In the last “Wrestling With God” post, we gave a general introduction to the book of Habakkuk, as well as to the study we are going to participate in. Before the bulk of the discussion begins, I would like to give a chapter by chapter overview of the content of the book of Habakkuk. Don’t worry, it’s only three chapters!

Overview

Chapter 1:

The first chapter of Habakkuk is all about wondering. The prophet is wondering about God and justice. As the book of Habakkuk opens, we find the prophet openly questioning God about the injustice he sees around him. His heart is crying out, but it is beginning to seem that God is not even listening. He sees wickedness and violence. It is obvious there is no justice.

But God does hear Habakkuk and answers his prayers. The justice that the prophet longs for will come. It just will not come in the way Habakkuk anticipates. The Babylonians (also known as the Chaldeans) will come and mete out justice on God’s behalf. These are people known for there cruelty and violence.

This causes more confusion for Habakkuk. He now knows that God is listening, but now he questions what God is doing. As bad as the Judeans are, Habakkuk does not understand why God would let someone even worse be the hand of punishment.

Chapter 2:

As the prophet ends his complaint against God, he decides to climb up to his watchtower and wait for God to answer. That is how Habakkuk spends chapter two, waiting.

God does not disappoint. He answers Habakkuk. In fact, God tells the prophet to write the answer down so it can be told to others. He tells Habakkuk to be patient because complete justice will ultimately come.

Verse four is one of the most important in all of Scripture. It contrasts the Babylonians – who do not have faith in God, but rather in themselves – with those whose faith is in God. The implication is that the Babylonians will not live, because their faith is not in God. The righteous, whose faith is in God, will live. We will talk more about this verse later in the study.

The rest of chapter two describes the judgment that is destined to come upon the Babylonians. It will not be pleasant.

Chapter 3:

The third chapter is Habakkuk’s third prayer of the book. This prayer is very different from the two before it. While the others were questions and complaints for God, this one is a hymn of praise. It really is a psalm. It starts out with a prayer for revival. It then turns into a description of his vision of God. The last four verses describe Habakkuk’s recommitment to faith in his God. In this psalm, the prophet offers true worship to his sovereign God.

In the study ahead of us, we will take a closer look at what it means to wrestle with God. Taking our cues from the book of Habakkuk, we will look at prayer, fairness, and other topics.

Let us know if you are following along with our Habakkuk discussion. Have you read the book of Habakkuk yet? What would you add or take away from this overview? Leave your comment below!

When my children were small and we would take them to the pediatrician for a regular check-up, the doctor wanted to get a snapshot of their overall health. To do that, he did not use complicated tests and procedures. With a few simple observations, he could determine if they were maturing properly. He would measure and weigh them. He would get a temperature and blood pressure reading. He would listen to their lungs and heart. With these simple observations, he could determine with reasonable confidence whether or not my child was healthy and maturing properly.

But how do you know if a church is healthy and mature? Our first instinct is likely either that we cannot know or that it would be complicated to find out. I want to make a case that determining a biblical measure of maturity of a local church is a fairly simple matter.

First, I want to make it clear that there are some specific ways NOT to tell. These include:

• Size of church
• Rate of church growth
• Number of “first time decisions”
• How vibrant or “spiritual” the worship experience
• Spiritual gifts distributed to and used by the members

I ask again, how do you know if a church is healthy and mature? Let’s look to some of Paul’s letters to churches to see if we can find an answer. In his first letter to the Thessalonian church, Paul wrote:

We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3, emphasis mine)

In his second letter to the Thessalonian church, Paul starts like this:

Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering. (2 Thessalonians 1:3-4, emphasis mine)

If you look carefully at these passages, there are some clues as to measure the maturity of a church:

1. Paul uses the plural personal pronouns you and your. He is clearly referring to the corporate body at Thessalonica, not just isolated individuals.
2. Paul defined the qualities the church was exhibiting: faithful work, loving deeds, and enduring hope.
3. Between the time the letters were written, Paul had apparently gotten word that not only were they demonstrating faith and love, but that their faith was flourishing and their love was growing.

When Paul wrote to the church at Colosse, a church he had never visited, he introduced his letter like this:

We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. (Colossians 1:3-5, emphasis mine)

The book of Ephesians has a longer, more detailed opening, but as soon as Paul finishes his introduction, this is what he says:

Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. (Ephesians 1:15-18, emphasis mine)

Am I the only one that sees a pattern here? Now, let’s take a look at how he opens his first letter to the church at Corinth:

I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true.  Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:4-7, emphasis mine)

Paul makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 3 that this is an immature church. He then spends most of the book describing and trying to correct these immature traits. They were relying on their spiritual gifts. They were misusing the Lord’s Supper. They reveled in sexual sin. Some of them had even begun to deny the resurrection.

In chapter 13, Paul is basically telling this church that, in contrast to your immature behaviors, here is what spiritual maturity looks like. It looks like faith, hope, and love, especially love.

I believe there are two main principles to learn from 1 Corinthians 13:

1. Passion or use of spiritual gifts is not a measure of spiritual maturity
2. Spiritual maturity can be measured on the basis of the degree a church demonstrates faith, hope, and love, especially love.

This is my take on 1 Corinthians 13 and spiritual maturity. What do you think? How does your church measure up? What are some specific ways your church could or does show its maturity by its love?

Over the next few weeks, I will be leading the adult mid-week Bible study through the book of Habakkuk. In this post, I want to share a little bit of an overview to the book. The next post in this series will be an overview of the three chapters in Habakkuk. Most of this material is taken from a study/discussion guide I prepared for my small group at our previous church. Some of you may recognize it. If so, please bear with me. Beginning next week, I will try to share some thoughts and observations from our study and discussion. I will also share some of the points of discussion, as appropriate. If you are part of the group that has gone through this with us before, please feel free to share any input you may have. If this is new for you, we would also appreciate your comments. I am sure they would be very helpful as we discuss some very important topics.

Acknowledgments

When I agreed to take on this project, I thought it would be no big deal. But the more I read, studied, and prepared, the bigger deal it became. I could not have accomplished this without the encouragement and support of my LIFE Group. I hope it is a blessing and encouragement to you. Many of the ideas, and certainly the good ones, came from my very close friends, Chris Morgan and Keith Garner. Thanks for the good ideas and for spurring me on. A special thanks to Erick Hensley for the front cover graphic. And thanks to Catherine, who more than once heard something like, “Not right now. I really have to work on my Habakkuk study.” Your love and patience is truly overwhelming. I love you.

Introduction

Habakkuk is a book of struggles. In it, the prophet Habakkuk struggles with God and with the injustice in the world around him.

Other than what is in the short book, we do not know much about the book or its writer. We know the prophet Habakkuk wrote the book. It was likely written between 608 and 605 B.C. The prophet’s name is believed to mean “embrace” or “wrestle“. Martin Luther thought it signified that Habakkuk embraced his people to comfort and uphold them. The fourth century scholar and theologian, Jerome, interpreted it to mean that he embraced the problem of divine justice in the world. Many have also viewed Habakkuk’s name in relation to his apparent wrestling with God. In the first two chapters of this short book, he wrestles with God regarding the injustice he experiences around him; but in the third chapter, Habakkuk fully embraces God.

Habakkuk was a prophet in the nation of Judah during the rule of King Jehoiakim. This was the son of King Josiah. During Josiah’s rule, the nation experienced revival and returned to God. When Josiah died in 609 B.C., and the rule of Jehoiakim began, the decline of the kingdom of Judah resumed.

One aspect of what makes Habakkuk unique among the prophets is his interaction with God. The other prophets declared God’s message to the people. Habakkuk engaged in a conversation with God about people. Most of the prophets were given a message of divine judgment to proclaim to the people. Habakkuk pleaded for divine judgment.

As we study the book of Habakkuk together, we will look at the theme of the prophet’s faith as he wrestled with God. There will be questions to engage you. The discussions of this book should prove interesting. They will be even more meaningful if you plan ahead for the next session by answering the questions in advance.

The book of Habakkuk largely consists of Hebrew poetry. In designing this course, I read the text in several different translations. In my opinion, the one that provides the best balance of an accurate translation that is also fairly easy to read is the New Living Translation. Please feel free to use whatever translation of the Bible that you are comfortable with.

When is the last time you read the book of Habakkuk? I encourage you to sit down and read it. It is only three chapters. It should only take a few minutes. Let us know if you are planning to participate in the discussion here. Thanks.

This is perhaps the most awkward book review I have done, to date. Perhaps that is fitting since The Voice New Testament is perhaps the most awkward Bible I have read, to date. I will admit that sounded more negative than I intended. Don’t stop now; I’ll explain.

This Bible is a project of the Ecclesia Bible Society. It is led by Chris Seay, pastor of Ecclesia Church in Houston, Texas. Ecclesia Church is very arts oriented and that is reflected in this Bible.

This is an all-new version of the New Testament. Is it a translation? Is it a paraphrase? Neither? Both? (Can you tell I am equivocating a little?) If there has ever been a hybrid of a translation and paraphrase, this is it. What does that mean? I’m glad you asked. It is a translation of the biblical text. There was a team of scholars with real Ph.D.’s and everything. There is also a lot of added explanatory material. And unlike a study bible where the added material is footnoted or referenced at the bottom or side of the page, this material is interwoven into the text. The added explanatory material is in italics, which makes it easy to distinguish from the translated text. This has the benefit of making your reading less disjointed by stopping and going to the bottom of the page repeatedly. The danger is that man’s words could be seen as equal with God’s. There are also a huge number of sidebar notes to further explain or clarify the text. These sidebar notes were not written by the scholars but by a group of Christian artists, authors, singers, and songwriters. This is the arts community that Ecclesia supports.

Is it a good New Testament? Do I like it? Overall, I would have to say yes. And this surprised me. Some of the writers/artists are definitely part of the “emerging church” camp, which is another discussion, entirely. This Bible is definitely not appropriate for real study or to teach from. I do think it would be a great Bible to read for private devotions. The notes are well written and easy to read. This is one of the most understandable Bibles I have read in a while. With certain reservations, I would recommend The Voice New Testament.

More information about The Voice New Testament can be found at Thomas Nelson’s product page. I am a member of BookSneeze.

Have you read The Voice New Testament? What do you think about it? Is there a need for this Bible version? Is it helpful, or does it only dilute the Scripture?

Craig Groeschel pastors one of the largest churches in the nation. I would think you would have to keep up certain appearances. In Confessions of a Pastor, he chooses to drop the pose and get real with God, his church, and everyone else. Basically, he admits to the same shortcomings and struggles that most all believers face, at least from time to time. It is just that he is a prominent pastor that most people might assume is immune from these feelings. He confesses (among other things):

• I can’t stand a lot of Christians
• I have to work hard to stay sexually pure
• I hate prayer meetings
• Sometimes I doubt God
• I’m afraid of failure

But Groeschel doesn’t just bare his heart and soul with his shortcomings. He offers real life, practical suggestions rooted in Scripture in overcoming these problems. He recognizes this is not what God would have for him, so he (through the Holy Spirit) overcomes these failures, at least sometimes.

Confessions of a Pastor is a practical, encouraging book. It is simply written and easy to follow. By confessing his fears and failures, he gives us permission to do the same. By showing us how God helped or is helping him move past them, he is teaching us to do the same. I would recommend this book for most any believer. I would also recommend it to most pastors as an example of how to be real with God and their congregation.

Some book titles are a self-fulfilling prophecy. I suspect this one will fit into that category. Or at least close. In a few months, Free Book* will likely be on the clearance shelves of booksellers across America. It is not a bad book, it is just not a good book. Tome’s purpose seems to be to emphasize the freedom we have in Christ at the expense of virtually any responsibility we have in following him. There was not really anything in the book I disagreed strongly with. It was more like there wasn’t really anything in the book. It was like eating marshmallow fluff. Lots of air, not real content. I don’t want to say the book is dangerous, stay away. It is more like, “Don’t waste your time.” Of course, if you choose to waste your time, be encouraged that it is a light read so you won’t waste much time. If I had to rate it with a star rating, I would give it 2 and a half out of five stars. We are free in Christ, but there is more to it than that.

More information about Free Book* can be found at Thomas Nelson’s product page. I am a member of BookSneeze.

Tass Saada was a terrorist. Trained by Fatah as a sniper, Saada rose to the level of personal driver for Yasser Arafat. Saada tells his story as, I am sure, only he can tell it. He was born a Palestinian Arab in the Gaza Strip. At a young age he joined Fatah to help remove Israel from former Palestinian land, land he saw as belonging to his people. At the age of 22, after living life as a trouble-maker, Tass immigrated to the United States. He got married as a ploy to get his permanent resident status, then fell in love with the woman he married. He worked many years in the restaurant business, achieving some real success. One of his regular customers, who became a friend, introduced Tass to Jesus Christ and Tass became a Christian. He remained in the restaurant business for some time then felt God leading him into ministry. His vision is to reconcile Jews and Arabs based on a relationship with Jesus Christ. Saada has gone on to found a humanitarian ministry called Hope for Ishmael.

I found this book to be an easy, but not always comfortable, read. The first part is devoted to Saada’s lifestyle of hatred and anger. He describes in enough detail some of the violent acts he committed. The second section of the book is about his conversion and growth into the founder and leader of a ministry. It is a joy and blessing to come alongside Saada as his heart breaks to lead Jews and Muslim Arabs to Christ. the third section of the book is devoted to the idea that peace in the Middle East will not be found in politics or diplomacy. It will only be found in the reconciling power of God through Jesus Christ. This was an interesting book that I would recommend. Anyone with even a remote interest in world affairs, especially the Middle East, would enjoy and appreciate Once an Arafat Man. I was provided a copy of this book by Tyndale House Publishers for review purposes.

Tass Saada believes there can be real peace in the Middle East. How about you? If not, why not? If so, how? Have you read Once an Arafat Man? What did you think? Leave your thoughts below!

The White Horse King is the story of Alfred the Great, regarded by many to be the first king of Britain. He united the Angles and Saxons to defeat the attacking Danes. It is because of the leadership he provided that his grandson was the first king of a united Britain. During his reign, Alfred made reforms to the legal system which forms part of the foundation for some of the freedoms we enjoy today. In the entire history of the storied rulers of England, Alfred is the only one to be called “Great.” This is no small thing.

Certain elements of Alfred’s story remind me of the Biblical story of King David. Alfred was the eighth son of the reigning king. It was assumed he would never sit on the throne. As you read of his childhood, it is evident that he was being prepared for something special. In the Bible story, David had many older brothers. But when you read of his adventures with the lion and the bear, then the story of the slaying of Goliath, it is clear God is working toward something bigger.

For Alfred, that something bigger was to unite and lead his kingdom in defending their homeland against invading forces. For all his life, Alfred gave all credit for his success to God. There are some lessons in there for all of us.

The White Horse King is written more like a story or series of stories than a history book or even many biographies. Because of the time it is set, some of the names and places are difficult to read or follow; they are in old or middle English. It is evident that the book is written by a man who is fascinated by the character about whom he writes. That makes it more enjoyable to read.

More information about The White Horse King can be found at Thomas Nelson’s product page. I am a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program.

Have you read The White Horse King? Does it sound interesting to you? Tell us what you think!

In 11 Innovations in the Local Church (2007, Regal Books), Towns, Stetzer, and Bird examine eleven ministry styles that many modern churches are using that set them apart from the traditional North American church. These are three experienced church ministry experts who clearly understand their topic. Each of the eleven innovations is an individual ministry style that some churches are using. These include:

• Organic House Churches
• Recovery Churches
• Multi-site Churches
• Ancient-Future Churches
• City-reaching Churches
• Community Transformation Churches
• Cyber-Enhanced Churches
• Nickelodeon-style Children-Focused Churches
• Intentionally Multicultural Churches
• Decision-Journey Churches
• Attractional Churches

A chapter is devoted to each of these styles. The authors take the time to define and illustrate each of them. They take the time to objectively analyze them, then point out strengths and weaknesses of each style.

One of the things I appreciated about this book is that the authors acknowledge that there is room for each of these models in the larger work for God’s kingdom. While it is true that any of them can be misused or used ineffectively, it is also true that any and all can be effective. I am a firm believer that we need to be flexible in our methodology in order to reach the maximum number of individuals with the Gospel and disciple them in the faith. 11 Innovations gives us great examples of some of these methods. I recommend this book for church leaders with the hope they are willing to be flexible and try different methods God is using to build his kingdom.

Warren Bird

Elmer Towns

Ed Stetzer

Are you willing to innovate? Are you willing to try new methods of ministry to both reach the lost and disciple believers? What do you think?

I first heard, and was privileged to meet, Mark Batterson almost two years ago at the Innovative Impact Conference at the Fellowship of the Woodlands (now Woodlands Church) just outside Houston, Texas. His core values and approach to ministry impressed me then, and continue to do so. When I was given the opportunity to read and review his newest book release, Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity, I jumped at the chance. Allow me to start by saying I am not disappointed.

In Primal, Batterson calls for a return to the most core principle of living a Christian life. He calls for a commitment to following the Great Commandment. He reminds us that we are to love God completely; this means that we love him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. There is a section for each of these elements in this short book. He equates heart, soul, mind, and strength with compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy respectively. You will have to read the book to get his more full descriptions of those terms. Based on this, Batterson proposes that it is time for another reformation.

The last reformation was a reformation of creeds. The next reformation will be a reformation of deeds. The last reformation was symbolized by one central figure. The next reformation will be led by millions of reformers living compassionately, creatively, and courageously for the cause of Christ. It will be marked by broken hearts and sanctified imaginations. And the driving force will be the love of God. A love that is full of compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy.

Overall, I give this book very high marks. There are some areas that may be a little overstated or may be a bit of a stretch in order to make a point, but in my mind, these are minor issues. I enjoyed and was challenged by Primal. I hope you are too.

Primal is available from Random House and anywhere else books are sold.