+++

John Wycliffe is one of the most famous Christian individuals of the mid-fourteenth century medieval times, particularly because of his bold stand against the doctrinal policies and traditions of the powerful Catholic Church. Indeed, the Catholic Church not only maintained a dominant role in the society’s religious sphere, but also was heavily involved in virtually every level of society’s social and political roles—from the communal and state level, to even the out workings of the national scale. Nonetheless, despite the church’s overarching dominance, John Wycliffe, a university professor and scholar of the “Sacred Scriptures”, boldly challenged the Catholic doctrines concerning communion, hierarchy, excommunication, and alms before Pope Gregory XI. And while Catholics fully utilized executions and punishments to those who didn’t comply with their authority, rules, and doctrine, the influence of Wycliffe’s biblical convictions against Catholic dogma nevertheless trickled down through the generations.

One of the reasons Wycliffe was targeted by the Catholic Church was not as much related to the fact that his biblical expository contrasted Catholic doctrine, but because many people—indeed, even the most mature Catholics—were becoming increasingly convinced that his interpretation was true while the Catholic doctrine was unorthodox. In fact, Pope Gregory XI testified against Wycliffe, saying that “many men illustrious for their exact knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, mature in the gravity of their character, conspicuous in devotion, defenders of the Catholic Church—[he has] polluted the faithful of Christ by sprinkling them with these doctrines, and led them away from the right paths of the aforesaid faith to the brink of perdition” (1). Accordingly, because of Wycliffe’s great influence in the scholastic, collegiate setting and the religious spheres as well, the Catholic Church proceeded to denounce the university where he taught by threatening that it will cut off “all the favors, indulgences, and privileges granted” if Wycliffe is not removed and arrested (1). This is in fact, one example of how the Catholic Church was entangled within other spheres of life—not exclusively religious—and how they demonstrated control, dominance, and authority over such matters (1).

One of the main ideas that Wycliffe advocated against the Catholic doctrine was that the sacraments of bread and wine for communion retained no transubstantial properties whatsoever. He simply stated that the “material substance of bread and wine remains after consecration” because “Christ…is in his proper corporeal presence” (2). In addition, Wycliffe also attacked the hierarchy established within the Catholic church and concluded that it was a main reason for moral and doctrinal corruption of the church. He especially challenged the Catholic stratus of men who claimed to possess authority in spiritual matters. For instance, he says “no prelate ought to excommunicate any one unless he first knows that the man is excommunicated by God” (2). Another point cites, “that special prayers applied to one person by prelates or religious persons, are of no more value to the same person than general prayers for others in a like position are to him” (2). In these two passages, it is clear that Wycliffe is arguing that the position of man is ultimately made void in light of God—and especially since all people are caught in their sin. Therefore, there exists no leeway for any individual to hierarchically assume a greater position than another because sin equates all people before a holy God. In fact, Wycliffe further reinforces this idea by saying, “to assert that no one is a civil lord, no one is a bishop, no one is a prelate, so long as he is in mortal sin” (3). Moreover, Wycliffe also exposes the system of alms and tithe and how it is not being adequately, biblically used in the way that God intends it to be (18., 23., 24.).

Wycliffe’s bold, daring stance against the Catholic Church proves to be very significant because it seemed to send a message regarding the importance of the message that Wycliffe discovered—one that ultimately suggested the unorthodox teachings of the Catholic Church, which would hence, threaten the foundations of its sociopolitical stakes and potentially send it toppling to the ground. Indeed, it is interesting to note that Martin Luther and the momentous 95 theses were soon to follow in Wycliffe’s footsteps nearly 200 years later concerning the same issues. It is also interesting to observe how the rippling effect of reformative thought started as a small wake with Wycliffe, only to expand its radius and amass momentum over time into the many regions across Europe. 

+++ Isn’t it cool how God was moving then? Amidst the intense hardship, these leaders of the faith were even more intensely hard-pressed for truth–and thus, were willing to suffer whatever so that the invaluable truth of God’s Word might be known. Their heart shows us 1) The great value of truth in God’s Word 2) Leadership to the next generations–to do whatever it takes so that they might come to share in the treasure that we found–even if it costs us our lives–because it is more valuable than our lives in the first place +++

The cool thing about this passage is that it’s just a seemingly insignificant greeting from Paul. If we’re honest, we skip over the “greeting” and “farewell” of Paul’s letters because we think they’re not important, or, as if they are only greetings or farewells. But let’s check it out:

¹Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ²which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, ³concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh ⁴and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,⁵through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, ⁶including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, ⁷To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

(Romans 1:1-7 ESV)

**Here is how we will systematically break down this passage—by asking questions.

1. What? “We have received grace and apostleship” through Jesus Christ

2. Why? “in order to bring about the obedience of faith”

3. For What? ”for the sake of His name”

4. To Whom? ”among all nations”, for those “who are called to belong to Jesus Christ”

5. How? How is all this possible? Because Jesus is 1) the fulfillment of the prophesies which testified about salvation (v. 2) and 2) the fulfillment of the law because he lived with all ‘holiness’ (v.4). And we can hold these things as true with certainty and confidence because of “his resurrection from the dead” (v. 5).

**Indeed, Jesus’ resurrection is significant because it shows us that his obedience was complete and his sacrifice was therefore enough to atone for sin. The resurrection was God’s way of showing us His stamp of approval on and symbol of victory for what Jesus accomplished for us, and that it was, indeed, an accomplishment worthy enough for God to accept and glorify on our behalf.

6. In light of this: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”. Grace and peace to us from God does not make sense unless we understand what Jesus accomplished for us. This is great news, and when we live in light of this redeeming work of Christ for us, we are empowered to live by grace, in peace, for people, for God.

Pretty cool greeting, huh?

Here is the Christianity Applied link to my new blog:

http://christianityapplied.com/2012/02/18/the-ultimate-greeting/

First off, thanks for all your support and encouragement to me, as I attempt at communicating what all God is teaching me. It’s much appreciated and valued. But anyways, the main reason I am blogging again today (though its not actually a ‘blog’ per say, more of a letter to all my subscribers) is to encourage you to check out

christianityapplied.com

Yes, I will still use this site to post the same blogs here, but I just encourage you to follow or subscribe to ChristianityApplied’s blogsite too–not only will it feature all my stuff, but it also will feature blogs from a variety of people who share quality thoughts on a variety of topics. So, while you will still be getting all the same material from me, I just don’t want to limit you to only seeing what I blog about, especially when Christianity Applied has such a wealth of topics and resources. In fact, the site has apologetics, devotionals, videos, recommendations, etc. It’s awesome, and I am more than blessed to be a part of how God is using it. Not to mention, their site is much cooler than my free-wordpress-blog haha. Its cleaner, has a great format, and you can find a lot of material about a lot of topics very quickly. In fact, its quickly becoming a resource base for equipping and encouraging the body of Christ.

So yeah, check it out if you haven’t already, subscribe, and/or follow it! Also, you can find Christianity Applied on Facebook and Twitter, if you want to keep up with the new material via newsfeed or status updates. Here are the links:

http://www.facebook.com/christianityapplied

https://twitter.com/christapplied

Thanks again for everything, and to God alone goes the glory. Indeed, without His grace and love, all this writing would be empty words, regardless of how well articulated or insightful it may seem. Since He is the substance and real deal, writing about him is the shadow being cast from him. Even to cast a little glimpse or figure of who He is would be an accomplishment for His sake. We just hope that Christianity Applied may be all about Jesus and His work for us, as we strive to know and treasure and pursue Him all the more, and share what we have learned along the way.

Much love to you all!

(**Ironically, the answer to ‘bottom of love’ is at the very ‘bottom’ of this blog** yes, you can peek)

Here is a short excerpt from John Piper’s book, “Don’t Waste Your Life”, which addresses how Western culture has fundamentally distorted how love is defined in the Bible. Piper argues that seeing God’s love rightly gives us a correct understanding of love, which enables us to love others rightly, truly, and deeply. Essentially, he shows what love is, and what love is not. Check it:

“For most people, to be loved is to be made much of. Almost everything in our Western culture serves this distortion of love. We are taught in a thousand ways that love means increasing someone’s self-esteem. Love is helping someone feel good about themselves. Love is giving someone a mirror and helping him like what he sees.

This is not what the Bible means by the love of God. Love is doing what is best for someone. But making self (or others) the object of our highest affections is not best for us. It is, in fact, a lethal distraction. We were made to see and savor God—and savoring him, to be supremely satisfied, and thus spread in all the world the worth of his presence. Not to show people the all-satisfying God is not to love them. To make them feel good about themselves when they were made to feel good about seeing God is like taking someone to the Alps and locking them in a room full of mirrors.”

To be locked in a room of mirrors when the beauty of the Alps is at hand would be a tragedy. How much more so with God, the Creator of these mountains and the purest embodiment of love (1 Jn 4)? Therefore, as far as relationships are concerned, if we deprive our relationships from the source of this Love, then how can we expect for the best? Where else, then, will ‘love’ come? (From our imperfect hearts. Which is imperfect love.)

And, if the love we express to them is solely based on our making much of them without an overall focus on the God from whom all love is derived, then are we not trapping them in a room of mirrors when they could be reveling in the glories of God? By making much of them at the expense of God, we ultimately belittle their utmost joy. Why? Because our joy is made complete in fellowship with God (Jn 14,15,17).

So, brief recap: We can only, truly love when our love is flowing from the only source of true love—God. Thus, we can only, truly love when we (1) revel in and glorify God’s love as central and (2) demonstrate that love of God in our relationships at the most fundamental level.

**You want sweet, lasting romance? You want consistent, faithful friendship? You desire loyalty and like-mindedness? While there might be more variables to these equations, if you take out the bottom denominator of savoring and demonstrating God’s love, then you will undermine them regardless.

God desires that we experience love to the full—but let us not forget that we were made for God first and for each other second. And when we put the second in front of the first, the power of the first will be eclipsed of its blessing for the second. Similarly, just as removing the foundation from under a building will inevitably cause collapse, so also will our love relationships fall if the love of God is removed from the base.

Lastly and essentially, to love people is to give them what is best for them. Love is to joyfully show and demonstrate to them the greatest treasure in all reality. And if we refrain from sharing this truth in our relationships—especially our most intimate ones—we will be robbing them of the greatest opportunity in life.

Love is imaging God to one another, because God is love. 

Love is unpacking, treasuring, and sharing the greatest gift of all—together. In fact, we would not be loving them (indeed, hating them) if we ignored or neglected to tell, show, or demonstrate to them the most eternally-weighty, life-giving, joy-producing gift, which is given and gloriously beheld in the beauty of the Gospel and God. It changes everything. The grace, love, selflessness, generosity, kindness, patience, peace, encouragement, and joy we find and savor in God is the only source that will vitalize our relationships and our souls.

Thus, the lifeblood of all healthy, flourishing, and vibrant relationships is one that is connected to the source of all that is truly and unwaveringly good—Jesus.

Original link: http://christianityapplied.com/2012/02/14/to-love-to-be-loved-2/

One of the main characteristics of Augustine’s Confessions (in Book 1 at least) is the way it addresses the relationship between the nature of the human soul and the nature of God. Augustine, thus, capitalizes on the problems of the human soul and emphasizes how that directly relates to God—his fitting role in the solution to the problem of the human soul. In fact, Augustine sets the foundation of this theme with the quote, “You made us for Yourself, and our hearts will be restless until it rests in You” (1.1.1). This quote, though simple in form and short in text, retains a wealth of insight into, and argument for, the nature of the human soul. Here, Augustine is arguing that the heart will always be restless until it rests wholly in God, because it was made for God in the first place. This statement seems to shape Christian theology and thought and doctrine in such a way that might suggest an air of Christian hedonism—a Christian life that is defined by utmost comfort, peace, and satisfaction in one’s spiritual life, finding its promised fulfillment in only God. Indeed, some verses that parallel Augustine’s quote above include:

 “In Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” –Psalm 16:11

“You have made known to me the paths of life; You will make me full of gladness with Your presence” –Acts 2:28

Augustine’s foundational direction for this book may have contributed to helping followers of Jesus better understand the nature and problem of the human heart and God’s capacity and desire to fulfill it. In fact, Augustine’s quote above is still incorporated into the writings and speeches of many Christian theologians and authors today. Therefore, one can infer that Augustine’s work greatly influenced early, developing Christian thought in how present-day Christianity still widely references his work.

Furthermore, Augustine continues upon the nature of the soul and the nature of God by explaining—in theological rationale—how they relate to one another, and how, in specific, God’s nature can only be the fulfillment of the human soul. Therefore, initially in his book, he argues that the soul is made for God and fulfillment can only be found in God. Now, as the book develops, he continues his argument of why and how the human soul can only find satisfaction and fulfillment in God. For example, Augustine explains that the way in which the human soul expresses itself and finds satisfaction is in its “affections”, what it “seeks”, and how God’s nature tends to “fill” (1.2.2, 1.4.4, 1.28.19). Some verses that also parallel this idea include some of the following:

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”           –Jer. 29:13

“for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You”.         –Ps. 9:10

“let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. 
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always” –1 Ch. 16:9-10

“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” –Ps. 42:1-2

Indeed, he numerously references the nature of affections and their power to define the spiritual vitality of the individual. In fact, in 1.28.19, Augustine argues that it is “darkened affections,  [that] is the true distance from His face”. And conversely, it is when the heart seeks after God that it becomes filled with his presence, as seen in the verses above (1.5.6, 1.3.3). And furthermore, Augustine continues to ponder how God’s infinite nature can fulfill and fill, and yet not lose a part of himself, or to be subtracted from altogether.

Augustine’s philosophical and theological reflections contain great insight and expository for how Christianity relates to the deepest issues of the human individual and reveals to them the Ends (Jesus) of their search for meaning and satisfaction.

Check it out:

“I used to think that growing as a Christian meant I had to somehow go out and obtain the qualities and attitudes I was lacking. To really mature, I needed to find a way to get more joy, more patience, more faithfulness, and so on.

Then I came to the shattering realization that this isn’t what the Bible teaches, and it isn’t the gospel. What the Bible teaches is that we mature as we come to a greater realization of what we already have in Christ. The gospel, in fact, transforms us precisely because it’s not itself a message about our internal transformation, but Christ’s external substitution. We desperately need an Advocate, Mediator, and Friend. But what we need most is a Substitute. Someone who has done for us and secured for us what we could never do and secure for ourselves.

The hard work of Christian growth, therefore, is to think less of me and my performance and more of Jesus and his performance for me. Ironically, when we focus mostly on our need to get better we actually get worse. We become neurotic and self-absorbed. Preoccupation with my effort over God’s effort for me makes me increasingly self-centered and morbidly introspective.

You could state it this way: Sanctification is the daily hard work of going back to the reality of our justification–receiving Christ’s words, “It is finished” into new and deeper parts of our being every day, into our rebellious regions of unbelief.  It’s going back to the certainty of our objectively secured pardon in Christ and hitting the refresh button a thousand times a day. Or, as Martin Luther so aptly put it in his Lectures on Romans, “To progress is always to begin again.” Real spiritual progress, in other words, requires a daily going backwards.

Day by day, what we must do practically can be experienced only as we come to a deeper understanding of what we are positionally—a deeper understanding of what’s already ours in Christ.”

 ***(And then he continues to explain why that is significant)

“We no longer need to rely, therefore, on the position, the prosperity, the promotions, the preeminence, the power, the praise, the passing pleasures, or the popularity that we’ve so desperately pursued for so long.

[Indeed], we have been blessed, “in Christ with every spiritual blessing” (1:3): we’ve been chosen (v. 4), graced (v. 6), redeemed (v. 7), reconciled (v. 10), destined (v. 11), and sealed forever (v. 13). The everything we need and long for, Paul says in Eph 1, we already possess if we are in Christ. He has already sweepingly secured all that our hearts deeply crave.”

——

This excerpt was taken from Tullian’s original blog, “What to Preach to Yourself Everyday”. There, you will find many more blogs of his that relate to and expound upon how the gospel is relevant and powerful in its application to heal, restore, impart life, reinforce truth, and conquer sin. I encourage you to check it out if you haven’t already.

I hope this blog was as encouraging and life-changing as it was to me. It was reading this blog in particular where the Lord allowed things to click. May He continue to do so in our lives as we strive hungrily for a greater understanding of and satisfaction in Him.

Here it is:

I have often wondered what it would be like if the any of the great Christian leaders of old could see the American Church.  Men like the Apostle Paul or Martin Luther or Jonathan Edwards. What would they think? Would they be pleased? Disappointed? Angry? A better question might be this: what does Jesus think?

Well, we know what he thought about the church in Laodicea, a church in a world eerily similar to ours.  The church there was financially well-off and had no immediate needs.  The members had grown self-reliant.  The fruit exhibited by the Christians there was little to none.

They were content with spiritual apathy.  And this nauseated Christ.  ”I wish you were either hot or cold!” he cried,  ”But because you are lukewarm, I will vomit you out of my mouth” (v. 16).

What direction does Jesus then give to the church?
He says, “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.”

We can infer from this that the church was:
 A- investing its wealth in the temporary, finite treasures of the world.
 B- apathetic and stuck in sin
 C- behind a closed door to God
 D- in the middle of a spiritual war.

What does Christ say about this?

A- ”I counsel you to buy from me…” Jesus Christ has a passion to see the church live with a kingdom perspective. That is, to have such an accurate view of eternity that it effects the way we spend our money, present ourselves to the world, and dream for the future.

B- ”Be zealous and repent.”  This two-part call to action is simple and straight-forward: get stoked and stop sinning! The freedom of the Gospel is something to be excited and passionate about!  This is not only because it means eternal life with Christ in the future, but deliverance from the shackles of sin, guilt and shame while here on earth.

C- “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.”  Christ is beckoning us to let him in. “Let him in? Well, I already let him into my heart when I was 12.”  Awesome. But what about today?  Look at what Jesus will do if you open the door to him: “I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me.”  Jesus will hang out with you.  Jesus, the King of All, the Name above every name, will be your friend.  If the idea of chillin’ with Jesus, getting to know him better, and having his spirit indwell you doesn’t seem like that much fun, then please realize this: you have become satisfied with sitting in a mud puddle in the slums instead of swimming at the coast.

D- “The one who conquers.” There is no “conquer” without “enemy.”  Christian, you are at war.  ”For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”  Those who overcome, Jesus says, will sit with him on the throne in Heaven.

Jesus has written to us.  And it’s an unsettling rebuke.  But if we can take the challenge seriously, the reward on the other side will surpass anything that this world has to offer. That’s because the reward is Christ.

http://cjmcgrath.blogspot.com/2012/01/revelation-3-progress-report.html