Service: Compelled by the Cross

"Worshiping and Serving Theologians": This phrase communicates the all-encompassing nature of the work of the gospel in the life of the Christian. The gospel empowers right thinking (the head), right affections (the heart), and right actions (the hands).

It's important to consider all three because the overemphasis of right thinking leads to intellectualism, the overemphasis of right affections leads to emotionalism, and the overemphasis of right actions leads to legalism. Thus, in all that we do as a church, we want to emphasize what it means to have a mind, heart, and will that are used to enjoy making much of God.

What We Don't Mean 

The past two weeks, we've taken a look at the values of "Theology" and "Worship" (see previous blog posts). This week, we'll take a look at the value of "Service". When we throw out the term service, we don't mean the following: We are called to begrudgingly submit to God, getting our hands dirty for the kingdom because that's what Christians do. After all, if we don't get to work, our relationship with God will suffer. His love is based on our obedience.

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." 

(John Piper)

I got engaged to my wife (Brooks) in January of 2008. I'm a hopeless romantic. And, so it happened on the beach in Jacksonville. Let me share how it could've gone down, and you tell me if this would've gone well. Imagine that I'm down on one knee and I look into Brooks's eyes and say, "Honey, we've dated for nearly three years. I've invested a lot of time and money into this relationship. It seems kind of stupid to just throw that investment away. And, I'm getting older. I probably won't find someone better. Not to mention, I really owe it to you at this point. So, what do you say? Will you marry me?" How do you think that would go? Horrifically at best! Why? Because that kind of talk doesn't honor a woman.

However, if I said, "Honey, nothing would make me happier than to have you as my wife," no one would respond in the following way: "Nothing makes YOU happier?! Selfish! It's all about YOU and what makes YOU happy!" No one would respond that way. Why? Because that kind of language honors the other person.

The same is true with respect to God. God is not honored (made much of) when we begrudgingly submit to Him as Lord. God is not after our grumbling, duty-driven submission. It doesn't make Him look great. What makes God look great is our delighting in Him above all things. When we see him as supremely valuable and delight in serving Him and others, it makes Him look glorious. 

Also, it's important to note that some people serve because they honestly believe that God will love them more if they do so. The gospel is not "Jesus + your resume". The only thing you bring to the table with respect to salvation is your sin, along with the empty hands of faith. We cannot merit God's love by way of obedience. Rather, God has shown his love for us in the cross of Jesus Christ. And, such love compels us to obey. 

What We Do Mean

So, if the idea is not one of begrudging submission or moralistic earning, what do we mean when we throw out the term service? Answer: In the same way that Jesus came as the embodiment of God to serve others and ultimately sacrifice his life for others, the church is to be the embodiment of God in the culture, serving others and sacrificing for others in a way that points to the person and work of Jesus.

Let's take a look at what it means to serve God. Then, we'll give consideration to what it means to serve others.

Serving God

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offers the following words:

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matthew 6:24)

In order to get to the heart of what it means to serve God, we must ask the following question: How does a person serve money? You don't serve money by meeting money's needs. You serve money by positioning your life in such a way that money is supremely valuable. The same is true with respect to God. You don't serve God by meeting God's needs. In fact, we're told the following in Acts 17:

The God who made the world and everyone in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to mankind life and breath and everything. (Acts 17:24-25)

You don't serve God by meeting God's needs. He's not waiting for you to bring your gifts to the table in order to help take some things off of His plate. Rather, you serve God in the same way that you serve money...by positioning your life in such a way that God is supremely valuable. 

So, what/who are you ultimately serving? What/who is your master? For what are your time, money, and abilities being used as leverage? Everyone is a servant. But, not everyone has the same master.

Serving Others

When it comes to serving others, a couple of "coffee cup verses" come to mind (they're on a coffee cup for a reason):

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)

Jesus made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:7)

Memorize these verses. We all have those days in which we buy into the lie that the world revolves around us and owes us something. We all have those days in which serving others is the last thing on our radar. On those days, we need to be reminded that Jesus set aside the throne of heaven and entered into the slums of human history. The God who created everything had to be taught how to spell the things that he had made. The God who carved out mountains, valleys, and trenches had to be taught how to carve wood. That's amazing.

You and I have been humbly served by Jesus. Does such love compel you to take the form of a servant? In what ways has God gifted or enabled you to serve the church and the community around you?

A Word of Caution

As you consider these things, keep one thing in mind. You can do "God things" and not know and be known by God personally. In Matthew 23, Jesus addresses the Pharisees with the following words:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. (Matthew 23:25-28)

According to Jesus, it's possible to do things that convey to others the appearance that we have it all together on the outside, while, at a heart level, we remain dead on the inside. It's easy to play the Christian game, to do all the right things in the right environments so that others are convinced that you deeply love Jesus. But, what's the benefit? Jesus calls those kinds of people blind hypocrites who stand under the woe of God's wrath. 

So, I'll leave you with the following questions: Does the way you spend your time reveal a heart that loves Jesus, his church, and those who don't know and love him? Does the way you steward your money and/or possessions reveal a heart that loves Jesus, his church, and those who don't know and love him? Does the way you leverage your abilities reveal a heart that loves Jesus, his church, and those who don't know and love him?

Jamey Vizzini

Lead Pastor/Planter

CrossPointe Winter Springs



Worship: The Danger of Empty Emotionalism

In the last blog post, I threw out the following phrase: "Worshiping and Serving Theologians". This phrase communicates the all-encompassing nature of the work of the gospel in the life of the Christian. The gospel empowers right thinking (the head), right affections (the heart), and right actions (the hands).

It's important to consider all three because the overemphasis of right thinking leads to intellectualism, the overemphasis of right affections leads to emotionalism, and the overemphasis of right actions leads to legalism. Thus, in all that we do as a church, we want to emphasize what it means to have a mind, heart, and will that are used to enjoy making much of God.

 

What We Don't Mean 

 

Last week we took a look at the value of "Theology". This week, we'll take a look at the value of "Worship". When we throw out the term worship, we don't mean the following: We are called to always be living for the next emotional experience, always looking for the next Christian high. Meanwhile, it doesn't matter whether or not those affections are actually rooted in truth. Nor, does it matter whether or not those affections lead us to serve God and others.

 

"The apex of glorifying God is enjoying him with the heart. But this is an empty emotionalism where that joy is not awakened and sustained by true views of God for who he really is. That is mainly what the mind is for." (John Piper)

 

Imagine if I were to dote on my wife, making the following statement to her in a moment of deep affection: "Honey, you're the most beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty on the face of the earth. I adore you." Now, for some of you, this may not appear to be problematic. But, for those of you who've met my wife, you understand why I would find myself sleeping on the couch, were I to make such a statement. You see, my wife has brown hair and brown eyes. So, no matter how much I'm caught up in a moment of deep affection, that affection is not rooted in a true view of who my wife really is. Thus, she is not honored and my affections are misinformed.

 

The same is true with God. It's not that most of us don't have an idea of who God is. But, for many of us, it's as if we're looking into a funhouse mirror. Our view of God is blurry and distorted at best. God is not honored when we dote on a distorted version of who he truly is. Thus, the "head" and the "heart" of Christianity are inextricably linked. As we grow in our understanding of God, our affections for him will find their roots in the truth of who he actually is, increasing our joy and bringing him great glory.

 

What We Do Mean

 

So, if the idea is not one of empty emotionalism, what do we mean when we throw out the term worship? Answer: Worship is the giving of oneself in making much of something or someone as one's ultimate treasure, and the Christian church's ultimate treasure and object of worship/affection is the triune God of the Bible.

 

Notice that, by definition, worship is more than lip service. In Matthew 15, Jesus responds to the Pharisees with the following words:

 

You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: "'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" (Matthew 15:7-9)

 

It's not that the honoring of God with one's lips doesn't matter. Worship is not less than the honoring of God with one's lips. But, it is more than that. According to Jesus, it's a matter of the heart.

 

Everyone is a Worshiper

 

In Romans 1, Paul makes the argument that everyone is a worshiper, stating the following:

 

Claiming to be wise, [men] became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore, God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. (Romans 1: 22-25)

 

It may sound cliché (the perfect phrase for a coffee cup), but it's true. There's a God-shaped hole in all of us. If God doesn't fill it, something else will. We're all worshipers.

 

Diagnostic Questions

 

So, who or what are you worshiping? What are those things that compete with God for your affections?

 

a significant other

kids

family

work/career

the pursuit of the perfect home

power

comfort

technology (the next new gadget)

sports

image

health/fitness

money

possessions

 

What are those things that keep you up at night? What are those things that will devastate you if you're unable to obtain them? What do you often daydream about? What is it that, if you could have it, would make your life complete? These questions should help to reveal those things which compete with God for your affections. We call them idols.

 

"If anything becomes more fundamental than God to your happiness, meaning in life, and identity, then it is an idol." (Tim Keller)

 

None of the things on this list are in and of themselves bad things. In fact, an idol is usually a good thing that someone has made ultimate (making it a god thing). In doing so, it becomes a bad thing (an idol). My prayer for you is that God would reveal to you those things which are competing with him for your affections and that you would grow in your understanding of who God is, so that your affections would be set ablaze for him, rooted in the truth of who he really is.

 

A Word of Caution

 

As you consider these things, keep one thing in mind. You can have "God experiences" and not know and be known by God personally. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offers these sobering words:

 

Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?" And then will I declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness." (Matthew 7:21-23)

 

According to Jesus, it's possible to call him Lord and not love and worship him. If that's true, it's certainly possible to sing songs to him (honoring him with one's lips) but to have hearts that are far from him. There's no more epic "Christian experience" than being a part of an exorcism. Yet, according to Jesus, we can have that kind of experience and not be known personally and intimately by him. So, I'll leave you with the following questions: Are you worshiping Jesus? Are you stirred up in your affections for Jesus? Are those emotions being informed by truth?

 

Jamey Vizzini

Lead Pastor/Planter

CrossPointe Winter Springs



Theology: Awakening the Mind to the Wonder of God

"Worshiping and Serving Theologians": This phrase communicates the all-encompassing nature of the work of the gospel in the life of the Christian. The gospel empowers right thinking (the head), right affections (the heart), and right actions (the hands).

The overemphasis of right thinking leads to intellectualism, the overemphasis of right affections leads to emotionalism, and the overemphasis of right actions leads to legalism. Thus, in all that we do as a church, we want to emphasize what it means to have a mind, heart, and will that are used to enjoy making much of God.

 

What We Do and Don't Mean

 

When we throw out the term theology, we don't mean the following: We are called to sit in a proverbial ivory tower all day long reading systematic theology books and turning into theological bobble heads who have no affection for God and no desire to actually put hands and feet to what we believe.

 

When we throw out the term theology, this is what we do mean: Christianity is a thinking faith. It is through the mind's right understanding of the excellencies of Christ that one's affections are stirred and one is moved toward right behavior. In other words, right thinking leads to right feeling and right doing. Therefore, the church must be concerned with communicating the excellencies of Christ in such a way that the mind is awakened to the wonder of God.

 

Let's be honest for a moment. Many people cringe at the very word theology. It's perceived by many to be a fierce opponent of faith, a practice reserved for intellectuals and academics alone. To those who hold this position, consider the following.

 

Everyone is a Theologian

 

The word theology comes from the root words theos (meaning "God") and logos (meaning "a word" or "something said"). So, at its most basic level, the word theology means "a word about God" or "something said about God".

 

In this sense, everyone is a theologian. Everyone is a theologian because everyone has something to say about God. And, everyone has something to say about God because what can be known about God is plain to all because He has shown it to all (Romans 1:19). Even the atheist is a theologian because he/she has something to say about God, namely that He doesn't exist. So, the question is not whether one is a theologian or not. The question is whether one practices good theology or bad theology.

 

Scripture as Evidence

 

The Bible is filled with numerous passages that give attention to the importance of thinking to the glory of God. These are just a few examples (emphasis and additional possible meanings added):

 

And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (understanding, thought). This is the great and first commandment." (Matthew 22:37-38)

 

Set your minds on (think about, have your mind controlled by) things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:2-3)

 

Brothers, do not be children in your thinking (understanding). Be infants in evil, but in your thinking (understanding) be mature. (1 Corinthians 14:20)

 

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about (consider, reflect upon, think on) these things. (Philippians 4:8)

 

God actually cares about our thinking. As Christians, we are to stir one another toward good theological thinking to the glory of God. God made us with a mind, and we are to love Him with the fullness of our mind's capacity.

 

Diagnostic Questions

 

In what areas could you stand to grow theologically?

 

the doctrines of Scripture

the attributes of God

the Trinity

creation

prayer

angels, Satan, and demons

man

sin

Jesus

the resurrection

salvation

death

the church

heaven and hell



What is it that practically awakens your mind to the things of God? Perhaps, it's sitting with the Scriptures and a good cup of coffee in that living room chair that you love. Each of us is different. The point is simply this: Whatever it is that practically stirs you toward good theological thinking to the glory of God (illegal drugs not included)...do those things! Be intentional. Get your head in the game. God hasn't left you unarmed. You have His Word.

 

A Word of Caution

 

As you think to the glory of God, keep one thing in mind. The devil has better theology than you. The devil and his army of darkness know more about Jesus than you do (James 2:19). Right theology doesn't mean that you know Jesus, love Jesus, and worship Jesus. You can have "God knowledge" and not know and be known by God personally and intimately. Even an atheist can get a seminary degree. So, I'll leave you with the following questions: Do you know Jesus? Do you love Jesus? Do you worship Jesus?

 

Jamey Vizzini

Lead Pastor/Planter

CrossPointe Winter Springs