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What is the Armor of God?

The Apostle Paul encourages Christians to put on the full armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-20. This is a common theme for children’s ministry, but it’s incredibly important for every Christian to consider the meaning and symbolism. In this post I hope to unpack the various pieces of armor along with its relevance today.

Our True Enemy
Take a minute to consider the three greatest challenges facing Christians and the Church today. Now consider this quote from John Calvin:

“Let us remember that our battle is not against flesh and blood when the painful treatment of others provokes us to revenge. Our natural disposition would lead us to direct all our efforts against the men themselves; but this foolish desire will be restrained by remembering that the men who annoy us are nothing more than darts thrown by the hand of satan. While we are focused on destroying those darts, we leave ourselves open to be wounded on all sides.”
John Calvin (Calvin’s Commentary on Ephesians 6:12, slightly edited for understandability)

The Christian enemy is not the fiery arrows, but the archer who is shooting them. If we ignore the arrows then we’ll get struck, but the enemy isn’t the arrows themselves. Instead, we guard ourselves from the devil’s schemes which seek to destroy our faith and witness while remembering the bigger picture.

Armor Continue reading “What is the Armor of God?” →

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Why Did God Need to Become Human? (aka: Why Christmas?)

Baby feet

A young grade-schooler came home recently with a packet of “Holidays Around the World.” In it, religious holidays were described only according to the ways they’re celebrated. Hanukkah was described as eight days when people light candles. Christmas is a day when Santa Claus comes to deliver presents to children and people decorate with Christmas trees and lights on their houses.

Describing Christmas by pointing to Christmas trees and Santa Claus is like describing Independence Day by talking about fireworks and Uncle Sam.

The gospel is at the heart of Christmas: the gift of salvation through the life and work of Jesus Christ. But why did Jesus need to be fully man and fully God? As St. Anselm asked, “Why the God-Man?” Continue reading “Why Did God Need to Become Human? (aka: Why Christmas?)” →

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God Chose a Poor Family

Manger

One of the details about Christ’s birth that can be overlooked is the poverty of Mary and Joseph. When we consider that the infinite, holy, Triune God who created the heavens and earth became a baby boy, we would expect him to choose an appropriate home. How many parents, when presented with the option to choose what type of home in which choose poverty?

But this is exactly what God did. He was not born in a mansion. He did not entrust Jesus to a powerful or influential family. God didn’t even choose the equivalent of a middle-class family. Instead, he choose a young woman who was engaged to a poor but godly man… knowing that their family would be shrouded in rumors and suspicion because of the apparent-infidelity that surrounded Jesus’ birth.

Luke 2:22-24 tells of Mary and Joseph presenting Jesus in the Temple. Each family, upon the birth of their firstborn child, would present an offering to the Lord (see Leviticus 12:6-8). The offering would be a lamb and either a dove or pigeon. This was an offering most middle-class families would be able to afford. It wasn’t extravagant, but required enough sacrifice that it was a meaningful offering to the Lord. But if the family was poor and could not afford such an offering, they could present two doves or pigeons.

Do you think you have little to offer God?

Remember Mary and Joseph. Of all the people God could have chosen, he chose them. Their godliness was of greater value than any offering they could have presented in the temple. Do not allow your lack of resources or prominence to keep you from believing God is able to use you.

They simply obeyed God. When the angel declared to them that the child would be the Messiah, they obeyed. When the Torah told them to offer a sacrifice in the temple for their firstborn, they obeyed. When the angel told them to escape to Egypt, they obeyed. In the midst of their simple obedience… God was at work in miraculous ways.

Doesn’t that just sound like the way of the gospel? God choosing those who have nothing to offer except faith-filled obedience, trusting in the power of God to provide.

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What Do Christians Think About Hanukkah?

Hanukkah is not the “Jewish Christmas,” but a celebration of God’s provision for his people and a call to resist the allure of assimilating into a faithless culture. As a Christian pastor, I am well aware that the best person to offer a brief overview of the history and meaning of Hanukkah isn’t me… so please watch this instead.

I get asked by multiple people every year, “What do you think about Hanukkah? As Christians, what should we think about it?” Continue reading “What Do Christians Think About Hanukkah?” →

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What is Advent? (not only for Catholics)

God isn’t honored by Christians becoming “scrooges” who criticize everything about the Christmas season in an effort to “purify” Christmas. At the same time, don’t allow yourself to lose Jesus under the Christmas tree. Unfortunately, I know quite a few Christians who fall into both of those extremes. Recovering the Advent Season is our best way to be joyfully focused on God during this Christmas season.

Advent is more than a calendar with cheap chocolate leading up to December 25th. It is a season of “expectant waiting.” Does that describe your attitude today, or are you so bogged down by busyness and shopping that you don’t have time to expect anything but stress? The article below summarizes the message and meaning of Advent for the everyday Christian.

This season, create space to slow down. Watch less TV. Delete social media apps from your phone. Wake up earlier. Do what you need to do to spend time in Scripture each day, meditating on God’s work of salvation and his glorious promises to his children.

Advent Candle Continue reading “What is Advent? (not only for Catholics)” →

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Daily Living in Light of Eternity: The New Heavens and New Earth

When you think about “heaven,” what comes to mind?

Many people think about about clouds, white light, pearly gates, and eternal happiness. My mind was completely blown when I discovered that Scripture teaches about eternity as a physical life. I had always imagined that heaven would be some disembodied life, floating around as spirits who are worshipping before God’s throne.

But the Bible consistently teaches about an eternal, earthly kingdom where God’s people will live. The New Testament calls this the “New Heavens and New Earth.” Here just a few places in Scripture that point to our future eternal-bodily life.

Mom2moM Continue reading “Daily Living in Light of Eternity: The New Heavens and New Earth” →

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Is the Christian a Saint or Sinner?

Crowned

Every Christian continues to endure temptation and sinful desires… sometimes victoriously, and sometimes we indulge our sinful nature. How should we make sense of this?

Sometimes we can get the impression that once we become Christians our lives are immediately characterized by holiness and purity. But that’s just not the case. Sometimes, yes, the Lord graciously frees us from crushing temptations or addictions; but most Christians experience a more gradual and subtle growth in holiness.

I know some people who have seriously struggled with the question, “Am I really a Christian?” because of their lingering struggles with specific temptations (usually sexual ones). With this in mind, I believe Martin Luther’s theology of Christian identity as “Simultaneously Saint and Sinner” is extremely helpful. Continue reading “Is the Christian a Saint or Sinner?” →

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Christian Hope is Not a Wish

Sunrise

Hope is more than a wish. It’s a confident expectation that the future is bright and that good things await. A wish, however, is a shot-in-the-dark… like heading into a test that you didn’t study for, and just wishing to do well. Hope is built on a foundation; wishes float “out there” without any real substance.

The Christian life is built on a foundation of hope, not upon a wish.

The Foundation of Christian Hope
One of my favorite people in the Bible is the Apostle Thomas. After Jesus’ death, all the disciples were in the Upper Room when Jesus suddenly appeared (even though the doors were all locked, because they were afraid of being arrested). The disciples saw Jesus, talked with him, and were astounded that he was alive again. They had heard the rumors, but now they saw him with their own eyes. But Thomas wasn’t there. In days that followed, Thomas would insist that he wouldn’t believe unless he could put his fingers in the holes in Jesus’ hands. That week must have been excruciating for Thomas… feeling hopeless while everyone else is full of hope.

Continue reading “Christian Hope is Not a Wish” →

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A Refuge in the Tragedies of Life

How do we move on after great tragedies? Especially when they seem to happen every week? 27 dead in a church shooting. 8 dead in New York by a man who drive his truck into a bicycle path. 58 dead in Las Vegas at a concert. And that’s all within the last month of this article’s publication.

In a way, asking “How do we move on” is the wrong question. We don’t “move on.” We shouldn’t. But… where do you go from here? How do you continue living without the burden of fear and anxiety at every turn?

People either call for political reform to ensure future safety, or they turn to prayer without seeking worldly solutions. As Christians, how do we think about and process these tragedies?

Castle Continue reading “A Refuge in the Tragedies of Life” →

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