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Cut to the Heart

In Bloom’s taxonomy remembering and understanding are lower levels of critical thinking, yet that’s where most of our sermons, classes … and sadly studies on how to obey the gospel are centered.  It is at the level of applying the knowledge where a person sees how his own sin has eternally separated him from God and only the sacrifice of Jesus can restore the relationship.  Then, when they are “cut to the heart,” they will ask, “What shall I do?”

I. Acts 2:36-47.  The first gospel sermon that was delivered on the day of Pentecost used knowledge to convict the crowd that they were guilty of sin and putting an innocent man to death but that God had resurrected Jesus and made Him both Lord and Christ.  The people were cut to the heart and wanted to apply this knowledge, which required further knowledge about how to obey the gospel.  3000 applied it.

II. Romans 6:3-5.  In an era where many are convinced there’s no such thing as sin, what they’ve done is not that bad, or the preaching they’ve heard deemphasizes it, it’s hard to see the relevance of the gospel.  But even a knowledge-level passage of 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 gives the application in the phrase, “for our sins.”  After they’re cut to the heart, we can explain how obeying the gospel unites us to Christ’s death and resurrection.

III.  Matthew 28:19-20.  We each have a job to do.  For we who are already living faithfully, ours is to use knowledge to convict the lost to action.  Then, when we have made disciples and the cut-to-the-heart are asking what they must do, we baptize–when it’s God’s job to add them to His church–and then teach them to obey everything that He’s commanded.  This is how is was for the gentile jailer in Acts 16.

When we push them to obedience before they’re cut to the heart, we risk making low-level disciples who struggle to see the relevance of church and live faithfully.  Never having been cut to the heart and applied the gospel, they never utilize the higher levels of critical thinking in their Christian walk.

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In No One Else

God made a way for sins to be forgiven through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.  Seeking opportunities to proclaim that gospel should be what is on every Christian’s mind every day.  For Peter this was true–even when he was hauled before the very group that had condemned Jesus.

I.  Acts 3:6-26.  For Peter, every encounter was an opportunity to serve in Jesus’ name.  So, when he saw a lame beggar, he healed him.  And, every interaction was an opportunity to tell the good news.  So, when an astonished crowd gathered, Peter proclaimed Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, telling the crowd to repent!

Is this us?  Or, do we allow the petty power the world wields to stop us from serving in Jesus’ name and proclaiming that which might offend?

II.  Acts 4:1-18.  This didn’t set too well with those in worldly power, who seized him and made it sound like he had done something wrong.  Not to be shaken by how the world framed what he had done, Peter rightly describes their actions as calling him to account for showing compassion.  Then, he tells them the gospel!

Shrinking back, we even say things like “we’re not allowed …” or justify to ourselves that our audience wouldn’t be receptive to the gospel anyway.

III.  Acts 4:19-21.  Peter wasn’t motivated by the worlds threats, tactics, or persecutions.  He never reasoned that the Council couldn’t act because the people were all praising God!  Because he knew Godly power, he didn’t care what the world might do to him–only about lost souls who needed to hear the good news!

For us to adopt this perspective, we need to be transformed (Ephesians 4:20-24) and to die to sin and self (Romans 6:5-8) to know our salvation.

How frustrating it must have been to be the world in the 1st century and discover that threats and persecutions no longer worked on Christians who used everything the world had the power to do as an opportunity for the gospel and continued to serve in Jesus’ name (Acts 5:40-42)!  How can we similarly frustrate the world around us today?

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Praying About Prayer

Some people, Lord, make running commentaries,
but I want to make a running prayer:
All I see, and everyone I meet
become a reason to speak to you.

Isn’t this to pray without ceasing?
Slow me down enough, O Father,
to raise up to you the thoughtful prayer,
be it thanks or requests or praise.

Is it strange to you, O sovereign God,
that I pray about prayer — is that a thing?
We can pray about the Bible, can’t we?
No subject is off limits, right?

For I want to be a man of prayer,
an often silent soldier at war,
engaging the foe in full gear,
erecting defenses for Kingdom gains.

O Heavenly Father whose name is Holy,
your plan to offer every soul
eternal life is the church’s work.
For that I need to pray about prayer.

Read more about prayer in order to practice prayer more and better.

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Your Perfect Plan of Love

Acts 4.23-31

Master of all, who made the heaven and earth
and sea, and every creature that they contain,
who by the Holy Spirit, through David, said:

“The nations rage, and foolish people plot;
Together earthly Kings and rulers stood
against the Lord, against his chosen Christ.”

You knew, O Lord, and know, the mind of man!
His thoughts are ever foolish, even from birth;
for your perfect plan of love he shows disdain.

And still Immanuel came! He chose to shed his blood;
with frail and humble humans he cast his lot —
the First of heaven in place of the lost, and last.

O Lord, you raised the Son of Man from the dead!
The Spirit’s power at work in impotent flesh
now gives a soul a chance to start afresh.

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Outline of Christianity in 10 Ws

If you like alliteration, this is the outline for you. Ten — count ’em — ten Ws to form upon your lips and wave your hands over. You can supply a ton of Bible texts for each point. This is a good summary of the whole of the Faith.

  1. The Will — God willed man’s existence and salvation from eternity.
  2. The Word — God became man in the person of Jesus Christ.
  3. The Wound — Jesus was wounded for our transgressions.
  4. The Well — Life and power spring from the Holy Spirit.
  5. The Way — The Bible reveals God’s plan, purchased people, and practice of righteousness.
  6. The Work — Eternal salvation is the objective of every effort by God’s people.
  7. The War — Conflict with evil powers is at the heart of faithfulness.
  8. The World — Saints are in, but not of, and sent to, the world.
  9. The Worship — God seeks people who worship in spirit and truth.
  10. The Worth — Heaven is worth giving up life, limb, and luxury.

UPDATE: I’ve reordered a couple of these, to reflect a more logical progression. I flipped nos. 3 and 4 and nos. 9 and 10.

—JRMatheny

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The grandest project of all time

Thank you, sovereign God, for making me a part of your plan, for putting your word in my mouth, for allowing me to participate in the grandest project of all time, the rescue and transformation of souls.

To think that through your plan of salvation we touch eternity and extend the reach of your reign into more and more lives is nothing short of amazing.

Help us to be worthy of your calling, dependent on your strength, faithful to your truth, deposited in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Peel away the layers of years of man’s departures, Lord

Peel away the layers of years of man’s departures, Lord, to let me see your original intent for faith and service in your kingdom. In marriage Jesus spoke of the beginning, at creation. Paul went back to the beginning, when our Savior broke bread, to restore the proper way to eat the Lord’s supper. Thank you for revealing your pattern for the church. May we follow Jesus’ model faithfully.