The Lowe Show

As we approach the end of 2008, many folks begin to reflect on the past year and look forward with anticipation to the year ahead.  It’s normal to see countdowns of the top movies, songs, books, and just about anything else you can think of from the past year.  Yep, this is one of those lists.  Here are the top 5 books that I read during the past year:

#5 – According to Plan by Graeme Goldsworthy – This book was a helpful (and surprisingly easy) read that serves as an introductory biblical theology.  Goldsworthy succeeds in showing the unfolding revelation of God’s plan of redemption in the Bible.  The primary strength in this work is that Goldsworthy shows how Christ just leaps off of the pages of both the Old and New Testaments.

#4 – Shadow of the Almighty by Elisabeth Elliot - This is a biography about the life of Jim Elliot, one of the well-known Christian missionaries who was murdered by the Auca Indians in 1956 (and for whom the movie “The End of the Spear” is based upon).  Although the book is narrated by his wife, the heart of the book is a glimpse into the journal writings of a man who had a passion to make Christ known to the nations.  If you are ever looking for an inspiring missionary biography to read, this book would be an excellent choice.

#3 – God, Marriage, and Family by Andreas Kostenberger and David Jones - This book lays the biblical foundation for the institution of marriage and family.  The authors review relevant teachings from both the Old and New Testaments as they present their conclusions.  After building the proper foundation, the authors then address contemporary issues such as birth control, abortion, artificial reproductive technologies, adoption, homosexuality, singleness, and divorce and remarriage.  This was an eye-opening book to me and I definitely recommend it to you.

#2 – Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Paul David Tripp – This book is a wonderful resource for discipleship and biblical counseling, and serves as a wonderful introduction to biblical counseling.  Tripp helps the reader to see that we are people in need of change who God uses to help other people who are also in need of change.  His simple process of counseling (Love, Know, Speak, and Do) helps the reader to make sense of the daunting task of counseling.  I highly recommend this book!

#1 – Seeing With New Eyes by David Powlison – This is another wonderful resource for biblical counseling.  Powlison does a wonderful job of making the case that the Bible is sufficient to address the problems in our lives.  As the title suggests, this book helps the reader to see the problems of human beings through the lens and light of Scripture.  In essence, the book helps to see the root causes of the counselee with new eyes.  This book has had a profound effect on me, and I believe that it may also do the same for you.

While I was driving to class tonight, I heard an excerpt from WAY FM’s evening show with Wally.  Wally is an interesting and entertaining character and he was joking about the email forwards that Christians like to send.  His punchline was that “God doesn’t have a computer” which drew an afternoon laugh from me.  However, the more I think about it, I don’t know if I should laugh or cry.

Ed Stetzer recently published a post on his website about Evangelical Gullibility, and he asks the question, “Does anyone still have a Bible and some common sense?”  He then states that he wonders if Christians are just gullible.  John MacArthur (and others) makes a similar point in the helpful book, Fool’s Gold?  Discerning Truth in an Age of Error.  He writes, “If you think everything you read or hear on Christian radio and television is reliable teaching, then you are a prime target for doctrinal deception.  If you think everyone who appears to love the truth really does, then you don’t undertand the wiles of Satan.” 

The Apostle Paul tells us how to practice discernment in 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22: “test everything; hold fast what is good.  Abstain from every form of evil.”  Using this text, MacArthur then leads the reader through the practice of discernment (1) in your local bookstore, (2) in your local church, and (3) in your daily life.  I would like to add one more category: practicing discernment in your inbox.

I have received hundreds of emails over the years forwarded from Christian brothers and sisters which typically follow this outline:

1. A statement in the subject that says something along the lines, “I’m not taking a chance on breaking this!  No way!”
2. The email then shares a nice little devotional, story, or cute sayings of children in church (some of which are quite funny!)
3. It then closes the story with some type of prayer.
4. Here comes the discernment warning: the email usually tells you to pray the special prayer found in the message and then forward on the email to a certain number of people in order to receive a special blessing from God (it could be financial, physical, emotional, etc.).
5. The message then ends with a similar statement as that found in the introduction, “I need a blessing, so I’m not about to take a chance and break this!”

I’m sure if you are reading this, you probably can recall numerous emails similar to the one I just described.  Chances are, you’ve probably forwarded them on (as I have in the past).  But, when we follow the Apostle Paul’s teaching in 1 Thessalonians 5, we should exercise discernment and think twice about forwarding on those emails.  While these emails may cheer us up and give us a nice break, we need to ask ourselves, does the Bible actually teach these things?  Does the Bible teach that God can be manipulated in such a way to render a blessing on us just because we have forwarded a magical email or prayed a special prayer?  Does the Bible teach that God is just a genie in a bottle? 

These are serious questions that I’m afraid too many Christians don’t even think about.  Still others may think about these issues, but don’t see the danger.  In fact, you may even now be thinking, “Come on, how legalistic can you be?  Lighten up.  It’s all in good fun to cheer someone up.  What harm can it do?”  Similar logic was proposed in the Garden of Eden with deadly consequences.  Remember the words of the Apostle Paul: “But test everything; hold fast what is good.  Abstain from every form of evil.”  Christians must ask themselves, “In light of Scripture’s teaching on discernment, should I forward on emails that include teachings that are contrary to the biblical teaching on God or prayer?”  That leads to one more question, “Are teachings that are contrary to God’s Word classified as good or evil?”  I believe the answer is clear.

So, the next time you open your Inbox and find a forward from a Christian brother or sister, don’t just blindly forward it along.  Take the time to read it, and ask yourself the question, “Is there anything in this message that contradicts God’s Word?”  If so, don’t feel bad if you click the trash can.  You can then share with the person who sent it to you why you chose not to forward it on.  In this way, we are using God’s Word as it is intended in 2 Tim 3:16: “for teaching, reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

May we all practice biblical discernment in our Inbox!