Author: Ben Taylor

Poker

What’s wrong with playing a game of poker, with a buy-in?

My friend pointed this out: we have no problem paying $10 for a movie ticket, where all we do with each other is sit adjacent and stare at a screen. Isn’t the benefit of an interactive, round-table game better? We get to read our friends, banter with them, laugh at and with them. There’s the rush of competition and the complexity of subtle glances and body language that teach us how to communicate in a group with finer nuance. It’s a better passtime at the same price.

Chance shouldn’t be taboo. Games are microcosms of the real world, and a game that integrates chance is simply reflective of the uncertainty and risk associated with our lives. There’s a reason why we say “He was dealt a pretty bad hand” when our friend is unfortunate.

Now, granted, there are those who become addicted to gambling, who develop dependence on the rush of taking the risk. I maintain that this is sin. However, as in many (all?) things, it is the improper elevation of something that is to be eschewed, not the thing itself. Avoiding the extreme, for many people, does not mean avoiding the action altogether.

Casting lots

The cast lot puts an end to strife
And decides between the mighty ones. (Proverbs 18:18)

I have grown up with a stigma against using chance to make decisions. However, I don’t think the Bible necessarily endorses this prohibition. Even the Urim and Thummim, parts of the adornment of the High Priest, were supposedly used to cast lots in making decisions. Now, casting lots haphazardly in order to avoid taking responsibility is one thing. But in a thoroughly considered, 50/50 split, what’s wrong with leaving it to chance? My powers of intellect and decision-making have this in common with the coin: their conclusions are both controlled by the Lord. Either, when properly consecrated to God, can be an effective means of decision making. 

The lot is cast into the lap,
But its every decision is from the LORD. (Proverbs 16:33)

The mind of man plans his way,
But the LORD directs his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

Who are international short-term missions trips for?

At a retreat in 2010, I heard some missionaries confess that they didn’t like international short-term teams coming to “help” them – they said that the teams came in and acted in ways that required clean-up by the missionary (without cultural sensitivity and with rash ambitions, for example). This helped form in me a skepticism for the effectiveness of short-term trips. We spend thousands of dollars in travel to go to another country for one short week, a portion of which is orientation, another portion of which is sightseeing, and all of which is impeded by language and culture barriers that require a team of translators etc. And how can you expect to develop relationship channels that lead to life change in one week? Highly inefficient.

And I’ve questioned the typical evangelical motivations for short-term missions too. How much do we go overseas because it’s a fun adventure? Is it tourism with religious banners? Is it simply easier to get psyched up and go love people far away, than it is to work at love with our neighbors day after day? Do we exonerate ourselves from the urgency of living missionally for 51 weeks a year because of we go all the way to the other side of the world for one week?

I just got back from a short term trip to Romania, into which I took the qualms above. I maintain some of them; however, while there, I saw one surprising, strong good that can come from short term missions. The short term team directly helped the Christians more than the pre-Christians. Our primary mission field was to the local believers, the field rep (“missionary”), and each other on the team.

The trip blessed the few local believers. We shared in duel-language worship songs at three Romanian churches, two in Gyspie villages (most of the songs were 10+ years old, like Michael W. Smith’s Awesome God). We exchanged testimonies and reminded each other that we are united in global cause for the Kingdom of God. It was like seeing reinforcements you didn’t expect from some foreign battlefield come and stand beside you and say, “We’ve got your back!” We got to see young people in Gypsie villages who were more excited about reading their Bibles than we were. They got to see people who would pay time and money to come to a more remote part of the world for the sake of the Gospel.

The trip also blessed the missionary. As a missionary you are a mature “hand” of the body that agrees to live on an extremity and receive less of the blood flow of community. You are subject to getting beat up and worn out because you, a hand, are sticking yourself into the kingdom of darkness more than, say, the shoulder or spleen. When we came we allowed him to identify with believers from his home culture, worship with us, take off his “ministry armor” for a bit and fellowship. Even the work we did in the Gypsie villages was more a help to the missionary than the people directly. Yes, we worked directly with the lost – we did medical visits and children’s activities. Yet this work was supplementary, support work that our field rep had been doing for eight years. Even though we didn’t see any conversions or people coming forward to ask more about Christianity, the trip was deemed successful, because we improved the rapport of the embeded missionary.

The trip also blessed the team itself. There were many individuals from all over the U.S. on our trip – they hadn’t met each other (except via Facebook) before arriving in country. And yet, by the end of the week, we were calling each other “our new family.” We forged relationships in one week that will stay with us perhaps our whole lives. We were able to vocalize and reinforce budding aspirations for long-term mission work. We had some characters on our team, yet we all came together as a tight-knit community filled with love and acceptance. That seems to me like a remarkable instance of the church fulfilling its purpose.

So, although I think international short term missions might not be the best-motivated or most efficient of all Great Commission expressions, it can do well as a “burst of reinforcement” within the Body of Christ. Perhaps we can reconceptualize the primary target of such trips to be our brothers and sisters out there, holding the difficult and lonely posts on the fringe of Christendom.

Four waves of change in missions

[This is by John Piper, from the Desiring God blog – read the original here.]

Wave #1: Putting world evangelization into the passions of a new generation.

Missional is the in word today. But missions is not always in the word. Missions means crossing an ethno-linguistic barrier (that may take 20 years) in order to root the gospel in a people that has no access to it. Missions strategizes to reach not just unreached people, but unreached peoples. “Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!” (Psalm 67:3). Wave #1 would result in missions becoming part of the DNA of missional.

Wave #2: Weaving the dark thread of hell back into the fabric of our compassion.

I pray that the watchword of world missions would become: We care about all suffering, especially eternal suffering. All these words count: suffering, eternal, especially, all, care, we. Each carries freight. Wave #2 would result in that freight being loaded into ten thousand gospel trains headed to the neighborhoods and the nations.

Wave #3: Blowing away misperceptions about what is needed in missions.

I pray that this conference would blow away the notion that missions can stay home now because all the nations have come to us. My neighborhood is currently reported by CityVision to be “the most ethnically diverse single neighborhood in America with 100+ languages spoken.” That changes a lot in the way we do missions. But one thing it does not change is the fact that the Joshua Project catalogues not a few hundred, but 6933 peoples globally without a self-sustaining gospel presence. Another misperception I would like to see blown away is that Westerners should just send money rather than go as missionaries. My paraphrase: Let others give their blood. We give our bucks. Realistically, most of the unreached peoples do not have anyone with better access to them than we have. “Unreached,” in its fullest sense, means: there’s no missionary in the people group to whom you could send money if you wanted to. So wave #3 would result in doing it all: missions to the unreached peoples that are here, support for missions from other sending churches, and especially mobilizing our own people to reach the thousands of people groups without access to the gospel.

Wave #4: Persuading pastors that a passion for the global glory of God is good for the saints at home.

If the light of your candle can shine ten thousand miles away, it is burning very bright at home. What kind of Christians do we want our churches to breed? Consider: Apathetic Christians, who spend most of their discretionary time in worldly entertainment, seldom pray, weep, or work for the reaching of the perishing peoples of the world. Do not coddle them. Confront them. Tell them to get a life. PG13 videos every other night leaves them spiritually powerless and empty. They need a cause big enough to live for. And die for. Wave #4 would make world missions the flashpoint for thousands of awakened Christians.

Lord, make me more strategic for the glory of Christ among the nations than I am able to think or imagine.

The church, minimum requirements

[Notes from a sermon series on the church by Matt Chandler at the Village Church.]

The basic requisites of a church, as agreed upon by almost all theologians, are (1) teaching the word of God, accurately, and (2) administering the sacraments, namely baptism and communion.

Add what extras you like, remove what fluff you dislike; teaching and the sacraments are the non-negotiable common denominator for what God’s people have done when they get together. I think it’s good to remind ourselves of the bottom lines. It helps us keep the upper decks in order.

In particular it’s a good reminder to us Baptists that baptism and communion aren’t afterthoughts or just nice old symbols – they’re the essence of being a local branch of the body of Christ. “Breaking bread,” home groups, outreach, should all orbit around the core.

Do-it-yourself apostolic prayers

These are examples of the prayers spoken by the apostles in scripture. They are always applicable to a person’s heart. I try to pray them often for myself and for others. Here they are in an easy-to-use, fill-in-the-blank format (hah).


Ephesians 3:17-18
Father, according to the riches of your glory,

1. Strengthen _________ with power through Your Spirit in their inner self, so that Christ may dwell in their heart through faith.
2. Firmly root and ground _________ in love.
3. Enable __________ to comprehend the dimensions of, and to know, the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge.
4. Fill up __________ to all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 1:17-19
God of my Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,

1. Give to _________ a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of yourself.
2. Enlighten the eyes of their heart so that they will know the hope of your calling, the riches of the glory of your inheritance in the saints, and the surpassing greatness of your power toward us who believe.

Romans 15:13
God of hope,

1. Fill _________ with all joy and peace in believing, so that they will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Dear Katy Perry

Dear Katy Perry,

I really like your music. I mean the sound of it. It’s great for jumping around in one’s room or blasting in your car. It’s very catchy and it has good beats and good harmonies.

But. I cannot listen to most of your music because your are vulgar and indecent. Your lyrics are lamentably  lascivious, lecherous, libertine, libidinous, licentious, loose, lustful, and lewd. You are always talking about having sex with guys and getting drunk and how they’re the best things ever.

I don’t agree – I’ve tried using sexual pleasure to satisfy me and it failed me and hurt me. I don’t appreciate you trying to get me to go back there and wallow in it again. It’s hard enough without your encouragement. So I am forced to change the station when I hear you come on the radio, and say goodbye to the awesome beat.

I’m told you started out as a Christian artist but went Pop because that’s where the money was. If that’s true, it’s quite a shame. (Check out Matthew 13, the Parable of the Sower, and put yourself in one of those categories.)

In any case, I will pray for you, because I know what does truly satisfy – a relationship with God through Jesus, the rescuer of your soul. I think it would be phenomenal if you turned to him and cast your hopes onto him – you’ve got a lot of reach and you could be a powerful influence for good. May the Lord grant your eyes to be opened to see him as the beautiful fountain he is.

Sincerely,

Ben Taylor

Dichotomy (I have converted)

Well, I searched the scriptures, searched the internet (found a thorough blog by Dr. Tim White), and talked to one of the elders at my church. I have converted to a dichotomistic view of man. Man is essentially two parts – a body and an immaterial, essential identity. Parsing the spirit and soul into two distinct entities is being overly mathematical.

Turns out that “spirit” and “soul” are used interchangeably and both perform the same functions throughout both Old and New Testaments. (e.g. departing at death, feeling pain, thinking, interacting with God’s Spirit…) That’s really the linchpin – no man’s speculation is worth as much as what the Bible seems to say about it.

The only exceptions are Hebrews 4:12, 1 Corinthians 14:14 and 1 Thessalonians 5:23. These can be explained as synonymic redundancy, for emphasis (in 1 Thess. 5:23, cf. Mark 12:30), or for literary style (in Hebrews 4:12; note the repeating of the synonymous pairs: “living and active” “soul and spirit” “joints and marrow” “thoughts and intentions”). 1 Corinthians 14:14 refers to the “mind” which is a component of the soul, not the same thing as the soul. It is easily arguable that the rational mind can be excluded from some functions of the inner self – “I suddenly found myself doing…”. Therefore, in light of the general trend of overlap throughout scripture, I assimilate these possible exceptions using the above explanations, and hold to the dichotomy perspective. 

Dichotomy revisited

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12, NASB

For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12, Amplified Bible

This is the only verse Are the conjunctive pairs in Hebrews 4:12 reiterative or contrastive?

If contrastive, he is comparing two similar but distinct entities. “Bill found there to be a difference between love and marriage.”
If reiterative, he is using two terms to indicate the distinction between two word-of-God-cleft halves of the same substance. “James Dobson can give a good breakdown of love and marriage.”

To what extent do psychē and pneuma overlap? We know they do some…

The Word of God is able to diïkneomai (go through, penetrate, pierce) achri (as far as/until; idea of a terminus) the merismos (separation, division)

There is no preposition “of” – is the division between these elements or of them (separating berries or cutting a pie)?

psyche and pneuma
harmos and myelos (both occur only here, probably refer to simply the “inner parts of human nature”)

Strong’s G5590 – psychē
ψυχή
Transliteration
psychē
Pronunciation
psü-khā’ (Key)
Part of Speech
feminine noun
Root Word (Etymology)
From ψύχω (G5594)
TDNT Reference
9:608,1342
Vines
View Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage
1) breath
a) the breath of life
1) the vital force which animates the body and shows itself in breathing
a) of animals
b) of men
b) life
c) that in which there is life
1) a living being, a living soul
2) the soul
a) the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions (our heart, soul etc.)
b) the (human) soul in so far as it is constituted that by the right use of the aids offered it by God it can attain its highest end and secure eternal blessedness, the soul regarded as a moral being designed for everlasting life
c) the soul as an essence which differs from the body and is not dissolved by death (distinguished from other parts of the body)

Authorized Version (KJV) Translation Count — Total: 105
AV — soul 58, life 40, mind 3, heart 1, heartily + 1537 1, not tr 2

Strong’s G4151 – pneuma
πνεῦμα
Transliteration
pneuma
Pronunciation
pnyü’-mä (Key)
Part of Speech
neuter noun
Root Word (Etymology)
From πνέω (G4154)
TDNT Reference
6:332,876
Vines
View Entry

Outline of Biblical Usage
1) the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son
a) sometimes referred to in a way which emphasises his personality and character (the “Holy” Spirit)
b) sometimes referred to in a way which emphasises his work and power (the Spirit of “Truth”)
c) never referred to as a depersonalised force
2) the spirit, i.e. the vital principal by which the body is animated
a) the rational spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides
b) the soul
3) a spirit, i.e. a simple essence, devoid of all or at least all grosser matter, and possessed of the power of knowing, desiring, deciding, and acting
a) a life giving spirit
b) a human soul that has left the body
c) a spirit higher than man but lower than God, i.e. an angel
1) used of demons, or evil spirits, who were conceived as inhabiting the bodies of men
2) the spiritual nature of Christ, higher than the highest angels and equal to God, the divine nature of Christ
4) the disposition or influence which fills and governs the soul of any one
a) the efficient source of any power, affection, emotion, desire, etc.
5) a movement of air (a gentle blast)
a) of the wind, hence the wind itself
b) breath of nostrils or mouth

[View this word in Trench’s Synonyms here.]
Authorized Version (KJV) Translation Count — Total: 385
AV — Spirit 111, Holy Ghost 89, Spirit (of God) 13, Spirit (of the Lord) 5, (My) Spirit 3, Spirit (of truth) 3, Spirit (of Christ) 2, human (spirit) 49, (evil) spirit 47, spirit (general) 26, spirit 8, (Jesus’ own) spirit 6, (Jesus’ own) ghost 2, misc 21