Clarifying “Wonderful Plan” Language

- God’s “wonderful plan” for Christians may include times of suffering and persecution whereby we become more conformed to the image of Christ.

- The better, more biblical place to begin is to affirm that “God has a wonderful plan, period.” Salvation is not primarily about God’s plan for my life, but about God’s renewal of everything. It is only within the vision of the glorious new world that God has promised that we find the strength to cope with the fact that God may have a very difficult plan for our lives!

If you have ever looked at the backside of a quilt or a tapestry, you see that there seems to be no overall design or pattern. The quilt looks strange, without purpose or direction. But once you turn it around, you see how the individual patterns make up something that is beautiful.

Our lives do not always seem wonderful. But rather than trying to see what wonderful plan God has for giving us our best life now, Christians trust that the picture God is painting will be beautiful, so we look to experiencing our best life later. God has a wonderful plan, and because of his grace, we are part of that plan.

- from Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals

A biblical view of marriage will celebrate the picture of the gospel that marriage is intended to put on display.

Marriage has cosmic implications because it is a picture of God’s covenant love for us in Christ. When we minimize the sacredness of the gospel picture of marriage, we begin to treat marriage as a contract.

The main argument today in favor of same-sex marriage in the United States deals with the contractual rights and legal benefits that a civil marriage provides. Only in a society where the sacredness of marriage has already been devalued could we arrive at the stage where we speak of marriage only in contractual terms:

• Who gets what?
• How can I sign this away?
• Who’s in charge?

As Christians, we subvert the Caesar of Sex by tying sexuality to marriage and by insisting that marriage is not a contract, but a covenant before God.

Seeing marriage as purely contractual undermines marriage. That is why countries that long ago legalized same-sex unions have witnessed a dramatic reduction in the number of people getting married. Once sex is divorced from marriage and once marriage is no longer seen as sacred, the only people who continue the tradition of celebrating the marriage covenant are religious people who see a remnant of sacredness in the institution.

The prevailing view of marriage and sex in our society today actually makes it easier for Christians to subvert the Caesar of Sex. As we witness the devaluation of marriage and the abandoning of biblical sexuality, ordinary actions like saving sex for marriage, celebrating biblical marriage, and remaining faithful to our wedding vows become unusual. Christians stand out in a world of people who are settling for a sad series of “live-in” relationships.

The arrival of same-sex marriage in the United States is indeed detrimental to American society, but this new development provides the church with a unique opportunity to counter the culture with a robust biblical worldview, through “ordinary” acts:

• practicing chastity,
• remaining faithful to our spouses,
• cherishing our marriage covenants,
• and recommitting to fidelity.

It is in our “ordinary” acts that Jesus appears extraordinary to the world around us.

- from Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals, “Subverting Sex” – Crossway, 2010

We are not merely called to tolerate those who disagree with us; we are called to love. The world’s idea of tolerance is a parody of the Christian understanding of love.

Tolerance is passive. Love is active.

Tolerance is a feeling of apathy. Love is accompanied by feelings of great affection.

Tolerance keeps people at arm’s length in hopes of not offending them. Love embraces people where they are and ‘hopes all things.’

Tolerance leaves people alone as individuals. Love ushers people into a community of generosity.

Tolerance keeps a safe distance between those in need. Love rolls up its sleeves in service even to those who may be unlikeable.

Tolerance avoids confrontation in order to maintain ‘peace.’ Love tells the truth boldly and graciously in order to bring about a deeper, more lasting peace.”

Excerpt from Holy Subversion (pp 145-146)

The cross is the climax of the great themes of reversal found all throughout the Old and New Testaments.

In Mary’s song, often called the “Magnificat,” she speaks of the mighty being brought down from their thrones and God’s exaltation of the humble. She sings about the rich being sent away empty and the hungry being filled with good things. In the kingdom of God, everything is being turned upside down.

God’s view of our world is radically different than our own.

History books about ancient Egypt list all the Pharaohs and their accomplishments. It is interesting to note that the Bible never tells us the name of Pharaoh during Moses’ day. However, in the book of Exodus, we are given the names of the two Hebrew midwives who protected the Israelite babies and defied Pharaoh’s orders. From God’s point of view, the faithfulness of Shiphrah and Puah are far more important than the pyramids of Rameses the Great.

And nowhere is the “Great Reversal” more evident than in the seeming weakness of the Lamb that is slain and yet sitting on the throne in Revelation. The slain lamb would appear to be a picture of ultimate weakness, and yet a glimpse of God’s throne room shows us that Jesus is the conquering king who has won the victory through his death and resurrection.

Power in the biblical sense affirms God’s glory, not our own. We should take the earthly power and authority that God has given us and exercise it in such a way that it shines a spotlight on God’s magnificent grace.

- from Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals

In Holy Subversion, there is a chapter on how the church should subvert the world’s understanding of power. This excerpt is particularly relevant for this time of year, as it contrasts the power of God’s kingdom with the power of Caesar’s rule:

Consider Jesus of Nazareth alongside Caesar Augustus.

At the time of Christ’s birth, Caesar had issued a call to the Roman world that everyone be counted and properly taxed. As he enjoyed luxurious accommodations in his Roman palace, he hoped to demonstrate his own greatness before a watching world by publicizing the great number of people under his domain. And yet in an unnoticed corner of Caesar’s kingdom, in a simple stable, sleeping in a feeding trough, the Son of God had come to show the glory of his Father.

The nature of infancy teaches us something about weakness, and it teaches us something about our God. Every Christmas we celebrate not Caesar’s triumphant census, but our Emmanuel: God with us.

The Apostle Paul tells us that Jesus made himself a servant. The infinite God enclosed himself in a woman’s womb for nine months. God the Son was wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger for a bed. God made himself vulnerable.

Picture Jesus, the firstborn above all creation, the one through whom God spoke the creation of the universe, sitting on his mother Mary’s lap, learning to read and write! Such mysteries can never be fully explained. But it is the story of God coming to earth – God’s being with us – that lies at the heart of the Christian worldview.

Imagine Caesar in his palace and Jesus in the manger. Which one looks more like a king?

What would you do if you were in Bethlehem at the time and you had to choose to pledge your allegiance to either a baby boy who excited a few rugged shepherds, or the ruler of the known world with an army of thousands at his command?

Who was more powerful? Caesar or Jesus? Things are not always as they appear.

Christians must have a radically different conception of power. After all, when Jesus was crucified, it appeared that he was dying as a weak man at the hands of the strong. Pilate appeared to have the authority and power. “We have no king but Caesar!” the people shouted.

Caesar ruled by conquering lands and subjugating people. Jesus conquered sin, death, and the grave by suffering and dying – by bearing the full weight of God’s wrath towards the evil of the world and then rising again to new life.

• We subvert the Caesar of Success whenever we, as a community of faith, reject the idea that bigger is necessarily better.
• We subvert Success when we go from riches to rags on behalf of the world’s poor rather than finding our hope in moving from rags to riches…
• We subvert Success when our churches partner with one another, not as competitors, but as co-workers in the kingdom…
• We subvert Success as businesspeople when we are willing to downsize, to take pay cuts to spend more time with family, to refuse a promotion that will sacrifice church and family ties.
• We subvert Success by praying for our competitors’ success, by thanking God for the success achieved by others, just as the early church prayed for the governing authorities who were persecuting them.

- a quote from my upcoming book, Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Jesus in an Age of Rivals

A church that understands the kingdom vision of success knows that success is not in our own hands. Our culture tells us that we are the makers of our future. We create our destiny. When this mindset is applied to the church, the Spirit’s role in bringing growth and maturity is minimized. The first subversion of the Caesar of Success is recognizing that only the Spirit’s power brings lasting fruit.

- a quote from my upcoming book, Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals

We follow Christ when we stop showing off earthly crowns of “success” and embrace the crown of thorns that truly models the life of the Savior.

- a quote from my upcoming book, Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals

During my time in Romania, I sat at the feet of a well-respected evangelical professor who had suffered persecution under the Communists. His father had been murdered by the Securitate in a car wreck that was made to look like an accident. This professor also served as a pastor of a local church. One day in class, he put aside his notes and began to speak heart-to-heart about pastoring.

“Brothers,” he said, his voice quivering as he fought back tears, “Don’t think that true success will come from adopting a strategy that will lead you to fulfilling one purpose. Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd – the One who lays down his life for his sheep. Success in God’s eyes does not come without sacrifice. Don’t try to be successful. Expend your energy in seeking to be faithful. Faithfulness is success.”

- a quote from my upcoming book, Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals

The salvation of God is for us. The Father has chosen us. Jesus’ blood has purchased us. We are adopted orphans.

Salvation is to us. The Holy Spirit stirs our heart, so that we come to faith in Jesus Christ personally. We are forgiven sinners.

Salvation is also through us. The world will be blessed by the good deeds we do in the context of the community of faith. We are commissioned communities.

- a quote from my forthcoming book, Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals