LaRosa Johnson {dot} com

I have to be honest for a minute. For the past month or two, I’ve found it incredibly hard to find time to study, or at the very least get motivated to study the Scriptures. Of course, I have my moments where I just dig in my heels and study like there’s no tomorrow, and I enjoy every minute of it. Yet, it feels like those moments are few & far between.

A perfect example of this is May 29, that night I spent a good amount of time exegeting the first few verses of 1st Thessalonians 3. Before that, I had spent the two previous nights just reading the chapter over multiple times to make sure I had a grasp on the big picture. Now, that’s all fine, except for the fact that I haven’t gotten back to the study since then. When I started the chapter, I was motivated and had the desire to just knock it out as fast as I could, and now here I am almost 2.5 weeks later and I haven’t touched it. What’s up with that?!

I can’t help but think to myself, “What’s going on?” How can I go from reading through the entire Bible in less than six months and being pretty consistent in my studies to completely falling off the map? I don’t have the answers, but I realize that I have to look at life and see where things are. For the past few months Robin had been in school and had homework to do nearly every night, so there was adequate time in the evening to study with the house being very quiet after putting the kids to bed. Now that that’s over (except for another month of it with her final class starting next month), that “routine” is out the window. Then there’s the simple fact of studying in the evenings. I’m a morning person, so the night isn’t when I’m at my best, yet that seems to be the only time that I have available to me for study, which isn’t the greatest thing. That being said, I really don’t see myself getting up any earlier than I already do because I already know that my brain isn’t that awake first thing in the morning. Lastly, there’s the fact that my desk & de facto office is the living room where everyone lives, which means that there is never a moment that I can close the door & study (even with headphones). Sadly, with the way this house is configured, there’s no other option.

Taking all of that into consideration, the question is: what do I do? How can I find that consistency that I desire for wanting to study when I have a home life that is far from being consistent or conducive to study at the times when I’m at my best? I can’t help but think that when we purchase our next house, we’re going to have to shoot for one with five bedrooms so that we can make one into an office/study. Hopefully & prayerfully, that can happen in February 2011. Until then, I have to figure something else out, and I’m more than open to suggestions.

As a final side note, the desire to spend my day studying the Word of God has been on my mind quite a bit lately. I love my job, but I love studying the Bible more. I would love to be able to spend my days studying, writing devotions & Bible studies for Trailblazin Ministries, recording audio & video teachings, and sharing the Word with whoever will listen. If I could have my way, while still supporting my family, that’s what I would do. At the moment, I have no idea how I would even go about making that happen. It’s something that I will leave as a matter of prayer and hope that maybe the Lord can open that door sooner rather than later, whether it be doing Trailblazin Ministries fulltime or pastoring a church (doing TM alongside it). That’s all in the Lord’s hands, and He knows the desires of my heart. Right now, though, I just need to find some consistency, and fast.

A few weeks ago at Austin Bible Church we finished our latest module of systematic theology, which consisted of reading through Lewis Sperry Chafer’s volume on Ecclesiology. Overall, it was a very interesting read, although the final chapter was quite a bit anticlimactic in my opinion. Even though the final chapter didn’t provide the conclusion that I was hoping for, Chafer did offer one nugget that I felt was worth sharing here on this blog. In his conclusion he writes the following (emphasis is my own):

In bringing to its end this discussion respecting the entire field of Ecclesiology, it may be restated that a true development of this great theme, if Biblical, must be built on the second Pauline revelation. As asserted at the opening of this treatise on Ecclesiology, the Reformation regained the truth of the first Pauline revelation, namely, justification by faith alone, but did not go on to restore the truth contained in the second revelation. It is altogether possible that the problems attending the restoration of the first revelation, being so far-reaching and revolutionary as a reaction from the Romish perversions of truth, were all that could be undertaken at one time or by one generation. Later studies of the New Testament developed the almost limitless theme of the second revelation. Unfortunately, however, theologians were unprepared to receive any added truth beyond that gained in the Reformation, and Protestant theology has, by a misguided loyalty to orthodoxy, never received the truth contained in the second revelation. It has been assumed that this added truth is dangerous if it was not included in the Reformation attainments and that it must be in conflict with those attainments. Early in the history of Protestantism there were individual theologians who caught the first gleams of truth contained in the second revelation, and an ever increasing light has fallen on this body of truth until today there is a great company of students of doctrine who hold and teach, along with the first revelation, the clear divine unfoldings respecting the Church which is Christ’s Body. Nevertheless, orthodox Reformed theology persists in its original, isolated, and exclusive recognition of the first revelation, and continues to reject and condemn as intrusive and disruptive the great certified findings of those theologians who have given their years of study to the second revelation. So persistent is this self-imposed loyalty to a limited Reformation theology that a complete disruption of orthodox forces has already set in. This is not a controversy between heterodox and orthodox contenders; it is wholly within the orthodox ranks and is properly analyzed as a dissension between those who without worthy investigation of all that is involved restrict their theology to the first Pauline revelation and those who, contending as earnestly for the first revelation, have, with great study and research, gone on to the understanding of the second revelation. The second revelation respecting the Church, if pursued worthily, leads with inexorable logic to such dispensational and general Biblical distinctions as have been set forth in this treatise. An attack against these distinctions cannot be sustained by recourse to the beliefs of Reformers and early theologians; for such is an assumption that there is no progress to be made in the knowledge of truth, that the very light which fell on the Reformers by which they emerged from Romish darkness could not fall upon any others in subsequent years to lead them into wider fields of the understanding of God’s inexhaustible revelation. There is an inherent weakness disclosed in this attitude. It tends to shirk all responsibility in the direction of advancement in the truth and to deify the writings of the Reformers or the writings of the founders of a sect, apparently forgetting for the moment that these worthy scholars made no claim to inspiration nor did they intend to set up a barrier past which no further investigation in the truth should advance. It is no disrespect to Reformers or church fathers to maintain an attitude of open-mindedness in the direction of new understanding of truth which was not accorded to men of earlier generations. No science would be benefited by such slavish assent to supposedly implacable teachers of the past.
Chafer, L. S. (1993). Vol. 4: Systematic theology (249–250). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.

To summarize the quote, Chafer is stating that one of the problems persistent in the faith among Christians & theologians is the tendency to stop at a given era of Christian history and claiming only that progression of doctrinal understanding is orthodox. The problem with this is that it has a very natural tendency to flavor one’s understanding of Scripture and the systematizing of theology that comes along with it.

In practice, what does that look like? Let’s say you stopped with the period right before the Reformers set straight the doctrine of soteriology. If your growth & understanding stopped there, you’d likely be a Roman Catholic and all of your understanding would come from that point of view. The same is true if you stop with the Reformers like Luther or Calvin. Many people follow the Reformers, so what’s wrong with that? Honestly, nothing; I read and appreciate their works. The problem lies in the fact that their writings are not God-breathed & inspired, which means that it contains error and they didn’t get everything right. How so? Much like Chafer is saying in the above quote, the Reformers did great in claiming a proper soteriology, but their understanding of ecclesiology was still very Romish. Yet, if you look at the Church history that followed the Reformation, it was this doctrine that began to get unraveled and understood, much in the same way that soteriology was restored in the Reformation.

It’s not a new idea (see James Orr’s The Progress of Dogma), but when you look at Church history as a whole, it’s very interesting to note how closely it lines up with the table of contents for most systematic theologies. In looking at the early church fathers, a lot of what they wrote about and discussed was the matter of canonicity and setting straight some of the core understanding of who God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is, which align with bibliology and theology proper. As you move on you get the Reformers correcting soteriology, followed by the next era tackling ecclesiology, and so on.

Studying Church history makes it pretty obvious that our understanding of Scripture and theology has only expanded with time. Simply stated, we know a lot more now about the Bible and doctrine than previous generations did. What’s more, our current understanding didn’t come from thin air; instead, it was built upon the foundation that our forefathers laid before us. We recognize that Scripture is the source, we evaluate the teachings of those who came before us, accepting & keeping what they got right, and recognizing those areas where they didn’t fully develop some areas of teaching or just altogether missed the mark. This is how we grow and continue to progress in our understanding of Scripture. But, let’s be clear in understanding that I’m not saying that there is new revelation of Scripture (because the canon is closed), but our knowledge of what we do have in Scripture is growing. It’s much like science in many respects. We know & can do things now in science & medicine that couldn’t be done in times past, but only because of the foundation & study that was laid prior and subsequently building upon that foundation. The same is true of theology.

Admittedly, a lot of this requires an open mind. As a said above, if your understanding of Scripture stops at a certain era, then you will undoubtedly have your understanding flavored by that. I would dare say that this is the reason why different schools of theology constantly take issue with one another (i.e. covenant theology vs. dispensationalism).

I could say more, but I think the Chafer quote says it well enough. I’ll close by saying let’s have an open mind when studying the Scriptures and let’s not simply enslave ourselves to the understanding that we’re given by men who came before us. Let’s use them to lay the foundation and then let’s build upon it as we study to show ourselves approved and only holding to what we find true in Scripture. And most importantly, let’s walk in grace toward one another as we do this!

You remember those times when your mom told you to do something because it was for your own good, but you don’t listen because it’s coming from your mom and you know how moms can be about stuff? Now, what do you do when your friends start telling you the same thing? You start listening, right? It starts to sink in, make sense, and you adjust because it’s coming from a different perspective, not just from someone whose advice you’ve learned to ignore.

The other day I had one of those moments. I had previously been told by someone about something I was doing that could be perceived in the wrong way. Because of who it was coming from, I didn’t pay it much mind and brushed it aside thinking that I knew better because they didn’t know the “whole picture.” Well, just the other day I had one of my “boys” come alongside and tell me the exact same thing and that it’d be wise if I knocked it off. Unlike the first time I heard it, this time it struck a chord and almost felt like a dagger making its way into my abdomen. Did this person really just tell me that?! Could they be right?! After much thought, I came to the conclusion that they were right, and that I should have listened to that first person when they advised me.

Needless to say, this series of events has caused me to eat a big slice of humble pie. The blinders are now off and things are looking a lot clearer & making sense. So, stuff will change in regard to the situation. Big ups to the brother who brought it all to my attention!

If I were to be honest, I would have to admit that the past couple of weeks have been really interesting and a true test of my resolve to have patience & rest in Jesus Christ.

Without going into details, there are some matters in my life that are leaving me with a couple of directions to be taken, one of which could completely change things around like nothing else possibly could. That’s fine because any direction I take can be deemed as “good,” at least when looking at it from a distance. The problem lies in the fact that I know only one of them is what God wants, and I want to be one hundred percent sure that I’m lining up with what He wants, and not what may seem best for me at the given time.

Figuring out what God wants isn’t the problem, because I’m sure that I’ll have no doubt what direction to go in when the time is right. The issue right now is that I’m personally ready to make a decision one way or the other to simply get it all over with, but I can’t do that. The circumstances surrounding the decisions to be made demand that I wait before I can move forward. God has chosen to withhold some details in the matter and I’m forced to pray and wait until those details are revealed. I have no qualms with waiting, except for the fact that waiting is giving my imagination an opportunity to run wild with all of the “what if” scenarios that I can possibly come up with, knowing that it only adds to the excitement/frustration.

Even though I hate having to wait, I know that it’s for the best and it’s another object lesson in my spiritual maturity. Will I find rest in the midst of the “storm” that’s surrounding me by leaving it all in His hands? I think I can; I think I am. I can’t help but to think of my friend Pastor Cliff Beveridge and the patience that he & his wife had to endure while waiting to be placed in ministry after his ordination. It took a year before he got an answer, but he was still resting in faith and working faithfully where the Lord had him at that time. I’m hoping that I can live out that same example, finding rest while also being patient, knowing that I have no choice but to wait on the Lord and recognizing that He will make it all clear in His perfect timing. I’m thankful for the fact that I have enough on my plate to keep me busy/distracted because it makes waiting & resting that much easier.

But, I will be glad when all is made clear and a decision can be made.

Of late, there have been a few things on my mind & heart. Two of those things have been death and marriage, not particularly in that order.

The marriage issue has been making its rounds in my head for a while now. After seeing so many men of God stumble into the sin of adultery, it’s been one of those things that I’ve kept in prayer. First and foremost, I’ve been praying for these men & their families, praying for restoration, reconciliation, and continued growth in the Lord. Once I’ve lifted them up, I pray for others that I know who are married, I pray for the husbands & wives, praying that they don’t fall prey to similar temptations. Then, I find myself praying for my own marriage and my own strength. I don’t want to go down that path. It’s so easy to do, without really thinking about it; but, that’s not a path that I want to go down. I don’t want to get emotionally attached to any other woman to the point where that would even be an issue. I never want to cause my wife & family that kind of pain. I don’t want to bring my Savior that kind of shame. The hardest part, though, is knowing that as much as I pray, if I don’t continually keep my guard up, I can just as easily fall flat on my face. That’s a tough pill to swallow, and all the more reason for me to stay knit to Robin and my Lord.

But not only is there infidelity, there’s also divorce. I know way too many people who have or who are getting divorced. In some cases, I agree that it’s more than justified and biblical, but it still hurts to see, especially knowing that these are brothers and sisters in the Faith. It breaks my heart. When I heard about one friend’s divorce, my heart sank, and I wept inside. Again, that’s not a road that I ever want to go down, so I have to stay on my P’s & Q’s. At the very least, it’s situations like this that keep me on my knees interceding on behalf of others because it is so easy, even for Christians, to throw it all away and be done with it all.

The bottom line is that I want my marriage to work and to be an example of Jesus Christ and His bride, the Church. I once remember an elder at my former church telling Robin & I that other couples (young & old) were watching us to see how we were going to react in different situations. Were we going to quit or stick it out? Were we going to remain faithful and continue loving one another? I realize that people are watching, and I want my marriage to be an example of what a Christ centered marriage should look like.

Then there’s the thought of death. As I was getting ready to leave work today, a co-worker informed me that her husband’s grandfather had passed away. I gave my condolences & prayers, but the thought of losing a loved one had me thinking the entire drive home. I tried to drown my thoughts with loud music, but my thoughts screamed even louder. I thought back to October 2007 when my grandfather (on my mom’s side) passed away. Even though I didn’t shed a single tear, I still miss him. And, I haven’t seen my other grandparents (or the rest of my extended family) since that time. Knowing that my remaining grandparents (my grandmother on my mom’s side [Granny], and both of my dad’s parents) aren’t doing well, I can’t help but want to visit and see them at least once more before they pass on to glory. I want to tell them that I love them and just spend some time with them.

Not only that, but I want my children to know who their great grandparents are. Growing up, I only had the opportunity to get to know only one of my great grandparents and I wish I had the opportunity to have known her better. I can only imagine the wisdom and knowledge that she had obtained in her many years on this earth. At the very least, I want my grandparents to be able to see their great grandchildren, considering that they’ve only seen Ramiah in pictures & they all grow so fast.

Family is important and it’s not something we should think about only when they’re dead and gone. We should take the opportunity to spend time while we have the time. So, with that, already having a trip scheduled for Detroit this summer to visit Robin’s parents, we’ve made plans to make a trip back to NC to visit my parents. While in NC, we’ll make the trip up to Virginia to visit my grandparents, Lord willing that He allows them to tarry that long.

Those are my thoughts tonight, death & marriage, marriage & death. Probably better stated as marriage & family; but, simply put, both are something I want to protect and respect. Grace & peace.

The last few weeks have been mentally taxing. It’s a rare thing for opportunity to come knocking at the door; and, it’s even rarer for an opportunity to literally knock the door down and place itself in your hand. Well, this is a situation I’ve found myself dealing with.

Now, most people, given the opportunity would jump on it without a second thought. Quite honestly, I would do the exact same thing, and would love nothing more than to take this opportunity up on its offer. But, there’s a catch. You see, the current circumstances surrounding my life are preventing me from accepting the offer, at least for the time being. More than anything, the one thing that’s keeping me from jumping all over this offer is the fact that I’ve committed myself to training my spiritual gift of pastor-teacher, which is something that I am absolutely not willing to abandon, especially not after having put in two years of work. I’m not willing to abandon what I know to be God’s will for my life right now, not even for what may be the opportunity of a lifetime.

In many ways, I know this is nothing more than a test of my resolve to see what’s more important to me. Well, the answer is quite obvious and it was easy to make, although it leaves me mentally taxed with “what ifs” and monkeying with scenarios. The fact of the matter is that I know where God wants me to be right here & right now, which is training my gift, and that’s where I’m going to stay.

Even though it’s not remotely related, I can’t help but to think of Saul when he was given orders to destroy the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15). He followed Samuel’s instructions except for the fact that he kept back some of the choice livestock, instead of destroying it all as the Lord had commanded. It was at this point that God rejected Saul and his line as king over Israel. Although it doesn’t completely relate to my circumstance, it has taught me the importance of complete obedience to the Lord, and not just following His instruction partly. The words of Samuel in 1 Samuel 15:22 still ring in my ears, “to obey is better than sacrifice.” The rest of what he says hits pretty hard too.

I feel that if I took this opportunity right now, I’d be putting myself in the same situation as Saul when he didn’t completely obey the Lord. I have my instructions (finish my training), and I have to see that through, and not just do it halfway, even if I think this opportunity may benefit me & still be honoring to God. The fact is that this is most honoring to God, so that’s where I need to be. If the Lord wills, the door of opportunity will remain open until my training is complete and the Lord allows for me to take hold of it; otherwise, I will view this as a matter of testing to see where my heart and focus are. I will say that I appreciate the opportunity set before me, but it’s not worth squandering what God has placed before me.

I’m in the midst of my journey to read through the Bible in a year. Within the past couple of weeks I’ve finished Exodus & Leviticus, and now I’m about halfway through Numbers. It’s been an exciting read thus far. I’ve been motivated to read and a lot of stuff that didn’t make sense before is being comprehended this time around.

With my recent reading, the Lord has really been rocking me. I’m seeing how the Israelites are being delivered & provided for time & time again by the Lord God, only to spit back in his face & complain. On more than one occasion God was ready to take out the Israelites because of their disobedience. Even people that you wouldn’t think would rise up against the Lord, like Miriam & Aaron, had their moments. It’s crazy, seriously! The Lord provides manna, but that’s not enough; no, they want more meat! The Israelites want to know why they’re stuck in the wilderness & left to die or killed by those in the Promised Land, when they “had it made” in Egypt, when they were really enslaved. Oh, and you can’t forget the Levites trying to rise up on Moses & Aaron, wanting to know why they’re in charge.

In all of this, the Lord was quick to want to just take the Israelites out completely, wiping them off the face of the earth, wanting to just start over with Moses. It can’t be said lightly enough that God’s anger toward them was fuming and He wasn’t playing around. If it weren’t for Moses praying for forgiveness, I don’t doubt that God would have done it.

What’s the lesson in this for me? God doesn’t take lightly to grumbling & complaining. Just looking at the Israelites & their attitude, God wasn’t very pleased. I can only think that He’s looking at me in the same light when I act in a similar manner. More than anything, this is serving as motivation for me to continue walking upright, while making sure that I keep my griping to a minimum. Instead of complaining, I need to learn to be more thankful for what the Lord has provided, as opposed to looking back to the past or wanting more than what He’s already providing.

Thanks for the lesson, Lord!

Last month I started the process of coming up with ideas for Trailblazin Ministries, and I came up with a few that I felt would really benefit those who visit the site. The problem? They required a big commitment on my end, a commitment that I couldn’t realistically give myself to. The biggest of the goals was to do a plan that would take the site’s visitors through the entirety of the Bible in two years, with daily lessons Monday through Friday.

I tossed the ideas back & forth in my mind constantly in the days leading up to the new year, all the way up until yesterday. It was at that time that I finally decided that I couldn’t do it. I already have a lot on my plate, and there’s no way that I could feasibly do all that I wanted to do without suffering in another area. Would my 1st Thessalonians study suffer? Would my time with family suffer? Would my training suffer? I realized that something was going to suffer if I went ahead with this plan; or, at the very least, I would get a month or two into this and end up quitting, which wouldn’t look good at all.

Now, I’m not committing myself to resolutions, but I do have plans for the new year. First and foremost, I want to read my Bible from Genesis to Revelation in this year. I personally don’t think it would be wise for me to have made it to the end of my training to be a pastor without first having read through the Bible at least once. I started a chronological reading plan back in November and already have a pretty good head start, so I look forward to seeing this one through. This is one of my biggest goals.

Next to that is being a better father & husband, which is my first ministry. I can’t possibly live up to my new position of deacon or a soon-to-be pastor if I can’t manage my household well. So, I want to try my hardest to have consistent family devotions (maybe at least 1-2x a week) and pray with Robin more. I also need to work harder at spending quality time with each child.

I also want to be more diligent in my ministry training at Austin Bible Church. I want to make sure that I’m learning Hebrew & Greek to the best of my ability, and learning all that I can in the ministry workshop courses. That also means being diligent in working through my 1st Thessalonians study so that I can be prepared to teach it to the congregation when the Lord allows us to meet in our new building.

Finally, I just want to continue doing what I’ve been doing with Trailblazin Ministries, even if it does remain small. I realize that what’s important right now is my training & I just have to keep TM running. Once my training is done, I’ll be better equipped and have the time to do more with the site, which will allow me to better reach the world at large with the truth of God’s Word.

Those are my goals for the year. They’re all realistic & obtainable. Nothing high & lofty, and stuff that I should be doing anyway. The best part of it all is that I don’t have to do it on my own, but I’ll have the help of God the Holy Spirit, who is able to accomplish all things. Amen.

I’m not big on making resolutions for the new year, but I’ll admit that I have spent the past few days mulling over ideas. Not ideas of how I can improve myself or anything like that. Instead, I’m sitting here trying to think about ideas for ways to do more with Trailblazin Ministries in 2010.

Coming into this year I had come up with a few ideas that I thought were going to work out rather well. One of my goals was to start on a devotion series for 1st Thessalonians, after having finished James in December of 2008. Well, it got started but not until April, primarily because it took me forever to get my outline together for chapter one, and I’m still only part way through my outline for chapter two as we near the close of the year. The other major idea was to begin a study on spiritual gifts. That plan didn’t come together at all; I didn’t even get a chance to start on it. I guess the Lord had other plans & didn’t allow that to ever come together.

2009 wasn’t entirely a disappointment. The site got moved to a backend content management system (from Movable Type to Joomla to Drupal), as well as a much needed redesign. In terms of running the site, things are going a lot more smoothly. Plus, George Sly took on a bigger part this year, adding his own devotion series. So, I won’t complain. Even though all of the plans didn’t come together as expected, it was still a solid year.

Now, as I get ready to move into 2010, I really have a burden for putting up more content on Trailblazin Ministries, and doing it more consistently. I’m determined to get away from the music (not entirely, but it’ll take a major backseat to teaching), and I want there to be a heavy emphasis on teaching the Bible. There are two ideas that are really sitting in the forefront of my mind, but I really don’t know if I have the motivation to do them, even though I think they’d be great ideas.

The first idea is to have Trailblazin Ministries go through the entire Bible. I had thought about doing it in a single year, but that would be about 5-6 chapters per day, Monday through Friday; yet, if I do it in two years, it cuts the reading in half. Now, along with that, I would give my own summary & commentary of sorts on the text that’s being read. The big thing is that it’s such a major commitment and I don’t want to get it started and then quit a month or two into it. I’m afraid to try because I know my tendency to not see things through, as well as not really knowing how heavy my schedule may be. But, if I don’t try, I won’t know if I could have ever done it.

The second idea is more feasible, but I’m still not quite sure how it would work. It would be to do a “word study of the week” where I pick a Greek or Hebrew word and put together a word study on it, with definition, a listing of its usages, and so on. The only real hard part here is that most of my original language resources are in copyright and I don’t want to run into any kind of copyright issues if I have to copy & paste text. That’s really the only big hurdle and it’d be easy enough to plan out the list for the entire year.

Not to mention, I’d also like to do something more with my podcast.

All of this would be on top of maintaining the 1st Thessalonians devotion series, as well as any other content. I’d love to make this happen, but quite frankly I’m scared of failure. I really don’t want to start something and not see it through. So, pray for me, pray that I can get some clear direction for which way to take Trailblazin Ministries in 2010. If you have any ideas for content or for the podcast, feel free to pass them along. I’m open to all ideas, and I’ll at least consider them.

One thing I’ve learned in my 5 years of marriage is that sometimes life requires sacrifice and selflessness. Earlier this week, Robin did something that was pretty selfless & sacrificial, in order to make sure that things remained in order in our house. Well, today, after examining some things, I’ve chosen to do the same, but this time for the benefit of Robin, my lovely wife. I won’t go into details, but I’m glad to be able to do it, knowing that it’s the best decision that I could make, even if it might mean I feel like I’m “losing out” later on. In the long run, I know I’m a winner because I will have done what’s right & for my better half.