"Love, or holy love? Why it matters" by Gregory Crofford for Saturday, 5 March 2016
There's a conversation in Wesleyan circles about God's nature. Thomas Jay Oord insists that the unadorned noun, "love," is sufficient when talking about the character of God. Kenneth Collins, on the other hand, prefers to add an adjective, describing God as "holy love." I side with Collins, and here's why:
1. The biblical evidence - Two key New Testament passages come to mind. In 1 Peter1:16, quoting Leviticus 11:44, God calls us to holiness in simple terms: "Be holy, because I am holy." The verse is preceded by a call to avoid the "evil desires" that typified us when we "lived in ignorance" (1 Peter 1:14, NIV). Holiness is presented as the opposite of evil, i.e. righteousness. God is saying: "Pay attention! This is something crucial about who I am. Because purity is part of who I am, so it should be part of who you are."
Yet if we stop there, we have only one half of the equation. 1 John 4:8 (NIV) teaches: "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." There is no hatred in God. Rather, God seeks the well-being of all creation. In fact, love does not exist where a genuine and prioritized interest in the well-being of others is absent.
2. Immanence and transcendence - Christian theology teaches that - in relation to creation - God is both transcendent (over and above) and immanent (close by). Isaiah 6:1 is the prophet's vision of the LORD who is "high and lifted up." This is the picture of transcendence, that the LORD is the Other, the Creator not to be confused with the reaction. Yet this coin has two sides. In Jesus, Immanuel, we also encounter God with us (Matthew 1:23), the immanent one, close by and alongside all that God loves. This is a tension in our view of God, to be sure, but not unlike other tensions that we accept, such as Jesus being wholly human and wholly divine.
So where does this leave us?
If we say only that "God is love," we are favoring part of the biblical revelation over another; it is an incomplete picture of God. Balanced doctrine takes into account what John Wesley called the "whole tenor of Scripture." Though this brief essay has cited only a few passages, a more thorough study of Old and New Testaments would confirm that these dual emphases as related to God's nature - holiness and love - exist side-by-side. Like a double helix strand of DNA, stability comes when the two remain joined together.
Danger lies in either extreme. Should we speak of God as only holy, inevitably our concept of God would be that of a distant, even harsh deity unable to identify with our weaknesses. On the other hand, if we only speak of God as love, we risk making God a doting grandfather who cares little about the moral quality of our lives. To maintain the transcendence/immanence tension - of the exalted, righteous God and the God who showed his affection for us through the incarnation of Christ - then speaking of God's nature as "holy love" maintains equilibrium in our vision of who God is and who we are to be in response.
May the God who is holy love be our exemplar. May Jesus Christ - who is the very image of God - inspire us to lead lives that are simultaneously unpolluted by the world and selflessly poured out in loving service to others.
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Image credit: aboutfbc.org
Gregory Crofford | March 5, 2016 at 5:51 pm | Tags: holy love, immanence, transcendence | Categories: reflections | URL: http://wp.me/p1xcy8-1le
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Theology in Overalls
"'Running well' – an address to the graduates of NTI-Liberia" by Gregory Crofford
1. The biblical evidence - Two key New Testament passages come to mind. In 1 Peter1:16, quoting Leviticus 11:44, God calls us to holiness in simple terms: "Be holy, because I am holy." The verse is preceded by a call to avoid the "evil desires" that typified us when we "lived in ignorance" (1 Peter 1:14, NIV). Holiness is presented as the opposite of evil, i.e. righteousness. God is saying: "Pay attention! This is something crucial about who I am. Because purity is part of who I am, so it should be part of who you are."
Yet if we stop there, we have only one half of the equation. 1 John 4:8 (NIV) teaches: "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." There is no hatred in God. Rather, God seeks the well-being of all creation. In fact, love does not exist where a genuine and prioritized interest in the well-being of others is absent.
2. Immanence and transcendence - Christian theology teaches that - in relation to creation - God is both transcendent (over and above) and immanent (close by). Isaiah 6:1 is the prophet's vision of the LORD who is "high and lifted up." This is the picture of transcendence, that the LORD is the Other, the Creator not to be confused with the reaction. Yet this coin has two sides. In Jesus, Immanuel, we also encounter God with us (Matthew 1:23), the immanent one, close by and alongside all that God loves. This is a tension in our view of God, to be sure, but not unlike other tensions that we accept, such as Jesus being wholly human and wholly divine.
So where does this leave us?
If we say only that "God is love," we are favoring part of the biblical revelation over another; it is an incomplete picture of God. Balanced doctrine takes into account what John Wesley called the "whole tenor of Scripture." Though this brief essay has cited only a few passages, a more thorough study of Old and New Testaments would confirm that these dual emphases as related to God's nature - holiness and love - exist side-by-side. Like a double helix strand of DNA, stability comes when the two remain joined together.
Danger lies in either extreme. Should we speak of God as only holy, inevitably our concept of God would be that of a distant, even harsh deity unable to identify with our weaknesses. On the other hand, if we only speak of God as love, we risk making God a doting grandfather who cares little about the moral quality of our lives. To maintain the transcendence/immanence tension - of the exalted, righteous God and the God who showed his affection for us through the incarnation of Christ - then speaking of God's nature as "holy love" maintains equilibrium in our vision of who God is and who we are to be in response.
May the God who is holy love be our exemplar. May Jesus Christ - who is the very image of God - inspire us to lead lives that are simultaneously unpolluted by the world and selflessly poured out in loving service to others.
------
Image credit: aboutfbc.org
Gregory Crofford | March 5, 2016 at 5:51 pm | Tags: holy love, immanence, transcendence | Categories: reflections | URL: http://wp.me/p1xcy8-1le
---------------------
Theology in Overalls
"'Running well' – an address to the graduates of NTI-Liberia" by Gregory Crofford
Here's a graduation address that I gave on October 21, 2012 to Liberian pastors receiving their Diploma in Theology from Nazarene Theological Institute.
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"Running Well" (1 Corinthians 9:24-27[1 Corinthians 9:24 Don’t you know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one wins the prize? So then, run to win! 25 Now every athlete in training submits himself to strict discipline, and he does it just to win a laurel wreath that will soon wither away. But we do it to win a crown that will last forever. 26 Accordingly, I don’t run aimlessly but straight for the finish line; I don’t shadow-box but try to make every punch count. 27 I treat my body hard and make it my slave so that, after proclaiming the Good News to others, I myself will not be disqualified.])
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"Running Well" (1 Corinthians 9:24-27[1 Corinthians 9:24 Don’t you know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one wins the prize? So then, run to win! 25 Now every athlete in training submits himself to strict discipline, and he does it just to win a laurel wreath that will soon wither away. But we do it to win a crown that will last forever. 26 Accordingly, I don’t run aimlessly but straight for the finish line; I don’t shadow-box but try to make every punch count. 27 I treat my body hard and make it my slave so that, after proclaiming the Good News to others, I myself will not be disqualified.])
Introduction
To the graduates of the NTI-Liberia class of 2012, families, friends, honored guests:
The Bible talks about the Christian life using several images. It speaks of birth and growth. At other times, it says we are buildings under construction. But the image that has always fired my imagination is running.
From one race to another
The Apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 9:24-27 (NIV) likewise draws lessons from sports. He encourages us:
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.Today, the day of your graduation from the Nazarene Theological Institute of Liberia, marks the end of a race. You have completed an academic race, a race that when you began you thought would be a 5k but it turned out to be much longer! You have crossed the finish line, and everyone here today pauses with you to reflect on your achievement. To you we say with sincerity and good cheer: WELL DONE!
Yet we are here today for another reason. We, your family, friends, colleagues, and members of the larger Liberian community, have gathered not only to congratulate you, but to cheer you on. For we know that while one race has finished, another race continues, and that is the race we are all running, the race of Christian faith. And for you, those called to full-time Christian ministry, there is the race of vocational service to Christ, his church, and the world.
In that race, you as graduates of NTI are pacesetters. You are leaders to whom not only the church but the nation looks for inspiration. To you, in both your relationship with Christ and in ministry, I say this afternoon: RUN WELL.
Let us look together in more detail at 1 Corinthians 9. Thankfully, not only does it say "run well" but it gives concrete advice on how to do so.
Paul commands: "Run in such a way as to get the prize." The Greek plural imperative indicates that Paul is not talking to one person, but to a group. He's saying: "Run this race together."
I was never an accomplished runner, but two years of high school cross-country taught me many things. My second year of running, we got a new coach. He didn't just tell us to run; he strapped on his running shoes and led the way!
One day, he taught us what he called "Indian running." All ten of us ran in single file. Each hundred meters or so, coach would yell "next runner!" The runner at the back of the line would have to speed up and pass all the others, taking his place at the front. Coach would refuse to let anyone else slow down so that the new runner could more easily get to the front of the line. Instead, he's yell: "Come on, Crofford, you can do it!" And when I made it, he'd yell: "Good job!" Soon, we all understood and yelled out encouragement to each other, just like the coach had yelled out encouragement to us.
And so I ask our graduates: Are you running alone in ministry? If so, it's time we did some Indian running. It's time we encouraged each other.
John Wesley, our spiritual grandfather, understood this well. He grouped Methodists together in classes and bands. He knew that for us to give the race our best, we need each other. And so the movement that he and his brother, Charles, started eventually came to be called the Methodist connexion.
Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44533966
We are connected. In this connection we call the Church of the Nazarene, we strive to run the race the very best we can, and to do so, we stay connected. We run together.
Graduates, turn to the graduate on your left. Say these words:
"Brother, I promise to stay connected."
Now, turn to the graduate on your right. Say these words:
"Brother, I promise to stay connected."
As a young pastor, I was brand new in ministry. I had so much to learn! Thankfully, I wasn't alone. Once per month, I met the four other pastors on the zone and we ate lunch together. Those were times when we could share our victories and our struggles. What precious times those were!
Connection can even happen on the Internet. On FaceBook, a former student of mine invited me to join a closed ministry support group. One of the members posted this the other day: "Please pray for me. I'm struggling. This is a season of temptation for me."Within 10 minutes, two other brothers in ministry had responded. "Here's my phone number," one of them wrote. "Call me, brother, and we can talk. I'm here to help you through your struggle."
However you do it, don't run alone. Give the race your very best, together.
Avoid disqualification
His name was Taoufik Makloufi. On August 6, 2012, at the London Olympic games, a race referee disqualified him during the first lap of the 800m race. What was his offense? Makloufi had already qualified for another event in which he was better, the 1500m, an event in which he was expected to win a medal. By not trying in the 800, event, Makloufi hoped to save his energy for the 1500m. The end result was that officials kicked him out of the Olympics and he never got to run his preferred event.
It's a tragedy when someone is disqualified. Paul himself - though a great Apostle - guarded against this possibility. In verse 27, he says that he "beat his body" to "make it my slave." Why did he do this? The verse continues: "...so that after I have preached to others, I myself might not be disqualified for the prize."
A Chinese proverb says: "You can't stop the birds from flying around your head but you can stop them from nesting in your hair." There is not a person in this room who is exempt from weakness. The devil knows your weakness. The question is: Do you?
What is your plan of action when your day of temptation comes? And it will come. The saying is still true: "Those who fail to plan, plan to fail."
Paul says to us today:
Give the race your very best, together.
Avoid disqualification.
Finally, he exhorts us:
Remember the crown.
Verse 25 of our text reminds us: "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."
Stephen Covey was best known for his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The second habit is this: "Begin with the end in mind."
The Apostle Paul said the same thing: Remember the end; remember the objective.Remember the crown.
It seems like those who run shorter distances get more attention. We hear about Jamaica's Usain Bolt, champion of the 100m and 200m distance. Many even know about Kenya's David Rudisha, gold medalist in the 800m run in London. Fewer know the names of champion marathoners, names like Tiki Gelana, the female gold medal winner from Ethiopia.
Yet ministry in the church is more like a marathon than a 100m dash. To make it through this race, women and men of God, we have to remember the finish line. We have toremember the crown.
Chris shows off his medal received for finishing the Marine Corps marathon, October 2014
My nephew, Chris, this year successfully completed all 26+ miles of his third Chicago marathon. Here's what he wrote about the experience:
While running my 3rd Chicago marathon today, I started thinking about the psyche of the 'casual' marathon runner such as myself...1) Starting line: Ecstatic! 2) 13.1 miles: confident. 3) 16 miles: Worried - 'Really, I have 10 more miles!'4) 20 miles: Self pity - 'This is painfully horrible! Why did I sign up for this thing again!'and 5) 26.2 miles - Ecstatic! 'I can't believe I made it through!'
Best time yet. Looking forward to next year.
Though my nephew didn't say anything about it, I also know that his wife, Erin, and his two young daughters were waiting for him at the finish line with a warm embrace. I know because Erin posted up a photo of Chris and the whole family after he had finished. Chris didn't set any records, but he finished, and for him that day, his wife and daughters were his "crown."
I suspect that there will be moments in your ministry - if you haven't had them already - when you will have the same self-pity Chris did after 20 miles. After a sermon that you thought was excellent flops, when criticism from someone in the church stings, when you see your family on the edge of poverty and the devil mocks you by saying how stupid you are and how much richer you could be if only you'd do something else rather than pastor -
Like Chris at mile 20, you may think:
This is horrible! Why did I sign up for this again?
When that moment comes, as it surely will, I say to you this afternoon:
Keep running! Remember the finish line. Remember the crown.
You'll probably never receive here on earth the recognition that you deserve. But Paul says: There is a different crown, a crown that lasts forever. Recognition in this life is fleeting; the reward of heaven is eternal.
CONCLUSION
And so graduates of the NTI-Liberia, you have come at last to the end of a race, an academic race, a Diploma in Theology. As Director of the NTI, I wish you my hearty congratulations for a job well-done. We honor you today on the occasion of this tremendous achievement. Yet if one race is over, other races continue. For each of us here today, there is the race of the Christian life, but for you, the graduates, there is the ongoing race of full-time ministry in service to Christ, his church, and your world. In that race, give it your very best, not alone, but together. In that race, at all costs, avoid disqualification, and in that race, remember the crown.
Gregory Crofford | March 2, 2016 at 8:43 am | Tags: 1 Corinthians 9, Chicago marathon,Christian race, NTI, perseverance | Categories: sermons & addresses | URL: http://wp.me/p1xcy8-1l2---------------------
Theology in Overalls
"Heaven: Starting the song all over again" by Gregory Crofford
Note: This week Bruce passed away. He was a very short man who - with tremendous grace and good humor - dealt with a physical lifelong disability. He loved the Lord, and he loved others. Well-done, Bruce!
The resurrection of the body is a crucial doctrine of Christian faith. We will be given new bodies, strong and eternal like the resurrection body of our Lord. Here we stake our claim; here we stand.
-------------------
Mr. Taylor was my first band conductor.
Conducting a 4th grade band takes a special kind of patience. Every child is new at his or her instrument, be it the flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, drums, or a dozen other things that make noise. And let's face it, for 4th graders, about all we could do was make noise. Like my brothers before me, I played the trumpet, or at least I tried.
Our first concert came at Christmas time. By then, all of us had a grand total of 3 months of experience, practicing twice per week in the band room. Parents and siblings gathered in the cafeteria and waited for us to file in. At last, all of us were in our seats and Mr. Taylor stepped up to the small platform, took his conductor's baton, and raised his arms. We all snapped to attention and raised our instruments, ready to play.
I'm not sure what happened, but only about half of us began playing when his arms came down, signalling the start of the song. Were some still trying to spot where their families sat in the audience? Maybe others were still adjusting their music on the stand or simply daydreaming, but whatever the reason, it was a poor start.
Mr. Taylor then did something that surprised us. He suddenly stopped directing the song, tapping his baton several times on the music stand. We all ground to a halt, not knowing what to make of it all. Slowly, he turned around and addressed the audience:
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've had a very poor start to the song. Please forgive us. We can do better. Now, we are going to start all over again."
And that is exactly what we did. I'm glad to report that the second time went much better, and when we were done, the audience applauded with gusto.
That's what Heaven will be like. Heaven is New Creation. Heaven is God starting the song all over again.
The first time through, the song has been marred by sin, off-key. God knows we all can do better. One day, he will tap his baton on the music stand and we will all begin again.
John described it this way: :
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:1-4).
More and more of those who have played their instruments with me in the band are now silent, awaiting that second chance to perform. On that day, the band will once again assemble. All who have played before us will be present, gloriously resurrected by the Lord in new, durable bodies. What a grand reunion that will be as Jesus raises the baton and we start the song all over again!
How about you? Will you be in the band? This life is only the poor beginning to the song, but a new, better beginning is coming. Don't miss out on it. Keep your instrument in-tune. What a performance that will be!
Gregory Crofford | February 24, 2016 at 6:03 am | Categories: reflections | URL:http://wp.me/p1xcy8-1l0
To the graduates of the NTI-Liberia class of 2012, families, friends, honored guests:
The Bible talks about the Christian life using several images. It speaks of birth and growth. At other times, it says we are buildings under construction. But the image that has always fired my imagination is running.
From one race to another
The Apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 9:24-27 (NIV) likewise draws lessons from sports. He encourages us:
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.Today, the day of your graduation from the Nazarene Theological Institute of Liberia, marks the end of a race. You have completed an academic race, a race that when you began you thought would be a 5k but it turned out to be much longer! You have crossed the finish line, and everyone here today pauses with you to reflect on your achievement. To you we say with sincerity and good cheer: WELL DONE!
Yet we are here today for another reason. We, your family, friends, colleagues, and members of the larger Liberian community, have gathered not only to congratulate you, but to cheer you on. For we know that while one race has finished, another race continues, and that is the race we are all running, the race of Christian faith. And for you, those called to full-time Christian ministry, there is the race of vocational service to Christ, his church, and the world.
In that race, you as graduates of NTI are pacesetters. You are leaders to whom not only the church but the nation looks for inspiration. To you, in both your relationship with Christ and in ministry, I say this afternoon: RUN WELL.
Let us look together in more detail at 1 Corinthians 9. Thankfully, not only does it say "run well" but it gives concrete advice on how to do so.
- Give the race your very best, together.
- Avoid disqualification.
- Remember the crown.
Paul commands: "Run in such a way as to get the prize." The Greek plural imperative indicates that Paul is not talking to one person, but to a group. He's saying: "Run this race together."
I was never an accomplished runner, but two years of high school cross-country taught me many things. My second year of running, we got a new coach. He didn't just tell us to run; he strapped on his running shoes and led the way!
One day, he taught us what he called "Indian running." All ten of us ran in single file. Each hundred meters or so, coach would yell "next runner!" The runner at the back of the line would have to speed up and pass all the others, taking his place at the front. Coach would refuse to let anyone else slow down so that the new runner could more easily get to the front of the line. Instead, he's yell: "Come on, Crofford, you can do it!" And when I made it, he'd yell: "Good job!" Soon, we all understood and yelled out encouragement to each other, just like the coach had yelled out encouragement to us.
And so I ask our graduates: Are you running alone in ministry? If so, it's time we did some Indian running. It's time we encouraged each other.
John Wesley, our spiritual grandfather, understood this well. He grouped Methodists together in classes and bands. He knew that for us to give the race our best, we need each other. And so the movement that he and his brother, Charles, started eventually came to be called the Methodist connexion.
Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44533966
We are connected. In this connection we call the Church of the Nazarene, we strive to run the race the very best we can, and to do so, we stay connected. We run together.
Graduates, turn to the graduate on your left. Say these words:
"Brother, I promise to stay connected."
Now, turn to the graduate on your right. Say these words:
"Brother, I promise to stay connected."
As a young pastor, I was brand new in ministry. I had so much to learn! Thankfully, I wasn't alone. Once per month, I met the four other pastors on the zone and we ate lunch together. Those were times when we could share our victories and our struggles. What precious times those were!
Connection can even happen on the Internet. On FaceBook, a former student of mine invited me to join a closed ministry support group. One of the members posted this the other day: "Please pray for me. I'm struggling. This is a season of temptation for me."Within 10 minutes, two other brothers in ministry had responded. "Here's my phone number," one of them wrote. "Call me, brother, and we can talk. I'm here to help you through your struggle."
However you do it, don't run alone. Give the race your very best, together.
Avoid disqualification
His name was Taoufik Makloufi. On August 6, 2012, at the London Olympic games, a race referee disqualified him during the first lap of the 800m race. What was his offense? Makloufi had already qualified for another event in which he was better, the 1500m, an event in which he was expected to win a medal. By not trying in the 800, event, Makloufi hoped to save his energy for the 1500m. The end result was that officials kicked him out of the Olympics and he never got to run his preferred event.
It's a tragedy when someone is disqualified. Paul himself - though a great Apostle - guarded against this possibility. In verse 27, he says that he "beat his body" to "make it my slave." Why did he do this? The verse continues: "...so that after I have preached to others, I myself might not be disqualified for the prize."
A Chinese proverb says: "You can't stop the birds from flying around your head but you can stop them from nesting in your hair." There is not a person in this room who is exempt from weakness. The devil knows your weakness. The question is: Do you?
What is your plan of action when your day of temptation comes? And it will come. The saying is still true: "Those who fail to plan, plan to fail."
Paul says to us today:
Give the race your very best, together.
Avoid disqualification.
Finally, he exhorts us:
Remember the crown.
Verse 25 of our text reminds us: "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."
Stephen Covey was best known for his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The second habit is this: "Begin with the end in mind."
The Apostle Paul said the same thing: Remember the end; remember the objective.Remember the crown.
It seems like those who run shorter distances get more attention. We hear about Jamaica's Usain Bolt, champion of the 100m and 200m distance. Many even know about Kenya's David Rudisha, gold medalist in the 800m run in London. Fewer know the names of champion marathoners, names like Tiki Gelana, the female gold medal winner from Ethiopia.
Yet ministry in the church is more like a marathon than a 100m dash. To make it through this race, women and men of God, we have to remember the finish line. We have toremember the crown.
Chris shows off his medal received for finishing the Marine Corps marathon, October 2014
My nephew, Chris, this year successfully completed all 26+ miles of his third Chicago marathon. Here's what he wrote about the experience:
While running my 3rd Chicago marathon today, I started thinking about the psyche of the 'casual' marathon runner such as myself...1) Starting line: Ecstatic! 2) 13.1 miles: confident. 3) 16 miles: Worried - 'Really, I have 10 more miles!'4) 20 miles: Self pity - 'This is painfully horrible! Why did I sign up for this thing again!'and 5) 26.2 miles - Ecstatic! 'I can't believe I made it through!'
Best time yet. Looking forward to next year.
Though my nephew didn't say anything about it, I also know that his wife, Erin, and his two young daughters were waiting for him at the finish line with a warm embrace. I know because Erin posted up a photo of Chris and the whole family after he had finished. Chris didn't set any records, but he finished, and for him that day, his wife and daughters were his "crown."
I suspect that there will be moments in your ministry - if you haven't had them already - when you will have the same self-pity Chris did after 20 miles. After a sermon that you thought was excellent flops, when criticism from someone in the church stings, when you see your family on the edge of poverty and the devil mocks you by saying how stupid you are and how much richer you could be if only you'd do something else rather than pastor -
Like Chris at mile 20, you may think:
This is horrible! Why did I sign up for this again?
When that moment comes, as it surely will, I say to you this afternoon:
Keep running! Remember the finish line. Remember the crown.
You'll probably never receive here on earth the recognition that you deserve. But Paul says: There is a different crown, a crown that lasts forever. Recognition in this life is fleeting; the reward of heaven is eternal.
CONCLUSION
And so graduates of the NTI-Liberia, you have come at last to the end of a race, an academic race, a Diploma in Theology. As Director of the NTI, I wish you my hearty congratulations for a job well-done. We honor you today on the occasion of this tremendous achievement. Yet if one race is over, other races continue. For each of us here today, there is the race of the Christian life, but for you, the graduates, there is the ongoing race of full-time ministry in service to Christ, his church, and your world. In that race, give it your very best, not alone, but together. In that race, at all costs, avoid disqualification, and in that race, remember the crown.
Gregory Crofford | March 2, 2016 at 8:43 am | Tags: 1 Corinthians 9, Chicago marathon,Christian race, NTI, perseverance | Categories: sermons & addresses | URL: http://wp.me/p1xcy8-1l2---------------------
Theology in Overalls
"Heaven: Starting the song all over again" by Gregory Crofford
Note: This week Bruce passed away. He was a very short man who - with tremendous grace and good humor - dealt with a physical lifelong disability. He loved the Lord, and he loved others. Well-done, Bruce!
The resurrection of the body is a crucial doctrine of Christian faith. We will be given new bodies, strong and eternal like the resurrection body of our Lord. Here we stake our claim; here we stand.
-------------------
Mr. Taylor was my first band conductor.
Conducting a 4th grade band takes a special kind of patience. Every child is new at his or her instrument, be it the flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, drums, or a dozen other things that make noise. And let's face it, for 4th graders, about all we could do was make noise. Like my brothers before me, I played the trumpet, or at least I tried.
Our first concert came at Christmas time. By then, all of us had a grand total of 3 months of experience, practicing twice per week in the band room. Parents and siblings gathered in the cafeteria and waited for us to file in. At last, all of us were in our seats and Mr. Taylor stepped up to the small platform, took his conductor's baton, and raised his arms. We all snapped to attention and raised our instruments, ready to play.
I'm not sure what happened, but only about half of us began playing when his arms came down, signalling the start of the song. Were some still trying to spot where their families sat in the audience? Maybe others were still adjusting their music on the stand or simply daydreaming, but whatever the reason, it was a poor start.
Mr. Taylor then did something that surprised us. He suddenly stopped directing the song, tapping his baton several times on the music stand. We all ground to a halt, not knowing what to make of it all. Slowly, he turned around and addressed the audience:
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've had a very poor start to the song. Please forgive us. We can do better. Now, we are going to start all over again."
And that is exactly what we did. I'm glad to report that the second time went much better, and when we were done, the audience applauded with gusto.
That's what Heaven will be like. Heaven is New Creation. Heaven is God starting the song all over again.
The first time through, the song has been marred by sin, off-key. God knows we all can do better. One day, he will tap his baton on the music stand and we will all begin again.
John described it this way: :
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:1-4).
More and more of those who have played their instruments with me in the band are now silent, awaiting that second chance to perform. On that day, the band will once again assemble. All who have played before us will be present, gloriously resurrected by the Lord in new, durable bodies. What a grand reunion that will be as Jesus raises the baton and we start the song all over again!
How about you? Will you be in the band? This life is only the poor beginning to the song, but a new, better beginning is coming. Don't miss out on it. Keep your instrument in-tune. What a performance that will be!
Gregory Crofford | February 24, 2016 at 6:03 am | Categories: reflections | URL:http://wp.me/p1xcy8-1l0
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