s means of restoration and deliverance in the world. They were to spread the glory of God throughout the world and replace the prideful boasting of men with the humble worship of Yahweh.

They failed.

Miserably.

There were times when they seemed as if they would produce that which they were created to produce. They writhed and moaned as a woman about to give birth. They went through great suffering for the purpose of accomplishing redemption and all they produced was a mighty wind. This is because our suffering, by itself, can not accomplish or provide the redemption that we need.

Simply put only a righteous sufferer is in a position to suffer on behalf of another. The suffering of the fallen is a mere consequence of their position. Only the Suffering Servant is fit to have “the iniquity of us all” laid upon his shoulders. Therefore, all of our writhing and whispered prayers of suffering cannot accomplish the deliverance that we so need. Israel failed in her mission because she failed to be righteous.

Only in Christ

Thankfully, where Israel failed Christ succeeded. Christ was without sin and therefore in a position to suffer on behalf of another. His suffering produced far more than a mighty wind. His suffering does accomplish deliverance in the earth. His suffering does overturn the works of the evil and makes the inhabitants of the world to fall and the redeemed of the Lord to rise anew (see Isaiah 26:19-21).

Christ not only redeemed our souls he also redeemed our suffering. We no longer suffer and give birth to the wind. Because the Suffering Servant has chosen to unite Himself with us our suffering is now linked to His redemptive sufferings. What once produced wind now floods the world with the glory of a risen King.

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*Of course the birth of my daughter was just as special. But it doesn’t fit the second sentence referring to the fear and difficulty of Isaiah being born. Therefore, I mention only my son.

Evil Doesn’t Make Sense

It’s Monday.

We’ve mourned through the weekend the tragedy of Newtown, CT. On Monday people will begin giving solutions. We will offer suggestions for change. We will map out strategies for preventing such actions from happening again. We will continue to ask questions, but on Monday we will begin trying to solve them. Today we will try to make sense of this madness.

And it is with such resolve to make sense of evil that I am reminded of these words from Christopher J.H. Wright:

“God, with his infinite perspective, and for reasons known only to himself, knows that we finite human beings cannot, indeed must not ‘make sense’ of evil.  For the final truth is that evil does not make sense.  ‘Sense’ is part of our rationality that in itself is part of God’s good creation and God’s image in us.  So evil can have no sense, since sense itself is a good thing.”

“Evil has no proper place within creation.  It has no validity, no truth, no integrity.  It does not intrinsically belong to the creation as God originally made it nor will it belong to creation as God will ultimately redeem it.  It cannot and must not be integrated into the universe as a rational, legitimated, justified part of reality.  Evil is not there to be understood, but to be resisted and ultimately expelled.  Evil was and remains an intruder, an alien presence that has made itself almost (but not finally) inextricably ‘at home.’  Evil is beyond our understanding because it is not part of the ultimate reality that God in his perfect wisdom and utter truthfulness intends us to understand.  So God has withheld its secrets from his own revelation and our research.”

“Personally, I have come to accept this as a providentially good thing.  Indeed, as I have wrestled with this thought about evil, it brings a certain degree of relief.  And I think it carries the implication that whenever we are confronted with something utterly and dreadfully evil, appallingly wicked, or just plain tragic, we should resist the temptation that is wrapped up in the cry, ‘Where’s the sense in that?’  It’s not that we get no answer.  We get silence.  And that silence is the answer to our question.  There is no sense.  And that is a good thing too.”

“Can I understand that?  No.  Do I want to understand that?  Probably not, if God has decided it is better that I don’t.  So I am willing to live with the understanding that the God I don’t understand has chosen not to explain the origin of evil, but rather wants to concentrate my attention on what he has done to defeat and destroy it.” (42-43, The God I Don’t Understand)

Wright’s entire book is a great reflection on the tough questions of our faith. It is one of the best books that I have read on the topic. You can buy it today.

What Will End the Hate?

I have a long list of things to do today. I can’t seem to do any of them. Maybe that’s acceptable. I am fixated on the news out of Connecticut today. The reports are early but what we know as of right now is that a 24 year old man shot his mother a kindergarten teacher as well as her class.

I can’t stomach this. I have a little boy that is 4 years old going into kindergarten next year. I have watched him play with his preschool class after I dropped him off. Such naivety and youthful vigor. I cannot image the gruesome scene at Connecticut. This one hurts because I’m wondering what if this were my little boy. After I write this I’m going to pack up my work and go home and give him a huge hug.

Rainn Wilson (from TV’s The Office) tweeted in response to the tragedy:

My heart is just broken for those poor kids! Those poor families! Praying for them & to end this hate & violence.

I think most all of us want that. To live in a world that is no longer filled with hate and violence. Or better yet to live in a world where we hate what we ought to hate and love what we ought to love. This begs a question.

What will bring that about?

Shortly after posting this Rainn Wilson’s twitter feed was filled with discussion about gun control. Undoubtedly there will be many that respond to this tragedy by saying that we ought to have better gun laws. Others will say that we need to teach our children more about tolerance, love, and acceptance instead of hate. And there may be some truth to these.

Some will blame this young man’s battle with depression. If we could only get better help to struggling teens. If we could keep them on their medicine. And there is probably an element of truth to this as well.

There will be others, people that are more from my camp, that will use this tragedy and say that we ought to have more prayer. And certainly we do. Others will blame those that have “taken God out of the schools”. They will blame our nations abandonment of Christian values. And they probably have great points too.

But I don’t think either of them really have the right answer. What will bring about the end of hatred and violence?

It’s not a “what” it’s a “Who”. Only Jesus. It’s not gun laws, though that may help. It’s not getting prayer back in schools, though that may help. None of these can do what only Jesus can; namely, usher in His kingdom. God is in the process of rooting out of His kingdom all sin and unbelief and filling it with passionate worshippers. What happened in Connecticut today was a worship problem.

School shootings will not happen in a Redeemed Eden. And it won’t be because such a land will not have guns. Nor will it be because depression is wiped away. It won’t even be because a Redeemed Eden will honor the 10 Commandments. School shooting won’t happen in a Redeemed Eden because our hearts will be finally changed. Our worship problem will be no more. We will love and esteem that which is lovely. There will be no more hatred for things that ought not be hated. Our hearts will be held captive.

In the Meantime…

But we don’t live in a Redeemed Eden, do we? We don’t yet live in a place where our hearts are fully held captive. And so we will continue to have painful tragedies, like the school shooting today. Yes, Jesus is ushering in his kingdom, but today we are still waiting. What do we do in the meantime?

• Mourn with those who mourn. Don’t try to stick a band-aid on the problem. Comedian Jim Gaffigan had a great response when someone asked him what he was going to say to make everyone feel better. He simply wrote, “We shouldn’t”.
• Extend the Gospel. That’s the only answer. Not moralism. Not legislature. Not medicine. People need the gospel. Everything else is but a band-aid. While band-aids might be helpful they don’t heal only Jesus does that.
• Hug your children. Enjoy everyday of life as you have it. When the Lord gives us seasons to rejoice we had better take them. If you have children, go hug them.
• Maranatha! Wait for, prepare for, and long for the return of Christ. He alone will set this right. Cry to Him for redemption on this day. Knowing that someday He will wipe away every tear, and tragedies like this will be no more.

Front Row Seat To The Naked Idol Parade

…so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptian captives and the Cushite exiles, both the young and the old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, the nakedness of Egypt. Then they shall be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their hope and of Egypt their boast. Isaiah 20:4-5

One of the most loving things that the Lord does is parade our idols naked down the street. Theologically we know this; but when the rubber meets the road I’m not so sure. Having a front row seat to the naked parade of your idols is painful. Often it is painful because there are floats in this parade that you are shocked to see exposed. Good things that become ultimate things and therefore must be exposed for their emptiness.

A pastor does not expect to see his ministerial dreams come crushing down around him. Surely, ministry won’t be a float in this parade. A woman that dedicates herself to her family only to experience pain and bitter rejection, did not anticipate her family lining up for the naked idol parade. A wise businessman that does everything correctly still sees his fortune dwindle by the decisions of others; his idol is on display.

You and I have things in our life right now that we are questioning the Lord about. Things are crashing that we feel should not be crashing down around us. What is happening is that the Lord is giving us a front row seat to our naked idol parade. Yet, we are quite acute at renaming it and removing the Lord as the master of ceremonies. Certainly, this suffering is only the result of natural forces. Maybe, it is the consequence of a poor economic philosophy. Perhaps even, it is the enemy attempting to rob the Lord of his glory.

Oddly enough those adventures in renaming are usually partially correct. Yet, the Lord remains as the master of ceremonies and he has called us to a front row seat in our naked idol parade. If we are sensible we will be dismayed and ashamed ourselves as we see the emptiness of those that we trusted exposed for their emptiness. We’ll ask ourselves, “if this is what has happened to those in whom we hoped and to whom we fled for help to be delivered…how shall we escape?”

This is supremely loving

One of the most loving things that the Lord can do for us is give us a luxury suite to view this shameful parade. It is loving because our idols really are empty. They really are in themselves nothings that cannot satisfy or rescue. The things that we create by our marred hands cannot rescue us from the plight created from those same hands. Rescue must come from elsewhere.

We are blind to this truth until our idols are exposed and shamed. If our idols really are empty it is supremely loving for the Lord to expose them; even if it requires immense pain to do that. Only Yahweh is real, can satisfy, and can rescue us. Until we endure this naked idol parade we will continue to think that we can find rescue in the Cush’s and Egypt’s of our day.

Watching our idols topple and being dashed by their flying debris is a painful experience. It can seem as if the Lord is set out to destroy us. It can feel as if the God of the universe is bent on our demise. The loving father is masked as a viscous killer. Yet, as Tim Keller rightly notes, “Sometimes God seems to be killing us when he’s actually saving us.” (Counterfeit Gods, 20)

Microwave Suffering

My wife has been really busy this past week putting together a Christmas play. This means that for the entire week I have been the chef of the house…which also means that our best meal of the week was either fish sticks or cheese pizza night. Most of the time I just find something to put in the microwave.

I’ve discovered that there are two types of TV dinners. One type you stick in for 4-5 minutes then have to turn something, or cut something, or stir something, and then put the thing back in for another 5 minutes. The second type, and my preferred type, is the one that allows you to stick a frozen dinner in the magic box, push a few buttons, wait 8 minutes, and then enjoy your now unfrozen dinner.

It seems to me that some believers—myself included—think that suffering is like the second type of microwave meal. When we are put into the furnace of suffering for a season we assume that we will come through the other end chiseled and no longer in need of suffering. It confuses us when the Master has to toss us around and then put us back into the kiln.

The Lord is very good and every stroke from His hand is for our good. Let us trust in Him no matter how many times He has to put us in the furnace. May we “rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame…”

It’s not an accident that “sufferings” is plural. We’ll undoubtedly have to endure many trips in and out of the furnace. Take heart, the Lord is radically dedicated to our good and He cares for us with infinite wisdom. I’d prefer one trip and I’m done. But the Lord would have me to be better cooked than that.

Uncomfortable Grace is Still Grace

I forget if it was college or the latter years of high school. Whenever it was, I prayed something really stupid. You see I looked around at many of my friends that were able to do whatever they wanted to do and it seemed they were able to do it without even a tinge of guilt. Not me. I had what seemed like an angry bear of conviction that would pummel my soul and emotions whenever I would engage in sinful activities. My prayer in that day was that the Lord would simply leave me alone and let me do what I wanted to do without feeling so badly.

Stupid…stupid…stupid prayer. I was basically praying the Lord’s judgment on myself and I did not know it. I was acting like the Lord’s vineyard in Isaiah 5 and praying that the Lord would treat me the same:

    I will make it a waste;
        it shall not be pruned or hoed,
        and briers and thorns shall grow up;
    I will also command the clouds
        that they rain no rain upon it.
(Isaiah 5:6 ESV)

As I read through Isaiah 5 this morning I was reminded of my ignorance. I was painfully reminded that Isaiah 5 ought to be my story. There is absolutely nothing within me that does not deserve to be carried off and banished just as these Israelites were. I deserve for the Lord to not prune me, to lay me to waste, and to have His anger stretched out against me. I even prayed for it.

Thankfully the Lord in His grace disregarded my foolish prayer. He continued to hound me and prune me. He is molding me and shaping me into the creation of His desire. I am a vineyard…a stubborn vineyard…that He is radically dedicated to. Even His dry and painful seasons are meant for my redemption. May I think Him for every moment of His work.

If you are being convicted by the Lord today thank Him for it. Do not be dumb like I was years ago and pray for the Lord to remove His rod of conviction. Thank Him that He is still pruning you. And remember His uncomfortable grace is still grace. 

More Pious than the Bible

I am working on the finishing touches of my book, Torn to Heal: The Good Purpose of God in Suffering.  One of the difficulties that I am having is in determining how strong to use language in relation to God’s sovereignty over suffering.  I find great comfort and encouragement from D.A. Carson:

Some theologians are shocked by and express bitter reproach against other theologians who speak of God ‘causing’ evil in any sense.  At one level, they are to be applauded: everywhere the Bible maintains the unfailing goodness of God.  On the other hand, if you again scan the texts cited in this chapter, it must be admitted that the biblical writers are rather bolder in their use of language than the timid theologians! 

Little is gained by being more ‘pious’ in our use of language than the Bible is, and much may be lost.  By being too protective of God, we are in fact building a grid out of only a subset of the biblical materials, and filtering out some of what is revealed in the Bible about the God who has so graciously disclosed himself.  The result, rather sadly, is a god who is either less than sovereign or less than personal, either incompetent and frustrated or impassive and stoical.  But the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is utterly transcendent and passionately personal.  These are among the ‘givens’ of Scripture, and we sacrifice them to our peril. (How Long O Lord?, 199-200)

Pray for me as I continue writing this book.  Pray that the Lord would rescue me from being a timid theologians that attempts to be more pious and wise than the Bible itself.  Pray that the Lord would help me to trust the sufficiency of His Word and to point people to the only means of healing for suffering there is; namely, the Lord Jesus Christ.  People will not be helped by neat theology.  Nor will they be helped by muddy theology.  People will only be helped by theology that exalts Christ and leads to union with Him. 

5 Reasons “I Declare” @JoelOsteen Deadly

Earlier today I looked at Joel Osteen’s new book “I Declare”.  I closed by saying that I would give at least 5 reasons why Osteen’s teaching isn’t just smiley ignorance but is damnable serpent talk.  That might seem strong.  Other might wonder why I’m even bothering with an article like this.  I hope you see why by the end of the article. 

1. It tarnishes an actually good practice.  This is actually the main reason that I decided to tackle this particular Osteen book.  I speak frequently about the benefit of preaching the gospel to ourselves.  Though it’s as different as night and day Osteen’s practice could easily be confused with preaching the gospel to yourself.  I don’t want people to read Osteen’s book and think, “oh, this is what Pastor Mike is talking about”.  No, it’s not.  I’m talking about preaching the bloody-Cross gospel and not the smiley-prosperity non-gospel. 
2. It leads to a wrong focus.  Go here.  Look at all of the declarations.  Now match that up with biblical ambitions.  Jesus said, “you’ll know them by their fruits”.  It looks to me that for the most part the fruit of “I Declare” is turning God into a big magical genie that grants our wish in 5 years time.  I’ve yet to determine what would be worse, if these people actually get their wish or if their hopes are dashed.  Either way I hope that each of them are thrown to the merciful feet of the Savior. 
3. It kills missions and feeds American consumerism instead of crucifying it.  Jesus talked about the dangers of barn building.  Looking at all of the “I declares” it seems to me that these people will have really nice barns but very little eternal treasure.  The big “dreams” in the Scriptures dealt with extending the glory of God to the ends of the earth and often through suffering saints.  It had little to do with spreading American prosperity and extending our feeble man-centered individualistic dreams.
4. It’s idolatry.  The idolatry is so vast in this that it’s hard to really pinpoint the idol.  Honestly, I think the “idol” might be a jacked up view of faith and the bowing down is to a Santa Claus Jesus.  Just think about what the “glory” goes to in the midst of success.  Joel’s principles?  My faith?  These declarations?  It’s disgusting and robs the Lord of His glory. 
5. It mocks the suffering.  Awhile back Joel Osteen tweeted, “Your life will always follow your thoughts. If you always think positive, you'll be positive”.  Jared Wilson aptly responded “So suck it up, AIDS orphans”.  Jared’s tongue in cheek exposes the problem with Osteen’s serpent philosophy.  This junk doesn’t work in a land ravaged by AIDS and filled with orphans.  In fact it mocks them.  If only they would put these declarations in place then they could have American prosperity.

I know that Joel Osteen can make you feel really good about yourself.  He seems like such a nice and innocent guy.  But he’s not.  He’s an idolater and a false teacher.  I’ll close with a response that I offered to someone accusing me of throwing stones at prosperity teachers. 

…my intention is not to throw stones for the sake of throwing stones. But to throw stones at a wolf that is trying to convince the sheep to drink poison.