Luke 19:48
All the people were hanging on his words.
People hung themselves on Jesus' words. Quite literally, many came to throw their lives on to Him as their sole source of stability like a picture frame on a wall. But also, figuratively, many died to themselves in order to live to what Jesus was saying. They marched their former lives up to the gallows and received themselves back anew to follow Him in the newness of resurrection.
Either way, Jesus is a fixed reality upon which you can hang yourself.
Ecclesiastes 12:11
The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd.
Friday, August 9, 2019
Thursday, August 8, 2019
day no. 14,899: risky business
The parable of the talents is recorded by Matthew in chapter 25. However, in Luke's telling of this parable, he includes this interesting instructional detail.
Luke 19:13
Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, "Engage in business until I come."
Engage in business until Jesus comes back: invest, spend, plan, project, calculate ROI, save, reinvest, etc....But whatever you do, don't do nothing. Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly. Do not aim at poor stewardship, but if the choice is between a risky investment opportunity and a safe bet buried in a hole, choose the risky investment. Do not settle for disengaged sure things. Rather, engage in the business of being about God's business. Be in His employ. Consider yourself on His payroll and work hard as though you're working for the Lord Himself.
Colossians 3:23-24
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
Luke 19:13
Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, "Engage in business until I come."
Engage in business until Jesus comes back: invest, spend, plan, project, calculate ROI, save, reinvest, etc....But whatever you do, don't do nothing. Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly. Do not aim at poor stewardship, but if the choice is between a risky investment opportunity and a safe bet buried in a hole, choose the risky investment. Do not settle for disengaged sure things. Rather, engage in the business of being about God's business. Be in His employ. Consider yourself on His payroll and work hard as though you're working for the Lord Himself.
Colossians 3:23-24
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
day no. 14,898: how do I know?
The following quote comes from THIS article.
"No one goes to hell for being a homosexual. How do I know? Because no one goes to heaven for being a heterosexual." - J.D. Greear
At first glace, this may appear to be rock solid, well-would-you-look-at-that, straight up the middle, logic. But run that play, only this time, let's change the jerseys.
"No one goes to hell for being a homophobic, racist, misogynist. How do I know? Because no one goes to heaven for being an affirming, color-blind, feminist."
Or more generically...
"No one goes to hell for doing something. How do I know? Because no one goes to heaven for doing something else."
Or even more absurd...
"No one go to hell. How do I know? Because no one is going to heaven."
If homosexuality is not a sin because heterosexuality is not a virtue, then homophobia is not a sin because open-mindedness is not a virtue. But homophobia is most certainly counted as a sin in the sense that to be accused of being homophobic is accompanied by an admonition to repent. The priests of the Spirit of the Age stand at the ready to excommunicate all sinners of this brand.
The absurdity of this line of thought is obvious when applied to any other sin. The adjectives I chose to use earlier, "homophobic, racist and misogynistic" were not happenstance. There are few topics that tie evangellyfish into knots more than sexual orientation, racial reconciliation and gender segregation. And yes, I know the word, "segregation" has now been relegated to the naughty word list, but it's the right word. Men and women are the not the same thing and if you think that's a bad thing, then you've got one foot in the woke hole and one foot on a banana and things don't typically get less slippery once you begin to slide.
The effeminatti have somehow wormed their way so deeply into the logic of otherwise Bible-believing people, that homosexuality is now thought of as, "just another sin." In the James 2:10 sense tof that sentiment, of course, that is true. But all of us in this argument have Bibles and already understood that. The recent hooplahs have not been about stressing that point. It has been about stressing an entirely new and foreign point, tacked onto the previous like a pork-barrel politic, that homosexual desire is not, in itself, a sin.
Greear's logic here would be, "Homosexual desire is not a sin. How do I know? Heterosexual desire is not a virtue."
But that is where he is wrong. Heterosexual desire can be virtuous, whereas homosexual desire cannot. There is a context in which heterosexual desire can be expressed in clean conscience before God and man. There is no context in which homosexual desire can be. That is because the desire itself requires repentance, not acceptance. And this cannot be assuaged by stating, "Hey, it's not like I'm going to act upon the desire!"
Again, run that play with different jerseys.
"I am a racist, but it's not like I'm going to act upon it."
"I am a sexist, but it's not like I'm going to act upon it."
"I am a homophobe, but it's not like I'm going to act upon it."
In each and every one of these scenarios, we recognize the error in the orientation. It is not OK to remain a racist even if you don't act upon it. It is not OK to be a sexist, even if you don't do anything about it. These are not orientations or states of being that we tolerate others holding on to or identifying with without exception. We drive deep to the root on these and see the problem for what it is -- a heart level sin which needs to be confessed as sin and repented of as sin.
So apply that logic now to homosexuality. It is not OK to provide safe harbor to homosexual desires... even if you do not act upon them. The disposition needs to be confessed as sin, not coddled as OK.
And when we begin doing this, we will see real solid sin confessed and real solid forgiveness experienced.
"No one goes to hell for being a homosexual. How do I know? Because no one goes to heaven for being a heterosexual." - J.D. Greear
At first glace, this may appear to be rock solid, well-would-you-look-at-that, straight up the middle, logic. But run that play, only this time, let's change the jerseys.
"No one goes to hell for being a homophobic, racist, misogynist. How do I know? Because no one goes to heaven for being an affirming, color-blind, feminist."
Or more generically...
"No one goes to hell for doing something. How do I know? Because no one goes to heaven for doing something else."
Or even more absurd...
"No one go to hell. How do I know? Because no one is going to heaven."
If homosexuality is not a sin because heterosexuality is not a virtue, then homophobia is not a sin because open-mindedness is not a virtue. But homophobia is most certainly counted as a sin in the sense that to be accused of being homophobic is accompanied by an admonition to repent. The priests of the Spirit of the Age stand at the ready to excommunicate all sinners of this brand.
The absurdity of this line of thought is obvious when applied to any other sin. The adjectives I chose to use earlier, "homophobic, racist and misogynistic" were not happenstance. There are few topics that tie evangellyfish into knots more than sexual orientation, racial reconciliation and gender segregation. And yes, I know the word, "segregation" has now been relegated to the naughty word list, but it's the right word. Men and women are the not the same thing and if you think that's a bad thing, then you've got one foot in the woke hole and one foot on a banana and things don't typically get less slippery once you begin to slide.
The effeminatti have somehow wormed their way so deeply into the logic of otherwise Bible-believing people, that homosexuality is now thought of as, "just another sin." In the James 2:10 sense tof that sentiment, of course, that is true. But all of us in this argument have Bibles and already understood that. The recent hooplahs have not been about stressing that point. It has been about stressing an entirely new and foreign point, tacked onto the previous like a pork-barrel politic, that homosexual desire is not, in itself, a sin.
Greear's logic here would be, "Homosexual desire is not a sin. How do I know? Heterosexual desire is not a virtue."
But that is where he is wrong. Heterosexual desire can be virtuous, whereas homosexual desire cannot. There is a context in which heterosexual desire can be expressed in clean conscience before God and man. There is no context in which homosexual desire can be. That is because the desire itself requires repentance, not acceptance. And this cannot be assuaged by stating, "Hey, it's not like I'm going to act upon the desire!"
Again, run that play with different jerseys.
"I am a racist, but it's not like I'm going to act upon it."
"I am a sexist, but it's not like I'm going to act upon it."
"I am a homophobe, but it's not like I'm going to act upon it."
In each and every one of these scenarios, we recognize the error in the orientation. It is not OK to remain a racist even if you don't act upon it. It is not OK to be a sexist, even if you don't do anything about it. These are not orientations or states of being that we tolerate others holding on to or identifying with without exception. We drive deep to the root on these and see the problem for what it is -- a heart level sin which needs to be confessed as sin and repented of as sin.
So apply that logic now to homosexuality. It is not OK to provide safe harbor to homosexual desires... even if you do not act upon them. The disposition needs to be confessed as sin, not coddled as OK.
And when we begin doing this, we will see real solid sin confessed and real solid forgiveness experienced.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
day no. 14,897 continued... simple, succinct and straight forward
Luke 17:3
Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him
God commands to our weakness and for the benefit of others. So when He tells us to, "Pay attention to ourselves," He is not telling us to do that thing we so naturally do anyways. He isn't saying, "Pay more attention to what you want or fixate more on those things you wish for yourself." He would not have to command us to do that. We were going to do that anyways. And in other places (Matthew 10:38, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23, Luke 14:27, John 12:25, Revelation 12:11), He clearly condemns that kind of paying attention to ourselves as sin the likes of which must be repented of if we are to enter into discipleship with Him.
So what does Jesus mean then by commanding us to, "pay attention to ourselves!" The command is to take hold of yourself, which implies one must attempt to observe one self. Do not simply assume the high ground. Be willing to be wrong and be willing to tell other people that they are wrong. The best way to be prepared to rebuke another is by being able to hear the rebukes you are receiving. Also, make sure you are not harboring unforgiveness or withholding reconciliation from one who is turning back towards you. Do not let your mood keep you from receiving their return.
Neither withhold rebuke or forgiveness from your brother. Neither hold on to secret sin or hostility towards those who would dare hurt you. Resist the temptation to be too soft to rebuke or too hard to forgive.
Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him
God commands to our weakness and for the benefit of others. So when He tells us to, "Pay attention to ourselves," He is not telling us to do that thing we so naturally do anyways. He isn't saying, "Pay more attention to what you want or fixate more on those things you wish for yourself." He would not have to command us to do that. We were going to do that anyways. And in other places (Matthew 10:38, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23, Luke 14:27, John 12:25, Revelation 12:11), He clearly condemns that kind of paying attention to ourselves as sin the likes of which must be repented of if we are to enter into discipleship with Him.
So what does Jesus mean then by commanding us to, "pay attention to ourselves!" The command is to take hold of yourself, which implies one must attempt to observe one self. Do not simply assume the high ground. Be willing to be wrong and be willing to tell other people that they are wrong. The best way to be prepared to rebuke another is by being able to hear the rebukes you are receiving. Also, make sure you are not harboring unforgiveness or withholding reconciliation from one who is turning back towards you. Do not let your mood keep you from receiving their return.
Neither withhold rebuke or forgiveness from your brother. Neither hold on to secret sin or hostility towards those who would dare hurt you. Resist the temptation to be too soft to rebuke or too hard to forgive.
day no. 14,897: happy birthday dad and happy anniversary mom and dad!
Today, my dad, Teunis Van Voorst, turns 81. Congratulations! That is quite the accomplishment. And not only that, but it's a spry kind of 81. He is still out and about and riding horses and mowing lawns and all other kinds of recreational activities.
Today also marks the 42nd wedding anniversary of my parents, Teunis and Jacqueline Sue Van Voorst. That is quite the accomplishment as well.
Well done, family.
Today also marks the 42nd wedding anniversary of my parents, Teunis and Jacqueline Sue Van Voorst. That is quite the accomplishment as well.
Well done, family.
Monday, August 5, 2019
day no. 14,896: amateur hour and going pro
An amateur is someone who is interested in something, but not enough to pursue it whole-heartedly or put it into practice enough to develop experiential knowledge of having done something. An amateur wants to appear to be doing something without actually doing something about it. An amateur likes something enough to associate with it, but does not love it enough to do act upon it. An amateur will call this "like" by the name of "love," but it is more akin to "lust" which consumes, than "love" which constructs.
amateur (n.)
1784, "one who has a taste for some art, study, or pursuit, but does not practice it," from French amateur "one who loves, lover" (16c., restored from Old French ameour), from Latin amatorem (nominative amator) "lover, friend," agent noun from amatus, past participle of amare "to love." Meaning "one who cultivates and participates (in something) but does not pursue it professionally or with an eye to gain" (as opposed to professional) is from 1786
A professional is someone who puts into practice what they proclaim. They do what they say they want to do. They live their priorities, not just jot them down on post-its. Interest is not enough for the professional. Interest must express itself in action. A professional openly declares their affection and actively pursues it in demonstrable employment.
profess (v.)
early 14c., "to take a vow" (in a religious order), a back-formation from profession or else from Old French profes, from Medieval Latin professus "avowed," literally "having declared publicly," past participle of Latin profiteri "declare openly, testify voluntarily, acknowledge, make public statement of," from pro- "forth" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward") + fateri (past participle fassus) "acknowledge, confess," akin to fari "to speak," from PIE root *bha- (2) "to speak, tell, say."
Men were made to go pro. They are called to serve, provide, protect and procreate.
In providing, they are called to work hard and pursue a profession that provides enough resources to nourish the man, but also enough leftover to provide nourishment to those around him: wife, children, neighbor, church, community, etc...
In protecting, they are called to be proactive in assuming enmity between their constructive endeavors and the destructive desires of the world, the flesh and the devil. A man cannot be ignorant to this enmity or merely wait and react to the danger when it arrives. The man's plan cannot be:
1. There is no fight.
2. There might come a time when we might have to fight.
3. It’s too soon to fight
4. It’s too late to fight
The mantra of the proactive man ought to be, "the more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war." You protect what you love by proactively putting defensive measures into place.
In procreating, they are called to be prolific. (adj.) 1640s, from French prolifique (16c.), from Medieval Latin prolificus, from Latin proles "offspring" + combining form of facere "to make, to do" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). Latin proles is contracted from *pro-oles, from PIE *pro-al-, from *pro- "forth" (see pro-) + root *al- (2) "to grow, nourish." Related: Prolifical (c. 1600).
Men must be looking to reproduce and make disciples that make disciples. They must be pouring into other men, raising up future leaders, rearing their own children, and reproducing more men to fruitfully and faithfully fill the earth with God's image for God's glory and the good of their neighbors.
amateur (n.)
1784, "one who has a taste for some art, study, or pursuit, but does not practice it," from French amateur "one who loves, lover" (16c., restored from Old French ameour), from Latin amatorem (nominative amator) "lover, friend," agent noun from amatus, past participle of amare "to love." Meaning "one who cultivates and participates (in something) but does not pursue it professionally or with an eye to gain" (as opposed to professional) is from 1786
A professional is someone who puts into practice what they proclaim. They do what they say they want to do. They live their priorities, not just jot them down on post-its. Interest is not enough for the professional. Interest must express itself in action. A professional openly declares their affection and actively pursues it in demonstrable employment.
profess (v.)
early 14c., "to take a vow" (in a religious order), a back-formation from profession or else from Old French profes, from Medieval Latin professus "avowed," literally "having declared publicly," past participle of Latin profiteri "declare openly, testify voluntarily, acknowledge, make public statement of," from pro- "forth" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward") + fateri (past participle fassus) "acknowledge, confess," akin to fari "to speak," from PIE root *bha- (2) "to speak, tell, say."
Men were made to go pro. They are called to serve, provide, protect and procreate.
In providing, they are called to work hard and pursue a profession that provides enough resources to nourish the man, but also enough leftover to provide nourishment to those around him: wife, children, neighbor, church, community, etc...
In protecting, they are called to be proactive in assuming enmity between their constructive endeavors and the destructive desires of the world, the flesh and the devil. A man cannot be ignorant to this enmity or merely wait and react to the danger when it arrives. The man's plan cannot be:
1. There is no fight.
2. There might come a time when we might have to fight.
3. It’s too soon to fight
4. It’s too late to fight
The mantra of the proactive man ought to be, "the more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war." You protect what you love by proactively putting defensive measures into place.
In procreating, they are called to be prolific. (adj.) 1640s, from French prolifique (16c.), from Medieval Latin prolificus, from Latin proles "offspring" + combining form of facere "to make, to do" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). Latin proles is contracted from *pro-oles, from PIE *pro-al-, from *pro- "forth" (see pro-) + root *al- (2) "to grow, nourish." Related: Prolifical (c. 1600).
Men must be looking to reproduce and make disciples that make disciples. They must be pouring into other men, raising up future leaders, rearing their own children, and reproducing more men to fruitfully and faithfully fill the earth with God's image for God's glory and the good of their neighbors.
Sunday, August 4, 2019
day no. 14,895: sickness multiplies by corruption; soundness by reproduction.
Titus 1:16-2:1
They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.
Sickness multiplies by corruption; soundness by reproduction.
Everything increases. Either you get more sickness or more soundness. The difference, however, is that as sickness increases, it consumes more and more of what it needs in order to spread, eventually consuming the host entirely.
In other words, that which cannot go on forever, won't
But soundness increases by reproduction. It is making more of something. It turns oneness into thirty and sixty and even one hundred-foldness.
When it comes to marriage, oneness beats multiplication.
Oneness is more fruitful than multiplying spouses.
But when it comes to discipleship, multiplication beats division.
A husband and wife united will multiply disciples and see many raised up from within their walls and many reached from beyond their walls through hospitality and intentionality.
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