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The Spirit of Wind & Fire | Pentecost Sunday (Christ Church)

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INTRODUCTION

As we celebrate the Pentecostal gift of the Spirit to the church, which is how God created the church in its new covenant form, we should make a point to pay close attention to the way His arrival is described. And that means paying thinking carefully about the wind and to the fire. At that glorious day of Pentecost, the wind was heard and the fire was seen.

THE TEXT

“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire” (Matthew 3:11).

“John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire” (Luke 3:16).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

In these two passages, John the Baptist says basically the same thing, but we should still take note of the differences. In response to inquiries about whether or not he was the Christ, John replied that his baptism with water was nothing compared to the one who was coming. The coming one would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. In Matthew, John says that his water is “unto repentance,” and that he was not worthy to carry the coming one’s shoes. In Luke, he says that he was not worthy to undo the latchet of the coming one’s shoes. Because we are told that everyone was abuzz with the question about whether John was the Christ (Luke 3:15), there is no reason to assume that these are different renderings of the same quotation. John was no doubt asked the same question more than one time, and the gist of his answers was always consistent.

THE FEAST OF WEEKS

In the Old Testament, this festival was called the Feast of Weeks (Lev. 23:15; Deut. 16:9). The Greek name for it was Pentecost, from a word meaning fifty. The festival was calculated as landing fifty days after the wave offering that was lifted up at Passover. The celebration was over the conclusion of the grain harvest—it was a harvest festival, which God marked by bringing in a harvest of three thousand souls.

This fulfillment was inaugurated on the day of Pentecost when the disciples were all gathered in “one place” (Acts 2:1). The chances are good that this was the same place in which the Last Supper was held, which means that we have a “type scene” in which the conclusion of the Lord’s earthly ministry and the beginning of His Spirit-inspired ministry are bookended. “THE former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach . . . ” (Acts 1:1).

A MIGHTY RUSHING WIND

When the Spirit was poured out, the first thing we are told about it is that it sounded like a “rushing mighty wind” (Acts 1:2). Remember that the Greek word for Spirit (as in, the Holy Spirit) is the same word as the word for breath or wind. The Holy Spirit could be called, without irreverence, the Holy Wind. The sound was “from heaven” and it says the sound filled the house where they were sitting. This is what the Spirit loves to do—He loves to fill. The room was filled, and then the people in it were filled (Acts 2:4). Notice that this was the sound of such a wind—it is not that the furniture was blowing about.

It was a mighty wind that brought the plague of locusts to Egypt (Ex. 10:13). The enemies of God were driven like dust before the wind (Ps. 18:42). The Lord’s wind will unite the ancient nations (Is. 11:15). But the image of wind refers to more than just power—it means life in the Old Testament (Job 12:10), and the Spirit of life in the New (John 3:8).

We are told not to be drunk with wine, but rather to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). But it was this filling that made people wonder whether or not they were drunk (Acts 2:13).

THE PRESENCE OF THE GOD OF FIRE

The sound of wind came, but the appearance of that of cloven tongues of fire, resting on the heads of the disciples. Think of each of them as an altar, and the fire of sacrifice burning on the top of the altar.

The Lord appeared to Moses in a flame (Ex. 3:2). The Lord was a pillar of fire for the Israelites (Ex. 13:21-22). The glory of the Lord was a “devouring fire” on Sinai in the sight of all Israel (Ex. 24:17). The fire of God comes in judgment. “And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: And it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day” (Isaiah 10:17). “For our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29).

Fire also communicates holiness. “A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about” (Psalm 97:3). It is a holiness that cleanses. “But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap” (Mal. 3:2). We should want to receive the gold of God, the kind refined in fire (Rev. 3:18).

NOT MESSING AROUND

The prophet Amos declared “woe to them that are at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1). Having been given the gift of this wind and this fire—meaning that we have been given the gift of a Person who is like

this—we need to take care to keep in step with the Spirit. We are told to keep in step with the Spirit . . . “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25, ESV). But what does this mean? At a minimum, it means wind and fire.

“Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14).

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent” (Revelation 3:19).

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So Much Better Than The Angels (King’s Cross)

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INTRODUCTION

Forty days after Jesus rose from the dead, He ascended into Heaven. This is called the Ascension, and we celebrate that historical event on this Lord’s Day. The text before us says that the Ascension means that Jesus is so much better than the angels. Today we consider what that means.

The Text: “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son…” (Heb. 1:1-2:9).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

In the Old Testament, angels had been God’s more common messengers telling the prophets His Word (Heb. 1:1), but in the last days of the Old Covenant, God spoke directly by His Son, Jesus, the heir of the world by whom all things were made (Heb. 1:2). Being the brightness of God’s glory, the exact image of His person, and upholding all things, having purged our sins, He ascended and sat down on God’s own throne, far above all angels (Heb. 1:3-4).

Christ had a right to this glory because He is God’s own Son (Heb. 1:5). What angel is worthy of the worship of angels (Heb. 1:6)? Angels are certainly God’s ministers, but the Son sits on the throne of God and rules all things forever (Heb. 1:7-12). Angels are ministering spirits, but Christ reigns until all His enemies are put beneath His feet (Heb. 1:13-14).

Therefore, we must give far more earnest heed to His Word (Heb. 2:1). If God guarded His Word thundered by angels in the Old Testament, how much more jealous is He of the Word of His Son, even as it has been passed down by those who heard Him directly (Heb. 2:2-4)? The angels are not the ones inheriting the world; rather, this was God’s design for man, who was made a little lower than the angels but created to rule all things (Heb. 2:5-7). Jesus was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death in order to be crowned with glory and honor and bring many sons to glory (Heb. 2:8-10).

FOUR TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS TEXT

1. This text gives us a glimpse of a biblical cosmology: the angels were present and cheering when God laid the foundations of the earth (Job 38:6-8). Angels sometimes appear in human form (e.g. Gen. 19, Dan. 10), but also seraphim (fiery, dragon-like creatures) (Num. 21, Is. 6) and cherubim (sphynx-like creatures) (Ez. 10), as well as the “angel of the Lord,” a “theophany” of Christ Himself (Gen. 32, Ex. 3, Jdg. 13). Since angels are described as ministers and guardians of men, it seems likely that angels would have been like tutors for Adam and Eve (“a little lower than the angels”) (Ps. 34:7, 91:11, Mt. 18:10). Since Satan appears to be a fallen seraph, he was the original false teacher (2 Cor. 11:13-14). When man sinned, cherubim became guardians of God’s presence (Gen. 3:24, Ex. 36-37, Gal. 4), delivered the law (Gal. 3:19), and enforced His justice (Ps. 78:49, 1 Chron. 21). The only way back into God’s glory was through their swords, but no one could do that and survive.

2. So Hebrews is emphasizing the supremacy of the New Covenant by underlining the supremacy of Christ: No man or angel dares claim God’s majesty (Heb. 1:3). No man or angel dares sit on God’s throne (Heb. 1:8). No man or angel has laid the foundations of the earth or can claim to have made the galaxies (Heb. 1:10-12). No man or angel may say that his years will never fail (Heb. 1:12). No man or angel could taste death for sin and survive (Heb. 1:3, 2:9). To ascribe all these things to Christ is either perfectly just or utterly blasphemous. This is either a lie and fabrication, or it is delusional madness, or it is historical truth and reality. People try to split the difference and say that perhaps it was all a very pious mistake – they all had a very spiritual experience, and it changed their lives. But that isn’t what Jesus or the apostles said (e.g. Mk.10:37, Lk. 14:26, Heb. 1:13, 2:8). Either Jesus was a liar, a lunatic, or He is Lord.

3. If Jesus is God, His Word is the Word of God. Hebrews says that God has been speaking since the beginning in various ways (Heb. 1:1). And if there is a God and He has spoken at all, no human being may treat that casually, but if that God has now spoken clearly through His own Son, by whom He made all things, it is pure insolence to ignore Him (Heb. 1:2, 2:1-3). While the prophets and patriarchs and Israel had no excuses, it might have been understandable for someone far off to not be sure what the angels/prophets meant by their messages. But when Christ has come and spoken plainly, when there are hundreds of witnesses of His resurrection, four written testimonies, and over a dozen more documents attesting to what He said and done, there is no excuse (Acts 17:30-31). He has spoken. What will you do with His word?

4. Christ is King, and He will have dominion. Angels are ministers and servants. But Christ ascended to the right hand of the Majesty on high (Heb. 1:3). All the angels worship Him (Heb. 1:6). He sits on the throne of God (Heb. 1:8). He loves righteousness and hates all evil perfectly (Heb. 1:9). He made all things (Heb. 1:10). His kingdom is forever (Heb. 1:11-12). He ascended and must reign until all His enemies are made His footstool (Heb. 1:13). Christ is Lord. Christ claims all things in Heaven and on Earth, and this necessarily has implications for all rule and authority (Mt. 28:18-20). He is reigning until everything is in submission to Him: every nation, every city, every family, every business, every husband, mayor, president, judge – until every knee bows.

CONCLUSION

Christ became man to taste death, to eat death for us (Heb. 2:9). This was the promise of the prophets: “He will swallow up death in victory” (Is. 25:8). Christ, the Eternal Son of God, humbled Himself to be a little lower than the angels in order to suffer death for us who deserve death, in order to take away our sins, in order to restore us to the glory of the Father. “Know ye not that we shall judge angels?” (1 Cor 6:3, cf. Heb. 2:5).

We do not yet see all things put under Christ, but we see Christ crowned with glory and honor. We see Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Majesty on high, and He will get His reward. You are either with Him or against Him. You are either under His blood or you scorn His blood. He is King. So crown Him.

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The Ascension and You (CC Downtown)

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INTRODUCTION

Think of how you might feel if you were suddenly notified that you had been made a guest of honor at Buckingham Palace. In order to make it in time you were to immediately hop on the private jet that was waiting for you. However, through some cruel twist, you would not be allowed to change your clothes, freshen up, or brush up on which fork to use for the salad and which one for the main course. You might arrive and find yourself absolutely overwhelmed with the sense that you had two left feet, your hands were all thumbs, your mouth was full of teeth, and your mind full of cobwebs. The doctrine of Christ’s ascension, unlike the sense of being “out of place”, is meant to lead us by faith to understand that we are made acceptable before God.

THE TEXT

Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. John 20:17

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Mary Magdalene had been conversing with who she though was the caretaker of the garden. Her request was that he give her the body of Jesus. However, after speaking her name she sees that He is in fact Jesus, risen from the dead. We know from Matthew’s account that she clasped His feet (Mt. 28:9). Here, however, she is instructed to refrain from touching Him. During His earthly ministry, His disciples ate with Him, infants and children were brought to Him for Him to touch and bless them, nor had He forbidden His feet to be washed. But now, after His resurrection the disciples must not think that He has simply gone back to factory settings.

Evidently, Jesus cautions Mary to not hold on to the old way of being near to Christ. Rather, as He will soon explain, a more potent way of enjoying His fellowship was soon to come upon all His disciples. His body was the same body. He could still be touched. He could still eat. He could start a fire on the beach to cook fish. But His body was also somehow––marvelously––different. He could walk through walls. He could disappear at will. Though the body was the same body, He was on His way to the ultimate glorification that a human body had ever attained. Thus, Mary must not cling to it.

Why? Jesus explains that He has not yet ascended to His Father. The implication here is that by ascending to the Father there is not a decrease in the fellowship which His disciples enjoyed with Him; rather, the glory and joy of their fellowship with Him is going to be increased. She is tasked with going to deliver a message to the rest of the disciples. That message regards His coming ascent. This message she is tasked to communicate to the rest of the disciples is profound for being at once simple and unfathomably deep. Christ is going to ascend to His Father. But by His ascent you should be assured that His Father is also Your Father. He is going to be brought unto His God, and this means that His God is also your God.

According to His divinity He is the eternally begotten Son of God. He is the Son of the Heavenly Father. Thus, in your union with Christ you are made a partaker of His divine nature (Cf. 2 Pt. 1:4). According to His humanity, He is the only one who perfectly served, worshipped, and obeyed the One True God; there was no instance in Christ of idolatry, falsehood, or uncleanness (Cf. Ps. 24). Thus, in your union with Christ, you are also made a partaker of His perfect humanity, and thus His service to & worship of God is now yours. Through Christ, God is your Father, for He has now adopted you into the joy of His household. Through Christ, the Father is your God, and your service to Him is acceptable. All of this because Christ arose from the grave and then proceeded to ascend to His place of ultimate exaltation and glory. As Matthew Henry put it: “The greatest joy of his resurrection was that it was a step towards his ascension.”

YOUR FATHER & YOUR GOD

It is unfortunate that Christ’s ascension is of so little cultural importance. When it comes right down to it, the Ascension really is the climax of Redemption’s story. After indisputably winning back His kingdom, the King receives His lawful crown. This is the happy ending of the story, even while some of the story lines still need to be resolved. By Christ ascending bodily to heaven, at least two things come to be true for those who have trusted in Christ and been baptized into Him. Notice the two things in our text: new Paternity and true Worship.

First, consider that the wrath of God was upon us precisely because of our first father. Paternity is inescapable. Adam passed on to all his children a sinful nature, because he willingly handed over the kingdom to a dragon. Jesus described Satan as being the father of those who make and believe lies. At the core of what it means to be an unredeemed person is that you have bought the lie that you are God. You believe that your sensibilities for what is good or evil are the best. And clearly, everyone should abide by your version of morality. Nevertheless, lies make fellowship impossible (Pro 18:8). Lies make family life impossible. Lies make justice impossible (Pro. 11:11). The result of a culture of lies is absolute carnage at every relational level: civil, religious, economic, familial. Christ ascending to His Father, should comfort you in this way. You now enjoy membership in a family whose Father is the source of all truth.

The best fathers are still imperfect fathers. A good father gives his children what they ask for, without refusing their requests. He provides for their every need. He guards them from all that would destroy them. In Christ, you can now ask the Father who made all things, from galaxies down to ants, for whatsoever you need. By this you know that the Father really does have your good in mind. This is a comfort in both our temptations and afflictions. Your Father picked this out for you. This circumstance is for your good. Your heavenly Father hears and answers your prayers, because Christ ascended.

Secondly, consider that due to the falsehood which our first father believed, we were brought to practice what Scripture elsewhere calls will-worship. The OT is full of instances of man crafting idols to embody what their overactive imagination wanted God to be like and do. Even worse than that, man sought to claim to be worshipping the true God, but with false means. So then, Christ, as the perfect man, offers perfect worship and service to God continually.

Instead of trying to appease the gods through guesswork, you can be assured that when you offer up your worship and service to God in Christ, it is received by Your God with gladness. Your worship, in this life, is still imperfect, but Christ offers perfect worship unto God on your behalf. Your labors for God’s kingdom, though they be inadequate and immature, are not in vain. Your labors aren’t the ground of your welcome or standing before your God. You stand in Christ, and He offers all your good works to His God, and they are reckoned as acceptable. You are not justified before God by your good works, but because Christ has ascended to His God, your life of worship and labor for God’s glory are received by Your God.

IN HIS PRESENCE

The central glory of all this is that Christ’s ascension is not the diminishment of fellowship with our Lord and Savior. He is present with the Father, that the Father, Son, and Spirit might be ever present with you. Christ’s exaltation makes it possible for you to know and believe two things: you are adopted into the warmth of God’s household and your service in His household is acceptable. Are you in Christ? Well then, you are welcomed by our Father into His everlasting fellowship. The Ascension leads us to understand that we shall one day ourselves stand before the face of God, beholding His glory, and not need to look away in shame or fear. Christ’s humiliation delivered you from your sin, and in His exaltation you are to understand the full extent of that deliverance. You are clothed in His righteousness. You are brought to rejoice with true joy. You are not out of place. You are most welcome.

 

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And So Spake (Acts of the Apostles #31) (Christ Church)

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INTRODUCTION

Having departed from Antioch, Paul and Barnabas came to Iconium, another significant town in Galatia. The ministry here was one of the most successful missions that they engaged in, and the results were predictably tumultuous. But in the course of this passage we learn a few things about how gospel proclamation ought to go. How the gospel was preached had a significant impact on the results.

THE TEXT

“And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren. Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands. But the multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles. And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them, They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about: And there they preached the gospel” (Acts 14:1–7).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

So Paul and Barnabas arrived in Iconium, still in the province of Galatia. They went to the synagogue, and there spoke in such a way that a large number of Jews and Greeks both believed (v. 1). But the Jews who had not believed agitated some Gentiles and turned their minds against them (v. 2). Nevertheless, they ministered there for a long time, speaking boldly. That boldness provided additional testimony to their words, and they also performed signs and wonders (v. 3). As a consequence, the city at large was divided—one half with the Jews and the other with the apostles (v. 4). We are not talking about a handful of people—one estimate of the city’s population at the time was between 30 thousand and 50 thousand people. But a time came when there was a concerted assault on the apostles, coming from unbelieving Gentiles, unbelieving Jews, and their rulers (v. 5). Paul and Barnabas had some advance warning of the attack, and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities in the neighboring province of Lycaonia (v. 6). They then preached the gospel there as well (v. 7).

BOLDLY

One of the signature marks of the Spirit’s presence in preaching is the element of boldness. The Sanhedrin took note of the boldness of Peter and John (Acts 4:13). Barnabas testified to the boldness of Saul in Damascus (Acts 9:27). Saul also preached boldly in Jerusalem (Acts 9:29). They spoke boldly here in Iconium (Acts 14:3). Apollos spoke boldly, even though he required further instruction (Acts 18:26). Paul spoke boldly in the synagogue at Ephesus over the course of three months (Acts 19:8).

And after Peter and John were threatened, their request was for boldness (Acts 4:29), and the request was granted (Acts 4:31). When Paul requests prayer for his preaching, this is one of the great things he asks for (Eph. 6:19-20). In Scripture, boldness really is a big deal.

We are told here that the mere fact of their boldness lent testimony, a witness, to the word of grace they were preaching (v. 3). We are also told that this manner of speaking was one of the reasons why they were so effective in the first place. We are told in v. 1 that they “so spake . . .” They spoke in such a way that a large number believed. How they spoke mattered. How they spoke was used by God.

PREACH IN ORDER TO WINNOW

But notice that this effective ministry split the city of Iconium clean in two. The messengers with a gospel of peace were in fact the instruments of a significant amount of tumult in the town. This is because the representatives of genuine peace will always be at odds with the priests and mavens of a false peace.

“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household” (Matthew 10:34–36).

The perennial temptation that confronts evangelicals is the temptation to strive for universal winsomeness, universal niceness. When that happens, and this false view takes root in the seminaries, the result is that men start preaching for consensus. But the appointed task is to preach for decision.

But when you preach for decision, people decide in different directions and then you have division. Now boldness is a direct threat to the first approach, and it is an essential ingredient in the second.

SONS OF THUNDER

George Whitefield, a great preacher of the eighteenth century, once said this: “I love those who thunder out the Word. The Christian world is in a deep sleep! Nothing but a loud voice can awaken them out of it.”

When the Lord Jesus called James and John, His nickname for them was Boanerges, sons of thunder (Mark 3:17). James was the first apostle to be martyred, which is not surprising, and John was apparently the last one to die, which perhaps is. Men with this temperament will sometimes have to be steadied a bit, or admonished. “You do not know what spirit you are of . . .” (Luke 9:54-55). That is true enough, but it is far, far better to have to say whoa than to have to say giddyup.

PRAYING FOR REFORMATION AND REVIVAL

We have been praying for a great work of the Spirit for decades now. But it is essential that we realize that what we are praying for is boldness in our preachers, and as a consequence of that, tumult in our towns.

Now the professionally winsome will of course have arguments, some of them good arguments.There will be those who call themselves friends of the revival who cause division through the simple expedient of being jerks. They are affirming the consequent. If this is a dog, it will have four legs . . . but having four legs doesn’t make anything a dog.

It is not possible for a culture as far gone as ours is to be called back to faithfulness without massive disruption. And the reason winsomeness is so attractive to so many evangelical leaders is not that they are so nice. It is that they are disruption-averse.

As you have heard me say before, it is Christ or chaos. But there is another sense in which we must also say that it is Christ and chaos. This is not recognized the way it should be because too many Christian leaders are unwilling to be chased to Lystra and Derbe.

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How to Grow in Christ (Practical Christianity #10) (King’s Cross)

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INTRODUCTION

When anyone confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord and they believe that God raised Him from the dead, they are saved (Rom. 10:9). This offer is made to all freely and to their children (Acts 2:39, 16:31). And this is why all who believe and their households are offered baptism (Acts 16:33). This is what God calls becoming a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17) and the new birth (1 Pet. 1:23). This is all pure grace, received by faith, not by works, lest any man should boast, but it is the kind of work that God does in us that causes us to begin working and growing (Eph. 2:8-10). We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works. We are saved in order to grow up as trees that bear good fruit (Lk. 6:43).

Therefore, after becoming a Christian, the task before us is growing up into Christ, growing into maturity, becoming fruitful in every way. So this message is about that.

The Text: “And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil… And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Lk. 4:1-4).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

We might be tempted to think that being full of the Holy Spirit might mean everything going easy in our lives, but here we see that it was when Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit, right after His baptism in the Jordan River, that the Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Lk. 4:1). Not only was He being tempted by the devil, He ate nothing and was incredibly hungry (Lk. 4:2). Now God had just proclaimed that Jesus was His beloved Son at His baptism (Lk. 3:22), but forty days in a desert and severe hunger can make anyone doubt or forget and the devil started there, tempting Jesus to doubt God’s Word and double check “if you’re really the son of God…”, suggesting Jesus turn a stone into bread (Lk. 4:3). But Jesus knew to doubt His Father would be sin, and refused, quoting from Deuteronomy, that His life was upheld and strengthened, not merely by bread, but by the Word of God (Lk. 4:4, cf. Dt. 8:3).

SIX STEPS FOR GROWING IN CHRIST

Growing in Christ is a lot like growing up. So how do you grow up? Eat well, get enough sleep, exercise, go to school, learn from your mistakes, work hard, etc. Then it just happens. Plants and trees grow this way also: sunshine, water, good soil, fertilizer, pruning, etc. So here are six steps for growing in Christ.

1. Read your Bible: Many folks in our community do the Bible Reading Challenge, and it’s a bit like cross-fit for Bible reading. If you want to get in Spiritual shape, it really is a great blessing, and I commend it to you. But if you’re not in great shape, and you don’t have regular Bible reading habits, just start reading a chapter a day. If you’ve never read the Bible before, read the New Testament first and then start over in Genesis and read the whole thing. The key thing is regularity not quantity, but as you grow, you’ll want more. “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Pet. 2:2).

2. Pray: God is real. He created the Heavens and the Earth, and He made us in His image for communion with Him. Pray the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father…” Pray the Psalms– they are 150 inspired prayers that God loves to hear and answer. To be a Christian is to receive the Holy Spirit of adoption that means you have been granted the same sonship as Jesus Christ, and you are invited to cry out to God as your Abba Father (Rom. 8:15). What do you tell your father? What do you ask from your father? God is your perfect Father.

3. Read the Bible, pray, and sing as a family: Men, you are called to be the spiritual leaders of your home. Husbands, wash your wife in the water of the word (Eph. 5:26). This is how you love your wife like Christ loves the church (Eph. 5:25). Fathers, you are specifically required to raise your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). Dedicate a regular time to this and lead your family before the Lord. This can be very simple: read a little bit of Scripture, pray, and sing a song. When the kids are little, this can take less than 5 minutes; when the kids are older, it can grow.

4. Repent of your sins: This is the invitation of the gospel that Jesus Himself preached: “the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mk. 1:15). To “repent” means to turn around, to stop going one way and go the other way. The Bible describes this as putting off the old man and putting on the new man (Eph. 5:22-24). Stop lying and tell the truth (Eph. 5:25, cf. 5:28). Stop looking at porn and lusting, pursuing a wife and be faithful to one woman and the children she bears you (Prov. 5). Do not be drunk with wine/pot/drugs, but be filled with the Spirit, singing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to the Lord (Eph. 5:18-19). Stop cursing and using filthy language, but let your mouth be full of thanksgiving, praise to God, and edification (Eph. 4:29, 5:3-4). Be anxious for nothing, but with thanksgiving, let your requests be made to God (Phil. 4:6).

5. Forgive those who have sinned against you: this is perhaps one of the central acts of repentance. The old, natural man is full of hatred, bitterness, and resentment (Tit. 3:3). And this part of the old man dies hard. This is why Jesus taught us to pray that God would “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” The warning of Christ is clear: “But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses” (Mk. 11:26). Bitterness is a root that will cause much trouble, and it defiles many families, churches, and communities (Heb. 12:15). We forgive for the sake of Christ (Eph. 4:32).

6. Go to church, keep Sabbath, and tithe: “Going to church” means worshiping the Lord, and “worship” means complete surrender. When you become a Christian, you surrender in principle. This is what it means to confess that “Jesus Christ is Lord.” This means beginning to obey Him in everything. But two particular ways you demonstrate that complete surrender is by keeping Sabbath and tithing. From the beginning, God’s people have imitated God’s own rest, when He finished His work of Creation. Christians rest on the first day of the week because that is when Jesus finished His work of New Creation (Heb. 4:9). And we tithe, giving God ten percent of our first fruits, confessing that all that we have is from His hand, all that we have belongs to Him (Gen. 14:20, 28:22, Mal. 3:10).

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