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Category: Discipleship

WIIFM Syndrome

Published by Jeff Kennon on April 23, 2014

Unknown We all struggle with it. Some say we are born with it. Others say we learn it. Regardless, there is no getting around it.

It affects how we spend our time. It affects how we spend our money. And it affects our daily decisions.

What is WIIFM? It’s “What’s In It For Me?” It’s our absorption with self. It’s our “It’s all about me” attitude.

In The Beginning

It started at the beginning. Adam and Eve, in the garden, were deceived into thinking that God, by not letting them eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, was holding out on them.

The serpent told Eve, God knows that when you eat of [this tree] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (Gen. 3:5). Eve, you need to think about your self!

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate (Gen 3:6-7). 

And with that bite of the fruit, WIIFM syndrome entered the world.    Adam and Eve made themselves the center of the universe instead of God. And they thought it might work out. But it didn’t. Just read Genesis 4-11.

It’s Not Getting Any Better

To this day, we still believe the serpent’s lie. “Do you really think you can be fulfilled by being obedient to God?” “Serving others without thinking about yourself? Are you kidding? If you don’t look out for you, who will?”

Sometimes we even disguise our WIIFM syndrome. As Christians, we like to serve others, but sometimes, by serving others we are only serving ourselves.

Tim Keller writes, “When you say, ‘I’ll serve, as long as I’m getting benefits from it,’ that’s not actually serving people; it’s serving yourself through them. It’s using others by getting them to orbit around you.”

Sometimes we seek friends that can advance our careers or benefit our social standing. We give money to ministries in order to look charitable (and the tax break doesn’t hurt either). It’s hard to get away from WIIFM.

Enter Jesus

Jesus said, For 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). And oh how we need rescuing!

Paul wrote, Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Phil. 2:6-8).

Christ did not ask “What’s in it for me?” but “How can I glorify my Father?” And as a result, he took up the cross, died for our sins and rose again.

So now, as we trust and believe in Christ’s work on the cross, we are being saved from the idolatry of self. We are being transformed into his image. And hopefully, we are discovering the joy found in asking not “What’s in it for me?” but “How can I glorify God and bless those around me?”

It is the gospel that pushes us to LOOK AWAY from ourselves and to LOOK UP to Christ in order to LOOK OUT to our neighbors. This is true spirituality.

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Growing Spiritually? How Do You Know?

Published by Jeff Kennon on April 22, 2014

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Question: How do I know if I am growing spiritually?

Answer: I stop asking myself this question. 

I know this might sound a bit crazy, but I want you to think with me about this for a moment. First, I want you to recognize that WE, in our world where we are told it is okay to be self-absorbed, might have a problem with understanding true spirituality. Isn’t it bigger than just self-reflection? Isn’t it more than just thinking about our own personal piety?

Second, do you remember when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was? In Matthew 22:37-40 you find his answer:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

According to Jesus, everything hinges on loving God and loving others. You can’t get any more concise or basic than this.

Third, I want you to think about the gospel. What is it and what does it do? Does it not save us and change us? And what do you suppose it transforms us to be and do? Do you think Matthew 22:37-40 gives us an indication?

Could it be that the gospel pushes us to LOOK AWAY from ourselves and to LOOK UP to Christ in order to LOOK OUT to our neighbors? Is it possible that real spirituality doesn’t take us deeper into ourselves, but away from ourselves?

I have found the thoughts of Tullian Tchividjian (Billy Graham’s grandson) helpful as I have thought through what it means to be a person who is growing spiritually. Tullian writes:

The gospel causes us to look up to Christ and what he did, out to our neighbor and what they need, not in to ourselves and how we’re doing. There’s nothing about the gospel that fixes my eyes on me. Any version of Christianity, therefore, that encourages you to think mostly about you is detrimental to your faith–whether it’s your failures or your successes; your good works or your bad works; your strengths or your weaknesses; your obedience or your disobedience.

I think that true spiritual growth is to become so inwardly conformed by the gospel (see the irony there) that we become upwardly focused on Christ and outwardly focused on our neighbor.

True spiritual growth, therefore, cannot be gauged by self-inspection. Or perhaps it’s more correct to say that it won’t be evaluated that way. Why? Because the deeper one goes into the gospel, the more one looks out and away. Out towards Christ and his crediting to us righteousness by his death on the cross, and away to our neighbor because we know what love is, that he [Jesus] laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers (1 John 3:16).

As I continue to wrestle with these ideas, I’d love to hear, or rather see, any thoughts you might have.

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Jesus Is Risen, THEREFORE…

Published by Jeff Kennon on April 21, 2014

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There is perhaps no greater chapter in the Bible that explains the doctrine of the resurrection than 1 Corinthians 15. In it, Paul helps those in Corinth with their struggle with a bodily resurrection.

Having been influenced by Greek thought, the Corinthians questioned how a physical body that is perishable could be made suitable for the spiritual realm. But Paul emphatically writes that if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised (1 Cor. 15:13).

And if Christ has not been raised from the dead, there is no gospel. Our faith is in vain and we are to be pitied above all people. But Christ has been raised. Therefore, we will be raised as well.

Because Christ has been raised, there is life after death. All who are in Christ will receive new bodies because Christ is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Cor 15:20). In other words, Jesus is the first to be resurrected. In due time, those who are believers will experience the same.

Because Christ has been raised, we have victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:57). The sting of death has been removed for as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Cor. 15:22).

Because Christ has been raised, our faith is not in vain. We are made alive. We have victory over death. We have the hope of a new resurrected body. So what does this mean? What does Paul encourage the Corinthians to do with this truth of the resurrection?

It’s important to note that in all of Paul’s letters, theology leads to praxis. Doctrine leads to the living of every day life. Therefore, the doctrine of the resurrection naturally leads to Paul exhorting believers in how to live.

Paul writes:

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain (1 Cor. 15:58).

So because Christ is risen, we should now…

  • Hold strongly to the truth of the gospel. Our faith is not in vain. Christ is risen. Don’t be knocked loose from holding to that which is “of first importance” (1 Cor. 15:3-5), the message of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
  • Get to work building up the church. Share the gospel, teach, encourage, serve, pray, and love others. And don’t do such things half-heartedly, but “abound” or “excel” in them.
  • Realize that what we do for the kingdom is not wasted. Whatever you are contemplating on doing for the kingdom, do it! Michael Bird writes that “the resurrection moves us to take risks for God because the resurrection proves that God is behind us, before us and with us. Our labor in the Lord in this life plants seed that will sprout forth in the resurrection life; thus, what work we do in this age will flower in the coming age of new creation.”

From Paul’s understanding of the resurrection, Easter Sunday impacts Monday. It works itself out in everyday life as we seek to glorify God and make Him known.

 

 

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Wanna Go Deeper In Your Faith?

Published by Jeff Kennon on April 18, 2014

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Want to go deeper in your faith? Most likely, you have been encouraged to do so at some point in your Christian life. If not, let me encourage you to pursue such a challenge.

But have you ever stopped to think about what “going deeper” actually means? Does it mean reading more theology books? Going on more mission trips? Praying longer? Memorizing Scripture? I do think it can involve such things as these, but ultimately, I believe going deeper in one’s faith  is centered on “the cross.”

It is the cross by which we see what it means to go deeper. And it is the cross by which we have the power to do so. Therefore, if we are to go to new depths in our faith, we will never move beyond the cross. It is the cross that informs and transforms our lives.

The Cross Informs

We glimpse the holiness, righteousness, justice, and wrath of God at the cross. We marvel at God’s love, grace, and mercy as well.

Our sin is exposed at the cross. We see its destructiveness. We see its power over our lives. We see how serious it is and how it leads to death.

And all of this is just the beginning. We will never plummet the depths of the cross. David Prior, in his commentary on 1 Corinthians writes that “we never move on from the cross, only into a more profound understanding of the cross.”

Therefore, we must preach the word of the cross to ourselves every day. It is the word of the cross that convicts and cuts against the grain of our self-centeredness. And it informs us as to what it means to live sacrificial lives in service to others.

The Cross Transforms

It is this preaching of the cross to ourselves that leads to transformation.  Paul wrote that the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). We are made anew by the power of God found in the gospel–the message of the cross.

The cross therefore, not only informs, but produces a spirituality that is counter-cultural to the world. The world values power, fame, and fortune, but the spirituality of the cross values suffering, deference, and sacrifice.

The cross produces humility. It creates an others-centeredness. It develops costly love for others. And it pushes us to participation with and service to those who are hurting in the world.

Going Deeper

Those who go deeper with Christ must realize that spiritual depth and insight are found in the humility, self-sacrifice, and surrender that Christian service requires.

Going deeper also means that we suffer. Paul wanted to know [Christ] and the power of his resurrection [and to] share in his sufferings (Philippians 3:10).  “The more a believer becomes like Christ,” writes Kent Hughes, “the more he or she will suffer.” Taking part in “the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings is the fellowship of elevated souls who are growing in their knowledge of Christ.”

The bottom line is that to go deeper in your faith is to become more like Jesus. It is to have his attitude of humility, obedience, and service (see Philippians 2:5-11). To grow spiritually is to be formed and transformed by the cross. It is to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow [Christ] daily (Luke 9:23).

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5 Reasons Why We Must Keep The Cross At The Center

Published by Jeff Kennon on April 16, 2014

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The cross is the test of everything which deserves to be called Christian. 

–Jurgen Moltmann

The cross is at the heart of Christianity. Therefore, we must keep the cross central. Here are 5 reasons why:

1. The cross is the revelation of God.

To know God is to know Christ on the cross. To know Christ on the cross is to know him as he is revealed by the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).

 When the crucified Jesus is called the ‘image of the invisible of God,’ the meaning is that this is God, and God is like this. God is not greater than he is in this humiliation. God is not more glorious than he is in this self-surrender. God is not more powerful than he is in this helplessness. God is not more divine than he is in this humanity.

                                                                                            –Jürgen Moltmann

2. The cross is our salvation.

God’s revelation of himself in the cross is his provision of salvation. The cross must not just become an example of selflessness. The cross is that in which the sins of the world were atoned (Romans 3:21-26). It is the preaching of the cross which is the power of God by which others might be saved (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:18)

3. The cross leads to cruciformity.

We are not only saved by the cross but also shaped by it. We become cruciform people. Living lives defined by the cross leads to self-sacrifice, humility and service (Philippians 2:5-11).

The way to Christian maturity involves the cross. And specifically, it includes suffering. David Garland writes that “the Christian life is not a fast track to glory but a slow, arduous path that takes one through suffering.”

4. The cross transforms our relationships. 

As we become cruciform people who live lives of self-sacrifice, humility and self-sacrifice, this naturally changes relationships.

It is interesting that in Paul’s letters, when he dealt with factions in the church, he wrote of the cross. Paul was convinced that a proper understanding of the cross would lead to unity within the church (1 Corinthians 1:10-4:21).

5. The cross pushes us into the world.

The cross and mission go together. Just as Christ entered the world at it’s greatest need, so we must enter the world at it’s greatest need.

The cross for us means that we enter the world of those who are alienated and hurting. The church, compelled by the love of God, must enter the suffering of the world.

Discipleship of the crucified Christ is characterized by a faith that drives its adherents into the world with a relentlessness and a daring they could not manage on the basis of human volition alone.

                                                                                   –Douglas John Hall

We must be diligent in keeping the cross central.

We must pay attention to the words of D.A. Carson:

I fear that the cross, without ever being disowned, is constantly in danger of being dismissed from the central place it must enjoy, by relatively peripheral insights that take on far too much weight. Whenever the periphery is in danger of displacing the center, we are not far removed from idolatry.

May we say as Paul..

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Galatians 6:14

 

 

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Jesus Changes The Way You Farm, Ranch, and much more

Published by Jeff Kennon on April 15, 2014

Since I live in West Texas and know several farmers in the area, this video caught my attention. But the reason I like it has much more to do with how this young man views his job rather than the job itself.

God has given us certain passions and talents to be used for His glory. And when we do use them for His glory, whether they be teaching, coaching, computing, ranching, owning a business or waiting on tables at a restaurant, they are not used in vain.

The question for all of us then is how do we view our job? Do we see our work as good? Do we understand that the work we do allows us to help and love one another? Do we realize that our work lives display our worship of God?

The reality is that we can milk cows, farm cotton, and even practice law to the glory of God. The reason is due to what Christ has accomplished for us on the cross and the hope he has given us through the resurrection. Jesus has changed everything so whatever we do, we do so with purpose and direction.

Regardless of how trivial you may think your task at work might be, or even if you think you have an unimportant job, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ (Colossians 3:23-24).

The young ranch hand in this video says it perfectly: I may not be Billy Graham, but I can serve God in a blue collar job. How true this is! And how great it is to hear a young man begin to understand his job as an opportunity to work out his calling.

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Don’t Seek Elegant Preaching of the Cross

Published by Jeff Kennon on April 13, 2014

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And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

1 Corinthians 2:1-2

It is in the nature of the cross that it cannot be preached elegantly and brilliantly, only in weakness.  –H.R. Weber (quoted in David Garland’s commentary on 1 Corinthians)

David Garland writes…

The subject of the preaching, Jesus Christ crucified, was regarded as weak, those who responded to the preacher were regarded as weak, and the preacher of the gospel came off as week. When Paul preached, others questioned his sufficiency for the task (2 Cor. 2:16; 3:5). 

The preacher’s task is not to create a persuasive message at all, but to convey effectively the already articulated message of another.

The message is God’s and it is conveyed by means that look weak, foolish, and unimpressive to the world.

Carrying a placard announcing the crucified Messiah as the glory of God in simple unadorned words make the herald look foolish in the eyes of the world. But such “foolishness” reveals that God, not the messenger, is to be credited for saving those who believe that message. 

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The Silence About The Empty Tomb–A Few Responses

Published by Jeff Kennon on April 11, 2014

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A few days ago Philip Jenkins posed the question: “Why did the New Testament writers, outside of the four gospels, remain silent about the empty tomb of Jesus?” He asked the question seeking an honest answer because…

Suppose I face an atheist critic, who makes the following argument. Yes, he says, early Christians believed that they encountered the risen Jesus, that they had visions, but these visions had no objective reality. They just arose from the hopes and expectations of superstitious disciples. Even then, Christians saw that Resurrection in spiritual, pneumatic, terms. Only after a lengthy period, some forty years in fact, did the church invent stories to give a material, bodily basis to that phenomenon, and the empty tomb was the best known example.

As I have thought some about this question, I have come up with a few ideas as to why the silence.

  • Could it be that no mention of an empty tomb was due to the early NT writers not needing it as an apologetic defense? Paul, for example, is writing to specific churches and addressing specific needs. Is it possible that objective evidence of the resurrection via the empty tomb was not a concern?
  • Along the same thought as the above comment, could it be that the concerns of the early church were not of the miraculous resurrection but of the meaning of it? In other words, the issue was not the empty tomb. Everyone knew the tomb was empty. The issue was why? It might be that the issue was not defending the resurrection as much as defending it’s meaning along with the person and work of Christ.
  • On the other hand, is not the empty tomb implied? If Jesus is alive and the disciples saw him, does this not indicate an empty tomb? Instead of writing the tomb is empty, they wrote, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—(1 John 1:1-2).
  • What would an empty tomb prove? It could prove that Jesus was alive, but it could also mean that someone stole the body or moved it. It appears that the proof of the resurrection for the disciples and others was not due to the empty tomb but due to seeing Christ alive. It was this personal testimony along with the early believers die-hard devotion to it, even unto death, that seemed to be the proof that was needed.

The question remains however, as to why after forty years did the gospel writers pick up the empty tomb story? I think this question is especially interesting due to my point above that an empty tomb does not necessarily prove Jesus is alive.

Is it possible therefore, that the mention of the empty tomb emerges not because of needing proof that Jesus is alive but because the empty tomb is part of the story of Jesus. When the women and disciples came to the tomb, it was empty so that’s what Matthew Mark, Luke, and John recorded (Matthew 28:1-6; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-10).

The gospel writers were not seeking to invent stories to give “a material, bodily basis” for the resurrection. They were recording the life of Jesus of which the empty tomb is a vital part. They weren’t trying to prove the resurrection, but just writing that it did, in fact, occur.

So what are your thoughts? How would you answer Jenkins question?

 

 

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