The best thing about me is that I'm accepted by God through the death and resurrection of His Beloved Son. I exist to know Jesus Christ and make Him known.
**Thread Incoming** Listened to
#JesusIsKing
by
@kanyewest
a few times. 10 quick thoughts: 1. I LOVE that the album is called “Jesus is King”. No better title for an album. God decided to flex His Son’s glory at the top of the charts and trending- for all to see.
Jesus 2020. Confederate Flag. Noose. For many unbelievers, when they hear “Christian”, these images come to mind. This form of syncretism is one of the biggest apologetic challenges facing the church today. We must be clear about what Christianity isn’t as we share what it is.
One of my favorite parts of this Kanye thing: People who hate both Kanye & the God that he’s praising and choose to mock and ridicule the album- They still have to say “Jesus is King” while doing so! 😂😂😂
#JesusIsKing
Any Christian who is thinking about publicly disagreeing with another believer should first read “Controversy” by John Newton. Imagine what Christian Twitter would be like if we all took heed to this wise counsel:👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾
On this day 21 years ago in 1999, I was converted through reading the gospel of John. In His sovereign grace & love, the Lord saved me. He took a Bible hater & turned him into a Jesus proclaimer. And He’s remained faithful all these years in spite of me. Thank You, Jesus!
If we’re truly “pro-life”, we understand that it applies from the womb to the schools to the streets to the prisons to the nursing home. When God created humanity in His image, He didn’t discriminate and He didn’t give it an expiration date.
Man, police officers have such a hard job! To make life or death judgment calls within split seconds knowing that whatever you do will be second guessed is not for everybody. I’m thankful for those officers that never make the news who protect & serve with honor & compassion.
“Conservative” and “Liberal” are political categories, not biblical ones. While there may be some overlap, neither fit 100% neatly into a biblical worldview.
6. Tbh, I was listening to
#JesusIsKing
in my car going to pick up my son and I wept. Ugly tears, y’all. Of thankfulness to the Lord. That He’s still in the business of saving. That He takes blasphemous lips and turns them into instruments for His praise.
The gospel is powerful enough to heal the infinite division between a Holy God and sinful humanity. So I have to believe that it’s powerful enough to heal the ethnic division between black, white & beyond. That truth keeps me going. Otherwise, I would have given up long ago.
9. Overall, I’m really encouraged by
#JesusIsKing
. It’s not perfect, but that’s ok. Justification comes before sanctification. Let us not despise the loud, passionate cries of a newborn. May God grow Kanye in His faith and protect him from the many snares unique to his calling.
Ethnic diversity is not virtuous in and of itself. Hell is a very diverse place. The most glorious expression of ethnic diversity is a redeemed humanity united around the beauty of Jesus Christ, whose blood ransomed people for God from every tribe, language, people & nation.
I was well into adulthood, in full rebellion against God, hostile to Christianity & visibly uncomfortable at the mention of Jesus’ name. My mom prayed for me w/ tears every day for over a decade. The Lord heard her & saved me. Praise God for praying moms!
#HappyMothersDay
Ok. So I was ***today*** years old when I learned that Frederick Douglass read Charles Spurgeon’s sermons and that they corresponded with each other through letters! How did I not know this? It’s included in the “Appreciative Correspondents” in Spurgeon’s autobiography.
Was talking to a friend last night and he said, “Where I’m from (rural Kentucky) wearing a mask and social distancing is considered ‘liberal’”.
Americans seem to be uniquely gifted at politicizing pretty much everything. May the church not folllow the world in this way.
If we’re angry with a man (or those who applaud the man) who chose to hug his brother’s killer, what about the Son of God, who chose to submit himself to man’s cruel torture and God’s divine wrath for his killers?
Praying that what may be going on w/ Kanye is real. And that he’ll take time to sit & learn Christ rather than be thrust into leadership. The thorny ground of deceitfulness of riches can make it harder for those w/ worldly status. But the Lord knows those who are His.
5. There’s a beauty in the simplicity of the messaging on
#JesusIsKing
, perhaps epitomized on (maybe my fave) “Water”- “Jesus, please help/ Jesus, please heal/ Jesus, please forgive/ Jesus, please reveal” Refreshing to hear such childlike faith and dependence on the Lord.
10. And to those still devoted to proclaiming Christ through hip-hop- Don’t stop! The Lord may be pleased to use your sharing the gospel in your music to save (or strengthen) the next Kanye or Cole or Cardi. Keep Lifting Him up!
#JesusIsKing
8.
#JesusIsKing
exposes the notion of hiding Jesus to reach the culture for the foolish philosophy that it is. It also exposes hearts like mine- tempted to grow complacent & lack the zeal we once had as new converts, before we had all our theological i’s dotted and t’s crossed.
The letter Frederick Douglass wrote to the enslaver he had escaped from is the things most heart-wrenching things I’ve ever read. Rhetorically brilliant & profoundly Christian. Douglass should be required reading in Christian education. This part about his kids though: 😢😢
“I want the best for you, and the best for you would be to give your life to Christ” Beautiful. The gospel gives believers a capacity to forgive that is unheard of in this world.
BREAKING: In stunning moment, Botham Jean's brother embraces Amber Guyger after her sentencing for his brother's murder.
"I don't even want you to go to jail. I want the best for you, because I know that's exactly what Botham would want."
2. Like many, I’ve watched Kanye closely and been praying for him. Based on what I’ve seen, it appears that Kanye is a new believer. Praise God!
#JesusisKing
has the aroma of someone who’s had an encounter with the Lord and wants everyone to know it.
I used to wonder how so many of my beloved reformed theological ancestors could be so blind in the face of the racial injustice of slavery. Seeing the responses of many of their descendants in the face of Jim Crow, Civil Rights & present-day racial injustice, I wonder no more.
3. Much could be said about the artistry on
#JesusIsKing
. The soulfulness, how he pulls from traditional gospel in fresh ways, the catchy melodies, the passion, etc.- All that is dope. But what I love is that His aim is so clear. To give praise to the God who saved His soul.
7. Kanye said in a recent interview that he used to go hard for culture, now he’s going hard for God. Amen. This is exactly why many of us started doing CHH. To “proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Pet. 2:9)
#JesusIsKing
I’m seeing so many ppl that I’ve served with, prayed with and co-labored with walk away from the Lord. It produces in me a strange mix of grief, fear and gratitude, knowing that apart from God’s sustaining grace, I would have fallen away a long time ago.
10 years ago today, the Lord gave me the best gift imaginable, apart from salvation. I still can’t believe
@blairlinne
said yes. A decade and 3 beautiful kids later, the Lord is still faithful!
True Christian love is not most clearly seen in how we treat believers that we already like & agree with, but rather how we treat the saints we disagree with.
4. It seems clear to me that it’s not a “strategy” on Kanye’s part. He’s not focused on appeasing a particular crowd or “market”. He’s sharing His love for the Lord and letting the chips fall where they may. No one made him do this content. “Out of the overflow...”
#JesusIsKing
This is beautiful. Bubba Wallace, a black NASCAR driver, found a noose in his garage stall yesterday. His fellow white drivers came out to support him today. Christians have something infinitely greater than racing that unites us. May we lead the way in displaying true unity.
Man I’m thankful that I wasn’t famous when I got saved, for my many missteps as a new believer to be on display for the world to see. Matter fact, I’m thankful that I’m not famous now for the same reason. Yet, God is sovereign through all our stumbles and He keeps His own.
If you’re involved in any kind of ministry to children, please prioritize the Word. Sometimes, effectiveness in children’s ministry is measured by how fun it was. But kids who are taught to place fun above all will grow into adults who place entertainment above all.
24 years ago today, the Lord opened my eyes to behold the glory of Jesus & rescued me from my sins. I once told my heartbroken mom, “Leave me alone, I’ll never be a Christian.” For 24 years, my main ambition in life has been to spread the gospel. God has a great sense of humor!
If we’re engaged in public debate w/ other Christians & resort to name-calling, mockery, pejorative labels, etc., we won’t win our brothers & sisters on the other side. We’ll only energize the tribe that already agrees with us, which is aiming too low if unity is the goal.
“No man ever comes to Christ unless Christ draws him, and the only magnet that Christ ever uses is Himself. I do believe that we slander Christ when we think that we are to draw the people by something else other than the preaching of Christ crucified.”- Spurgeon
The benefit of the doubt is something we always want from others but have a hard time extending. That’s because it’s a gift that we’re more prone to give to those we love. So if you love me, I’d really appreciate that gift! And I’ll try to give it back. Thanks.
19/19
I cry much more as a Christian than I ever did as an unbeliever. And I’m pretty sure I’ve wept more this past year than the previous 5 years combined. Texts like “my tears are in your bottle” and “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes” hit different now.
#crylikeaman
That’s what Creflo said. But the Bible says “Let those who suffer according to GOD’S WILL entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” 1 Peter 4:19. I’ll go with the Bible, thanks.
If an atheist says “The sun is hot.” and a Christian says “I agree. That’s true.”, it would be backwards to therefore say the Christian has adopted an atheistic worldview. In many cases, it’s not the “what” but the “why” that distinguishes Christians from our secular friends.
Those who reject (or depart from) Christ often use science, philosophy, history, etc. to justify it. But I believe the issue is usually moral. Simply wanting to “do our thing” w/o God interfering (Lk 19:14, Job 21:14). Unrighteousness = the ultimate truth-suppressor (Rom. 1:18).
“There is no fool like the sinner, who prefers the toys of earth to the happiness of heaven; who is held in bondage by the foolish customs of this world, and is more afraid of the breath of man, than of the wrath of God.” John Newton
First thing, there is nothing Christian about “cancelling” anybody. Christians are commanded to “bear with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”- Col. 3:13
4/19
Perhaps more than any other preacher, Tim Keller taught me about the centrality of Christ in the Scriptures & the centrality of the gospel in the Christian life. The Lord used him to shape me in ways I can’t articulate. See you at the resurrection, brother!
I’m so thankful for J.I. Packer! I still remember where I was and what I felt when I first read “Knowing God”, which was formative for me and countless others. It’s one of the first books I recommend to believers. A faithful servant has entered into the joy of his Master.
In Sodom, God would have spared one wicked city for the sake of ten righteous people, which would have been very merciful of Him. In the gospel, God has saved a multitude that no one can count for the sake of one righteous Man. Abundant grace.
Watching “American Gospel” with
@blairlinne
. Praise God that this is on
@netflix
!!! May heaven tell the story of people who stumbled across this “accidentally”, heard the true gospel and got saved!
Had a convo with my 7, 5 and 4 year olds about a cousin who recently fathered a child out of wedlock. They asked me, incredulously, “How can someone have a baby if they’re not married?” In their young minds, the two go together. So different from how I grew up.
#redemption
If we are followers of Christ, those who listen to us talk should be able to detect a Christian spirit in the way we communicate (i.e. humility, kindness, gentleness, patience, etc.) even if they disagree with our particular positions. Col. 3:12-15
For those who missed it earlier this week, I’m posting this again b/c I found it so helpful. If friends raise objections to Christians caring about racial injustice based on Marxism, CRT or BLM arguments, this is the article I’m pointing them to:
I don’t know who needs to hear this today, but “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil.1:6) Whatever you’ve been through or done, if you are in Christ, God is not finished w/ you. There is still hope. Look to Christ.
Blair wasn’t feeling well today. A single sister from our church came over on short notice to use our washer & dryer. Ended up staying all day & w/o us asking, she cleaned our living room, watched our kids & cooked for us! Praise God for the local church!
#family
I do. Jesus saw it as historical and He’s trustworthy. I also believe that the mass repentance and conversion of the Ninevites was even more miraculous than Jonah and the fish.
Human unbelief changes absolutely nothing about God, His Word, His character, His standards, His promises, His warnings or His judgments. Let God be true and every man a liar.
Had this sitting on my shelf for a while and finally read it during the quarantine. It’s excellent! One of the rare contemporary books with fresh insights that challenged and expanded my view of the triune God. Highly recommended.
R.C. Sproul. Man...His teaching had such an impact on me, especially as a new believer. I remember where I was when I first read The Holiness of God. Literally changed my life. So grateful for his ministry.
The Sproul family has shared the sad news with us that our founder, Dr. R.C. Sproul, went home to be with the Lord this afternoon. Please pray for the Sprouls. Further updates will be available soon.
Not sure what’s happening in Asbury. But I believe that the only cure for present day strife in the church, political idolatry, worldliness & wide spread apostasy is genuine, Spirit-wrought, Christ-exalting, gospel-proclaiming revival. May the Lord do it in our day!
As far as I can tell, nothing has been more beneficial in my walk with the Lord than intentionally memorizing and meditating on Scripture. The older I get, the more I see its importance.
So am I Reformed? Yes. Cessationist? No. Republican? No. Does that make me a Democrat? No. Am I “conservative”? In some ways. Am I “liberal”? Liberal about what? Marriage? No. Theology? No. Justice for the poor and oppressed? Yes, depending on what you mean.
15/19
Do I hate and grieve abortion? Yes. Do I hate and grieve police brutality and racial injustice? Yes. Do I see a place for peaceful protest of both things?Yes. Do I support rioting and looting? No.
16/19
Refugee | ,refyo͝oˈjē | noun
a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or disaster.
By that definition, according to my Bible, JESUS was a refugee (Matt. 2:13-15). That fact alone should affect how we think about refugees, right?
To think that because something is not important to us, it therefore must not be important to God is arrogant. To think that because something is important to us, it therefore must be important to God is presumptuous. May Scripture guide us and have the final say.
“A straw man fallacy occurs when someone takes another person’s argument or point, distorts it or exaggerates it in some kind of extreme way, & then attacks the extreme distortion, as if that is really the claim the first person is making.”
2020 political discourse summarized.
Quick story. Was in Sacramento for an event last weekend. Was playing chess in the hotel lobby with a friend. A guy was standing off to the side & asked if he could play. A few moves in, I realized I was playing
@TheRealGZA
from Wu-tang! The whole thing was surreal lol
“While I don’t have an aversion to thanking God for achieving life goals, I’m patiently waiting for someone to emerge from the loser’s locker room and say, ‘I want to thank God in my loss’. Modern Christianity has little use for a God glorified in our failures.” Anthony Carter
Pastors, as you prepare your Sunday sermons, I encourage you to consider including something specifically directed toward the children present in the congregation. This will help counteract the often implicit message that Christianity & church are only for grownups.
I could literally go on for hours, and if we sat down for a (socially distanced) cup of tea, there are many things I’m sure we’d be surprised to learn about each other. But none of that would change that Christ is our treasure and the gospel is our only hope.
18/19
Be suspicious of any philosophy/movement that claims to be Christian but fails to encourage 1) Esteem for God & His truth. 2) Humility before God. 3) Holiness toward God. 3) Love & affection for (all) God’s people. “Wisdom is justified by her children.” Luke 7:35
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
Best news imaginable!
I have a confession. I know Twitter is a safe space, so here we go:
I’ve been a closet Marxist for years.
Actually decades. Ever since I heard “Right Here Waiting” in HS. When I found out he wrote “This I Promise You” by NSYNC, my love for Marx only grew.
There. I said it.
I have many thoughts about the “race conversation”, which has revealed so much division in the church. It was too much to tweet, so I wrote a book. Drops May 4, 2021. Available for pre-order now. Spoiler alert: Christ & the gospel are still sufficient.
Last night, my amazing wife
@blairlinne
threw me an intimate book release celebration w/ close friends. I shared excerpts from the forthcoming audiobook, we ate, talked, laughed & cried together, they prayed for me, and we had New Reformation cake. Perfect.