by Ryan Smith | Jul 24, 2018
I recently heard a sermon on the ascension of Jesus – the truth that after Jesus was raised, He ascended back to heaven and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
What struck me was not that we were hearing a sermon on the ascension, but that over the course of my decades in the church, I recall very few if any sermons on the topic.
I wondered why.
Jesus ascending to heaven has largely been a triumphal part of the resurrection story that closes out Easter services with intricate pully and harness systems to the delight of many in the crowd.
But when it comes to presenting the Gospel message, it seems we often leave the ascension out.
We gladly tell of God the Creator. We know He created all things perfectly, but mankind chose to rebel against God’s authority – seeking to establish ourselves as a rival authority. As a result of this, we have committed cosmic treason and have a sin debt we cannot pay. Jesus, fully God and fully man, lived a perfect life among us and paid the penalty on the cross that we could not pay. God raised Him to life three days later, showing His power and victory over sin. He calls us into resurrected life with Him, having our sin debt atoned for.
Amen and amen. This is the Gospel as we know it and tell it. But where is the ascension?
While the ascension often does not appear in our Gospel acronyms, it is often highlighted in the Scripture.
Paul, in Eph. 1:20-23 continues the Gospel story, noting the amazing work of God, “that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church…”
In the Scriptures, the ascension of Jesus to the right hand of God, reigning in all power and authority, is often an integral part of the Gospel presentation.
Consider Peter’s sermon in Acts 2, “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God…” (Acts 2:32).
Consider Paul’s famous Gospel discourse in Rom. 1-8 which concludes, “Christ Jesus is the one who died – more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God” (Rom. 8:34).
Consider Paul’s stark celebration of the Gospel in Eph. 2:1-6 which proclaims, “even when we were dead in our trespasses, (God) made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
Consider Heb. 12:2, Mark 14:62, Col. 3:1, Heb. 1:3, 8:1, 1 Pet. 3:22 and many other texts that highlight the fact that not only did Jesus die on the cross and raise to life, but was then consequently seated on the throne of God in heaven above every name, power and entity.
So, in sharing the Good News of Jesus, why do we often forget the ascension?
Would the Gospel of Jesus mean just as much if Jesus died for sins, was raised to life, then disappeared to live in a really nice condo?
The ascension declares Christ is on the throne. He is the supreme and eternal Authority.
Perhaps the reason we consciously or subconsciously often omit the ascension is that while we like not having condemnation, and we all want to go to heaven, we as a culture struggle with the idea of authority. Authority is a curse-word to postmodern ears. We like our autonomy, our individuality.
“You are accountable to, and called to obedience to, the reigning and perfectly sovereign King of creation who owns every aspect of your life,” somehow doesn’t roll off the tongue as easily as “Jesus loves you. Jesus died for you. Jesus is alive!”
It is easy to celebrate God’s grace through the cross and His power in the resurrection. But do we celebrate and acknowledge God’s authority? If we do, we recognize our lives are not our own. Our worldview is not our own. Truth is not subjective or open to debate. Our lives are not meant for our purposes and dreams but God’s purposes and plan for His glory.
In fact, throughout Romans 6, Paul describes our position as “slaves to righteousness.” That doesn’t get celebrated in a lot of our songs.
We are fully and completely under a Sovereign Authority. The fact that Christ ascended and sits on the throne of God in the place of honor and authority testifies to this. The Good News, and why this must be a part of our Gospel, is not only that there is a King, but that the King is good.
The Good News of the Gospel is not that we have been set free to become what we desire, but we have been set free from sin in order to become what God desires and live under His good and rightful authority eternally. Without this truth, we may celebrate our freedom but misunderstand or misplace our allegiance and authority.
What a powerful victory for our enemy if he can cause us to omit the authority of Christ in our Gospel presentation.
What a disservice we do to ourselves if we daily remember the Gospel activity in the past but neglect to celebrate the Gospel reality today of Christ’s eternal Kingship.
What great hope we have withheld if we share the empty cross and empty tomb yet neglect the occupied throne.
May we tell the FULL Good News not only that we have a Savior, but a King.
He lived. He died. He was raised to life. And now He reigns over all. Glory to the King!
by Ryan Smith | Jul 3, 2018
Our church family recently gave me a sabbatical to refresh, focus on education and training, and invest time in activities that will enhance my ministerial capabilities.
One of the activities I was greatly anticipating was visiting other churches on Sundays. As a pastor, my time on Sunday morning is highly logistically concerned and executed from a unique perspective. I am constantly at work to ensure the time the church spends together is edifying, glorifying to Christ, and free from unnecessary disturbance or distraction. Without these responsibilities, I assumed my time with the church would be easy. I was wrong.
It was great to worship alongside other local church families and not have to worry about the processes involved. Hearing from other teachers of the Word and singing songs familiar to others was refreshing and helpful. Sitting with my family was a joy. I anticipated those things.
What I did not anticipate was my struggling mindset going into worship each week.
The enemy has a stocked quiver to use against God’s church, and I believe a large number of arrows are shot on Sunday mornings. Whether it’s the struggle of getting kids ready (mentally and physically) for church, a malfunctioning appliance, the unexpected scheduling hiccup that arises, etc., it is incredibly easy to walk into the worship center not refreshed and open to what God has, but distracted, out of breath and certainly not in the place of mind you hoped.
The Sunday morning struggle is real. So how do we fight it?
I want to offer three questions to ask each week in order to fight the Sunday morning struggle before it begins.
1. Do I know the real battle?
There is no time during the week Satan wants you more distracted, temperamental and tired than when you are gathering with the people of God under the Word of God. His attacks against you are subtle, yet strong.
It is not your kids you are fighting. It is not the music that is distracting you. It is not just coincidence that adds five minutes here and there to your Sunday morning routine. You are a target. Prepare to fight for your time and attention spiritually, mentally and physically.
2. Am I preparing well?
If Sunday morning is the first time we have thought about the church that week, we are disadvantaged. If the sermon is the first time we think about the passage for that Sunday, we are behind. If Sunday church attendance is dependent on the way things go that morning, we have already prepared to fail.
Sunday morning decisions should not be dependent on Saturday night realities. Saturday night decisions should be dependent on Sunday morning realities.
3. Am I asking the right questions?
Sunday mornings are full of questions. We need to make sure we are asking the right ones.
It can be tempting to ask about ways we will be served at the church gathering. But how would our Sunday morning be different if, instead of asking how we will be served, we asked whom we will serve? What if we asked not if the preaching will be on something we like, but on something we need?
Let’s examine our questions. What do they say about the way we mentally and spiritually approach the Sunday morning church gathering?
The time gathered with our church families is sacred. We should be grateful to God for the opportunity to meet freely and hear God’s Word proclaimed unapologetically. But what seems innocently easy can be easily taken for granted. Take the time this week to invest early in what you will do Sunday morning and with whom you will do it. Pray for your pastors. Plan for your time. Pour into your church.
May our time together on Sunday mornings not just be with the church, but for the church.
by Ryan Smith | Jun 20, 2018
“Come gather ‘round people wherever you roam
And admit that the waters around you have grown.”
So begins the familiar Bob Dylan song with its resounding refrain, “The times, they are a changin’.” If rising waters indicate a season of change, a great wave swelled this past week at the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting (SBCAM) in Dallas.
While news of a sitting United States Vice President visiting your assembly is usually received with a note of excitement, the news descended on the SBCAM delegates like a low cloud with rumbles of hushed thunder. As the floor was opened for motions, several Southern Baptist delegates voiced concern over a perceived political tie to the religious organization. They also expressed unease at the effects a seeming affirmation of current political disquiet would have on our minority brothers and sisters. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has recently been focusing on exposing and mending fissures along racial and gender barriers. To many, this move seemed like a step backwards.
But why? This was not the first time a sitting public official was to address the SBCAM. Vice President Pence is widely respected as a brother in Christ. The second most powerful man in the world was asking for a few minutes to address the delegation. Wouldn’t a refusal be inhospitable? Aren’t we to respect those in authority? Aren’t we working toward the same goal of freedom, liberty and justice for all?
There is certainly something to thank God for when 10,000 Southern Baptists can gather freely without fear of repercussion while still openly debating or disagreeing with governmental policy or action. We should be grateful to God to live in such a time and place. Yet, as said motions were rejected, nationalistic songs were sung, the pledge of allegiance to the flag was given and a surprising number of delegates shifted uncomfortably around the auditorium, it was difficult not to sense the waters around us had grown, and we were in need of a family conversation.
There has long been a strain of nationalism in the SBC. While we have celebrated taking the Gospel to the nations as a cross-border message, we have also uplifted the United States as an ordained vehicle for this message in our time. But as Bob Dylan noted, rising waters are at our feet, and we must ask ourselves why.
The purpose of this article is not to take a side in the debate or spur undo controversy. Rather, as an observer of the recent tides within the SBC, and as one who wrestles with them myself, I want to offer a few points of observation that help us understand where we stand as a convention in relation to our changing nation.
What is not changing
For those concerned about rising tides of political disquiet in the SBC, it is important to note that those involved are not separated by as much as they might think. Those concerned with the nation’s place in the church may change some things in our gatherings, but there are two things of note that are not changing: Patriotism and Appreciation for those who serve.
Southern Baptists seeking to create more separation between the church and state in large part are doing so not as condemnation of the state, but as recognition of distinct citizenship between the two. But they are still patriots. They still love the United States of America and are proud of the freedom for which it stands. They recognize and are thankful for the ideals that ring under the red, white, and blue and desperately want the United States to live up to them.
It is not difficult to sing the anthem, pray for God’s blessing on our nation and its leaders, or don the colors in identification with our great nation. But it is difficult knowing so many in our time see those very things as symbols of oppression, misogyny, racial disharmony, and disunity.
Those uncomfortable with national prominence within the church aren’t against the nation – they’re for the church. They are working to submit one recognized authority to a greater recognized Authority. They are seeking to rally around what is of first importance and unity in the surpassing nature of the Gospel that sets free the oppressed, uplifts our sisters in Christ, celebrates every tribe, tongue and nation at the cross, and unites in one what has been fractured in a fallen world. Methods for integrating church and state may be changing, but commitment to both is not.
Another thing that is not changing is Southern Baptists’ appreciation for those who serve. They are grateful for the sacrificial courage of our men and women who fight, and have fought, to defend our freedoms and protect the land and people we love.
They also respect civic offices. The offices of President and Vice President will always be hallowed to a great degree – no matter who holds them. Much respect and prayer are due those who lead our nation. They face decisions and hardships we will never know. When one assumes such an office, they take on a great weight on behalf of millions. The same goes for our representatives in Congress. We should be thankful to live in a society of democratic representation and ensure we are properly heard as well as represented. In fact, Southern Baptists made a tremendous statement in their resounding support of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (The SBC arm that actively engages the civic and public square on issues of Gospel concern) as well as its president, Russell Moore. In this way, they affirmed the need for civic and governmental engagement.
What is changing
What is changing is the conversation around how the separation of our citizenship on this earth and our citizenship in heaven should be represented in the church in a way that appropriately addresses each.
While the banner is often raised of “God and Country,” many are growing uncomfortable with the idea of “God and…” anything. They just want to raise the banner of God and believe our places and times of worship should be reserved solely for that purpose.
The way many in the SBC are seeking to reconcile this tension is by distancing themselves from other loves. This is evidenced by fewer flags on our platforms, patriotic services giving way to the regular rhythm of our worship gatherings and political representation giving way to Gospel proclamation. This is good for our churches in many respects yet can easily be seen as antagonism toward those very entities.
So, is a movement away from “God and Country” a form of indictment on our country, its entities and those who serve? May it never be. Rather as Trevin Wax has noted about the rising phenomenon:
It’s common to hear the story of young evangelicals fleeing conservative churches and embracing center-left politics. I don’t see this happening among young Southern Baptist pastors. What I do see is less emphasis on bringing change through political engagement and more emphasis on dealing pastorally with the implications of a secularizing society.
When I talk with older Southern Baptists about recent cultural developments, I get the impression that many of them see mobilization of Christian voters as the best way to affect change. When I talk with younger Southern Baptists, I get the impression that the landscape has shifted to the point they expect to be a minority… This is a generalization, but I think there’s truth here: Older Southern Baptists are more likely to see the U.S. as Israel. Younger Southern Baptists are more likely to see the U.S. as Babylon. That’s a significant shift, and it leads to a different tone.
While these perspectives are changing, it is important to note that biblically, the U.S. is neither Israel nor Babylon. But if many in the SBC are beginning to see the U.S. as Babylon (a place of exile for God’s people), how does the Bible say to treat Babylon? In Jeremiah 29:7, God commands His people, “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” God tells His people to seek the good of the city and nation in which He has placed them. He tells them to pray on their behalf. He tells them to seek its welfare. Those distancing their stance between nation and church should ensure they don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater in matters of nationalism.
Yet even those who uphold America as a new Israel admit that Israel, a nation led by the very laws and presence of God Himself, ultimately succumbed to the reality of broken people making broken decisions in a broken and fallen world. There is a greater reality than national identity. The U.S. must be recognized as neither the chosen covenant people of God nor a pagan vehicle of judgment on God’s people. But the balance is tricky.
The way this balance is being fleshed out is what is changing for many in the SBC.
Human government cannot save. No matter how many institutions we put in place or how we try to wield them, our sin will be exposed. God’s Gospel, unbound by any government or mortal institution, is the only hope for humanity.
We are all sinners in need of repentance and forgiveness through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. That is the Gospel we proclaim from churches in Dallas, Texas to Baghdad, Iraq; from Washington D.C to Beijing, China. That is the transformative news that unites us beyond borders, races, ages and social barriers.
The Gospel is something we can all agree on and uphold with unshaking joy and prominence in our churches. I believe those coming from every angle of this debate are seeking to do just that. But the rising waters around our convention may indicate a new way is prevailing.
The rising waters in the SBC displayed at the annual meeting are not necessarily a Noahic judgement but are perhaps more indicative of a refining baptism. Change for change’s sake brings harm, but willingness to admit we may need to make changes in order to most clearly display the Gospel should be a constant tide.
The fact that brothers and sisters in Christ can disagree on how to hold citizenship in a nation of which we are commanded to seek the good, yet come together not around a flagpole, but a cross, is evidence of the necessary unity of the body of Christ in any nation.
Regardless of where you stand amidst the rising waters in the SBC, there is one thing we can all be grateful for: the times they are a changin’, but the Gospel never will. Let’s hold that banner high together.
by Ryan Smith | May 31, 2018
There is a well-known ancient Chinese folk poem called, “The Ballad of Mulan.” The poem centers on a brave young woman who goes in disguise as a man to enlist in the Imperial army in order to fight in the place of her disabled father.
In 1998, Disney released the animated movie, “Mulan” based on this ancient character. The movie was a huge success, bringing in more than $300 million. Almost a year later, Disney released the film in China – thinking the East would embrace a movie centered around Chinese culture.
The movie absolutely flopped. Many in Eastern cultures were even angered. Why?
To Eastern cultures, the ancient poem represented two key values: Community and Family Duty. In their view, Mulan was a hero because she did what was best for her people, at great personal cost, in order to preserve the honor of her family.
In Disney’s version, Mulan’s journey was focused on herself. It was a great story of individualism and personal heroism. In the movie, Mulan sees her opportunity to join the army as a way to throw off an oppressive culture of conformity and truly find herself. Her leap of faith was a way to make her mark despite her family’s wishes.
To Chinese viewers in the East, Mulan was a narcissistic, disrespectful, self-centered teenager who disgraced her family, culture and many other things her culture stood for. To American viewers in the West, she was a hero!
What happened?
We live in a culture and time that is hyper-focused on the individual. The idea of an individual throwing off family, expectations, outside identity and going on a journey of self-discovery is the American story. It is the central premise of the vast majority of our movies – particularly those targeted at children. It’s the reason the parents die at the beginning of every Disney movie. We like to see main characters find their own way, their own name, their own individual place in the world. It pulls at our sense of need for individual success and validation.
We see the world through the individualistic lens of Me. But how might this lens affect the way we see the church?
Often when we relay the Gospel narrative, it is told as God having a great plan for your (singular) life. We say Jesus died for you (singular) so that you (singular) can be set free from your (singular) sin, in order to become all that God has uniquely designed you (singular) to be. While this is true, is that the story of the Bible? Is that the whole Gospel?
In John 17, we have Jesus’s high priestly prayer given before His betrayal in the garden. After praying for the disciples specifically, He said, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one.”
Likewise, when Peter addressed his readers in 1 Pet. 2:9-10, he wrote, “But you (plural) are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you (plural) may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you (plural) out of darkness into his marvelous light.” When you read that verse, do you read it as a verse about you, the individual, or about us, the church, the people of God?
All the way back to Genesis, we are told about a people God would take as His own possession. The New Testament speaks in terms of a family, a united structure, “one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:4-6).
The Bible speaks of unity not as individualistic sovereignty, but as a collective united body of individual parts. But the emphasis is continually on the body, not the parts. Do we have personal responsibility and individual callings within the body? Absolutely. Church unity does not mean uniformity. However, our particular giftings are not the focus of the body, but a function of the body.
How can we fight against this individualistic tendency in the church for the glory of God? Here are a few simple suggestions:
- When reading you in the Scriptures (particularly the epistles), think plural instead of singular. Ask how these commands and exhortations might be worked out in community. Think We instead of In most cases in the Bible, “you” is actually plural.
- Be plugged in with believers who are different from you. The church needs a variety of parts working cohesively toward one common goal. Therefore, we need great diversity in age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and other areas in order to see the greatest growth take place. When we see the same Spirit at work in very different people, we are reminded that there is more that unites us than separates us. This is one reason you need to be a committed member of a local church.
- Celebrate what unites us. We must center our church gatherings on fellowship of the Spirit through the Word of God. The Gospel is good news that transcends culture, borders, eras, races, ages and capabilities. May we focus on Jesus as the center of all things. May we seek unity even when it’s hard. May we strive for the good of our brothers and sisters in Christ over our own comfort. Let every voice from every place say with unity, “Jesus is better!”
This side of heaven, we will never see complete church unity. While it IS a reality in Christ through the Spirit, it is also something that must be fought for every day. We must strive to attain what is already true about us – especially when it’s hard.
Therefore, rather than approaching the Word and the church with a me-centered attitude and expectation, let us adopt what Paul encourages in Eph. 4:2-3: an attitude of, “humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
And may God be glorified not just through our own lives, but in the church from generation to generation (Eph. 3:20-21).
by Ryan Smith | May 3, 2018
When I was 10, I received a book about Batman. This wasn’t just any book, however. This was a book that would take me through many harrowing adventures, twists and turns. Some adventures would end poorly. Some would end well. The way it ended, however, was up to me.
This was my first experience with a Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) style book. You may have interacted with one as a child.
If you tried to read a CYOA book from cover to cover, you would find it maddening and disorienting. CYOA books are not written for that purpose. The point is not to get one story out of the book, but to find your own story based on your own personality and decisions. You could start anywhere in the book and at the end of a chapter, you were transported to a random page based on a choice of how you wanted the story to go. Are you going to be risky and reckless or do you want to play it safe and see? The choice is up to you.
You are the hero and you never know where you will end up next.
Unfortunately, many people today treat the Bible as a Choose Your Own Adventure book. Choosing one’s own adventure is great for Batman and his escapades, but not for God and the Gospel.
Far too often, we are tempted to jump from Scripture to Scripture, learning lines and phrases but never actually considering the story as a whole. We are often told that God is writing our story, and that God is for us. Both of these are true, but we would be better served to remember that God is writing us into His story, and that we are created for, by and through God (Col. 1:16).
The Gospel is a story. It is God’s story. It is a story about a perfect King harrowingly rescuing His rebellious and unworthy bride from slavery to evil and its realms. It is a story of adventure, love, lust, war, hidden mysteries and triumph from the least likely of places. It concludes with the greatest eternal ending to the most impossible of problems. And though the story has been written and sealed since before the dawn of time, we live it daily with every breath, joy, fear and wonder at what happens next.
We don’t learn about Bible times; we are in Bible times. We don’t take sips of the stream in order to quench a dryness in our mouths; we swim in the ocean of God’s Word, knowing the full depths we can never see.
God is an author, and He has written an impossible story. Yet God is a creator and breathes the story into existence, upholds it through subsistence, and seals it in consummation.
Why then would we simply use it for quotes and quips to tack onto the stories we are writing for ourselves?
Don’t use the Bible to color the pages you are drawing. Don’t try to find God’s place in your story – a great crusader in your adventure.
Find your adventure in the story God has already written. There is none greater.