Category: Practical

X-Ray Questions: What makes you tick?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, X-Ray QuestionsLeave a comment

This week we continue our X-Ray Questions series, as we look at what makes you tick. You can read the other posts in this series by clicking here.

X-Ray Question:

(9) What makes you tick? What sun does your planet revolve around? 

Where do you find your garden of delight? What lights up your world? What fountain of life, hope, and delight do you drink from? What food sustains your life? What really matters to you? What castle do you build in the clouds? What pipe dreams tantalize or terrify you? What do you organize your life around? Many gripping metaphors can express the question, “What are you really living for?”

To be ruled, say, by deep thirsts for intimacy, achievement, respect, health, or wealth does not define these as legitimate, unproblematic desires. They function perversely, placing ourselves at the center of the universe. We are meant to long supremely for the Lord himself, for the Giver, not his gifts. The absence of blessing – rejection, vanity, reviling, illness, poverty – often is the crucible in which we learn to love God for who He is. In our idolatry, we make gifts out to be supreme good, and make the Giver into the errand boy of our desires.

Understand

This weeks question is designed to help you answer the question: what are you really living for? The answer to that question will reveal our deepest most hidden idols. When we desire, as our end, things such as intimacy, achievement, respect, health, or wealth, we are seeking to place these things at the center of the universe instead of God. As creatures created by the one true God, we are meant to long for God Himself, not for the things that He can give us. When we long for the things He can give us, and seek to please Him only so He will give us what we want, we have turned the all powerful Creator of the universe, the One we should be worshipping, into our errand boy.

Repent

First, we should repent by realizing our desires can get in the way of our relationship with God.

Second, instead of desiring the things God can give us, we should desire God for who He is. He is the one that regenerated us, and provides us with everlasting life. He is the Creator of the universe, the reason we all exist, the reason we are able to eat, sleep, live, and breathe. Without His hand on our life, we would not have the things we have currently. God, not self, should be the one we live for. Pleasing Him should be the heartbeat of our lives.

However, in our sinfulness, living for God, not self, is a foreign concept, but because of the regeneration our hearts experience through Christ’s death, we are able to live for God alone. Through the death of His Son Jesus Christ, and our subsequent belief that His death paid the price for our sins, we are able to enjoy a relationship with God. Since we are able to commune with God, we should seek to worship Him and do the work that He would have us do, remembering we were not created for our glory, but for the glory of God.

Scripture

Here are a few passages from God’s word to meditate on this week, as you consider what makes you tick: Isa. 1:29-30; 50:10-11; Jer. 2:13; Matt. 4:4; 5:6; John 4:32-34; 6:25-69.

All X-Ray questions taken from David Powlison’s book Seeing with New Eyes.

Image: Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Entertainment is the Supraideology of all Discourse on TV

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical3 Comments

I have been reading through Neil Postman’s book Amusing Ourselves to Death for sometime now, and I came across this quote:

“Entertainment is the surpraideology of all discourse on television” (87).

Postman’s quote reveals that no matter what the show is about its main purpose is our amusement and pleasure. Simply put everything on TV is entertainment.

On TV, All Subject Matter is Entertaining

Postman believes television “has made entertainment itself the natural format for the representative of all experience” (87).  In other words, “all subject matter is presented as entertaining” (87).

Jack Johnson’s song The News speaks to Postman’s claim. Here are a few choice lyrics:

A billion people died on the news tonight
But not so many cried at the terrible sight
Who’s the one to decide that it would be alright
To put the music behind the news tonight
Well mama said
You can’t believe everything you hear
The diagetic world is so unclear
Why don’t the newscasters cry when they read about people who die?
At least they could be decent enough to put just a tear in their eyes

Johnson recognizes that even the nightly news is entertainment first and informative second.

We are just as guilty as the Newscasters in Johnson’s song. Why?

Because to us, the news is not to be taken seriously, it is entertainment. Where did we learn this from? The show itself teaches us.

Think about it

The most attractive people are selected, the music is exciting, the commercials are fun and light hearted, the video footage is high quality, and the banter between the newscasters is exciting, not to mention you are given only a few seconds to process the events presented before you are ushered off to think about another story presented in the same way. It is no wonder the newscasters never shed a tear, nor anyone at home.

What does this do to our society?

(1) I teaches us that life is all about entertainment.

If we are not entertained, then we are not living.

(2) It teaches us there is no place for feelings.

Especially, the kind of feelings that should surface when someone dies.

(3) It provides us with a kind of morbid craving.

Nothing short of a terrible accident or someone hurting themselves will entertain us. It is no wonder shows and movies such as Jackass and Faces of Death are a regular attraction. We have been taught that death and pain are entertainment, and we learned it from something as innocent as the nightly news.

Technology is not Bad

You may not come to the same conclusions that I have. I believe, however, these ideas will give you something to think about the next time you turn on the 10 o’clock news.

Not only should we think when we turn on the news, but also when we use any piece of technology. Each piece of technology affects us in different ways. Sometimes the effects are good and sometimes they are bad. Let me be clear, I am not saying technology is bad. I use it everyday. What I am saying is understanding how it affects us is important, so we can approach it in a discerning manner.

Questions for Reflection

  1. What are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree with Postman?
  2. Have you ever thought about how the technology you use affects you?
  3. Do you believe the medium also contributes to the message, or do you see the medium as neutral?

Resource

Post adapted from Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death.

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What Do You Think About Yourself?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn PracticalLeave a comment

This last week I had an opportunity to take a class on the Reformation. During the class, we studied Calvin’s thought. One area that struck me was his idea on the Knowledge of God.

Calvin’s Two-fold Thesis

(1) Without knowledge of ourselves there can be no knowledge of God
(2) Without knowledge of God there can be no knowledge of Self.

What does he mean?

Calvin believes we must first know ourselves before we can know God. As we look at ourselves, we should realize two things. First, what we have is from God and not from ourselves. Second, we must realize our own ignorance, vanity, poverty, infirmity, and depravity. In short, we will not turn to God until we realize our own depravity. Calvin says,

“Accordingly, the knowledge of ourselves not only arouses us to seek God, but also, as it were, leads us by the hand to find him.”

Only as we realize who we are, namely, sinfully depraved men who only have what we have and are who we are because of God, will we determine to find out who God is and begin to seek Him. Of course, it is only by God’s sovereign grace working in our lives that we will realize these things about ourselves and begin to seek after God, but nonetheless, we must seek Him.

As we turn to God, we realize just how sinful we are and how much we need Him. Our own depravity and unrighteousness comes into full view when we stare a righteous and holy God in the face. For the first time in our lives we begin to realize how deceived we were about ourselves. You see man by nature is inclined to a deluded self-admiration. It is our knowledge of God that sheds light on our delusion. Upon this discovery we must revise our knowledge of self to include the full depravity and wickedness of man.

Conclusion

It is only after we gain a knowledge of self, which leads us to a knowledge of God, can we say we truly understand who we are. Once we understand who we are, we understand why we need His Son. Thankfully, we do not have to despair. The Lord has provides us with a Savior, His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.

We can enjoy His salvation through faith alone. We only need to believe we need a Savior and that Jesus Christ is our Savior. His death, burial, and resurrection serves to restore our relationship with the Father. Those who believe in Christ no longer have to face the wrath of God because Christ faced that for us. What a joyous thought.

X-Ray Questions: What are your plans designed to accomplish?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, X-Ray QuestionsLeave a comment

This week we continue our X-Ray Questions series, as we look at what your plans are designed to accomplish. You can read the other posts in this series by clicking here.

X-Ray Question:

(8) What are your plans, agendas, strategies, and intentions designed to accomplish?

This is another way to size up what you are after. The egocentricity lurking within even the most noble-sounding plans can be appalling. No one ever asserts,” The expansion of our church into a mega-church will get me fame, wealth, and power,” but such motives are garden-variety human nature. Their presence, even covertly, will pervert and stain one’s actions.

Understand

We should realize that by asking ourselves what our plans, agendas, strategies, and intentions are designed to accomplish will allow us to search out our true motivations for our actions. Our plan may be to do something noble, such as expanding our church. But we may be expanding our church for the wrong reasons. We need to check our motivations by asking ourselves what are we hoping to accomplish. Our human nature is geared toward self promotion and pride, so we must proceed with caution in all of our actions.

Another example may drive the point home better. Helping out at the local homeless shelter is a noble way to spend our time, but if we serve at the shelter with the intention of promoting ourselves to our community as a kind and charitable person, so we will be recognized or praised, even if the recognition or praise we are seeking is subtle, we have allowed our sinful nature to creep in and affect our intentions.

Repent

We must repent by meditating on the gospel. The gospel message teaches us that Christ humbled Himself to the point of death. He faced the cross for our sins. On the cross He atoned for our unrighteousness. Jesus could have followed His own agenda, worked off of His own plan, but He did not. Rather, He followed His Father’s plan. A plan that was designed to bring glory to God.

Christ’s death frees us from the bondage of sin. When we place our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are given the power to resist sin, giving us the ability to glorify God through our actions. Since we have been freed from the bondage of sin, we should seek to be like His Son and glorify God, rather than ourselves.

Since Christ has given us the power to cast down our fleshly desires and passions, we should desire to be obedient to God (1 Peter 1:13-21). This obedience includes exalting God over ourselves.

Next time we make plans, we should ask ourselves if our ultimate end is to glorify ourselves or the Lord.

Scripture

Here are a few passages from God’s word to meditate on this week, as you consider what your plans are designed to accomplish: Matt. 6:32-33; 2 Tim. 2:22.

All X-Ray questions taken from David Powlison’s book Seeing with New Eyes.

Image: africa / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What is Your Current Spiritual State?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical1 Comment

Lately, I have been reading the Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter. It is a great book, and one I highly recommend. In his section on the Oversight of the Flock, Baxter challenges pastors to both be acquainted with and to know the spiritual state of their people. He believes that pastors need to know the temperament or disease of the flock, in order to be a good physician.

Benefit for Everyone

I believe Baxter’s advice is great, but it is not just for pastors. I believe everyone can benefit from his advice. We all need to understand our own spiritual state, so we know where we need the most accountability, and what we need to consistently watch out for and pray to God to help us with.

Self Evaluation

In order to help evaluate ourselves, I have provided a modified version of a list Baxter gives to his readers to assist us in testing our own spiritual state.

The list is as follows:

(1) What are your natural inclinations? What are your tendencies? In other words, what actions, attitudes, or beliefs are you disposed toward? To what sins are you naturally drawn?

(2) Who are the people you keep regular company with? Do they serve to build you up in Christ, or do they tear you down?

(3) What sins are you most in danger of committing? Are there circumstances in your life that allow you to easily sin in a particular area?

(4) What duties (prayer, Bible study, Scripture memory, evangelism, accountability, family devotions, etc.) are you most apt to neglect?

(5) To what temptations are you most likely to succumb?

If we honestly answer all these questions, we will have a proper understanding of our current spiritual state, which should help us to guard ourselves on a daily basis. As well as know in what areas we need to seek accountability from others.

X-Ray Questions: What do you think you need?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, X-Ray QuestionsLeave a comment

This week we continue our X-Ray Questions series, as we look at what you think you need. You can read the other posts in this series by clicking here.

X-Ray Question:

(7) What do you think you need? What are your felt needs?

Questions 2 and 3 exposed your aims in terms of activity and pursuit. This question exposes your aims in terms of what you hope to receive, get, and keep. Felt needs are frequently taken as self-evident necessities to be acquired, not as deceptive slave-masters. Our culture of need reinforces the flesh’s instincts and habits. In most cases, a person’s felt needs are slang for idolatrous demands for love, understanding, a sense of being in control, affirmation, and achievement.

Understand

First, understand that your needs are already known by (Matt. 6:8-15) and taken care of by the Lord (Matt. 6:24-32).

Second, understand that our culture drives/reinforces these felt needs through both electronic (t.v., internet, and radio) and print (magazines, books, and photography) media.

Third, by reflecting on the things we think we need, we can gain a good understanding of the ways we are seeking love and affirmation from others. It also shows us what we think we need to control and/or achieve, in order to gain affirmation.

For instance, we may believe we need a new car, new clothing, a certain degree, job, apartment, etc, so we will be accepted and loved by others. Instead of finding our acceptance and love in our relationship with Christ, we are seeking acceptance and love from others through certain possessions that tell the world we are successful.

When we truly reflect on the reasons we desire the things mentioned above, we learn what we hope to, receive, get, and keep from buying a new car, new clothing, acquiring a certain degree, job, or apartment.

On the one hand, we may be seeking these things as a status symbol. On the other hand, we may be seeking these things for our own comfort and protection. When we seek these things for comfort or protection, we are seeking to control the universe, rather than subjecting ourselves to God’s rule. We forget God is in control that He alone is the Sovereign Ruler of the universe.

Repent

We should repent by realizing we do not need to manufacture a certain status that gains us acceptance, love, or affirmation from the world. As Christians, our status before God should be enough because through it we gain genuine and everlasting acceptance, love, and affirmation from God.

Through our belief in Christ, we are made sons of God. Our relationship with God is repaired, and we enjoy the love, mercy, grace, and acceptance of God through Christ. As a result, we should not desire, nor do we need, the acceptance of the world.

Scripture

Here are a few passages from God’s word to meditate on this week, as you consider your felt needs: Matt. 6:8-15; 6:25-32; 1 Kings 3:5-14; all the prayers in the Bible express reoriented felt needs.

All X-Ray questions taken from David Powlison’s book Seeing with New Eyes.

Image: scottchan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net