The Lens of the Cross and the Beautiful Suburbs

I was talking with a friend the other day of how it's easy to ride through inner city Philadelphia and become spiritually drained. Think of it; the drugs, the poverty, the fatherless (kids as well as adults), the violence and exalt of violence and that hopeless look that plagues so many is all enough to bring tears in just a short ride through any inner city neighborhood in Philadelphia. But when I read the Bible, particularly the book of Romans I see that total depravity runs deeper than the lens of the naked eye can see:
0as it is written:

"None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one."
"Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive."
"The venom of asps is under their lips."
"Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness."
"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known."
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
(Romans 3:10-20)

I know that sin is deceitful (Heb. 3:13) and so naturally it appears in ways that do not appear sinful. Take for example a philanthropist, this is someone who seeks to promote the welfare of others with the donation of his or her money and time. So to the naked eye it would appear that this person has in them some form of altruism. But, Paul lets us know that it's entirely possible to do acts that appear good and in actuality are carried out through some other kind of motivation:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Cor. 13:1-3)

So, when I drive through the obvious depravity in West Philadelphia, over 76, into the swanky suburbs of Roxboro and farther out into Montgomery County where the houses are spaced out, the grass is green and neatly cut, kids are playing in clean, "safe" streets, and dogs are being walked where the poop is being scooped instead of left to be stepped in by some unfortunate passer by and I think of Romans 3, 1 Corinthians 13, Isaiah 64:6, the entire book of John, etc. . . .and by God's grace I can, at times, drive through the sparkling deceit of the suburbs, cry and be drained the same way I can drive through North Philadelphia and be drained. Because, the truth is that the suburbs are just as sad, helpless and desolate as the crack infested corner in the hood. It's the same degree of depravity just a different cover. One wears its unmistakable pain out in the open for all to see while the other covers it up with gadgets, cars, lawns, decorations, fake smiles, security systems, etc. . .all to give the appearance of happiness in an effort to avoid confrontation and maintain an external happiness. So I ask myself; how should I approach this? How do I missionally engage a plastic world, a world that covers up cover up. How do I look at the suburbs through the lense of the cross like Christ on Calvary?
An older and wiser friend told me that when Christ looked down from His cross and saw that multitude of people along with the thief at His side and the Roman soldier he was looking through the lens of the cross. He didn't see a bunch of unsaved people, Christ was the most hopeful of hopeful people; He Himself WAS and IS hope. And so he saw a people redeemed. That is the lens of the cross-a lens that can see a redeemed people. A lens that can look out into the depravity of the "beautiful" suburbs and see people coming to Christ.
It seems this blog has become more of a prayer now than a statement or a question. I'm getting ready to move into a neighborhood that fringes on the suburbs of Philadelphia so I'm asking God for grace to not grow hard and cold hearted but that He'd give me a heart of flesh to engage the people around me with the Gospel. To not grow content and satisfied and comfortable with "plasticity" of clean streets, quiet nights,and all the other numbing agents that come along with. I need grace to become drained and broken the same way I'm broken while driving down Kensington Avenue and realizing that every third person quite possibly is a crack head. God give me that brokenness, give me that lens of Your Cross, give me a servants heart, and give me contentment in Christ Alone.

Leaning on the Rock

This blog is new. It seems that I forgot the password and/or username to my old one so. . .I started a new one. Since my last blog I've graduated from college, moved to Philly and have a job as a social worker as of late (subject to change in the near future). I don't necessarily have the time I need to put into this blog yet so the next few blogs will be studies that I've done for the fellowship of believers I had the privelage of serving while at Albright College. Here's the first one. I pray that it blesses and encourages whoever might read it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
God calls us to a closer relationship with Him, in fact He’s always calling us to a closer relationship with Him, He’s always knocking (Js. 4:8; Mt. 7:7; Rv. 3:30). And isn’t it true that sometimes, indeed most times, there are things that get in the way of us opening the door, or drawing closer? When you think of it, it’s not things that get in our way it’s us, it’s our own sin. Just in case you thought you were the only one, listen to the words of Paul in his letter to the Romans:

I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. (Rom. 7:15-20)

Paul did amazing things for the LORD's glory to say the least, but sometimes we have the tendency to elevate men like Paul to a super-human like status, forgetting that it’s only by the Lord’s amazing grace that he did such great things and that the LORD can use us in the same way. Paul was an ordinary man, a Christian fighting the same fight that you and I are fighting. You can even hear the frustration in his voice over his own sin, and amidst the fight he still did great things. Why? How? Was it a little motivation and a little Holy Spirit? Was it Paul demonstrating and living out amazing self-discipline? Did he know something that we don’t know? Did he have access to some sort of “secret information”? What was it that enabled Paul to plant all those churches and make those long journeys and endure those beatings, stand before Caesar and Agrippa (Acts 25-26) and shipwrecks (Acts 27), and other awesome things, what was it? Well let’s take it from Paul himself:
Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks are to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (Rom. 7:24-25)

You probably knew the answer even if you never read the preceding passage, DUH! OF COARSE IT’S the Lord! We all know it was the Lord; it’s always the Lord. It’s almost a standard, built in Christian response to say, “Oh it’s all the Lord” when we’re asked how Paul, or someone else, or ourselves ever does anything profitable for Jesus. And we all want to be used by God, right?
But this doesn’t happen over night. Indeed, something has to take place prior, but what does this something look like? Well, I think the Psalmist, David, makes the same kind of cry in Psalm 51 as Paul in Romans 7 and I’d like to use his words as our model.

Psalm 51
1Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.

2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!

3For I know my transgressions,
 and my sin is ever before me. 

4Against you, you only, have I sinned
 and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words
 and blameless in your judgment. 

5Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
 and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
 and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
 wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 

8Let me hear joy and gladness;
 let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9Hide your face from my sins,
 and blot out all my iniquities. 

10Create in me a clean heart, O God,
 and renew a right spirit within me. 

11Cast me not away from your presence,
 and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
 and uphold me with a willing spirit.

13Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
 and sinners will return to you. 
14Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God,
 O God of my salvation,
 and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. 

15O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 

16For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
 you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 

17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

18Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem;

19then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
 then bulls will be offered on your altar.

19then will you delight in right sacrifices,
 in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
 then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Some questions to think on
1. How does the Psalmist start his prayer or song to the lord? What is his focus, what is he asking god to do?
2. Is this some kind of self pity or is it a healthy understanding of himself and importantly god’s grace?
3. Does this sound like a victorious crying or a defeated cry from our brother david?
4. David is human and he has fears like all of us, what are some that you see in this psalm and do you have the same? Think hard. . . (ps.51:11)
5. What do verses 16-18 seem to imply about our relationship with god and our service for god?

I want to tell believers something true.
I’m convinced of it; the only way that we or any other believer will ever be heartily used by God is if we’re first dependent on Him. God delights and is glorified in our dependence so that He can then be glorified in our works. Dependence, brokenness, neediness, HUMILITY, is what the LORD wants from His children. This is where zeal for His glory comes from and this is where fruit for His glory comes from. This is where boldness before His throne, and a real understanding of His grace comes from because His grace is what you have to rest on to be dependent. It’s only dependence on Him that you see how utterly terrifying His grace is. In terrifying I mean a healthy terrified, a healthy fear, a kind of respect; the same kind of fear a believer should have for God, a terrifying that leads to reverence and dependence (Dt. 6:13; Ps. 111:10; Prv 1:17; Eccl 12:13; Is 11:3). It’s the kind of fear people have when they go to the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls, or when they’re amazed by things like tornados and humungous waves. Oh God Your grace! It is terrifying! Its power is so great, so infinitely great, so whole and so holy, so assuring and so lovely, so save, so secure, so rock solid, so gentle, so meek, so soft, and so firm, so deep, and so wide, and so terrifying. When I see the horribleness of my sin, my wicked, filthy, blood cirdling iniquity I tremble with disgust. And when I look at the grace of God and at the cross, and Christs’ blood that purchased me, that saves me, and this salvation that’s mine by grace through faith; when I see that it’s that, that it’s Him that upholds me, Him that keeps me (Ps. 121) I tremble even more and I’m stirred to worship, prayer, deeper fellowship, more zealous service and more brokenness.