Pastor Megilligan of Calvary Bible Church weekly spiritual blog. http://www.calvarybiblecares.org CalvaryBibleCares.org. All rights reserved. Duplication of any content on this site is prohibited. Ravi Zacharias tells of the time he was taking senior exams (if I remember correctly) in theology. His first question was: "God, elaborate." I'm not sure what his grade was, but Ravi indicated that he felt like he could write for hours on the topic. Then I wondered to myself, if I were asked such a question, what would be my response? Then there was James Boice, who stated at a Bible conference once that (his multiple academic accomplishments notwithstanding), he had turned down several invitation to teach at the seminary or college level. His reason? He believed that his congregation needed good theology. And, as far as he was concerned, he was his congregation's resident theologian. He remained in that position until the Lord took him. I've thought of each man's comments recently. There are very few of us on this planet that have the brilliant mind of Ravi or the meticulous devotion to the Word of God like Boice. However, by virtue of their presence in and impact upon the Christian world, they have collectively raised the standard by which we should measure our ministry, at least our teaching ministry. Being a country preacher, until recently, I hadn't thought much about my measure as a theologian. Then it occurred to me that ultimately each counseling session (formal or informal), each phone call from a troubled friend, each contact with a person in a hospital room, each funeral service, each and every wedding and baptismal service, indeed, each and every message I preach brings theology into focus. Every time the Lord calls upon me to minister to someone's life, theology is the "maid in hand" that I bring along. Conscious or not of her presence, she is the aroma of doctrinal perfume that tints the air. Theology is the study of God. If, as a minister of the Gospel, I do not allow her accompaniment to my conversations, her confirmation to my prayers and her life to my living, I am no better than a mere philosopher. I have forsaken the God of my spiritual fathers and left my audience, singular or plural in number, with a verbal vacuum. Then each of us, audience and I, has a latter end worse than our first. We will become of all men, most miserable. So now I ask you to fill in the blanks: "God, elaborate!" How did you do?http://www.calvarybiblecares.org/asiseeit/index.php?aisi#74March 14, 2010Tuesdays with Mark. For several years, Toni opened her kitchen and laundry room to her bachelor brother on Tuesday evenings. Since Mark would show up earlier than we would get home, he had a key to get in, start his laundry, turn on ESPN and generally make himself at home until we arrived. That pattern lasted quite a while until another sister in the area offered an "every other Tuesday" routine to help out. These supper times with my brother-in-law turned out to be interesting in many ways. Mark could be quite moody (can't we all!) at times. So our conversations would be determined many times by his state of being. He basically had two passions: sports and spaghetti. He was strongly opinionated about both! There was an occasion when his sister tried to take him on about why the Phillies won their first divisional series in decades: Phillies came on too strong or the Mets choked? It was a vibrant discussion! I was proud of my little wife taking on her, ahem, louder brother, but alas, he was too vociferous for her. As I remember it, they were having this discussion sitting at the table opposite one another over a plate of spaghetti. I kept my head down and concentrated on the pasta. No matter the subject though, you never won an argument with Mark; he just knew he was always right. At least it provided for a little mix occasionally for our dinner time conversations. There was one exception to Mark's "rightness." We had a pattern of finishing off dinner time by reading a chapter from the Bible. We started with the Gospels, went through the book of Acts and then started on Psalms. After almost each reading, Mark would ask thoughtful questions or make interesting observations. That would generally lead to some healthy exchange of conversation about biblical content. Mark came to Christ just a few years ago. For him it was a long, difficult and private journey. He realized he wasn't an expert in the Bible, so he was willing to ask questions. Mark's health declined rapidly in his last few months; he went to be with the Lord a few weeks ago. I was at his hospital bedside his last afternoon on earth and prayed with him. Mark always appreciated prayers on his behalf, saying a quick, quiet, "Thanks, Keith." Our Tuesday evenings are once again our own. And, no matter how the Phillies do this year, I won't be able to eat a plate of spaghetti again without thinking about Mark...and the Gospels, and Acts, and...http://www.calvarybiblecares.org/asiseeit/index.php?aisi#73March 07. 2010Mutation: I first became aware of the term in junior high school. I first understood the term in college. Simply, it is a word that describes change. It is most frequently used in the scientific world to describe change that takes place as presented in an evolutionary context. But that is not the purpose of this article. Instead, I want to delve into the theological usage of the term. In that case, we go in the opposite direction. Instead of talking about things that change, we talk about a God who is changeless. For that we use the term: immutable. For created objects and beings, change is matter of our existence. That is, since we are made of a host of composite parts, almost by definition we are subject to change. That's what composite elements/obstacles do, they change. Change also means that you can either gain or lose something (in time). For humans, that can cover a host of items: weight, color, size, skin tone, maturation, etc. If you're made of parts, sooner or later, those parts will change, decay, cease functioning, lose flexibility...you get the picture! Change is also a mantra of sorts in our modern culture. Rarely do people stay in the same place for their entire existence. And recently, more rarely do people remain in the same vocation, or even field of endeavor. When change happens, the question of adaptability comes in to play. For Christians, adaptability is joined with faith to explore God's direction and purpose. But why would faith then enter the picture? Basically for one reason, since God is immutable, He's the only one we can trust to know how to handle "mutation." Whether the influences of change are external or internal, God has all the bases covered. The immutability of God appears in its most perfect beauty when viewed against the mutability of men. In God, no change is possible; in men, change is impossible to escape. Neither the man is fixed nor his world, but he and it are in constant flux. So writes Tozer. If we're going to handle the inevitability of change, then we must trust the God who does not change. For, we live in and are creatures of a world system He has designed; and He has designed change as part of that system. Faith then, makes the journey a whole lot more pleasant!http://www.calvarybiblecares.org/asiseeit/index.php?aisi#72February 28, 2010Samuel Johnson, now that's a man I'd like to get to know! He lived a couple of centuries ago in England. He was a "lexicographer and literary critic." I realize I have just lost eighty percent of you, but for those who remain, let me inform you a bit more. He is mentioned several times in the book, From the Library of C. S. Lewis. He was a big hit with Malcolm Muggeridge (who considered him "to be among the greatest English-men of letters"). And, at least in the eyes of one scholar, C. S. Lewis was considered to be Johnson's comparative equal in scholarship and wit. So there you have it! If Sam was good enough for Lewis and Malcolm, he's good enough for me! Have your slow-mo thinking cap on? Ponder this quote of Johnson's, Some seem to admire indiscriminately whatever has been long preserved, without considering that time has sometimes cooperated with chance; all perhaps are more willing to honor past than present excellence; and the mind contemplates genius through the shades of age as the eye surveys the sun through artificial opacity. The great contention of criticism is to find the faults of the moderns, and the beauties of the ancients. While an author is yet living we estimate his powers by his worst performance, and when he is dead, we rate them by his best. Okay, I'll give you a few minutes to re-read this quotation and ponder it's meaning...Now, are you ready to proceed? When I first read this, I thought of a blog entry my daughter made of a quote by Athanasius (fourth century church father and apologist) a few months ago: "Who writes like this anymore?" Good question; sadly, there are not too many literary answers from our era. We are deprived of men who know their vocabulary, history and substance in this generation of English authors. I have long contended that good preachers (and writers) are good readers. And, the more you do of the latter, the better you become of the former. But getting back to Johnson's point (we criticize the worst of those living and revere the best of them when dead); I can't help but think of Jesus. He once stated of His critics, you hate me and John (the Baptist) for opposite reasons, but once we're gone, you'll realize that there was no one greater born of women than John. And, I might add, no one greater than Jesus, period!http://www.calvarybiblecares.org/asiseeit/index.php?aisi#71February 21, 2010