oasisCHURCH

Super Sunday This Week

It's going to be a cold one, but it will be plenty warm in the Durst's house Sunday night as we gather together to watch SuperBowl XLI (41).

Game starts at 6:25pm. Come anytime after 5:00 to enjoy pregame festivities, sign up to play the scoreboard challenge (a new game we will play this year for fabulous prizes!!!), and of course, EAT!!!

Bring your favorite appetizer dish, drinks, etc. Bring cards and board games if you would rather play than watch football. Half the fun is just being together (and watching the commercials, of course). Some like to watch the game, others don't as much. But either/or is okay. It's a big house, and there's plenty of room for everyone.

Thanks again in advance, Dursts, for your hospitality and love!

Got Questions?

Bring them tonight. At Mike and Sharon Stewart's house church meeting I will be fielding all your questions about the Oasis membership covenant. I will also bring with me copies of notes from any sessions you may have missed.

This will be an important time for anyone who desires to know more about what this membership covenant thing is all about. NOTE: It will not be recorded. There will be no audio from this session.

Next Wednesday, February 7, I will do the same thing at the Durst house church.

Are You Ready for This?

Commentary: James 2:18-26

¹⁸But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. ¹⁹You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and shudder! ²⁰Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? ²¹Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²²You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; ²³and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"-- and he was called a friend of God. ²⁴You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? ²⁶For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Faith and Works are Inseparable

James’ illustration in verses 18-26 are a very practical and logical extension of the point he began arguing in verses 14-17. In my previous commentary I illustrated the point that you cannot talk about faith without also taking about works because the two are integral to one another. In light of what James says it is necessary to re-evaluate your personal definition of faith. Most people that I know seem to characterize faith as only “belief”. While that may be one vital component of faith we must also force ourselves to consider the biblical perspective of faith. Sadly, faith has been ill defined by much of Christian culture. I say ill defined because when you ask numerous Christians to define faith they can generally only speak of believing in something. This reveals a lack of biblical foundation in understanding faith. I think James recognized that this gap could occur. So in order to clearly and cleanly illustrate the true nature of faith, God gave James the wisdom of verses 18-26.

James Imagines and Responds to Objections on this Teaching

Verse 18 is an example of an objection that James is well aware may occur when this teaching of faith and works is heard. James understood that someone may say, “Hey, you think your faith is so great but my works stand out as my testament of righteousness.” Then James responds to this objection by simply saying, “Show me your faith apart from your works and I will show you my faith by my works.” In the latter half of verse 18 James is merely stating the fact that it is a logistical impossibility to demonstrate your faith apart from your works. James seems on the verge of beating a dead horse. He just keeps finding different ways to say that you cannot illustrate faith without works. I think there is an important reason that James is adamant about making this distinction as clear as humanly possible.

Consider, for a moment, the audience that James is addressing. In chapter 1 James greets “the twelve tribes in the dispersion”. He is writing to Israelites in exile. Why would it be important for James to drive home the inseparable nature of faith in conjunction with works? The reason is simple. The Israelites lived their lives by “laws”. Their whole lives were centered around accomplishing what the law required of them. So they had a very high emphasis of works forming the entire basis of righteousness. However, the very notion of Jesus being the supplication for righteousness would have blurred and confused this idea for many of the Israelites. So James is logically beginning where their confusion is likely to begin. He is beginning to show his audience that works has never been meant to stand on its own apart from faith, or vice versa. James will show them a bigger picture of their understanding for works and bring it back to a very old biblical ideology, an ideology that has existed since the beginning of creation. That ideology is this: Faith and works, which are inseparable, are both key components of what it means to humble yourself before God and honor Him as the King that He truly is.

Why the harsh nature of verses 19 & 20?

“¹⁹You believe that God is one. You do well; even the demons believe – and shudder! ²⁰Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?”

One thing that you can say about James is that he wastes no time with words. In contrast someone like Paul uses many metaphors. James, however, seems to cut straight to the point. Imagine that someone outside of Oasis wrote a letter to our church. Imagine that this person is someone that the leadership of Oasis trusts implicitly. Then imagine that this person wrote a letter to Oasis to address a concern that he/she saw within the infrastructure of the body. Next imagine that something like verse 20 is contained in that letter. It is quite obvious that James is eager to defend God’s word when someone has either perverted it or misunderstood it. Here James calls the one who doesn’t understand this teaching of faith and works a foolish person. Yikes! Yet he will be more brutal than that later on. In the closing stages of his letter, James will refer to certain individuals in the church as adulterous people because they request things from God only to spend it on their own passions. One might ask, “Isn’t this a little harsh? Does he have to speak so hotly with us? Is it really necessary to resort to name calling?” To the one who would ask such questions I would respond like this: James is calling us to abhor our own sin. Sin is a repugnant thing that bears no good. James isn’t calling us names. He is simply illustrating simple truths with very direct language. We’re not use to direct language in our culture. We live in a time of loopholes, excuses, and mindless banter from people that should know what they’re talking about.  When we hear someone speak clearly, concisely, and with blunt force trauma it comes as a great shock to us because we’re just not used to that kind of linguistic tactic. What I hear in verse 20 is not that I’m being called names but rather that this theological truth is so important to grasp onto that if you fail to do it then you will simply be foolish in your understanding of this very important lesson which is filled with the wisdom that can only come from God.

Even God’s Enemies Shudder at His Existence

Verse 19 is the perfect lead into verse 20. James is so adept at knowing when and how to bring human beings back down to their appropriate level. Verse 19 says, “You believe that God is one. You do well; even the demons believe – and shudder.” In other words James is saying that while it is good to understand that God is the one and only God and there are no other above him, do not become puffed up in your thinking. James then draws out this interesting parallel by saying that even demons, those who are enemies of God, believe that He is the one true God and in this knowledge they shudder. What an amazing thought. God’s enemies shudder at the fact that he exists. This merely shows how great and terrible our God is. I know that seems like an oxymoron but it should bring great comfort to those who love Him. There is a reason why we should rejoice with trembling in our hearts before our sovereign Father. If we have a big, biblical view of God, then it will be nearly impossible for us to stop ourselves from falling to our knees to worship Him in love and with a healthy, biblical understanding of fear. Verse 19 compliments verse 20 by making clear that it is foolish for us to think that all we are special in believing that God is the only God in existence. Even those who stand opposed to God believe that. James is pleading with us yet again to dig further into the understanding that God has made available for us. The purpose of this is to develop and further our understanding of the bigness, the greatness, the righteousness, and the gloriousness of the God that we get the privilege to serve every day of our lives. God is not foolish and neither should His people be. Don’t be content with knowing little of what God’s word says.

The Sacrifice of Isaac

Verse 21-23 is used as an illustration to show how faith and works go together. To get a larger appreciation of the story being referenced I would urge you to go back to Genesis 22. This chapter in Genesis tells the story of how God tested Abraham by saying, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I shall tell you.” Here’s what is amazing about this story…dramatic renditions of this story have Abraham portrayed as an agonized father leading his son to certain death. Yet the Bible gives no account or support for this. People just assume that they would personally struggle with such a command so why shouldn’t Abraham. Perhaps Abraham was tormented by this request from God but there is no Biblical evidence to support this claim. Abraham simply obeyed. The Bible does not speak of tears shed over the sons body. It merely paints a matter of fact picture of how Abraham believed in God’s demands and that he valued God’s commands more than anything else in this world. But Abraham didn’t just believe God, he acted upon what God told him to do and that is the whole point that James is making with this illustration. James is saying that if a person is truly a believer in God then that person will also be a follower of God’s desires. This entails that a person “do the word” rather than just “hear the word”. Both are crucial but if you hear the word and don’t do the word, then perhaps you have no real idea what faith actually is. Please recall what James told us in chapter 1, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

Also consider this story of Abraham and Isaac in conjunction with James 1:2. Abraham valued God more than he valued the life of his only son, a son who the Bible tells us that Abraham loved. To our ears this may sound wrong and unloving. Someone might say, “If Abraham truly loved his son he would never have put him through that whole ordeal.” Actually I don’t think that’s true at all. I think Abraham understood what we all need to understand. God must be first in all things. God must be valued above all things. This does not mean that any person should become a dead beat parent or behave irresponsibly with their child. Abraham was not behaving like an irresponsible parent when he offered up his only son Isaac on the altar. Abraham was doing the most responsible thing he could have done at that moment and that was to follow the will of God. I’ll be the first to admit that this is a difficult thing to grip. As I write these words I struggle a little even though I know it is true. However, this story teaches us about the value of God versus the value that we place on ourselves.

The Regenerated Life Will Have Certain Characteristics

Verse 24 says, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” This verse is really the punctuation on the point that James is making here. The example that follows this verse is merely more Biblical foundation for this argument. The bottom line in this whole discourse is that if your faith is alive and not dead, your life will take on a transformed nature. It will be obvious by works that you can show in the meekness of wisdom that your faith is genuine. The evidence of doing the word will permeate every facet of your life. If this is not the case then one must wonder if a persons faith is alive or dead. James gives us pretty clear guidelines to follow. If you’re sitting at home or work and you’re reading this wondering, “Is my faith alive or dead,” then I would urge you to sit down with this entire section of James, pray over what it says, seek the counsel of others and pray with them as well. At that point the answer should be readily apparent to you but only if you are prepared to humble yourself greatly before God. If you find that your life is devoid of doing the word then begin getting intentional about doing what it says.

Rahab the Prostitute

The account of Rahab that is referred to in verse 25 is told in the book of Joshua. The stage for this story is set like this: Moses has passed away and Joshua has risen up in his place. God is about to hand over the promised land to the Israelites after many many years of waiting. Joshua sends out two spies into the land and he gives them instructions to look greatly into the mighty city of Jericho. While in Jericho the two spies lodged at the home of a woman named Rahab. No doubt someone will ask, why are these two guys staying in the house of a prostitute. I have no definitive answer to this question but it may be as simple as the idea that the home of such a woman would be a place where the least amount of questions would likely be asked. Regardless of this, it was somehow discovered that the two men were lodging there. Someone was on to them and it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” The king wasted no time in responding. He most likely sent armed men with a message to Rahab saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” But Rahab was thinking one step ahead of them. She had hid the Israelite spies and she had also spun out a convincing story to the kings men. Needless to say, the spies escaped this peril and were able to return to Joshua. But why did Rahab do this? The great renown of the one true God had reached the people of Jericho. They had heard of how the Israelite God had brought them out of Egypt and dried up the Red Sea. They had also heard of how the Israelite God had already led his people to victory in battles against powerful armies. These things made Rahab acknowledge the greatness of God by saying to the two spies, “…for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.” Both Rahab and her family were spared in the sacking of Jericho because they believed and because they did what was right in the eyes of God.

Concluding Remarks

Verse 26 says, “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, faith apart from works is dead.” I don’t think there is a need for a waterfall of words here. James has illustrated his point through a firm Biblical foundation in the examples of Abraham and Rahab. He has dealt forthrightly with the issues of dead and living faith. Moreover, James has challenged us once again to not be shortsighted, or false in our worship of God. Yet even more difficult road lies ahead. Chapter 3 will take us into the belly of a beast that we all wrestle. The tongue takes center stage in our next exploration of this letter. Go ahead and read the first twelve verses of chapter 3. Be challenged, encouraged, and strengthened by them.

A Snowy Sunday

Well, last Sunday was quite a morning. I was rather surprised at the number of you who trekked out through the weather to come to the Oasis gathering. If you were not there, we made an executive decision at the beginning of our gathering that we would just sing a few songs of worship together, read Scripture and share a time of communion. It was an intimate time, and we were finished by 10:45am. And it’s a good thing too, because by the time Timothy and I began to head back to Athens (around 12:00) the roads were in really bad shape. In fact, we were a little uncertain that we were going to make it home, as we came into Athens there were people in 4X4s sliding off of the road! We just prayed and kept a gentle foot on the gas pedal of my little Toyota. April, however, was stranded at Heather and Shawn’s house for most of the day. The kids did not mind, because they got to go sledding with their cousins and have hot chocolate and homemade pizza!

I hope everyone had a chance to relax and enjoy the first good snow we have had in nearly two years. This Sunday I will be picking up our study in Romans chapter 12. Please meditate on the first two verses this week, and ask God to begin speaking to you even before we gather together.

I have sent an Oasis NEWS email out earlier today with MUCH, MUCH news in it. If you do not receive those but would like to be added to our mailing list, just reply to this message below and I will add you, or you can email the Oasis inbox.

Concert Preview

Matt Redman performing his song Dancing Generation.

Chris Tomlin performing his song Holy Is The Lord.

Faith

What is God showing you, speaking to you, or calling you to do?

A Health & Nutrition Post

One of the things April and I have begun doing together recently is a common diet. For the past few years she has been a fan of the low-carbohydrate nutritional approach. I have only done the low-carb diet once, and that was three years ago. I remember that I really liked it, and for a number of different reasons:

1.  It helps me accomplish my goals. I remember that in January of 2003, which was when I first began the low-carb diet, I was 220 lbs and about 25% body fat. My supposed "ideal" weight for a 5'10, 31-year old man was 170lbs and less than 17% body fat. I set a goal to get under both of those, and within about 6 months I has accomplished both goals. By July I was weighing 170 and my body fat % was at 13.

Today I weigh 195 lbs and my body fat is 20%. That has increased from 3 years ago, not because of any fault of low-carb dieting, but because of laziness and poor nutritional decisions on my part.

2.  I love the "satisfaction" that low-carb nutrition brings. After the first couple of weeks (admittedly, those are the toughest days) it is amazing how few cravings and hunger pangs there are. I never realized just how "empty" simple carbohydrate foods are and how they induce more desire for eating even more of them and more regularly, until I cut them from my regular diet. The fact is, it is possible to live life and not have overwhelming desires for brownies and potato chips.

The reason this is such a good point is because most people do not get enough protein or enough green vegetables, which provide plenty of complex carbohydrates, in there normal diet anyway. While doing low-carb nutrition you definitely get plenty of both.

3.  I love the discipline it requires of me. Of all of my points, this is probably the greatest reason of them all for why I enjoy this diet. I know, it sounds a little strange. But here is how it works. God has created us all with a holistic purpose. We are not just physical beings, nor are we merely emotional or spiritual beings. We are all of the above. All of the above work together for maximum health of our beings. And we are to glorify Him in all of the above (that is the one that stings a little). Unfortunately, many people sacrifice one for the other. I, for several years, sacrificed my physical health for spiritual pursuit. I do not believe God was pleased about that. He created us in physical bodies, and I believe these bodies deserve some attention from us as long as we are still living in them.

But here's the funny thing about how these things all work together, at least in my life. Whenever I am lazy or neglectful of my physical being, I can always feel the effects of that neglect in my spiritual, intellectual, and emotional being. Conversely, whenever I am mindful or working on my physical being, it always has a positive effect on my spiritual, emotional, and intellectual being as well. One part spills over to the others, causing better health to the entire person. For instance, when I have disciplined myself to "say no" to certain foods, I find that it makes it easier to say no to temptations in other areas as well. In that respect, I love the discipline it requires of me.

4.  I love talking with people about the healthy aspects of the low-carb diet, and debunking the myths that surround it. This is probably the debating side of my personality revealing itself. Many people still feel that anyone who follows a low-carb nutritional approach to dieting is on fast-forward to heart-attack hell. Simply not true. Rather than rehash it all here, how about I give you a link where you can read the facts more thoroughly. The fact is, most people who speak out against low-carb dieting have never read anything themselves. Most of the concerns I usually hear begin with, "It just seems to me..." or "I would think that...". Well, is it possible in America we have been force-fed a lie about "proper" nutrition? Most of what drives anything anymore is the almighty dollar. Of course there are people out there who are going to tell you that cutting back on certain foods are unhealthy. Unhealthy for their wallets!

The other day I was talking with someone about this diet, and in the conversation I learned that this person was going to be following the Weight-Watcher's plan. Their comment to me was something like this: "The low-carb diet just seems so unhealthy to me." Then, in the same breath went on to tell me that in their Weight-Watchers diet they can eat "whatever they want." Hmmm. Whatever you want?! Which seems more unhealthy? Lots of chicken and other meats, tuna and other fish, healthy fats and and carbs (yes, fat... why have we always assumed all fat is unhealthy?) green vegetables, 64 ounces of water per day, etc... OR a combination of anything your stomach desires, just as long as you don't exceed your point allowance??? Although I am sure that was probably a misrepresentation of the Weight-Watcher's diet, as I do believe there is special attention given to cutting fats; still, from that person's understanding of it, it would be possible to be on Weight-Watchers, lose several pounds, but end up deficient in proper nutrients because they were "allowed to eat whatever they want." I think I'll take my chances with low-carb. And (as you will see in the article link I provided above), the primary thing that low-carb nutrition removes from your diet is unnecessary carbs, which Americans have tended to develop an unhealthy obsession with.

So, as you can probably tell, I have once again become a low-carb dieter. Already I can feel the difference. I'm not sure why I have written this post exactly. Perhaps to encourage you if God has placed it on your heart to develop better nutrition.

Oh, and by the way. Regardless of your diet, EXERCISE is a must. The number one reason for obesity is our sedentary lifestyles coupled with poor nutrition. Do not overlook the importance of exercise.

So, whatever you have decided to do this new year, stick with it!

Some Things to Look Forward To

Here's a little overview of some of the things that are going on with the Oasis church in the weeks/months ahead. Click here if you would like to open a print version of this post.

January 7: Brainstorm Meeting for Oasis Youth Ministry >>> This Sunday a handful of people will be meeting to brainstorm and begin a "roundtable" discussion about youth ministry (Middle School & High School ages) in Oasis. I mention this to you here so you will join us in prayer. Our desire is to seek God's wisdom for how we can be most faithful to serving the teenagers in our community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

January 14: Sign-up for Chris Tomlin Concert >>> We will be ordering tickets on January 15 for this concert, which is on February 13 in Columbus (Veterans Memorial Auditorium). Tickets are $25 per person, and you may pay for them any time before February 13.

January 21: Oasis Men's Fight Club, Round 2 >>> Meeting time: 6-8pm. Location: TBA. We will begin an expository study on the Song of Solomon & Reforming Male Sexuality. Meetings will be open to all men, married and unmarried. Teenage young men are welcome to attend with their fathers. Be advised that the discussions, while not crass or inappropriate, will most certainly be candid and honest. We will speak openly about all issues of human sexuality from a God-centered, Christ-honoring, biblical perspective.

January 27: Oasis Elders in Training Breakfast >>> We currently have four men who are pouring their hearts, minds, and souls into the Scriptures and into one another, and seeking wisdom about how God desires for His church in a given locality to be led. These men are Chris Stewart, Bill Lawless, Mike Stewart, and Chad Dodson. They will be meeting monthly during 2007 in order to train and prepare for service to Oasis through biblical eldership. We would appreciate your prayers, as this is a vitally important step for the health of our church.

January 31: Membership Covenant at Stewart's House Church >>> At the January 31, Wednesday evening house church meeting at Mike and Sharon's Chris will offer the final session of The Gospel & Oasis 101, which wil linclude an opportunity to sign a membership covenant with Oasis Christian Fellowship. NOTE: This same opportunity will be offered the very next Wednesday, February 7, at the house church that meets at Jim and Julie Durst's. If you are interested in covenanting with Oasis Christian Fellowship but have not yet attended The Gospel & Oasis 101, all sessions will again be offered in another venue beginning in March. Location and times for those TBA.

February 13: Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, & Louie Giglio concert >>> See above (January 14) for ticket details.

As we progress through the coming weeks there may be more things to add to the calendar, but this should give you a pretty good starting place for 2007. Soon I will be posting a working schedule for our Sunday preaching studies and Wednesday house church discussions. Have a great first week of 2007!