In reading the book of Acts in the Bible we learn about a badly misguided dude named Saul who turns his life around and later goes by the name of Paul. When did this name change take place?
If you say his name changed when he stopped killing Jesus’ followers to become one himself, I’d agree with you—and we’d be wrong.
Saul started following Jesus in Acts chapter 9, but continues to go by that name until Acts chapter 13. What happened there?
It’s subtle, but Acts 13:9 says, “Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit…”
I can’t say for sure, but this seems to be the first indication of God’s spirit filling him. S
ure, he was a follower of Jesus before that and he was doing things for God before that, but when the Holy Spirit filled him, it’s as if God gave him a new name, Paul.
The change is abrupt. In Acts 7:58 through Acts 13:9 he is Saul. The Holy Spirit shows up in Acts 13:9 and for the rest of the book of Acts (and the rest of the Bible) he goes by Paul.
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.
Look to the Wellbeing of Others and Not Focus on Ourselves
In Isaiah 39 we read a prophecy given to King Hezekiah by Isaiah.
This occurs after Hezekiah does something foolish. He graciously receives envoys from the powerful behemoth, Babylon.
Not only does he show off his nation’s wealth, he also provides his enemies one more reason to invade his country. God is not pleased.
Though Hezekiah’s actions cause this prophecy, he will not suffer personally. His family will. He is spiritually selfish. When Babylon attacks, some of his descendants will be castrated and carted off to serve the king of Babylon.
While the predictions are horrific, Hezekiah’s reaction is pathetic.
Realizing he personally will not suffer, he accepts God’s decree. Hezekiah will enjoy peace. He will encounter no pain. True, others will not experience peace. Other people will undergo the consequences, including his own family.
But the king doesn’t care. He thinks only of himself. He will be fine, and that’s all that matters.
Hezekiah Is Self-absorbed
While peace and security are physical issues, there is a spiritual component at play here as well. Hezekiah does not confess his wrong actions.
He does not ask God to change his mind. He does not intercede for his descendants and the turmoil they will endure because of his folly.
He is spiritually selfish.
It’s easy to be spiritually self-centered. We are content with our standing in God and lose sight of the struggles others face, both physically and spiritually. We fail to pray for them; we don’t seek ways to help.
Our life is good—or at least good enough—and we dismiss the suffering of others. And, like Hezekiah, we do this to our discredit and to their demise.
Following Jesus is not about our comfort. It’s about loving others in his name and pointing people to him.
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.
I remember before, there are times after a day at work, my bride comes home and remarks, “It’s been a long day!” Being the supportive and understanding spouse that I am, I quickly concur with appropriate empathy.
Unfortunately, I am seldom content to merely agree, so I sarcastically add, “Yes, I heard on the news that today was 35 minutes longer than yesterday. Today, was, truly a long day.”
That rarely wins me any points but does garner an irritated glare.
What she may mean is that work lasted—or seemed to last—for a long time. Alternately, it could convey that work was very frustrating. I know what she means, but she doesn’t say what she means.
Instead, she insists that the day was somehow longer than normal.
It like fashion, some people quip that yesterday was the longest day of the year. But that is not correct either.
It was the same length as all the others; it merely contained more daylight minutes—and correspondingly less nighttime minutes—than any other day of the year. That is, for those of us north of the equator.
For those in the southern hemisphere, theirs was the shortest day of the year. Not really. It just had the least amount of daylight and the maximum amount of darkness.
What about those on the equator? I understand that they enjoyed an even 12 to 12 split of light and dark, just like every other day.
So whether your day was long—or short—or the same length as all others, I hope that it was a good one.
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.
Exploring Christian Practices That Lack Biblical Support
For years I’ve told people that I strive to write from a Christian worldview. That’s what I believed I was doing.
I even regularly prayed that God would empower me to do so, that each word I wrote would embrace, support, and advance a Christian worldview.
However, I realized I don’t always write from a Christian worldview. In fact, I often question a Christian worldview because too much of it isn’t biblical.
Too often I can’t find support in Scripture for many of the practices, traditions, and beliefs that most Christians include in their worldview.
As a result, my prayer has changed, asking God that I will consistently write from a biblical worldview. This is how I honor him and encourage others.
What’s a Worldview?
First a definition. A worldview is
a set of perspectives through which we view and understand our world. More
specifically, it’s a group’s collection of beliefs about life and how we fit
into our world.
This means that a biblical worldview sees the world and our role in it through the lens of Scripture. The Bible informs those with the biblical worldview how to think and act.
Similarly, a Christian worldview is the set of beliefs that Christians have about their faith. The basis for this assemblage of ideas should be the Bible. If this were the case, a Christian worldview and a biblical worldview would be synonymous.
Unfortunately, there’s a disconnect. Too many things that comprise Christian perspectives and practices lack a biblical mandate. These topics often come up in my writing.
A Christian Worldview
Christian means to be like Christ, that is, to be like Jesus. As Christians (a word I usually avoid because it means different things to different people) we want to be like Jesus.
The Bible is the best source to help us understand how to be like him (WWJD).
Our Christian worldview should emanate from Jesus, through the Bible.
Yet Christians hold many beliefs
that don’t have a biblical basis. Christians pursue practices that lack a
biblical mandate. Yes, this includes me. But I’m trying to shed these erroneous
Christian pursuits that lack biblical support.
A Biblical Worldview
Because some ideas that we accept
as Christian don’t have much of a biblical origin, I base my faith and my
writing on what God says in the Bible. It’s more important than writing about
what other people think is Christian—even if it offends.
When I read and study the Bible—both to inform my life and my writing—I strive to do so without interpreting it through the lens of traditions I’ve been taught and the practices I observe.
I don’t look for justification of our present Christian reality in the Bible to reinforce what we do and believe. Instead I seek to study the Bible to inform my perspectives and reform my practices.
Differences Between a Christian and Biblical Worldview
Over the years I’ve noticed many
disconnects between what I read in the Bible and how society practices our Christian
faith. This often includes my own practices and pursuits.
I can’t list them all in a short blog post. Even a book wouldn’t provide enough space.
Knowing that it’s incomplete and without assigning any priority, here’s a quick list of some of the things most Christians accept as correct, even though there’s not much support, if any, for them in the Bible.
These often comprise their Christian worldview. Here are six considerations:
1. Go to Church on Sunday
I go to church most every Sunday. I’ve done so my whole life. But I’m still looking for a command in the Bible where Jesus, or anyone else for that matter, tells us to go to church each Sunday.
Yes, we’re to not give up meeting together, but that verse doesn’t say weekly or on Sunday (Hebrews 10:25).
2. Fold Your Hands, Close Your Eyes, and Bow Your Head When You Pray
My parents taught me to do these things as a child, and my wife and I taught them to our children.
Yet I’m still looking for a verse in Scripture to back up this practice. Though I often assume all three of these postures when I pray, I’m more likely to skip them.
3. Tithe to Your Local Church
I’ve often heard preachers implore the parishioners to tithe to the local church—that is, the organization that pays their salary.
The tithe was an Old Testament command, which averaged about 23 percent a year, not ten. It went to support their national religious infrastructure, not local gatherings.
The New Testament contains no command the tithe. Instead we see a principal that all our possessions belong to God, which we must steward wisely to take care of ourselves and to bless others.
4. The Prayer of Salvation
Many people teach that to become a Christian you need to pray and ask Jesus into your heart. Jesus never said that. In fact, he gave different instructions to different people.
The most common and general command was a call for people to follow him.
No prayer, no altar call, and no commitment card. Instead we simply do a U-turn (repent) and follow Jesus. (See my book How Big Is Your Tent?)
Most church services have two components: music and message, but sometimes they seem more like a concert followed by a lecture. Other services focus on worship and Communion, the Eucharist.
The Bible records all these things, and the early church did them, but I’m having trouble finding any verses that commands these activities or shows them as a regular practice that happened each Sunday.
Instead the early church focused on meaningful community, something that most churches today struggle to fulfill with any significant degree.
6. The Lord’s Supper
Our practice of communion is another custom that diverges from the biblical narrative.
I understand communion (an extension of Passover) as a practice that should happen at home, with our family, as part of a meal, and as an annual celebration in remembrance of Jesus.
Instead it’s become a Sunday ritual that happens at church, apart from a meal, and with little familial connection.
Parting Thoughts
The above list may offend you. I
get that. Writing about these things makes people mad. It challenges what we
hold dear. We want to maintain the status quo.
Suggesting that these practices aren’t biblical can rattle the traditions that we cherish. Pursuing faith from a biblical worldview is an ongoing struggle for me. But this is one way that I work out my salvation (Philippians 2:12).
In doing so, I use the Bible to better inform, and then reform, how I practice my Christian faith. It’s not a comfortable path, but this journey takes me in the right direction.
I hope you will travel with me as we move closer to Jesus.
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.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
When God needed to turn Saul’s life around, he used a supernatural light, an unseen voice, and temporary blindness to get Saul’s attention (Acts 9:3-9).
Some time later, Saul (Paul), under the power of the Holy Spirit, did the same thing to a guy named Elymas. Elymas was supernaturally blinded for a time so God could get his attention (Acts 13:9-11).
These two accounts have amazing similarities.
Before both of these occurred, Jesus healed a blind man. When questioned about it, the man said, “I once was blind, but now I see.”
What he said literally about Jesus healing him, we can say figuratively about Jesus saving us.
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.
Today is a doubleheader: a traditional service followed by a contemporary one. Aside from an older crowd, there’s little to suggest a traditional service is about to occur.
Everything gives off a progressive vibe, from the informal space, to the padded chairs, to round tables in the back and large screen up front, to the array of musical instruments.
Accompanied by piano, keyboard, and trumpet, our worship leader stands behind the pulpit, keeping time with his hands. We sing old hymns with the words displayed overhead; there are no hymnals.
Interspersed among the songs are announcements, a prayer, an offering, and a video testimony, foreshadowing the sermon.
Between services is a pastor’s breakfast for guests. We enjoy Belgium waffles, sausage, fruit, coffee, and juice. Besides us, there’s another couple, and the pastor and his wife, with two members serving as our hosts.
After getting to know us and sharing the church’s vision, the pastor excuses himself for the next service. I’d like to talk more with the other visitors, but if we do, we’ll miss the contemporary service.
Aside from different songs and instruments, other contrasts exist as well. The first service was brightly lit, whereas this one uses only indirect and natural light. The stage was rearranged and the pulpit, removed.
An hour ago everyone was our age or older. Now we are among the eldest. We see families and young kids, but aside from the worship team, not many youth. The first service crowd was friendlier, whereas now there’s less interaction.
Today we experienced a traditional service that wasn’t as formal as we expected and a contemporary service that was not as outgoing as we anticipated, but overall we worshiped God and experienced community.
My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.
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.
After Isaiah records the stinging
words of God against his people, Isaiah adds a passage of comfort and
reassurance. It starts with the word yet.
He writes, “Yet the Lord longs . . .
Here are the three things that result from God’s longing for us, to offer us grace, compassion, and justice.
God is Gracious
God longs to be gracious to his
people, to us.
On a general level, gracious means to offer kindness and courtesy. On a spiritual level being gracious is to offer mercy. Our gracious God is merciful.
When God offers us mercy, it means we don’t get the punishment we deserve for the bad things we have done. We get a reprieve.
God is Compassionate
Coupled with mercy is compassion. Compassion is to offer sympathy to those who struggle, be aware of their suffering, and take steps to alleviate it.
Our compassionate God is sympathetic to our situation. He’s aware of it, and desires to free us.
God is Just
As a just God, he is fair and righteous
(does the right thing). When others treat us badly or unfairly, we want to
receive justice. We want God to do the right thing, rescuing us and punishing
our enemies. As a just God, he will do this for us.
God Balances Justice with His Gracious Mercy
However, this is where it gets a bit tricky, because we don’t want God to exact justice on us. We don’t want to receive the just punishment we deserve.
Fortunately, this is where his mercy comes in. Mercy means not receiving the sentence we have justly earned because of our wrong actions. We want mercy, not judgement.
God longs to offer us grace, compassion, and justice. All we need to do to receive these blessings is to wait for him.
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.
In the twenty-third Psalm, the former shepherd boy David, looks to God as his Shepherd. This short six-verse Psalm is a favorite of many, who have perhaps memorized it as a child.
Here are a few of the key points we can learn from the twenty-third Psalm.
God Takes Care of Us
As our Shepherd, the Lord will take care of us in the same way a human shepherd cares for his sheep. Yes, sheep are not the smartest animals, and they need help if they’re going to survive.
The same holds true for us. We’re not so smart either, and we need God’s help if we’re going to make it.
God Provides What We Need
With God as our Shepherd, we don’t need a thing. He provides everything. He gives us a safe place for our bodies to rest. And he guides us to a place of peace to restore our souls.
God Guides Us Down the Right Path
Next in the twenty-third Psalm we
learn that God shows us which way to go. As our guide, he walks with us on our journey
of life. Though we may not know which way to go, he does.
God Protects Us When We Go Astray
Even when we stray from his path and go in the wrong direction, he’ll protect us from the evil we may encounter. He’ll go with us. We’ll move without fear because God, as our Shepherd, will keep us safe from harm.
God Blesses Us Throughout Our Life
God, our shepherd, will make sure
that goodness surrounds us and love follows us through the rest of our life. And
when our life is over, we’ll hang out with him forever in his house, our
eternal home.
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.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
Some People Avoid Persecution and Others Pursue It
In my post that listed spiritual disciplines, I explained that spiritual disciplines are an activity we willingly pursue to draw us closer to God or to honor him. After listing seventeen examples of spiritual disciplines, I wondered about four more possibilities.
One of those is suffering. Is there a spiritual discipline of suffering?
Though it’s true that some people suffer needlessly for their faith, it’s more correct that sometimes people unavoidably suffer for their beliefs under repressive regimes and in oppressive cultures.
They have no choice in this, so we can’t really say it’s a spiritual discipline because they didn’t willingly embrace it. Or can we? Consider our possible attitudes and responses to suffering.
Choose to Suffer
For us to consider suffering as a spiritual discipline, it must be something we voluntarily practice, perhaps even intentionally pursue. We have a choice in this.
We can choose to avoid going places, taking actions, or making statements that open us up for verbal criticism and physical attack.
When it comes to taking a stand for Jesus, we opt to remain inconspicuous. In doing so we don’t pursue the spiritual gift of suffering.
The opposite occurs when we look for opportunities to go places, take actions, and make statements to tell others about Jesus or serve him with intention—regardless of the outcome.
This boldness to stand for what we believe—despite the possibility that we could face persecution as a result—is a full embrace of the spiritual discipline of suffering.
We see the early church doing this. They ask the Lord for boldness to push past the opposition they face so they may advance the kingdom of God. He answers their prayer by sending the Holy Spirit to empower them for bold witness (Acts 4:29-31).
Celebrate Suffering
Another consideration of what the spiritual discipline of suffering may entail is in our response to endearing pain for the cause of Jesus. Perhaps we didn’t willingly choose to face persecution, but we can choose our reaction to it.
When faced with criticism or harm after taking a stand for our faith, do we bemoan our pain or praise God that we’re worthy to suffer for him and his cause?
The early church also exemplifies this. Hauled in before the religious counsel, the apostles must explain their actions that offend Jewish leaders. Peter speaks boldly about Jesus, his sacrificial death, and Holy Spirit power.
The Council wants to execute the apostles, but after discussion, they decide to merely whip them and command them to stop talking about Jesus.
His followers leave celebrating the fact that they were good enough to suffer for him (Acts 5:40-41).
Avoid or Embrace the Spiritual Discipline of Suffering
In many cases, we can choose to remain quiet and keep our faith a secret, therefore avoiding suffering for our faith.
The opposite is looking for opportunities to speak about our faith with openness and boldness, choosing to do so even if persecution may result.
This is the spiritual discipline of
suffering.
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.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
The purpose of the Bible’s 66 books is to reveal God to us. More specifically, the Bible reveals Jesus to us. The Old Testament anticipates him, while the New Testament celebrates him.
This is perhaps best portrayed through The Jesus Bible, which smartly places the focus of the biblical text where it belongs: on Jesus.
Available in both the
popular New International Version (NIV) and contemporary English Standard
Version (ESV), The Jesus Bible surrounds these two reader-friendly versions with
1,000 additional pieces—in the form of conveniently placed full-page articles
and sidebars—to round out the text and breathe new life into the familiar.
The Jesus Bible prefaces each of the Bible’s 66 books with helpful introductory text to explain the context, setting, or significance of the words that follow.
Each section also provides details of where and how the book fits into the historical timeline, along with a key verse from that book.
The Jesus Bible Artist Edition, ESV, which I reviewed, includes a helpful concordance in the back matter.
If you’re looking for more than the Bible, such as a Bible that helps you better understand what it says and how it applies to your life, consider The Jesus Bible.
[Legal stuff: I received this Bible for free as a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid, #BibleGatewayPartner.]
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.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
