Category: Practical

Why Do We Fight With One Another?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Church Life, Practical2 Comments

Boxers Fighting

Why do we fight and quarrel with one another? What causes conflict in a community? James addresses these questions in his epistle. He starts chapter four with these two questions,

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?

Background

The churches James addressed were experiencing conflict. Conflict that led to either physical or verbal attacks.

I am sure we have all witnessed this at one time or another in a church business meeting. A passionate discussion ends in either physical or verbal blows. Not what you expect out of a church business meeting, but it happens. Why?

Our Passions are at war within us

James’ letter points to those in the community desiring leadership or teaching positions. Presumable for the power, authority, and influence that comes along with that position, which they could use to satisfy their passions and desires.

Isn’t that true for us as well? We have a passion or desire that needs to be met. Passions that war against us. Passions that win the battle causing us to lash out in sin in order to satisfy them. Passions that lead us to fight with another if they get in the way of us satisfying our need.

James’ insight leads to an interesting question.

If it is our passions that cause conflict, what doesn’t cause conflict?

It’s quite common to blame conflict on our environment. Our upbringing, school district, neighborhood are all said to be the reason for conflict. According to James, environment is not the main reason for conflict. While our environment may make conflict more likely, and addressing it may curb the problem, it is not going to eradicate it. So then, we can’t  ultimately blame conflict on our environment.

Less common, but still used is the idea that evil forces outside of ourselves drive us into conflict. A devil made me do it attitude. Again, while evil forces may be at work on us, they are not the ultimate cause of conflict.

If we buy into the lie that conflict is the result of either environment or external spiritual forces, we will never realize the true problem – us. We are the problem. More accurately, our sinful nature is the problem. James is right. We fight and quarrel because we are sinners, and sinners have passions that are contrary to God’s will.

What is the Answer?

A Savior is the answer. We need the gospel. The gospel is the only thing that will change a corrupt heart. A gospel changed heart is regenerate. It is provided with the ability to choose between right and wrong. It is motivated to obey God, as well as it is empowered by the Holy Spirit. So a gospel changed heart is the answer to killing conflict.

If we don’t turn to the gospel, we will continue to think we are good people, who have just been made bad by our environment or evil spiritual forces. The result will be continued conflict.

Question for Reflection

  1. What do you think? Is my assessment right or wrong?

Resource

Image

How Should We Respond When Others are More Successful Than Us?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical2 Comments

Success

No matter how great you are at something, there is always someone who is greater than you. No matter how successful you are, there is always going to be someone who is more successful than you.

It doesn’t matter who you are, you will have to deal with the success of others at one point or another.

How do we respond when others are more successful than us?

Man’s natural response is jealousy, resentment, and hatred, but that is not how Christians should respond. Rather, we should embrace, love, celebrate, and work alongside other Christians who are more successful.

While it is easy for us to say we should respond differently as Christians, it is hard to put that into practice.

How can respond in a Christian way to the success of others?

First, we must have a heart pierced by the gospel.

To respond in a Christian way requires that we be a person of faith. To be willing to promote and protect another, lending them our approval and prestige, requires a heart changed by the gospel.

Man’s natural response is not to promote another man over himself, nor is it to self-sacrificially love another. Only a heart that has been pierced by the gospel will do these things. Only a gospel changed heart will act in this way because only then can we imitate Jesus.

Jesus sacrificed Himself for the good of others. He esteemed man greater than Himself. Even while we were His enemies, Jesus did the unthinkable. He died on the cross for those who hated Him, for those who mocked Him, for those who did not love Him. He died so that we could have eternal life. All those who profess Him as Lord and Savior, He offers forgiveness.

So we see it takes a heart that has been pierced by the gospel to celebrate the success of others and promote another over ourselves.

The reason it takes a gospel pierced heart is because we can only imitate Jesus after we have been united with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection.

Second, we must be fully committed to God’s kingdom and glory.

Often we believe we have the right to be exalted, so we do all we can to make that happen. We fight and scratch and claw our way to the top and seek to get rid of anyone in our way. When others trump us, jealously ensues. Especially, when our praise is stolen.

Not only does the Bible testify to those actions, but the world reflects it. You only need to observe work politics for a short while to discover this truth.

If you think about it, however, only God has the right to be exalted. He is our Creator, and He alone is the all Powerful God of the universe. So we have to take the focus off of ourselves and put it on God in order to quench jealousy and envy.

We must be fully committed to God’s Kingdom and His glory.

Only then will we be willing to take the lesser position. To exalt another man over us, calling him greater. To surrender the rights we think we have. To push aside the idea of self-promotion, which leads to jealousy, envy, and disunity.

Third, we must realize envy, resentment, and hatred spring from worldly and selfish priorities.

Those that envy, resent, and hate another don’t care about God’s kingdom, nor do they care about God’s glory. All they care about is their kingdom, which is a worldly way of thinking and acting.

Thinking and acting that springs from a selfish heart.

When someone is better than us, accomplishing what we want to accomplish, we shouldn’t hate, resent, or envy them, because these actions spring from worldly and selfish priorities and are contrary to a gospel changed heart.

Fourth, we must fully trust God to provide.

One reason I believe people try to establish themselves over others is because they think that is the only way they are going to get ahead. They believe it is the only way they will get a promotion, or a job, and be able to provide for themselves or their family.

Thinking in that way shows that you don’t trust or depend on God to provide. Instead you are trusting and depending on yourself.

We must, however, fully trust God.

The Lord promises those who seek first His kingdom and His righteousness will have their needs met and need not worry.

Fifth, we must recognize and kill the idols of acceptance, approval, and success.

In order to kill the idols of acceptance, approval, and success, we must realize we already have the greatest approval and acceptance we could ever want – God’s.

If we don’t realize God’s approval and acceptance is all we need, we will be let down. As soon as another who is more successful than us comes along, others will naturally gravitate away from us toward them. The praise they once gave us, will be reserved for them.

You see, worldly success, approval, and acceptance is short lived.

The world’s praise may satisfy us for a season, but it will ultimately let us down. Not until we realize that, will we work to kill these idols.

Questions for Reflection

  1. How do you react when others are more successful than you?
  2. What would you add to my list of five?

Resources

Image

Post adapted from my most recent sermon. You can listen here.

How Can We Distinguish Between True and False Teachers?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Church Life, Pastoral, Practical, Preaching6 Comments

Preacher

How can we distinguish between true and false teachers? Jesus provides us with a test in Matthew 7:15-20. He says,

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Beware of Sheep in Wolves Clothing

Jesus tells us there will be those who come as wolves in sheep’s clothing. They will act like Christians, sound like Christians, but they are not Christians. Instead they are wolves in sheep’s clothing, who want to do nothing but deceive those they are teaching.

Jesus tells us to “Beware” or “Watch out” for these teachers, which means we can’t accept everyone’s teaching before examining it and them. Just because they claim to preach the Word, doesn’t mean they do. Just because they claim to live by the Word, doesn’t mean they do. It is up to us to discern their fruit, which is their message and life.

Examine Their Message and Life

Given Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, we are looking for those who live by the narrow way and preach the narrow way. The narrow way involves all of what Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount. Some of which are a requirement to be:

  • Poor in spirit – We see a necessity to depend on God.
  • Act as Salt and Light – A witness for the gospel.
  • Deal with our anger, lust, and marriage problems.
  • Have speech that is true.
  • Don’t retaliate, honor others, and don’t seek self glory.

If a teacher is not willing to teach the narrow way, he is a false teacher. If a teacher is not willing to live by the narrow way, he is a false teacher.

True teachers live and teach the narrow way.

If the person we are listening to does not live by and teach the narrow way, no matter how entertaining, we are not to listen to them because they are a false teacher.

We Have Work To Do

Given Jesus’ command and warning, when we come to attending a church service, listening to a podcast, or watching a preacher on T.V. we have work to do. We can’t be a passive listener seeking entertainment. We have to be active.

Being active involves listening attentively to the message. Taking note of what is being said. Checking the Scripture as the preacher speaks. And finally, examining the message afterward.

When it comes to listening to a sermon, we have work to do. We can’t sit by idle soaking in the message because the person speaking to us might be a false teacher.

The Reason We Should Make This Distinction

It is important we make this distinction because those who follow false prophets are headed down the broad road to destruction. Those, however, who follow true prophets are headed down the narrow road to eternal life.

You see, those on the broad road don’t want a narrow road message. Instead, they want their ears tickled. While, those on the narrow road don’t want a broad road message, they want to hear the true teaching of the Word.

So then, depending on who you are drawn to listen to, depends on what road you are following.

Question for Reflection

  1. What preachers are you drawn to – narrow road preachers or broad road preachers?

Resources

Image

Post adapted from my most recent sermon

How To Know If You Are Wise

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical2 Comments

Wisdom

Are you wise? In other words, are you someone who has wisdom? How do you know? James helps us out in the third chapter of his letter. He says,

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.

The Wise Possess Two Things

James tells us a wise person possesses two things.

(1) Good Conduct – The wise are consistently obedient to God’s Word.

Consistent obedience to God’s Word results from an understanding of who God is and who man is.

God – He is our Creator, Judge, Savior. He is the all-knowing, ruler of the universe.

When we understand who God is, we should fear Him. We should stand in awe and reverence of Him, knowing He has the ability to punish.

Man – We are sinners who have been saved by an all-powerful God. 

When we understand who we are, we should want to know God’s Word and obey it. This is why wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord.

(2) Humility – The wise are not overly impressed by a sense of self-importance.

This again results from an understanding of who God is and who man is. When we view ourselves in the grand scheme of things, we realize we are not all that important.

Summary

Essentially James is saying those who are wise act in accordance with God’s Word and are humble in their actions. They serve God and others instead of serving themselves. They do not boast about their actions in a way that promotes themselves. Those who act in this way show they are wise.

So we see that James doesn’t assess someone’s wisdom by how much they know, but by how they act.

You can know everything there is to know about the Bible. You can read Greek and Hebrew. Recite all the stories and parables found in the Bible. Know the main themes and major shifts in every book of the Bible. You can have your doctrinal I’s dotted and theological T’s crossed. You can do all these things, and still not be wise.

It doesn’t matter how much you know, you are not considered wise unless you have good conduct and humility in your actions.

Question for Reflection

  1. Do you meet James’ standard for wisdom?

Resource

Image

How I Plan To Train My Child

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Family, Leadership, Practical16 Comments

Casey and Camden

Introducing the newest addition to our family of two. Camden James was born April 20th at 9:16 pm. He weighted 7lbs 2oz. and was 19 1/4in. We have had a few sleepless nights, but I think we are getting the hang of it.

Train Him

Now that I have a son, the scriptural commands to train him in the Word is even more of a reality. Reading Proverbs and Deuteronomy you come across the following verses:

Proverbs 22:6 

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Deuteronomy 6:5-9

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

What’s the Plan?

I have given the “how of training” a bit of thought over the last nine months and even more so now that he is here. My wife and I have been collecting a few resources to assist us. While these do not encompass my entire plan, they are the part I want to share with you.

Resources

Over the last nine months we have had time to review these resources and we have found them all to be excellent. If you are looking for something to help you, check one of these out.

Question for Reflection

  1. What resources would you recommend?

Judge Not – What does it really mean?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical22 Comments

Court Room

It is not uncommon to hear people to say:

“Aren’t we all sinners? What gives you the right to make moral judgments about someone else? Isn’t that God’s job?” “Do not judge, or you to will be judged.”

Some who make these claims know where this verse is found, and others do not, but the common theme is that it is used out of context. Incase you did not know, the verse is found in Matthew 7:1.

Why is this verse commonly used, or might I say, misused?

People desire to shield their sin. They want to keep others at bay. They desire to have “unrestrained moral freedom, autonomy, and independence [1].” They don’t want anyone to question their behavior, thoughts, or ideals.

That is a secular way of thinking. It is not a biblical way of thinking. Jesus is not giving this command so others can hide behind it. He is not giving this command as a license to sin. The Bible is clear about that.

  • The Bible gives us commands we are to live by.
  • The Bible tells us we are to hold others accountable.
  • Jesus provides us with the steps to church discipline.
  • Jesus provides us with a church so that we can stir one another up and encourage one another in the faith.
  • Jesus provides us with people in our life to point out our sin so that we will grow to be more like Him.

So then, Jesus’ command is not to be used to shield ourselves from moral scrutiny. To think and act in that way is to think and act in a secular way. It is to allow the world to influence us, and our interpretation of the Bible.

Instead of looking at the Bible through the world’s lens, we have to look at the Bible through its own lens. We have to allow it to interpret itself.

What Does This Verse Really Mean?

Even though people use this verse to dissuade others from judging their behavior, the verse actually does not mean we cannot ever judge another person. Let’s look at this verse in context, and you will see what I mean.

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

After reading this verse in context, it should be apparent that Jesus is addressing judgmentalism and hypocrisy. He was after those who were critical of others and those who operated under a double standard. As well as He was after those who judged others without first dealing with their own sin.

Essentially, Jesus is giving two commandments:

  1. Stop judging others in a hypocritical fashion.
  2. Get the sin out of your own life [2].

So then, Jesus is not telling us we cannot speak about the sin in others lives. Rather, He is telling us that we are not to be hypocritical. We are not to operate under a double standard. We are not to be critical of others.

Can We Judge?

The answer is yes. In fact, it is our duty to judge others, so that they will grow in the Christian life. We are to spur one another on to growth and godliness, and we are to keep each other accountability. Hebrews 10:24-25 says,

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

In order to stir one another up and hold them accountable, we have to look into people’s lives and make judgments about how they are living.

However, if we are not humbly submitting our own lives to the Word of God for review, and if we are not willing to allow others to help us in that task, then we are not to judge others. If we are examining our own lives, and we are dealing with our own sins, living a life of genuine repentance, then we can judge others.

It is important that we are dealing with our own sin because those who are working on their own sin will approach others in a vastly different way than those who are not.

Those who don’t think they have any sin to work on will approach others in a judgmental way. Those who do work on their sin first will approach others with love, mercy, grace, and patience.

The reason for that is because they realize that God has had mercy on them; He has come to them in love; He has patience with them; He has shown them grace. Those who have experienced these things, will be in a better place to point out others sins than those who haven’t.

So then we can judge others, but not before we deal with the sin in our own lives.

The Proper Way to Judge

When we judge others, we must do it in a loving way. We are not judging them in order to make ourselves look better. We don’t come at them from a morally superior position. No, we approach them in love, humbly recognizing we are all sinners, we have all fallen short of God’s glory, and we all need Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. If we approach people from that position, then we have a right, neigh a duty, to speak into their lives, so that we may wage war on the flesh together.

Conclusion

Jesus did not say these words, in order to keep us from making moral judgments. Nor did He give us this verse so we can shield our own sin from review. Rather, He is attacking those who are hypocrites; those who operate under a double standard; those who are critical.

So then, when we look at this verse in context, we see that we can judge others, as long as we are first judging ourselves, and as long as we are approaching them in a loving manner.

Question for Reflection

  1. Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?

Resource

[1] Eric Bargerhuff, The Most Misused Verses in the Bible, 26.
[2] Ibid., 27

Image

Judge Not – What does it really mean? (Sermon I preached on this topic)