THE MOST REMARKABLE THING

Repost from 2013

Around this time of year we are drawn to think of the death of Christ.  Without that death there could be no triumphal resurrection morning upon which we base our beliefs and our hope.  That death was one of the most gruesome known to mankind.  A friend in her research found a full description of the Roman process of crucifixion in dreadful detail.  While others were subjected to such torture, the death of Christ was all the more poignant when we consider that he was innocent of the charges against him. 

This week I have been impressed by something which seems more important to recognize:  The most remarkable thing about Christ’s death is that he submitted to it.

Christ, being fully man, felt every blow and insult, and being fully God, could have stopped each one.  That means that unlike the other helpless beings subjected to crucifixion, Christ received each wound knowing he had the power to put an end to his torture and destroy his tormentors.  He was the Lamb, laying down his life, but he was also the Lion, relinquishing his power. 

This is a model of submission that we must never overlook.  When the Word speaks of submission it asks Christian men and women to lay down both their lives and their power in obedience to God for the sake of another.  REMARKABLE!

@Tina Green, 3/27/13

Watching God

Watching God

I enjoy watching God.  His ways are so unpredictable that I am often amused by my own narrow perspective as compared to His. Turning us around and letting us briefly face ourselves must be one of His favorite things to do. It is even more delightful to watch Him work in someone else’s life. 

Recently a friend was faced with a job change that plunged her unexpectedly into the raucous world of young unbelievers.  She was offended at every turn by language, music, dress, lifestyles, attitudes, and work ethic.  She truly believed she could not survive in this setting long enough to complete her assignment, citing headaches, work interference, back pain, and other symptoms of stress.  She reported that the Lord was openly mocked and His name was repeatedly used in vain.  Having always worked for herself or in Christian settings she could not believe that God would want her to stay in such an environment, and talked constantly of leaving.  However, she could not quit without jeopardizing her employment and her livelihood. 

So often when we find ourselves in darkness we believe it is a mistake. This woman and I began to pray for relief, but we also prayed for the grace to endure this challenge.  The prayers became very specific, praying for the needs of individual co-workers and individual circumstance as they arose, praying to be a light in this dark place.

God would show her how attractive He could be to them through her.  Her “ministry kit” includes a sewing kit, a first aid kit, tissues, hand lotion, cough drops, mints, aspirin, handiwipes and spoons.  She shares fruit and healthy snacks when she has them.  Her unconditional love, acceptance and service, a timely word, hug, or prayers have set her apart as someone who receives appropriate respect and gratitude.  As she reflects on who she is today she can hardly recognize the woman she has become, blessing those she would have avoided, embracing those she would have judged.  She can see this leading to deeper, wider ministry as God guides her path and causes her to grow into the woman He wants her to be.

Just watch God!

Readers: I am posting this today to offer a new perspective on the work of Martin Luther King and the legacy he has left us.

Dear Dr. King

---

 

You were right. You prophesied, “If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will . . . be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the 20th century.”
But we have lost more than a sacrificial spirit. One of your prophetic heirs, Carl Ellis, has made clear that many black and white churches have become “irrelevant social clubs” because they have lost the God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated gospel. God has been sold for good agendas.
There are times I wished you had made the biblical gospel clearer. But I am sure you would agree that the power you wielded was rooted in God.
Today, as I look at the gospel-weak white and black churches, I would say that both need a transcendent reference point in the sovereignty, supremacy, and centrality of God, expressed supremely in the gospel of Jesus Christ. God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated churches where the gospel is cherished — these are the birthplace of the kind of racial harmony that give long-term glory to God and long-term gospel-good to the world.
Again you were right about the folly of passive waiting. Biblical waiting is not passive. It does not compromise. Nothing that needs changing changes without effort.
Some may have quoted, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14)? But this call to wait for the Lord never meant stop doing what he commanded us to do in the pursuit of holy goals.
Waiting for the Lord means our action is essential, but his is decisive. The farmer must wait for the harvest. But no one works harder than the farmer.
Thank you for your sacrifices. May our Lord Jesus hasten the day when the terms “white church” and “black church” will be unintelligible.

---

This letter from John Piper is published as part of his chapter in the book Letters to a Birmingham Jail: A Response to the Words and Dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,