Bryn MacPhail

Turf war: a colloquial term for a contention between two or more parties resulting in confrontation. It is a common problem in larger organizations when two divisions fight for access to resources or capital or over control of operations. 

In a turf war against God, I’m going to lose. And yet, I must concede that I sometimes engage God in a battle “over control of operations”—I resist God taking control of certain aspects of my life.

I think many followers of Jesus are tempted to compartmentalize their faith. We think about God’s will when we’re praying, when we’re reading our Bible, and when we’re at church. We struggle, however, to think about God and His priorities when we’re at work, when we’re running errands, and when we’re watching television.

When the apostle Paul writes to the Colossians, he communicates to them in very specific ways how God wants access to every area of our life. Check out Colossians 3:18-4:1 and we see how our relationship with God impacts our marriage, how we parent, and how we get on in the work place.

The text has some cultural clothing on it, and so we have to be careful not to get distracted from Paul’s primary point: “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17).

By every appearance, following Jesus was never meant to be just a Sunday thing. Following Jesus is for every aspect of our life. This begs the question: Are there areas of your life where you might be consciously, or subconsciously, trying to shut God out?

If the answer is “Yes”, and if you are a follower of Jesus, you need to know that this is a turf war that you’re not going to win. But let’s not think of yielding to Christ as something that is negative. Submitting to Christ is not something we should begrudge or resist. Surrendering every aspect of our life to Christ will ultimately be liberating and, more importantly, it will be supremely honouring to God.

If you are interested in wading through this challenging, but massively practical, text I invite you to have a listen to the message below, “Everything For The Lord” — delivered at St. Giles Kingsway and The Well on February 28, 2010.

Former Notre Dame football coach, Lou Holtz, once said:

We’re not what we want to be, and we aren’t what we ought to be, but praise God we aren’t what we used to be!

For the follower of Jesus, there is much truth to that statement. We’re not what we want to be—we’re not sufficiently Christ-like yet, but this is our present aim and our future reward.

Salvation is sometimes framed in terms of what we’re saved from, but the apostle Paul is quick to remind us that we are also saved for certain things. To put it another way, the goal of salvation includes a total transformation of who we are.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul exhorts followers of Jesus to “put off” certain things relating to sexual sin, anger, and inappropriate speech (Colossians 3:5-8). Paul then goes on to name particular traits that we should “put on” (Colossians 3:12). The language employed by Paul is the language of taking off, and putting on, an article of clothing. I appreciate Paul’s language here because it tells me that becoming more Christ-like is not automatic.

I did not wake up this morning in the clothes I’m presently wearing—I had to put them on. There was a thought process, there was a conscious decision, there was effort involved in putting on these clothes. Similarly, we shouldn’t think that naming Christ as our Saviour will automatically keep us from lust, greed, anger, and so on. There is a garment which must be consciously taken off, and a garment which must be consciously put on.

And while ‘d like to believe that in difficult situations the love of Christ will wash over me like a wave, I don’t suspect it will happen without me intentionally “putting on” the love of Christ.

On Sunday February 21, at St. Giles Kingsway and The Well, I spoke on the need to grow in Christ-likeness by learning to “put off” what we used to be and learning to “put on” what we ought to be.

I know of many Christian gatherings who excel at the “putting off” part—I know many Christian gatherings that are marked by what they don’t do, what they’re against, and what they abstain from.

While it is indeed good and important to “put off” what we used to be, my dream is for us to become known by what we’re for. My dream is that Christians, and the communities in which they gather, will become known for their excellence in”putting on” Jesus Christ and His love.

And since this process is not automatic, I’d like to challenge you to think about consciously “putting on” Jesus Christ and His traits each and every day. I’m confident that if you do this you will make great progress in becoming the person you long to be and the kind of person this world desperately needs.

Have a listen to the audio below. As always, your feedback is welcome and appreciated.

Engaging in a debate over the question, “Does God exist?”, will not likely result in one of the debating persons changing their conclusion. I have a number of friends who profess atheism, and most of them are entrenched in their position—just as I am entrenched in my conviction that God exists.

If I engage an atheist friend in dialogue, I harbour no expectation of “winning them over” to my position. What I would want to communicate is “the math”, which led to my conclusion. It is a common charge of atheists that “faith is not evidence based” and therefore references to faith should not be included in the discussion. This, in my opinion, is an unfair categorization of faith. In a debate between Oxford scholars, John Lennox (Christian) and Richard Dawkins (Atheist), Lennox asked Dawkins if he had any faith that his wife loved him. Dawkins immediately responded in the affirmative, to which Lennox countered, “Do you have any evidence to support your belief that your wife loves you?” Dawkins again responded in the affirmative.

Lennox: “So your faith is evidence based then?”

Dawkins: “Leave my wife out of this!”

I gather that Lennox and Dawkins regularly debate on this issue, and yet there is no indication that either has adjusted their conclusions even slightly.

I regard there to be some value in sharing with others the influences upon our worldview and our theology, but I agree with D.A. Carson who suggests in the video below that we typically approach the topic of God’s existence in an unhelpful and presumptuous way.

Carson certainly doesn’t settle the matter for us, but he does provide (in my opinion) a  much more helpful trajectory to deal with the subject of how we discover God’s existence.

Have you ever been frustrated with the seemingly slow pace of progress within the local church? Francis Chan offers an explanation in this 5 minute video. I think he’s nailed it. What do you think?

I realize the phrase, “Joyful Labour”, sounds like an oxymoron. And yet, as I read the apostle Paul’s description of his ministry in Colossians 1, I can’t think of a better description.

Ministry can be hard. Proclaiming the Gospel within a pluralistic society can get you into trouble. Paul knew this first hand. Paul was well acquainted with suffering for the Gospel (see 2 Corinthians 11:22ff), but instead of complaining he tells the Christians in Colossae,

I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of the body, which is the church.” (Colossians 1:24)

I don’t know about you, but I read that and I ask, ‘How did Paul do it?’ What enabled Paul’s joy? What was the basis for it? Because if we can answer these questions, we can begin to position ourselves on a similar track.

In my message from Colossians 1 (audio below), delivered at St. Giles Kingsway and The Well on Sunday, February 7, I proposed 4 reasons/explanations for Paul’s joy amid suffering for the Gospel:

1. Suffering for the Gospel connects Paul to Jesus Christ and His suffering (see also Philippians 3:10)

2. Suffering for the Gospel will help the church to progress and mature

3. Suffering for the Gospel will help to advance the Gospel

4. Suffering for the Gospel connects Paul to Jesus Christ and His power

This 4th prong is described by Paul in 1:29, “To this end” (i.e. helping the church mature, and the Gospel to advance), “I labour, struggling (literally, ‘agonizing’) with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me.”

This 4th prong might be the most immediately relevant for us. We want the church to grow, we want the Gospel to advance, but we think that now is not a good time for us to be leading the charge. We see all that Paul has endured, and all that Paul is doing, and many of us imagine that this is beyond us. We imagine our plate to be too full. We’re feeling as though our energy is spent.

But then along comes Paul who tells us that our energy is not the critical variable in this equation. When we labour for Christ and His church, we’re to do so with His energy.

As we think about serving the local church and engaging in Christ’s mission in this world, be encouraged to know that you are not simply giving, but you are also receiving.

We need not be worn out by ministering to others. It is God’s design for our kingdom labour to be accompanied by  abundant resources and by great joy. I pray that will be your experience—today, and always!

As I procrastinated posting on my own blog today I am came across two outstanding posts from my colleagues. The first is by Carey Nieuwhof, Lead Pastor of Connexus in Barrie and Orillia, Ontario. In his post, Shift Responsibility, Fuel Your Growth, Carey asks the question, “Who is responsible for your spiritual growth?” and gives a straightforward answer: You are.

Many act as if it is up to the church to ensure that we are growing spiritually. This isn’t quite right. The church can certainly help a person to grow in their relationship with Christ but, at the end of the day, it’s not up to the church to make sure that we’ve grown in our faith.

The second great post I came across is from a neighbouring colleague, Darryl Dash, pastor of Richview Baptist in Toronto, Ontario. Pastor Dash writes an insightful review of Brian McLaren’s book, A New Kind of Christianity.

I haven’t read the book, and I’m not certain that I’m going to, but Dash’s review is nonetheless helpful for those seeking to remain informed regarding the shifts in the theological landscape around us. I hugely appreciate Dash’s efforts in reading McLaren’s book and sharing with us his keen and discerning observations.

I could name a plethora of reasons, or incentives, to follow Jesus Christ and to give Him priority. As I teach from the Scriptures Sunday by Sunday, part of what I am trying to do is to bring these incentives to bear upon the lives of those who have placed their faith in Christ. So much is gained when we gain Christ. The apostle Paul explains to the Christians in Ephesus that they have been blessed with “every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). Throughout the New Testament these benefits are named for us—we gain forgiveness, we gain righteousness, we gain power to serve, power to resist temptation, and power to pray.

At the outset of his letter to the Colossians, Paul provides the people of Colossae with an expectation that their faithfulness will be accompanied by some practical blessings from God—they will receive from God strength, endurance, patience, and joyful gratitude (Colossians 1:11, 12; see also my earlier post on this). For some, this provides adequate motivation to make Christ and His priorities our main pursuit. But, I love the transition Paul makes—as if to further elevate our incentive to follow Christ. Paul transitions away from a list of benefits derived from following Jesus and begins to focus on the nature and work of Jesus.

I hear Paul answering the question, “Who is Jesus?”, by saying that Jesus is supreme (Colossians 1:18).

…for by Him all things were created: in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible…all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have supremacy (Colossians 1:16-18).

We make a mistake if we simply think of Jesus as Redeemer. He is Creator—all things owe their origin to Him.  He is Sustainer—all things “hold together” in Him. And Christ is the end for which everything in the Universe was made—not only was everything made by Him, but everything was also made for Him.

The New Testament is unequivocal on this point: Christ is The Supreme One. And while the benefits promised to me if I follow Christ are compelling, I regard Christ Himself to be the most compelling reason for me to follow Him. In other words, if Jesus Christ is supreme (in an objective sense), He ought to be supreme to me. Any benefits that may happen to accompany my following Jesus are, as they say, “gravy”.

I don’t want to pretend that I am an expert in treating Jesus as supreme in every aspect of my life—I’m not. But I will say this: I intend to spend the rest of my days attempting to appropriately respond to His supremacy.

If this is something that interests you, may I encourage you to listen to the message below, entitled, “The Supreme One”.

January 18 is a special date for me. On this date, twelve years ago, I was ordained to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament within the Presbyterian Church in Canada. This year, more than any of my other ordination anniversaries, I reflected on the kind of minister I’ve become. There are some areas where I am pleased with my growth and progress. But there are also areas where I lament my inability to push forward and improve.

God is gracious. I sense His carefulness as He reveals these areas where I still need much growth. And, to keep me from despair, He also provides moments of encouragement—often in subtle, but always in meaningful ways. I recognize that God is continually shaping me—using ‘the good’ and ‘the bad’ to help me become that which He intends for me (Romans 8:28; 2Corinthians 12:7-10).

As I reflect over the past twelve years, I note different emphases within my ministry. Early on, it was my passion for Reformed Theology—as expressed through the Reformer, John Calvin, the 17th Century Puritans, Jonathan Edwards and, in our day, through the likes of R.C. Sproul and James Montgomery Boice.

In 1999, I heard a sermon that has profoundly marked my messages and my ministry ever since. At the Moody Bible Institute Pastors’ Conference, John Piper delivered a message that was entitled, “Stop Serving Jesus!” (as though He needed us). As the result of this message, duty no longer drives my ministry efforts, delight does (recommended reading: “Desiring God” by John Piper).

In my early years at St. Giles Kingsway, the principle of “Contagious Christianity” (Bill Hybels) directed our evangelistic efforts. In recent years it was “Simple Church” by Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger that compelled me to tweak our ministry trajectory. The thesis of Simple Church is that less is more—simplicity of vision and programs helps congregations to preserve their vibrancy.

This past year I read a book that I count among my top ten, in terms of its impact upon my life. “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan was written “for those who want more of Jesus”. A light goes on in my head. Yes, I still subscribe to Reformed Theology. Yes, the Supremacy of Jesus in all things remains central to my ministry. Contagious Christianity continues to provide a helpful track for evangelism. Simple Church remains a much needed model for ordering a ministry. But Francis Chan struck a particular chord in my conscience. The reason I enrolled in seminary, the reason I became a minister, is because I wanted more of Jesus…and I wanted others to have more of Him too.

Some might say that my ministry has evolved over the last twelve years, and there’s evidence of that. But I think it might be more accurate to say that it has come full circle. I’m back to  basics: wanting more of Jesus for myself and for the congregation I serve. As the hymn writer, Horatius Bonar, well puts it:

I came to Jesus and I drank of that life giving stream; my thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in Him.

I don’t need to visit cnn.com nearly as much as I used to since I came across these excellent blogs of Canadian missionaries serving in Haiti.

The Van der Mark’s blog - I worked at Muskoka Woods with Laurens Van der Mark in the early 1990s. Laurens’ wife, Cheryl, gives a detailed account of what they endured the hours immediately following the earthquake in her Jan. 19 post.

The Rumford’s blog - Grant Rumford is an advanced care paramedic who works along with the Van der Mark’s for Mission of Hope. Currently, Mission of Hope is coordinating with Feed The Children Canada (where Grant’s father is the President) to continue care and relief efforts.

Rachelle in Haiti - Rachelle is an associate director of an orphanage in Haiti and has been posting regularly since the earthquake. (It also appears Rachelle is from my hometown of Niagara Falls!).

Embracing Hope -  Diana Wiebe is a school teacher connected with Mission of Hope. Diana has also provided regular updates and inspiring insights since the earthquake hit Haiti.

As we remember the people of Haiti in our prayers, we give thanks to God for these faithful men and women who are providing relief, comfort, and HOPE.

As I called the people of St. Giles Kingsway to worship on Sunday, January 17, it was with these words from Psalm 71. This is my prayer for the people of Haiti:

²⁰ Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,
you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up.

²¹ You will increase my honor
and comfort me once again.

I am very much a person of routine. I am most comfortable when everything stays the same. I like the status quo.

The status quo is often viewed as a negative thing, but surely there are occasions when the status quo is actually a good thing. For example, a sports team on a winning streak does not tinker with their lineup, they do not alter their strategy—they preserve the status quo because that’s what got them on the winning streak in the first place.

As much as I enjoy the status quo at times, I must admit that, as I read the New Testament, I see a constant push to go beyond the status quo.

On Sunday January 17, at St. Giles Kingsway and The Well, I began a message series based on the apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians (The audio of the January 17 message is found at the end of this post). Almost from the outset of this letter I see Paul urging the Colossians to press forward. As he does this my attention is arrested by the fact that, for the Colossians, the status quo is a good thing. Paul notes that they have “faith in Christ” and commends them for “the love (they) have for all the saints” (Colossians 1:4).

In the case of the Colossians, the status quo is immensely positive. And yet, Paul sees room for growth. He sees areas in which the Colossians still need to mature and progress. Accordingly, Paul exhorts the Colossians beyond the status quo toward what they still need.

I’m challenged by that. I want to stay in my routine. I want to pause and enjoy all that the Lord has done for me and in me. But then I hear Paul saying, ‘God’s not done with you yet. You’re not yet at the finish line. You’re not sufficiently Christ-like. Keep going. Press on.’

Paul goes on to tell the Colossians what they need in 1:9—he’s praying for God to fill them with the knowledge of His will. But that’s not the end game. That’s not the destination. The destination is revealed in verse 10:

We pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way.

What we need is a comprehensive knowledge of God and His ways because it increases our capacity to “please God in every way”.

I desperately want this. I want to be in a place where the orientation of my life is focused on pleasing God. I want His deal to trump my deal. I recognize that this is what I was created for—it’s what I was redeemed for. I realize that, in order to get to this destination—in order to grow—I need to say good-bye to the status quo.