I was looking through the chapter list and saw chapter 11 titled ‘Marriage Is Meant for Making Children . . . Disciples of Jesus: How Absolute Is the Duty to Procreate?” I immediately turned to it and then read this passage. 

Having Hundreds of Children

In Mark 10:29–30, Jesus says,

“Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Here Jesus shifts the absolute from having children biologically to having hundreds of children through the family of Christ and through spiritual influence. It might include adoption. It might include foster care. It might include making your home a place for backyard Bible clubs. It might include hospitality in a neighborhood where your home is every kid’s favorite place. It might include your nursery job or your care for your nieces and nephews or the Sunday School class you teach. The point is: Marriage is not absolutely for making children; but it is absolutely for making children followers of Jesus one way or the other, directly or indirectly.

I have known in my heart that God has blessed Adriane and I and she has a plan for us in the loss of having biological children, but I think I needed this chapter to help fill an intellectual gap in the whole process.

From John Owens “Christologia”:

It is a great promise concerning the person of Christ, as he was to be given unto the church, (for he was a child born, a son given unto us, Isa. ix. 6,) that God would “lay him in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation,” whereon “he that believeth shall not make haste:” Isa. xxviii. 16. Yet was it also foretold concerning him, that this precious foundation should be “for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offence, to both the houses of Israel; for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;” so as that “many among them should stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken:” Isa. viii. 14, 15. According unto this promise and prediction it hath fallen out in all ages of the church; as the apostle Peter declares concerning the first of them. “Wherefore also,” saith he, “it is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious; and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto ye therefore which believe, he is precious; but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed:” 1 Pet. ii. 6–8.

In the beginning there was faith—which was childish; trust—which is vain; and illusion—which is dangerous. We believed in God, trusted in man, and lived with the illusion that every one of us has been entrusted with a sacred spark from the Shekhinah’s flame; that every one of us carries in his eyes and in his soul a reflection of God’s image.

I believe so many of us live with this understanding of God and man. We do not understand the quite dominate sense of sins ultimate destruction path. Even in men who try to pursue the Lord with all their might. Sin is a force with devastating effects for those that give it cause. 

I believed that I could avoid the affects of sin if I simply lived a good life. Don’t get me wrong I believed that God would still make life “hard” and “difficult”, but I would avoid the “majors” (infertility, cancer, deep betrayal). I believed that these would fall to the wayside for me and mine because I was doing “it” right. 

Instead in this chapter Mark Talbot turns us towards the idea that we have to embrace the truth that God created evil and uses evil for his purposes. We cannot accept anything less from a God we consider sovereign. When I read that part I stopped and needed a break. That hurt. However, it is starting to give me peace. I feel the transition in my heart. If you would like to read this article the book is online and you can go to it here. Look for Chapter 2.

Check it out here (not for the faint at heart)

“When revival breaks out through a recovery of the gospel, three things happen:

1. nominal church members realize they’d never been converted;
2. sleepy, lethargic Christians are energized and renewed;
3. outsider non-Christians are attracted into the beautified worship, community and lives of the converted and renewed church members.

That’s how it works. We need it.”

Read the entire interview here.

I read way too many blogs and read way to many books and spend my time watching too much TV. I do all of this to capture as much information as I can. This leaves me with a headful of knowledge that I then try to piece together before I make my next move. I have lately began to question my need to pay attention to all of this information. I am wondering who exactly is guiding this pursuit. Let’s not kid ourselves there is a strategic plan in the presentation of what books to read, what shows to watch, and what music to listen to. All one needs to do is look at a company like Viacom and all the stations they own to see the various progressions they want us to follow throughout our TV watching life.

So what are we called to do then as Christians? Pay attention to the cross. Let the life of Jesus move us and lead us. Look for opportunities to follow him in word and in deed. Don’t let one of these two things get out of balance or you will find yourself don’t a slighted path. They are both good together, but in and of themselves they can lead to destruction just as quickly.

 I was frustrated with my day however. I poured so much effort into my ministry event and by the end I failed to prepare for the most important part. I have done this way to often in my life and it just causes such an amazing frustration inside of me.

At this point I am quite sure that this day taught me the most about my golf game. When I play golf I focus and try really hard. I try to keep my head down, my weight shifted correctly, my body moving at the right speed. I make sure I have read the fairway, or green, that I have checked the wind, and looked for any obstacles that could prevent me from doing well. Then I swing my club backwards and swing with all of my might. The problem is with golf you aren’t suppose to swing your golf club with all of your might. You are suppose to let the club do the work for you. I can’t do that. I have to take control. I have to make it harder than it is suppose to be in order to impress myself and others with how well I am doing.

I do that with public speaking a lot. I rear back with everything that I got and try to blow it away. All I seem to end up doing is “blowing it”, not so bad that I can’t feel a little good about myself, but not doing well enough to feel happy with the effort.

So this quite day has taught me that golf once again has a lot of life lessons to offer. And when I teach I need to remember not to swing so hard.

Today I learned the value of being articulate with my faith. The theology that I have amassed in my brain through education has practical meaning and use. Most of the ‘heady’ theological questions that I have wrestled with and found answers to have direct implication over daily living. I need to remember, however, not just to be an exegete of the word of God, but also an exegete of culture and an exegete of the heart. I learned this in a reading I did earlier this week.

I am not sure I know or have ever done all three of these things. I suppose I have on limited occasions. I can clearly and humbly share that I have never done all three of these things in a single sermon I have given. I have done all three in isolation, but to do these three things requires a transformation in my perspective. It requires a transformation of my heart, soul, and mind.

So this is my question on quiet day. This is my vision and goal. I want to learn to be someone who not only exegetes the word of God, but also exegetes the people (culture), and exegetes the heart.