I was more than just a bit confused when I first read how Jesus refers to those of us who hope to be among the chosen (those who enter the kingdom of heaven) as His “bride.” And while most men hurry past Jesus’ marriage parables without fully embracing the depth of their message, I’ve noticed that most women rush past them as well. It’s obvious that most of us have trouble viewing God as a romantic interest, and before I was born again, I was definitely among that majority (more…)
In part 1 I spoke of complete “obedience” to God as evidence of belief in an all-powerful and worthy God, and used the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (Matthew 25:1-17) to illustrate that total obedience is required of those who truly love Him. I also identified the dilution of the English language as a primary cause for the lack of understanding in Christendom, and nowhere is this dilution so damaging as it is with the word “love” as a physical and spiritual activity offered to Jesus Christ as God. (more…)
Today the popular Christian music website JesusFreakHideout.com (great name, eh?) posted a review of my album “Gospel Project” in their Indie Music Spotlight section, and I was greatly moved. While the reviewer (Rob Tyson) was tremendously complimentary of every element of the project including much deserved mention of producers Michael Brown and BJ Brown and guest soloist Quiana Parler, the following excerpt meant more to me than any of the kind words Gospel Project has received in past reviews…
“Lyrically, the record would be labeled as “Worship,” but this is not the stuff of the [traditional Sunday morning fare]… These are modern day Psalms; the plea of one man who has walked a long road to find that God has redeemed him, regardless of the writer’s own failings.”
Through all the artistic expression and excellence the band and I poured into Gospel Project, none of it was of any value to us if the message was lost. Thank you Rob, and thank you Jesus Freak Hideout, for hearing this stone cry out my heart and soul to the Lord. To read the entire review, click here, or go to www.WayneCaparas.com to read all press reviews since the July release.
Who is God to you? I don’t mean in a theological sense, nor am I asking for you to think up all the verses that help you define Him from a scriptural perspective. I’m asking you to consider the meaning of God as a concept, an authority, and as a person in your heart and mind. When I was an atheist, I didn’t even believe in a personal or authoritative God, yet I still knew what such a belief would imply (more…)
Anyone who has ever studied mathematics or science knows that before advanced theories or laws can be understood, one must first understand the elementary principals – the basics, the fundamentals, the elemental/foundational truths of that discipline — but it takes little or no grasp of these laws to make use of them. You don’t have to understand gravity for it to keep you on the ground. And while that truism is perfectly okay for laws of physics and most other disciplines in life, Jesus makes perfectly clear that it is NOT okay to take this approach to His Gospel (more…)
I began reading Oswald Chambers’ classic devotional My Utmost For His Highest in 2002, and it has impacted my faith more than any non-biblical text I’ve ever read. Many believers say the book has had equal impact on thier walk with Christ, as evidenced by the fact that it is the best selling Christian devotional of all time. Oswald Chambers died of a ruptured apendix in 1917 at the very young age of 43 while ministering to Brittish troops in Egypt during WWI, and it was his wife Gertrude who later compiled his sermons into the incredibly powerful devotional. In my opinion, no devotional preaches the Gospel better than Utmost, and no modern teacher understands the mind of Christ better than Oswald Chambers. I have read it nearly every day since first picking it up, and I’m quite sure I’ll read it every day for the rest of my life. It is simply that powerful, and that beautiful. You can buy the book at nearly every bookstore in the U.S., but it’s available daily, free of charge, at www.Utmost.org. I strongly recommend this text to anyone of any age who sincerely wants to understand the Gospel as only His “sheep” can. Today’s entry is especially relevant to me, so I hope you give it a read…
August 18: Have You Ever Been Speechless with Sorrow?–Oswald Chambers
When he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich —Luke 18:23
The rich young ruler went away from Jesus speechless with sorrow, having nothing to say in response to Jesus’ words. He had no doubt about what Jesus had said or what it meant, and it produced in him a sorrow with no words with which to respond. Have you ever been there? Has God’s Word ever come to you, pointing out an area of your life, requiring you to yield it to Him? Maybe He has pointed out certain personal qualities, desires, and interests, or possibly relationships of your heart and mind. If so, then you have often been speechless with sorrow. The Lord will not go after you, and He will not plead with you. But every time He meets you at the place where He has pointed, He will simply repeat His words, saying, “If you really mean what you say, these are the conditions.”
“Sell all that you have . . .” ( Luke 18:22 ). In other words, rid yourself before God of everything that might be considered a possession until you are a mere conscious human being standing before Him, and then give God that. That is where the battle is truly fought— in the realm of your will before God. Are you more devoted to your idea of what Jesus wants than to Jesus Himself? If so, you are likely to hear one of His harsh and unyielding statements that will produce sorrow in you. What Jesus says is difficult— it is only easy when it is heard by those who have His nature in them. Beware of allowing anything to soften the hard words of Jesus Christ.
I can be so rich in my own poverty, or in the awareness of the fact that I am nobody, that I will never be a disciple of Jesus. Or I can be so rich in the awareness that I am somebody that I will never be a disciple. Am I willing to be destitute and poor even in my sense of awareness of my destitution and poverty? If not, that is why I become discouraged. Discouragement is disillusioned self-love, and self-love may be love for my devotion to Jesus— not love for Jesus Himself.
Today is a day I can’t possbly ever forget. Mark Weber, the author of “Anointed Voices” and editor in chief of Christian Music Daily called me bright and early to inform me that he published a review of my album “Gospel Project” on the front page of ChristianMusicDaily.com. What he wrote floored me, but what he said brought tears to my eyes. I am certainly not worthy. Nonetheless, I take from it what the Lord intends, and for that I am grateful to God and His humble servant Mark Weber. Selfless encouragement and bold prophecy are desperately lacking these days, and today my soul is magnified in the Lord, for I have received both to overflowing… you can click here to read what Mark had to say about my latest musical offering to the Lord.
Please watch this 5 minute short film that won a top award at the Cannes Film Festival. Consider side one of “the sign” as the Old Testament as taught by Moses and the Prophets, and side two being the Gospel as taught by Jesus. Only the Gospel teaches us the mind of Christ, and only for those with ears that hear and eyes that see…
I recently responded to a lively debate going on at a different blog with the following post (another of my “standing on one foot” commentaries), and oddly enough it seemed to silence the debate, as none of the most vocal participants responded to my comment despite my request that they do so. While it’s a topic I plan to flesh out in the near future, I hope it sets your eyes on Christ today. Also, as always, if you can see where maybe I am out of order in my commentary — where I may have scared off the folks who were participating in the debate — please comment below. For context, several were defending excessive tattooing and extreme body piercings with citations from the Old Testament. Here is an abridged version of my commentary…
This has been good stuff, and I’ve enjoyed the back-and-forth. But it’s easy to see which of you is a youth Pastor. I’m going to weigh in just a tad bit now, and hope each of you find the time to respond, as I will only speak from the Gospel, which is the only truth, the only way to the join the Father, and the only Life to live today and forever. I draw great peace from knowing ALL debates are settled in Christ, and even more that He offers peace in exchange for every angst. Pat, there is no doubt that you feel strongly about the negative feelings the hard core scene stirs in you, and you have every right to feel the way you do, but I encourage you to “argue” only from the words of Christ and not at all from the position of personal opinion. Even if you believe your arguments are “based” on the gospel, if you truly want to do the work of the Lord, it’s imperative that you put in the effort to quote the Lord, that is, let Christ be the ONLY teacher, just as He commands. That way you don’t risk tangents and red herrings getting in the way of the only reason the Lord would call us to debate anything — to know Him better, to love Him more, and to manifest Him in our own lives free from compromise. Every other concern is self-serving, and we all know that’s a no-no. Jesus is literally the answer for this debate… for every debate… but we have to put in the time to truly think with His mind, to speak with His tongue, and to act with His will. And contrary to popular belief, this is not the stuff of “journey” or some other drawn out process that requires years of study (though a lifetime of study should follow). It’s available the moment we committ to learning His gospel with (at very least) the same intensity we have given anything else that we have ever hoped to master or commit to memory. The avoidance of that challenge is at the core of all crises in Christianity, so let’s not be part of the problem. The fact that His gospel message is less than 1/4 inch of a two inch bible should convict all of us, especially if we haven’t committed ourselves to writing these words, the very words spoken from the mouth of the Christ, with ALL passion, with ALL focus, with ALL purpose, directly onto our hearts. Once we do that, then and only then can we begin to hear the “more” He want to share about issues that He didn’t address in HIs days on earth. I simply write what He tells me to write, and surely I’ve said nothing here that you cannot read for yourself in His gospel. His message is not merely “good news,” but as Jesus repeated time and time again in various ways, His gospel is life itself, the only life, and until we desire above all desires to live by this bread, and drink of the wine that is HIs supernatural indwelling (the well spring that feeds the still small voice) we are still choosing darkness over light, confusion over understanding. For that, I suggest that we all try our best to shift the debate into the gospel of Christ, or else we will risk missing His only truth. The old testament and the prophets point to Christ, but they do not teach His gospel message. Likewise, Paul and the other apostles never claimed to preach anything but Christ and Him crucified. Yes, ALL scripture is profitable, but when the subject of a debate is “Christ-likeness” and the manifestations of the Way, the Truth, and the Life of Christ in our own lives, it’s clear to me that the bottom line can only be reached in study of His Gospel, especially where OT scripture conflicts with the new covenant of Christ. In short, we should not use OT scripture to interpret the Gospel, but we should always use the Gospel to make sense of (and complete) all scripture. To me, that is non-negotiable, yet many waste their lives debating this point, and they are debating Jesus Himself. Not a good thing to do. Jesus said:
“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” (John 5:39-40).
You can trust that I will never use scripture ouf of context. He was addressing this very issue when He spoke those words. I could give you volumes more, but I trust you see His point. Joshua, I love your zeal and Spirit. You my friend are destined for great things in the Lord. You are like Jeremiah, but with a twist — you will never cower in fear when called by the Lord. When you can speak the gospel with the same authority and understanding as I hear in your O.T. references, you will become a far more dangerous man, a good dangerous, of course. I’m sure you already do this in most discussions, but Jesus spoke directly to all flesh issues, and no matter how much we may want to believe otherwise, all of this is flesh stuff — certainly not a heavenly matter (supernatural). And though He wants to say new things to us, all the “more” will come through the Spirit only to those who are truly born again in the Spirit, and even then the “more” will be stuff of the supernatural realm, not the flesh. He wrapped al that up on the cross, where He crucified the flesh once and for all (for those who are born again) and thereby “finished” His teaching on flesh issues. Adam, I love you man. You too are being called to greatness in Christ. Press in brother, press in HARD. When I was closer to your age (okay, even then I was a bit older than you), I would have made similar statements about “grey areas” in scripture. For the first four years of my “saved” life I lived boldly under the authority of His name, but I failed to eat His word and drink His Spiritual reality as if it were the only manna and morning dew to sustain my life. And for that, I lacked understanding — understanding He commands for those who have ears — and so the grey areas of my life subtly led me into moments of darkness. I since learned that the enemy prowls in the grey areas, but much more important, I learned that Jesus was right about everything He said. And He said that His chosen would understand all things He taught, and even more than that once we’re born again. (I wasn’t born again those first four years as a believer, but I Am now). Jesus even went so far as to say that the “hearers” of His word (which includes any of us who have ever read HIs gospel record) who claimed they do not understand or are choose to be confused by His Gospel would thereby ultimately refuse to turn to Him and be healed — ultimately be cast into the darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. I could list many pages of red letter scripture to show where He said this, both directy and in parable form, but I believe He wants us to search it out for ourselves. After all, it’s less than one eighth of an inch in a 1 inch bible. But I will leave you with this one verse He spoke to his disciples whom he dearly loved, so surely I pray we don’t take offense as He speaks them to each of us:.
“Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?” (Mark 8:17-18).
PS — In the debate over tattoos and body piercings, I would direct all to “consider the lilies of the field,” (Mt 5:28-30) as surely this is all Jesus needed to say on the subject of personal style. He commands us to understand Him. Much love all!
Among the many hours of concert footage we shot and recorded at the 2008 Cornerstone Music Festival in Bushnell, Illinois, my best footage presents four song performances by the band Over the Rhine. Considering the light-duty gear I used, the video quality is surprisingly high and the audio is better than any other live OTR clips you’ll find on Youtube. Good stuff. Kudos to their sound man. The first video shares the single most poetic moment during the main stage concert held on the 4th of July, and the last was in my eyes the most gut-wrenching performance of the festival (nice spectrum, eh?), recorded after midnight on the Gallery stage the night before. OTR is possibly the finest under-known band in the world, and in my opinion Karin Bergquist may have the most beautifully moving voice God has ever given to mankind. I’ve been following them for 11 years, and their album Good Dog Bad Dog (1st edition) is among my top 10 albums of all time, and contains the song Etcetera Whatever which is easily among the most beautiful songs ever written. OTR (Karin and her husband/co-writer/musical genius Lindford Detweiler) are an extaordinary sort of Christian. They are radically thoughtful sincerely spiritual legitimately soulful and potentially controversial — and their message and music are indisputably God inspired. I strongly encourage you to visit their website at OvertheRhine.com to read their musical story, their prose, their poetry, and to sample their full library of original songs. Orphan Girl is a popular folk song written by Gillian Welch (they rarely do covers so you can trust this is an important tune), and I’m sure it will be enjoyed by even the most conservative ears… which may not be true for the worshipful rock-anthem Changes Come, that is nonetheless a must-listen for “ears that hear,” all the way through to the end. If you are moved by songs that cry “Jesus come,” this song will hit you hard. Trumpet Child is a profoundly bluesy tune that accutely reflects the ecclectic soul of the husband and wife team that is Over the Rhine, while Born reflects the upbeat introspective vibe that marks the songs that are most popular among their broad fanbase. Please give each a listen. You won’t be sorry.
But I will leave you with this one verse He spoke to his disciples whom he dearly loved, so surely I pray we don’t take offense as He speaks them to each of us:.