I have counseled you in the past to teach your patient and his family to hop from church to church like gluttons at the stations of a buffet, or even better, like spiritual connoisseurs with an impossibly refined idea of “how church ought to be done.” The aim was to have them go to church with the mind of a critic or a spectator — anything but a pupil, which, alas, is precisely what you have allowed to happen.

As your people have become thoroughly settled into a church, I see no point in your continuing your feckless attempts to start them church-shopping again. Humility and earnestness of the sort we see in your people calls for different measures. I shall outline the approach I recommend; you would do well to heed my advice. I ought not need to remind you that Our Father Below is singularly indifferent to your protests of effort and intention; indeed, the entire lowerarchy is interested solely in results.

The first strategy you ought to deploy is to inflame your patient’s agenda. Suburban humans, like your man, are always busy — busy at work, busy at play, busy being entertained, busy running late to spend money they don’t have in order to fulfill obligations they resent for people they dislike while driving through traffic they detest outside a home they cannot afford in a car they do not own. This is fertile ground, Wormwood; I expect even you can see that. The slightest pinprick applied to a carefully selected area of your patient’s peevishness is sure to yield a delightful harvest of wickedness that will greatly improve your standing with your superiors.

Secondly, and this will seem counterintuitive, Wormwood, but hear me out: you must see to it that your patient becomes as deeply involved in the activities of his church as possible. I do not mean the life of his church — the interdependent, symbiotic relationship that cements our Enemy’s followers in an impenetrable unity that frustrates even our most accomplished devils. No, Wormwood, I mean activities: boxes on a list that he can check off to impress himself and his friends with his illustrious deeds rendered in the service of our Enemy. This has the satisfying effect that it adds busyness to the patient’s life in a way that makes him think he is advancing in our Enemy’s service.

Do not think of study as an exception to these activities. Doctrinal maturity is something we would rather avoid, but for those infected with it, we can usually salvage something. Here is the trick: our Enemy’s doctrines make a great deal of His sovereignty in transforming the lives of those who would follow Him. Indeed, His sovereignty is to be admired so greatly that it affords us an opportunity to tempt our patients into a life of unmitigated passivity (which, of course, is the word we have taught them to use instead of “laziness” or “sloth”). Best of all, they can be made to feel all the holier for their lack of results — it testifies to their comprehensive grasp of doctrine, don’t you see?

On the other hand, this is risky. There is always the danger that your patient will take note of the ridiculous outcome to which all this leads, laugh at you, and set himself about something fruitful and practical with his doctrine. Fortunately for you, this sort of awareness is becoming rarer and rarer, so the social and cultural air your patient breathes will be your ally.

Whatever you do, the important thing is to prevent your patient from actually doing anything. Keep him impossibly busy doing nothing of any consequence. Our agents have been hard at work creating meaningless diversions of no significance whatsoever and which offer nothing in return; use them well. But even there our Enemy has been working to turn some of our most potent weapons against us. Idle chatter can turn to engaging conversation, so be careful to keep your man as shallow as possible. Keep as much distance between him and the other people in his church and community (to say nothing of his own family) as possible. Keep him to yourself, and you can feel good about his soul.

You have failed to make him bad, Wormwood. You must recover this disaster by making him busy — busy doing nothing. Succeed in that, and you will enjoy the pleasures of a despairing, burned-out soul that is both angst-ridden about his lack of fruitfulness and effectively neutralized to our Enemy’s plans.

Your affectionate uncle,

SCREWTAPE

Note: for those unfamiliar with The Screwtape Letters, it was a satirical account written by C. S. Lewis chronicling the advice given by Screwtape, an accomplished demon, to his nephew, Wormwood, a novice tempter assigned to lead a young Christian man astray.

But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? (James 2:18-20)

To say that you can have faith without works is like saying that you can have water that’s not wet. But let’s keep the order straight: it’s not being wet that makes it water, nor is it good works that create faith. It’s the other way around. Just as wetness clues you in on the fact that water was here, so good works should clue you in that faith was here. Follow the evidence… it will lead you to its source.

Nothing focuses the mind like knowing you’re going to be shot in the morning.

– Winston Churchill

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

– John 17:1-5

However astute Churchill’s point was, it only serves to amplify the gravity of Jesus’ prayer on the night before he was crucified. This year, my reflections on the last week of Jesus’ life have been dominated by one thought: he finished well. His prayer in John 17 gives us a picture of what a strong finish looks like.

1. He Gave an Account of Himself. None of us will give God such an accomplished account of himself when his time comes. “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do,” he said (v. 5). “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world” (v. 6). “I have given them the words that you gave me” (v. 7). “I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction” (v. 12). “I have given them your word” (v. 14). “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world” (v. 18). “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known” (v. 26).

2. He Looked Beyond His Own End. Much of the account he gave of himself had to do with the way he set his disciples up to succeed and carry on after his departure. “Holy Father, keep them in your name” (v. 11). “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one” (v. 15). “Sanctify them in the truth” (v. 17). “I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself” (vv. 18-19). He also prayed for his followers who would come in time, including you and me: “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word” (v. 20).

3. He Considered Himself Dead Already. Though he was praying in the garden of Gethsemane, he said things like, “I am no longer in the world… I am coming to you… While I was with them, I kept them… “

4. He Labored to the End. A pitcher’s perfect game isn’t over until the 27th out, so it’s fitting that a famous catcher was the one who said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” Though he considered himself dead already, Jesus knew that as long as there was breath in his lungs and blood flowing through his veins, there was yet work to do: “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known” (v. 26). A man with less than 24 hours to live declaring what he “will continue” to do… amazing.

If the Christian life is indeed a process of becoming more like Jesus each day, then we’ve been given a model for the way each of us should address his last day. Each of us will give an account of himself and the life he’s led. Each of us has disciples, whether they are wives or children or students or whoever we mentor in our lives and ministries; we will give an account for how we led them, too. May each of us be able to give an unashamed account of himself as we say to our Lord, “here’s what I’ve done with what you’ve given me.” May we consider ourselves dead to the world and alive to Christ so that we may continue in unbroken and unflagging fruitful and faithful service until it is said of us, “it is finished.”

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:13-15, ESV)

Yesterday, Dan taught from James 1, which talks about temptation in terms of being lured. One big takeaway for me was that if you could just see the truth of the matter, the thing tempting us wouldn’t be so enticing. If we could only see that the thing that seems to offer a better life, in fact, offers death…

It reminded me of this bit from Paul Reiser’s Couplehood. I leave it as an exercise for the reader to extract the spiritual application to be found here:

To me, killing fish is not as cruel as the fact that we tease them first. We dangle worms and things they like, so they think they’re getting a snack, when in fact what they’re getting is death. It’s not honest.

We advertise worms, then go, "You know what? We’re all out of worms. How would you like a big hook in your mouth instead?" The ultimate Bait and Switch.

And fish, God bless them, are so dumb, they simply do not catch on. How many years have we been fishing? A zillion years? They haven’t figured it out? All it would take is one fish to see the worm and say, “Wait a second… Worms don’t just dangle like that… Something’s going on here… HEY!”

But they don’t. They line up. They see their friends getting yanked out of the water, and they don’t care. They’re cocky. “Don’t worry, Honey, that won’t happen to me. He didn’t know what he was doing, whereas — OWWWWW! … This one’s got a hook, too!”

They don’t see that whole pattern. Worm/death. Worm/death. I would catch on. If I went to a restaurant, and every time I ordered fruit cup, somebody dropped an anvil on my head, I would begin to notice. “Hmm… Fruit cup/death. Fruit cup/death. You know what? I’m gonna get the soup instead.”

Fish — they’re in schools, but they’re just not learning.

Couplehood, pp. 290-291

If Christ is risen, nothing else matters. And if Christ is not risen — nothing else matters.

– Jaroslav Pelikan, on his deathbed

It’s written by Matt Perman, the senior director of strategy at Desiring God. He writes, “this blog is about tying the big picture to everyday decisions so that we can be more effective in our personal lives, our jobs, our organizations, and society.”

What’s remarkable is what a winsome ambassador for Christ he is in the way he writes. It’s not a “God-blog” by any stretch… and yet it is unmistakably concerned with the same things Christ was concerned with when he spoke on the importance of bearing fruit in our lives. If you’re looking for conversation starters with your coworkers, you can easily point them to this blog in a way that’s completely on-topic at work and thoroughly Christian.

Did you ever think of prosperity as a trial? In an age that regards prosperity as a claim we have on God, it is probably unusual to think of abundance as a test of our faith. But I’ve heard enough wise old saints talk about prosperity this way to make me think they’re on to something.

I think the heart of the matter is this: whether it’s a trial of prosperity or a trial of adversity, the important thing is not the content of the trial. The important thing is the objective God has in mind for the trial. To the extent we focus on our circumstances, we fail the test. To the extent we focus on God and his glory — and what the trial is achieving — we show ourselves steadfast and on the road to maturity.

Jesus didn’t enjoy the cross, but He rejoiced at what lay beyond it. Similarly, the rich man ought not enjoy his riches — at least, not in an idolatrous sort of way — but rather, rejoice at what his riches can do in God’s service.

Don’t misunderstand me: I am not saying that rich people fail the test of prosperity if they don’t give it all away. Prosperity can be legitimately enjoyed just as adversity can make us cry out in pain.

Prosperity is a trial that is a lot easier to rejoice in. But I suspect it’s a trial that a lot fewer people pass, too.

Get it here with coupon code MAR2009.

Bonus: listen to Mark Dever interview Don Whitney about Christian discipleship and growth.

If not knowing what to say is holding you back from starting conversations with folks that might lead to making disciples of Christ, take heart. Listening is far more important, as Jonathan Dodson writes at TheResurgence:

One of the most effective ways to know our “target audience” was to ask them questions…something that we really aren’t good at in the West. Instead, Christians assume a defensive posture, making conversations doctrinal battles or apologetic arguments. [A better way is] the path of learning from those we hope “to reach.”

By asking questions from concern and genuine interest, we will travel much further and faster in our relationships. But first, we have to be convinced that we have something to learn from others, especially from those who don’t believe as we do. Our biblical anthropology–all men are created in God’s image–should convince us of that, but only the Spirit of God can convict us of subtle self-righteousness in viewing non-Christians as projects to complete, not persons to love.

…Jesus-like church planters and disciples will ask lots of questions and listen to the answers. Francis Schaeffer once said something to the effect of: “Give me an hour with an unbeliever and I will listen for the first 55 minutes and then in the last five minutes I will have something to say.”

See also: Spreading the Fame of God by Disagreeing Well

Christians have not managed in many cases to win over their opponents. They have shown themselves to be ornery; they have bypassed some fairly important prescriptions of Scripture; and in the end, they have not convinced very many people–sometimes not even themselves! …

We are called upon by the Lord to contend earnestly for the faith (Jude 3). That does not necessarily involve being contentious; but it involves avoiding compromise, standing forth for what we believe, standing forth for the truth of God–without welching at any particular moment. Thus we are bound to meet, at various points and on various levels, people with whom we disagree…

If we are careful to observe the principles that I would like to expound in this article, we may find that they are valuable not only in the religious field but also in the realms of politics, business and family. Who does not encounter from time to time people who are not in complete agreement? Whether it is between husbands and wives, parents and children, co-workers on the job or fellow members in the church, it is impossible to live without disagreement. Therefore it is good to seek to discover certain basic principles whereby we may relate to those who differ from us.

There are three major questions that we must ask; and I would like to emphasize very strongly that, in my judgment, we need to ask them precisely in the right order…

The three questions Nicole identifies are these:

1. What do I owe the person who differs from me?
2. What can I learn from the person who differs from me?
3. How can I cope with the person who differs from me?

Read the whole thing. It’s one of the best articles I’ve ever read… I came across it a few years ago and I still refer back to it, especially after things like yesterday’s entry from Dan and watching the videos he offered there.

With that in mind, I’ve been encouraging my Connections class to read through the Gospel of John as often as possible. We’re going to look at John theme-by-theme rather than passage-by-passage. When John wrote his Gospel, had a specific purpose in mind: to write so that his readers might “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31). By reading and re-reading John’s Gospel, the themes he repeats in support of his purpose stand out as they are woven through the whole book.

One thing that helps is to listen to someone read it to you. I happen to own the ESV Listener’s Bible, read by Max McLean, and I have really profited from listening to it. My preparation for teaching this class on the Gospel of John has included listening to it being read over and over again.

Good news! Max McLean’s reading of the Gospel of John just happens to be available for free download. If you’re not interested or able to buy a full audio Bible, this is a great way to redeem your drive to and from work. It’s just under two hours long, so if you have a half-hour commute, you can easily listen to it once or twice a week.

Get it here.

Neither your strongest beliefs nor your shakiest doubts are infallible. Often, something we take as absolutely guaranteed turned out to be less certain than we thought. The same goes for our fears and doubts.

It’s easy to think of all the doubts that point toward bad news as rock-solid, and the reasons you have for hope to be just wishful thinking. But when you’re in that state of uncertainty, it’s best to just confess the one thing you can be sure about: “I don’t know.” Your doubts could turn out to be good ones, or your highest hopes could become reality. But in the moment, all you know is that you just don’t know.

So what do you do? You fall back on things that are perhaps less certain or less satisfying, but far more common in a world that’s maddeningly untidy when it comes to these things. You ask questions like:

• Do you have good reasons for hope?
• Do you have good reasons to doubt?
• Which set of reasons outweighs the other?
• What do people you trust have to say about this?
• If someone approached you with the questions you have, what would you say? (That always catches me when I apply the most pessimistic standards to myself but the most optimistic standards to others.)

Finally, let me point you to a blog that has some helpful pointers on the subject called Battling Doubt. It’s worth reading the whole thing, but here are the highlights:

1. Concentrate on the historical fact of the cross.
2. Do not seek refuge or advice with those who would shame you for doubting as if they never did.
3. Pray. Or, more specifically, hurl yourself at God.
4. Re-focus your doubts toward your own failings and inability. Doubt yourself, in other words.
5. Read your Bible. More specifically, meditate on Scriptural promises related to your area of doubt.

P.S. I see no reason to think that doubt is a sin. The sin you have to guard against is unbelief. Doubt is built on an honest quest for the truth in spite of your lack of certainty. Unbelief is the settled position that something is untrue or untrustworthy. I’d be interested if anyone disagrees with me on this… I sort of doubt myself on this one.

Correction: The original version of the P.S. on this post said that I thought doubt was a sin. That’s not what I meant; it reads correctly now.

We’ve started reading Starr Meade’s Keeping Holiday as a family. We’re only a couple of chapters in, but I’m enjoying it enough to recommend it as one of those neat books you can read to your kids, especially at Christmastime. It has a sort of Narnia-esque flavor to it, as others have observed:

R. C. Sproul:

I love it. In reading Keeping Holiday, I was reminded of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. It is delightful reading that pulls you into the adventures of Dylan and Clare and tells the story of God’s work in the lives of those who are called according to his purpose. Children from 8 to 78 will be captivated by this spellbinding story.

Justin Taylor:

It’s a delightful story that parents can read to kids, or that older children can read by themselves. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and marveled at the way Starr Meade was able to combine an imaginative story with God-centered theology. While reading it I kept thinking that, genre-wise, it was a cross between Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia…

I should also mention that I read this book just for myself (my kids are too young for it)–so it’s well worth reading even for adults. Susan Hunt is exactly right: the story lingers. If you’re like me, the repeated refrain of the book will continue ringing in your head: “You can’t find the Founder; he finds you./He’s not just the Founder, he’s the Finder too.”

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