Making and Maturing

Disciples of Jesus

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Ryan serves as the Lead Pastor of Green Pond Bible Chapel in Rockaway, New Jersey. He is married with four children.
  • Christmas Old & New

    Christmas Old & New

    The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. -Matthew 1:1

    So begins the New Testament. With these few words, Matthew is saying a lot. During the Christmas season we focus our attention especially on the coming of Jesus Christ (literally, Jesus the Anointed One). We’re not merely celebrating his birth, we also are celebrating what his birth means. In short, Jesus’ birth signaled a turning point in God’s plan of redemption. This coming was long expected. The opening words of Matthew’s gospel direct us back in time: Jesus is the son of David, the son of Abraham. Why do David and Abraham matter?

    Remembering the “Old” Testament

    They matter because the testaments are inseparably connected. By using the title Christ, and mentioning the lineage of David and Abraham, Matthew has imported the entire storyline of the Old Testament into the New.

    At the very start of the Hebrew Bible we read about the creation of the world in a perfect state, and the tragic entrance of sin into that world. Immediately, creation was marred. However, God graciously promises to rectify the problem. Genesis 3:15 is the first glimpse we get of God’s plan to save:

    I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.

    Here, in speaking to the serpent who tempted Eve, God promises that one of her descendants will fatally wound the serpent’s line. Who will this offspring be? Cain? Nope. Abel? Nope. Noah? Nope. It’s not until Genesis 12:3 that we hear more about God’s plan. There he promises Abraham,

    I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

    So one of Abraham’s sons will bless all the families of the earth. Was it Isaac? Nope. Jacob? Nope. Joseph? Maybe? Joseph comes the closest in Genesis. His wisdom results in the rescue of his family, as well as the Egyptian nation. That feat, incredible though it was, didn’t deal with the problem of sin. Joseph is a step in the right direction, but not the right son of Abraham.

    As the record continues, God continues to preserve the nation of Israel. He makes a covenant to make them his special possession. They agree to worship him alone and obey him. They fail, time and time again. Sin is still the problem. Then, in 2 Samuel 7:16, we get another glimmer of hope. God makes a promise to king David,

    And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.

    So not only will the promised savior be a son of Abraham, he will also be a son of David. Incidentally, kings were anointed by oil which signified their special role in God’s plan. Was Solomon the promised Anointed One? Nope. Rehoboam? Not even close. As the line of David progresses, we seem to be further away from a savior.

    Ultimately, Israel so thoroughly rejects God that he temporarily banishes them from the land he promised to Abraham. After seventy years in exile, God graciously allows them to return while promising to make a new covenant with them. He promised to deal with the sin problem one and for all. Then, the “Old” Testament ends…

    Putting the “New” in New Testament

    Roughly four hundred years later, Matthew starts his gospel with these words:

    The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. -Matthew 1:1

    When he describes the lineage and birth of Jesus, he boldly proclaims that Jesus is the son of David, and the son of Abraham. He is the Anointed One. At long last the promised savior had arrived. Jesus would later proclaim that by his blood he was establishing the new covenant. He is the permanent solution for sin.

    What’s new in the New Testament is that the waiting is over. In Jesus, God’s plan of redemption came to fruition. In Jesus, humanity finally met the answer to our greatest problem. When we celebrate Christmas we are celebrating the Old and New Testaments- we celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

  • Tribute

    Tribute

    Resolved, to live so at all times, as I think is best in my devout frames, and when I have clearest notions of things of the gospel, and another world.

    -Jonathan Edwards, Resolution #18, 1722

    Today we remember the life and ministry of my grandfather, Donald Gene Bowles, Sr. (aka, Papaw). A house builder by trade, he came to faith while in his twenties over the course of three revival nights at a small baptist church in Indiana. From there he went on to five decades of pastoral ministry and mission work in Korea and Africa.

    He spent the majority of his ministry living in foreign countries and cultures. He set up two Bible Colleges in Africa, seeking to see the gospel take root in The Republic of the Congo and Zambia. As a father of six, living abroad was no small sacrifice.

    On the macro level, those decisions reflect thinking with clear “notions of the gospel, and another world.” This is what I appreciate most about Papaw. The man who first taught me the rules of football spent the majority of his time working for and investing in the spread of the gospel.

    I experienced his love, his provision, and his leadership. But above all, his legacy is living with the gospel and another world as his priority. I praise God for his life and ministry, and rejoice that after spending so much time sojourning, he is finally home.

     

  • After Paris

    After Paris

    Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

    Psalm 1:5-6

    We woke up today to another malicious act of senseless violence committed on innocent civilians by Muslim terrorists from ISIS. Most of us rightly ask theological questions during such tragic times: where was God? why would God allow this? what is God doing? What should we think after tragedies like the Paris attacks? We can’t offer pat answers or cliches, but the Bible does offer concrete answers in the midst of crises like this.

    Sin Is the Root Problem

    These terrorists worship a false god, chase after worldly pleasures, and seek power above all else. They are not holy men. They are not men of god. While ISIS purports to be an Islamic Caliphate, in reality their goals are more common: domination and wealth. In short, they are sinners. Rather than glorify God, they glorify themselves in service of a man made deity. Why would they do this? For the same reason Cain killed Abel- jealousy, self-centeredness, a corrupted view of justice, and faulty view of God.

    God Will Judge the Wicked

    It is important to remember that these wicked individuals, upon their death, were not met by 72 virgins. On the contrary, they came face to face with the God who created life and hates sin. They are now experiencing their first installment of eternal judgment by God. In one sense, we can be assured that justice will be done.

    Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.

    -Romans 12:19

    Governments Must Provide Protection

    These attacks also remind us of the need for societies to be protected from violent criminals and oppression. Part of God’s purpose for government is to protect the population. When governments do this, they are serving God:

    But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.

    -Romans 13:4

    Rather than sit back, governments are called by God to aggressively pursue, prosecute, and punish the wicked. Military and law enforcement, when used for this purpose, are a blessing from God.

    The Only Solution Is the One Kingdom Solution

    What ultimate hope do we have? The fact is, due to the existence of sin, these kinds of tragedies will only be eradicated by the return of Christ. When Jesus judges the world he will finally deal with all sin. That will settle the issue.

    Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

    -Revelation 20:11-15

    Until then, we mourn the dead, comfort the injured, pursue the guilty, protect the innocent, and pray. Let’s pray for Paris. Let’s pray for the victims’ families. Let’s pray for governments, militaries, and law enforcement engaged on the front lines. Let’s pray for the gospel to go out to the ends of the earth. Let’s pray for Jesus to return.

  • You Don’t Need Me

    You Don’t Need Me

    I was reminded recently of my humanity. As much as I wish it weren’t the case, I make mistakes (gasp!). In a recent sermon I mixed up a verse reference. It wasn’t a big deal, but it does happen from time to time. Usually a kind parishioner (and/or my beloved wife) will point out the error. Such noble Bereans are a blessing to any church!

    However, when this happens I always cringe. My default setting for self criticism kicks in: “What confidence can people put in a pastor who makes mistakes?” This leads to self help solutions: “I need clearer notes, larger fonts, fewer cross references. Then I won’t make any mistakes…”

    This entire line of thinking is flawed. It is built on a false assumption: churches need flawless pastors. They don’t. There are none. Churches need a flawless savior, and by God’s grace that’s exactly what we have in Jesus. God has been pleased to use claypot messengers to point people to Jesus. Paul’s thought from 2 Corinthians 4:7 applies here,

    But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

    Any power in the ministry of the gospel comes from God, and not from a pastor or preacher. Our frailty helps us by reminding us of this core truth.

    So I am humbled. Not so much by making a mistake in a sermon, but by assuming that God needs me to deliver perfect sermons. This reminds me of a recent message I preached (hopefully to myself!)- we are at our best when we trust God the most. My congregation doesn’t need me, they need Jesus. Again, this reminds me of 2 Corinthians 4:5,

    For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

    Unfortunately, we are all too familiar with the large scale failures of pastors- abandoning their marriages, stealing church funds, etc. Those result in massive, messy conflicts. But what about the small scale failures- misspoken words and minor misinterpretations? These don’t disqualify any man from ministry, but they do reveal that rather than being a savior, every pastor needs a savior.

    I certainly won’t get it right every time. But being perfect isn’t what my congregation needs from me. They need me to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, and myself as their servant for Jesus’ sake- a servant who, like each of us, desperately needs a savior.

  • Why Did Gideon Put Out a Fleece? And Should We?

    Why Did Gideon Put Out a Fleece? And Should We?

    It’s time to put this whole “putting out a fleece” madness to bed. The expression “putting out a fleece” comes from Judges 6:33-40 where Gideon requests God’s guarantee of victory through two tests. In the first test Gideon puts a fleece garment on the ground and asks God to miraculously cause dew to only collect on the garment, not on the rest of the ground. In the second test, Gideon reverses the test- now he asks for for fleece to be dry and the ground to be covered with dew.

    Many Christians have taken this narrative as a positive and adopted the practice of “putting out a fleece”- testing God in order to determine his will. For example, in a dating relationship someone might say, “God, if they send me a card in the next 6 hours, then I’ll know you want me to marry them.” Yikes.

    Let me be as clear as possible: putting out a fleece is not a positive. In fact, it is a sign of a lack of faith. Let’s set the record straight on a few aspects of Judges 6:33-40.

    1. Gideon was not asking God to reveal what he should do. God had already told Gideon what he should do by special revelation (Judges 6:14, 16).
    2. Gideon was trying to get a guarantee that the God who was speaking to him would grant him victory. This was a common practice in ANE cultures, but Gideon was seeking confirmation on his terms rather than God’s. In fact, Gideon’s test betrays a Canaanite theological perspective (see no. 3).
    3. Gideon was trying to get a guarantee that the God of Israel was greater than Baal. This the least known and yet most crucial piece of information regarding Judges 6:33-40. Baal was the Canaanite god of the storm (rain, lightning, etc.). In one Baal tale, his weakness results in a drought of both rain and dew. In fact, Baal’s daughter Talia is thought to be responsible for dew. Guess what the Hebrew word for dew in Judges 6:33-40 is? Tal. There is no doubt that Gideon here is testing God to see if he really is greater than Baal. Gideon (the one who fought with Baal in Judges 6:25-32) isn’t quite convinced that Baal isn’t the real deal yet. So the fleece tests are the result of Gideon’s Canaanite way of thinking, and his lack of faith in Yahweh, the God of Israel.
    4. Putting God to the test is sinful. In Deuteronomy 6:16 God says, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.” In Judges 6:39 Gideon says, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece.” Gideon even uses the same verb for testing found in Deut. 6:16. If we count Gideon’s request for a sign from God’s messenger Judges 6:17-18, he’s tested God three times so far.

    So why does God put up with Gideon’s lack of faith? Why does he answer the tests? Why does he even offer a fourth sign later in Judges 7:8-14? The only answer to these questions is God’s covenant faithfulness, or his grace. His condescension to Gideon’s Canaanite worldview isn’t meant to condone testing God or demanding signs. Instead, God’s patience shown to Gideon highlights the greatness of his grace towards both Gideon and Israel. He essentially holds Gideon’s hand throughout the entire process, thus addressing his lack of faith, his faulty theology, and his fear.

    Yes, God is patient with our lack of faith, our faulty theology, and our fear. But the message is not to imitate Gideon, but rather to learn about God and ourselves from his experience. This narrative encourages us to believe God without the extra drama. Once again in Judges, Othniel’s simple faith stands out when contrasted with Gideon (Judges 3:7-11). Let’s learn from Gideon’s experience. God is greater than any false God, he is able and willing to save, and he is motivated by his grace. Don’t test God. Believe him.