Biblical Christianity from Peter DeHaan

Why Do We Do the Things We Do?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2015

Most people whose faith is more than in name only, have certain religious rituals as part of their spiritual practices. A common one is church attendance. Another may be giving money or tithing to the church.

Participation in a Bible study, small group, or midweek meeting is a third practice many people pursue. Introspective spiritual activities can include Bible reading and study, prayer, meditation, and fasting. I’m sure there are more.

Why do we do these things? Here are some common reasons:

Out of Habit

While habits can be good, an unexamined habit becomes a mindless ritual. God deserves better.

To Avoid Feeling Guilty

While there is a good type of guilt, most guilt is bad. Seek to understand the source of this guilt. If it’s another person – either directly or indirectly—it’s likely a bad guilt.

To Earn God’s Love

The starting point in our relationship with God is that he loves us. We don’t need to earn it; we already have it. There’s nothing we can do to make him love us more. (And nothing we can do to make him love us less.)

To Get God’s Attention

Do we do things to show God how righteous we are in order to get his attention? If we do, first of all, it’s just a show. Second, we already have his attention.

Because the Bible Says To

Citing the Bible as justification for certain actions is noteworthy, but we must be careful. Does the Bible actually say what we think it says? Are we making unwarranted assumptions and jumping to wrong conclusions? Too often the answer is “yes.”

I can claim all of these reasons at one time or another. And they are all wrong. Here are the real reasons we should pursue our various spiritual practices; anything else is futility:

To Express Love to God

God loves us and wants to be in relationship with us. We should want to love him back. Remember, we’re not trying to earn his love or get his attention; we’re simply trying to say “I love you, too,” intangible and meaningful ways.

To Worship God

True worship is our ultimate gift to God. Though he doesn’t need our worship, he does deserve it. How we choose to worship him need not be like everyone else, but it should come from our heart.

Loving God and worshiping God may be opposite sides of the same coin. I’m not sure if we can separate the two. The things we do and the things we don’t do should be intentional decisions for the express purpose of loving and worshiping God.

Any other reason falls short.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

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Tags love, small group, worship

Bible Insights

Three Versions of the Last Supper

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 29, 2015

The final time Jesus ate a meal with his disciples before he was executed is commonly called the Last Supper; he celebrated Passover with them. Today, we continue this tradition in memory of him.

Though people use different names for this, such as Communion, Holy Communion, The Lord’s Supper, The Eucharist, and Holy Eucharist, among others, the intent is the same: remembering what Jesus did for us.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record this event in their biographies of Jesus. However, each of them presents it differently.

Matthew’s version is the one I’m most familiar with, having heard it read hundreds of times in church as part of a Communion service (Matthew 26:26-29).

Mark’s version is similar, which I’ve also heard when partaking of the Lord’s Supper (Mark 14:22-25).

However, Luke’s version is different, with a pre-dinner sacrament for the wine and bread, along with a post dinner salute with wine. At the beginning of the meal, he gives thanks and reminds them to share the wine with one another.

Then he breaks the bread, referencing his body, which is about to be broken for their benefit.

However, it’s not until the second use of wine, after the meal, when Jesus refers to the cup as a new covenant signified by his death (his spilt blood), which is for them.

With Luke’s version, we can’t miss the fact that an actual meal occurs between the two acts with the wine. I think that’s what most of us miss today in the Eucharist.

The celebration of communion isn’t so much about a tiny cracker and sip of wine, it’s a meal shared in the community—all in the name of Jesus.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Luke 22-24, and today’s post is on Luke 22:17-20.]

Read more about the book of Luke in That You May Know: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

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Tags blood, Passover

Christian Living

I Love the Church, Really I Do

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 25, 2015

In this blog, I write a lot about the church. My comments are mostly critical.

This isn’t because I hate the church. It’s because I love the church. Really I do. If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t bother to point out how church could be better.

The church often falls short of what it could be, short of what it should be. Our Father deserves more, Jesus desires better, and the Holy Spirit is poised to help us make it happen. It is, after all, God’s church, not ours.

We comprise the church that Jesus started—not our buildings, denominations, programs, or procedures.

People are the church. For many folks this requires a changed perspective.

Consider three short verbs: go, do, and be.

Most people talk about going to church. It’s something they accomplish each week. They go, spend an hour, and leave. They check off their “go to church” box for the week. Then they’re done.

Some people talk about doing church. They want to do church in a different way. I appreciate their vision; I applaud their zeal. They strive to put meaning and purpose back into the habit of attending church.

They are moving in the right direction, but they stop short.

A few people talk about being the church. They want to be the church to the world around them. To be the church, they form a community to worship God and serve others.

They function as the church. They are the church Jesus started. And they’re the church I love.

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Tags church, community

Christian Living

Are You a Christian Pharisee?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 22, 2015
2 Comments on Are You a Christian Pharisee?

Whenever I come across the word Pharisee in the Bible, my first thought is, I’m glad I’m not a Pharisee. Then I rush on to read the next verse.

Pharisees comprised a sect of Judaism. A religious bunch, they received the bulk of Jesus’ criticism over their conceited behavior and self-righteous attitudes.

Though Jesus accepted most people as they were, loving them in spite of themselves, he was quick to censure the Pharisees for their legalistic approach to living life. They were the bad guys of the New Testament. I’m glad I’m not a Pharisee.

However, when I come across the word Pharisee in the Bible, I now no longer breeze past it with smug self-assurance. I now substitute the word Christian for it, which gives me the opportunity to consider if I do, at times, act like a Pharisee.

Though this switch obscures the original meaning, it also makes it more personal, allowing for better self-examination.

There are, of course, other words that might work even better for some people, such as Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox. Perhaps using evangelical or charismatic might make these verses more personal.

Or insert your particular denomination, such as Baptist, Lutheran, Episcopal, Methodist, Pentecostal, and so forth. Pick the term you most identify with, use it to replace Pharisee, and let God speak to you. Then be sure to listen.

Though it’s an uncomfortable thought, I wonder if we Christians are more like Pharisees then we care to admit.

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Tags Christian Pharisee, evangelical, Jesus, read the Bible

Christian Living

Do You Really Want Your Church To Grow?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 18, 2015

Most people who go to church say they want their church to grow. However, they usually have an unstated assumption: they want the new people to be just like them. Although understandable, this is also wrong.

Unfortunately, the only place to find more people like them is at another church. In essence, they want to grow their church at the expense of another.

This is a zero-sum game, where the overall church doesn’t get bigger but merely shuffles people between locations.

To truly grow our churches we need to find people who are not like us. But are we truly ready for what that entails? Consider what these folks might look like:

A homeless man staggers in. He hasn’t bathed in days. The odor is so intense no one can stand near him; his clothes are so dirty you don’t even want him to sit down. All his possessions are stuffed into an even dirtier backpack. And when he gets a whiff of the communion wine, he starts acting squirrely.
A young single mom marches in with four children in tow. They don’t look alike, and you learn each child has a different last name. The kids are okay, but none of them wear the “proper clothes” or know the “right way to behave” in church. Overall, they are a disruption.
Two guys saunter in. They’re holding hands and wearing wedding bands; they refer to each other as “my husband.”

How would your church react? Would you welcome these folks, extend the love of Jesus, and refuse to judge? Would your church see these visitors as an answer to prayer or a problem to deal with?

If your church did embrace them, you could grow by eight people. And once they knew your church was a safe place, they’d tell their friends, and you could grow even more.

Over time, your church would look less like you and more like them. Jesus would be thrilled, but what about you?

If this is what real church growth looks like, do you really want your church to grow?

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Tags church, church attendance

Bible Insights

Ten Reasons Why the Bible is Important

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 15, 2015
2 Comments on Ten Reasons Why the Bible is Important

Celebrate Scripture

On an almost daily basis, I’ve spent my life reading and studying the Bible.

However, I don’t see the Bible as a rulebook for righteous living or a manual for the faithful to follow, but as a spiritual narrative to illuminate my journey with God through life.

Here are ten reasons why the Bible is important:

The Bible points us to God.
The Bible keeps us anchored in ageless truth.
The Bible is the foundation of our faith.
The Bible connects us with our past and points us to our future.
The Bible informs our practices, directs our actions, and guides our life.
The Bible protects us from wrong teaching.
The Bible is God’s written word to us, complementing God’s spoken word through the Holy Spirit.
The Bible keeps us from trying to create God in our own image.
The Bible protects us from turning faith into whatever we want it to be.
Reading and studying the Bible is an act of worship.

Without question, the Bible is fundamental to my faith and indispensable for my life. Without the Bible by my side, I would waffle in spiritual uncertainty over every feel-good fad and be distracted by every passing religious whim.

The Bible keeps me grounded in God and shielded from mankind’s misguided detours. The Bible is more than important to me.

The Bible is essential.

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Christian Living

How Do We Worship God?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 11, 2015

Celebrate the Savior

Many churches call their Sunday morning services a worship service. Does that mean going to church is worshipping God? I suppose it could be, but I don’t think many people believe that.

Instead, they focus on a particular aspect of the service as worship: the singing part. So singing can be worship. But where does that leave someone like me who can’t sing and doesn’t really even like to try?

I’ve also heard ministers say, “Let’s worship God with our tithes and offerings.” That implies donations are worship.

Except that we’re not giving our money to God but to people who—with varying degrees of success—endeavor to spend it on the things they think are important to God.

I’m all about charity. But because there’s an intermediary with our church donations, it doesn’t feel much like worshiping God but instead supporting a manmade institution.

Here are some other ideas of worship that resonate with me more so than singing and donating:

Help Others

Assisting those in need, either with our time or our money, can be an act of worship.

Appreciate Nature

Enjoying God’s creation affirms the creator and can serve as powerful worship.

Study the Bible

Scouring God’s Word for insights about him and how to serve him may be a viable act of worship.

Pray

As we move our prayers from telling God what we want towards sharing and listening, we approach worship.

Fast

Done with integrity, going without can be another way to worship God; it’s not for us but for him.

Hang Out With God

In all these ways, and many others, we can spend time with God. When our focus is on him, we worship him.

What I do know is that the Bible encourages us to worship God in spirit and in truth. Though I’m still working out what that fully means, it is my goal, my heart’s desire:

To wholly worship God in spirit and in truth. The way I do it is secondary.

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Tags worship

Peter DeHaan News

What’s the Focus of Your Bible Reading?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 8, 2015

Study God’s Holy Scripture

I spent all of last year studying women in the Bible. As the year progressed, my initial list of thirty kept getting longer. By yearend, I had found over seventy-five, and I wrote blog posts for about half of them.

Although I don’t plan on blogging about the rest, I am working on a book on the subject, Women in the Bible. The first draft is almost done, and I’m about ready for some beta readers to review it. When the book is finished, I’ll post a notice here.

For this year, I’m reading the New Testament, starting with the writings of Dr. Luke.

Although we’re a week into the new year, it’s not too late to start a Bible reading plan:

The New Testament Bible reading plan.
The Old Testament Bible reading plan.
Read the Entire Bible in a year
Check out our monthly Bible reading plans.

Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in e-book, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

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Tags Bible Reading, read the Bible

Personal Posts

Which is Better, Setting Goals or Making New Year’s Resolutions?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 1, 2015

Although I avoid making New Year’s resolutions, I do set annual goals. What’s the difference? Maybe nothing; maybe everything. To me, resolutions are akin to wishful thinking, with low expectations for success.

Goals are concrete, with stated action and quantifiable results.

I don’t think I’ve ever made a New Year’s resolution. If I discover something about myself I want to change, I set about making the adjustment right away. Delaying change until January first makes no sense.

However, every year I do set annual goals. I write them down and may even share them with friends. Throughout the year, I work towards achieving those goals.

Sometimes my goals morph into something else and other times they become irrelevant along the way, but I take each one as far as I can by December 31.

At the end of each year, I look back with a sense of accomplishment over the goals I’ve reached, while not wallowing in remorse over the ones I’ve missed. Never once have I achieved every annual goal and never once have I failed at them all.

This year was a rough year. Life took an unexpected turn soon after the New Year began, and my goals necessarily assumed a lessor priority. Even though it was one of my worst showings ever, I still accomplished two of my six goals.

However, other people shun goal setting, but they always make New Year’s resolutions. Just as I dismiss resolutions, they dismiss goals with equal disdain. Just as I embrace goals, they embrace resolutions with equal fervor.

Maybe the difference between goal setting and resolutions is just semantics, but maybe the difference is one of substance. I don’t know.

What I do know is that, whether it’s a goal or a resolution, we need to do what we can to accomplish the result we want and then look to God for help with what is out of our control.

With him, we have a much better chance of success than without him.

Do you like this post? Want to read more? Check out Peter’s book, Bridging the Sacred-Secular Divide: Discovering the Spirituality of Every Day Life, available wherever books are sold.

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Tags holiday, Sacred-Secular Divide

Peter DeHaan News

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Tags Biblical God, top ten