Fisher of Men

Suffering sometimes feels like slipping, sinking, suffocating. As the Psalms testify, suffering can engulf and consume, leaving you groping for a handhold. Suffering can swallow you whole, blocking any light from outside. There’s no way to make suffering not hurt. Some pains simply need to run their course, and some will keep coursing through you long after most people have forgotten about your trial. So Christians need to acknowledge the reality that in this world we will have trouble. But responding to suffering as a Christian takes more than bare acknowledgement. Instead, we need to be able to put it in its place. And that’s exactly what Peter’s first letter helps us do. The entire epistle reflects on the reality of and reasons for Christians’ suffering. But I want to focus on just two ...

I am often overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude to God for placing me in a Christian home with a wise and godly father who diligently taught me the Scriptures; and, although I didn’t know the saving grace of God until I was an adult, there are certain inestimably valuable things my father taught me when I was a teenager that continue to have an impact on me today. One of these was the way in which my father challenged me to read the Proverbs. Perhaps it continues to impact me in a significant way, in part, on account of the fact that there are ten father-to-son talks in the Proverbs (1:8; 2:1; 3:1; 4:10; 5:1; 6:1; 7:1; 23:19; 24:13; and 27:11). These talks reflect something of the concern that a godly father has for his son; but—foundational to that—they reflect what God the Father desire...

Would you feel guilty if you were a millionaire? There is a strand of evangelical thinking that suspects, if not believes outright, that having a lot of money (and in some cases just a little surplus) is something to feel guilty about. John Piper has called people to a wartime lifestyle. He writes, “In wartime we spend money differently—there is austerity, not for its own sake, but because there are more strategic ways to spend money than on new tires at home.”[1] Later he writes, “a $70,000 salary does not have to be accompanied by a $70,000 lifestyle. . . . No matter how grateful we are, gold will not make the world think that our God is good; it will make people think that our God is gold.”[2] Piper has a point, and we need to hear that point. We also want to balance that point with oth...

With all the time and attention focused on Easter a few weeks ago (and rightly so), you could hardly blame people for overlooking the holiday that fell on April 22nd: Earth Day. First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day is now observed in over 190 countries by more than 1 billion people every year. Such widespread popularity has led its organizer, Denis Hayes, to call Earth Day “the largest secular holiday in the world.” Instead of scoffing at this holiday, Christians ought to realize the huge teaching opportunity it presents. So, here are three ways to get a clearer understanding of what God says about the world he made and the role he has given us in caring for his creation. 1. Recognize the goodness of God’s physical creation. “In the beginning, God made the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1)....

Jesus’ Last Supper provides the basis for one of the most important observances of the Christian church: the Lord’s Supper, also known as Eucharist or Communion in different traditions. From the earliest days of the church, Christians have re-enacted the Lord’s Supper in accordance with Jesus’ instruction that his followers “do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). The New Covenant The significance of the Last Supper is seen in the fact that it is when Jesus instituted the new covenant with God’s people, as he explained, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20). The Mosaic covenant, which God had made with Israel, was constantly broken because of the sin of God’s people. In the Old Testament, God’s prophets declared that someday God would instit...

High school graduation is a rite of passage unlike any other. You move from being treated like a child (legally) to being counted an adult, both in society and in any academic setting you might enter. Colleges aren’t even allowed to discuss your grades with your parents apart from your consent. Childhood is over. Adulthood beckons. How should you respond to the blessing and challenge of graduation? 1. Own Your Faith. If you come from a Christian home, you have benefited tremendously from a host of supportive circumstances (household rules, numerous protections, church life). Testing awaits as you enter the world. It won’t be enough to ride the coat tails of your parents’ faith. If you’re not sure about Christianity, now is the time to settle the matter (Ecclesiastes 12:1). Christianity is ...

Image Credit: St. Peter Orthodox Church The ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven is one of the most important events recorded in the New Testament. But though it occupies a vital place in Scripture, it doesn’t get a lot of attention today, even among Christians.  My guess is that you probably haven’t read any books about it or heard many sermons on it. Usually we focus on the crucifixion and the resurrection. But the ascension is pivotal, especially in the writings of Luke. Luke wrote a two-part history of the origins of Christianity. Volume one is the gospel that bears his name. Volume two is the book of Acts. And the ascension was so important for Luke, that he ended volume one with it (Luke 24:50-51), begins volume two by reporting it again (Acts 1:9-11), and then refers back to i...

Image Credit: www.spurgeon.org Pastors often struggle with feeling isolated from the world. They are in meetings with Christians, counseling Christians, preparing sermons and lectures, developing leaders, and before long find that they have very little interactions with people outside of the church. To whom, outside of the church, do we testify that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life? It’s a questions we should all ask ourselves regularly. And while preaching before the congregation on Sunday is one of the ways we can “do the work of an evangelist” I believe much more is required of us. And this is not just a problem among church leaders. Christians too often isolate themselves from the world by only interacting with and investing in other Christians. I believe we ...

As I look around there seems to be a lot of suffering in the lives of my friends. Maybe even more than usual. Mother in laws that are terminally ill, a mom who is dealing with the news that her little son has cancer, another mom who has just miscarried twins, a couple who long for a child and yet their arms remain empty. Suffering and sadness is everywhere. Whenever I think of suffering I think of the puritans. They knew what it meant to experience hard times and loss in their life. I think this is why they wrote so much about it. Suffering was a normal part of life for many of them. John Bunyan lost his first wife, had a daughter who was blind, and found himself incarcerated for 10 years for preaching in public. Spurgeon’s mother had 17 children of whom 9 died in infancy. “I love my suffe...

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) often tells audiences, “Republican Party events need more people with tattoos.” It struck me, as I heard him say this, that this is kind of what evangelical Christians ought to be saying about our churches. It struck me further when I read this tribute my former student Spencer Harmon wrote about his new wife and her past that this is precisely the issue facing the next generation of the Bride of Christ, the church. What Paul (the senator, not the Apostle) means, it seems, is that his party, if it is to have a future, shouldn’t count on just doing the same thing it’s always done, and it can’t rely on people who look like what people think Republicans ought to look like. The party must expand out to people whose pictures don’t currently show up in ...

Spanking. The act and even the word itself have become controversial. To many it is abuse, not discipline. People claim that it gives birth to frustration, anger, and violence. They say that it does not bring about any good, instead it does harm… and they are right. “Spanking has been shown to weaken the bond between kids and parents, slow mental development and increase antisocial, violent and criminal behaviors.” (NY Daily News) A child is caught lying to his mom, she grabs him by the arm, hauls him off to another room, lays him over her knee and gives him a good spanking. A boy sasses his dad who has had a bad day. He pops his son on the mouth telling him that he better not disrespect him like that.  These are examples that are all too common when it comes to spanking. Such respons...

Holidays such as Easter and Christmas are often times when pastors and congregations focus not only on Jesus but on the potential for an increase in visitors. Everything is extra-special on those days. There are special programs, worship is typically different, and we even take the time to throw out our everyday dress in exchange for something new. These holidays are indeed special and draw a crowd for a good reason–Jesus is the Savior of the world. But what happens when the holidays have passed? How can we encourage visitors to return every Sunday? I became a Christian at the age of 22. I didn’t have any real desire for the Lord but when I heard the gospel and gave my life to the Him I stayed. Here are a few reasons I think I kept returning and ways pastors and congregations might k...