Drake De long-Farmer5 minute read  “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT) It is not by beating ourselves to nothing that we glorify God, but being made into what God created us to be--that we shine and reflect who God is, giving witness to His greatness and goodness as redeemed image bearers of God. This image may be distorted by the disease of sin, but our worth is still found in the reality that God's fingerprint is found in us all. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that we are gods in ruin. We still reflect God but in shards. Like a mirror we are made to reflect who God is as whole humans, as Christ did perfectly. Remember, God wishes to form you and transform you back into the great masterpiece He created you to be. You are not junk. To deny ourselves and take up our cross does not mean denying who God created us to be, but denying the dead weight (Hebrews 12:1) and find our true form and worth in Him. Our relationship with God is meant to be just that… a relationship. The transforming work we find in this experience with God and how it forms us into the person we are meant to be is ultimately found in the actual intimate relationship with have with Him. Dale and Janolyn Fincher drive this idea home: "The meaning of glory shows us that God doesn't merely want obedient servants; he wants friends who uniquely reflect the weightiness of God's reputation [glory] throughout their own lives [with whatever gifts, talents and tasks God has called us up]." We have an infinitely complex God who has infinitely created us in His image. Through our relationship with Him we can also glorify Him, make Him look good, reflect Him to the world and shine the path towards Christ in the unique and creative ways God has formed us, which gives us life and gives Him praise and glory. It is in this state that we will be alive and living in God's calling for our lives. "[Jesus] offers the only way for us to be fully human" (Coffee Shop Conversations by Dale and Janolyn Fincher) Imagine someone one gives you an iPad, as a gift, and unfamiliar of its true purpose you started using it as a cutting board. The glass top allows for a smooth cutting surface and allows you to cut and meal prep quite well but that isn’t what the iPad was made for. Not only that you are completely unaware of the true purpose and capability of that iPad. If I loved one reveals our serious blunder and misuse of their gift we don’t simply stop using the iPad or throw it out because we have been misusing it we power it up, unlock it and use it to it’s full potential. Ultimately, it is not about denying our humanity that we become dedicated followers of Christ but it is discovering our true humanity by becoming complete in the image of Christ (who was perfectly human) that we can become what God meant us to be from the foundation of time.  Drake is the Founder of boldcupofcoffee.com and serves as Executive Pastor at gateway.ac as well as being an avid speaker, writer and leadership coach/consultant.
Drake is passionate about seeing people thrive and come alive. To BELONG, wrestle with what they BELIEVE and BECOME people FULL OF LOVE, FUELLED BY FAITH, and ADDICTED TO HOPE. Drake is also a life learner and loves being challenged to think deeper and grow further. One of his favorite things to do is spend a good amount of time in a good café or coffee shop with a good book or engaging conversation. To be able to share in someone else's journey and experience is always a pleasure and honor. You can also connect with him at your personal page at drakedelongfarmer.com. To read more articles by Drake, simply click here.
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Troy Nevitt9 minute read  My previous article attempted to show theology is not just head knowledge. Theology is practical because knowing God is practical. Theology always intends to show how to live in God’s world. You can find theological truth in everyday events. This article is an example of seeing the culture, its trends, and how a Christian could think through how to live in accordance to God’s word. There is a disturbing trend that has appeared in online Christian communities. I fear that this is just as true in real life as it is online. Christian doctrine is the standard that measures and guides Christians to be in line with what scripture is teaching. Christian communities have this tendency to fall over on one side or the other in relation to doctrine. Though there are many theological balance beams to walk across, the one that I wish to focus on today is legalism and free grace. “Antinomians” (people who are against the law, using God’s grace as a license to sin) and “legalists” (those who believe following the law saves you) both make crucial errors of missing what is commanded in scripture. Where legalists err in taking commands in scripture as a litmus test for salvation, antinomians err by totally ignoring the law because they have been given grace through Christ. It is true that all who have put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, have been given grace, but this goes against the teaching Paul gives in Romans 6. To best understand Romans 6, we must look at Romans 5 (and the other chapters as well: Context always matters). Paul explains that all men have sinned. “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12 ESV). All were born through Adam’s lineage and have been infected with the disease of sin. Sin is the demise that separated us from God. In this sense, a legalist would proclaim: “See! If you do not sin, you will be saved.” Though this is true, everyone has sinned (See Isaiah 53:6, and Romans 3:23 for just two of many examples of fallenness) and we cannot save ourselves no matter how hard we try. Legalists tend to fail to see their own sin and need for Jesus, their saviour. Paul then explains that Christ is a greater solution to the big problem we had created for ourselves. “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5: 18-19 ESV). This is when those against the Law start to pipe up; the next few verses say, “Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:20-21 ESV). It seems pretty obvious at that point that sinful lives give even more glory to Jesus for his atoning death. He, at the cross, experienced the most excruciating torture imaginable, and the sins have been paid for. So why not sin? So then, where the legalists tend to err too far on the side of law, this camp tends to err too far the other way into excessive freedom. This question has been asked in the past, but Christians should be careful not to start thinking this way. The apostle, Paul, had no intention of teaching this. In fact, that is exactly what he says in Romans 6: “By no means” (vv. 2, 16 ESV). Paul first goes on in verses 1-14 to say that we are not to willfully commit sins. Sin is slavery. Romans 6:2 even says, “How can we who died to sin still live in it?” Why would any Christian desire to be bound to sin again? Christians have been baptized into his death. Christians also “shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Romans 6:5 ESV). Verses 15-23 again echo this fact that we are no longer slaves to sin if we place our faith in Christ for our salvation. If we cannot be legalists, and we cannot be antinomians, what can we be? We can be Christians. Those who have been given the good news (gospel) of Christ crucified, buried, and resurrected will indeed have a transformed heart to follow the law as Paul states. Though works do not save you, we are to follow the laws God has given us out of love for him and what he has done. Grace is more than we can ever know. To believe we have a license to sin or to believe that we are saved by our deeds tread on dangerous grounds that no one should dare go. Believe the gospel; do good works. It’s a tension that we should walk and live in. Works do not save you, but your love for Christ should compel you to do them for his sake.  As a Bible college student, I have a passion for people to take theology seriously. I see a trend towards apathy in the church culturally, but a deep passion growing in the lives of young believers. My desire is to help inform all believers, young, old, and in-between, to think through why they believe what they believe. I believe a faith founded on reason is a faith rarely shaken.
Though I’m going to Bible college right now, doesn’t make me a super-believer. I like playing games with friends, chatting around the table, cooking, and wasting time when I could do something more productive. If someone like me can view the world as God tells me to, so can anyone. I’m passionate, and really hope you are too. Like everyone, I have topics that get me excited. How do we navigate Christianity in this post-modern era? How do we engage gender issues both inside and outside of the church? How do the songs we sing effect how we think? I love and encourage people to get excited and talk about what they love. Conversations are much more engaging when you talk about these things rather than the weather. Charlotte O8 minute read  We become like the God we believe in. This is something I’ve heard once or twice from leaders and it’s always stuck with me. It’s important for us to know the God we believe in, and that how we live reveals so much about what we truly think his character is. In the recent immigration debate, I saw some point out that people could avoid unnecessary suffering by simply following the rules. Rules which, are far from simple to follow, even by the best-intentioned. I’ve personally seen several friends work VERY hard to follow the process: couples who have a well-established marriage and even children together needing to be separated for a time because of bureaucracy. Those who are legally working in the country still pouring money into green card applications, renewals and extra fees for YEARS. The system itself is extremely flawed and inefficient, though that’s not an excuse to say then: let’s just burn it all down. People make the argument that getting into heaven is the same: we come to God on HIS terms, not our own. My bible-educated brain dearly understands the logic of this argument, but I still can’t help but thinking that this really reveals so much about a certain view of God who has space for the “good, worthy people” and delights in the intense suffering of those outside the fold. Our rhetoric of eschatology (end-times) and Hell are so clearly linked to the way we live here on Earth today. Jesus has done everything, sacrificed everything, to remove the barrier between us and God. He came to seek and save the lost and when people are found, and loved, and safe, then they recognize home. They see who they were created to be. I think the message of the gospel is that we were all created to be in relationship to God. When that relationship is restored, transformation occurs. Lives are changed, and the desire to do good comes not from earning a place in heaven, or making sure our good deeds outweigh the bad. It stops being a competition of whether we have been better than those around us, and becomes a family where we are all working toward the same goal. As God’s love transforms us, we are more concerned about loving our neighbor than trying to define who our neighbor should be. We don’t uphold our rules for fear of the whole system being corrupted, but instead obey out of love for the God who has given us perfect principles to live by. In our modern day, we have boiled salvation down to something very simple – pray a prayer and you’re in. Say some words and believe them in your heart. In my context, people are not considered true Christians until they have been baptized. In other circles, there are those who would doubt your salvation if you haven’t started speaking in tongues. What does it mean to be a Christian? To follow Christ? Even in the Bible itself it seems there is no direct formula.
And this leaves so many questions about people in the Bible itself, what about the thief on the cross? The wise men at Jesus’ birth? That curious story in Acts of people who were preaching Jesus but hadn’t yet received the Holy Spirit? That problematic parable of the guest who wasn’t wearing the right clothes and got kicked out of the wedding banquet? My point is, there are scriptures that, when taken alone, can be used to back up almost any point of view. However I’d like to challenge and invite us to a more robust openness to the scripture as a whole story of God’s work in the world. Look at the narrative behind the views we hold and look at the fruit it’s bearing. Is your doctrine of Grace leading to large-scale carelessness, harm and waste? Does your emphasis on holiness create robots who follow the rules without knowing the God who made them? Does the way we live out our faith create life and light in the world? Or does it create more bureaucracy for those wishing to enter into a living relationship with God? That’s the question I ask myself today.  Charlotte is on the Editorial team at boldcupofcoffee.com and currently works with a non-profit organization in Taiwan where she teaches, leads English Bible studies, writes educational materials, trains teachers, poses for pictures, and a bunch of other stuff too. She is originally from Canada, spending significant amounts of time in all three westernmost provinces and the idea of home has become quite fluid. She has learned that life overseas is not as exotic as people may think, but life with God is a daily adventure.
Troy Nevitt8 minute read  Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart. – Psalm 119:2 ESV The Bible is a storybook of a people who were chosen by God to deliver the message of deliverance from sin, which we had entangled ourselves. God is more than anything we could ever hope to know and he has delivered to us a book that explains what he wants us to know. Our job is to see what He wants to tell us. Our next job is to listen to what He has told us. Theology is a topic that may scare many off but if that is you: do not be alarmed. I promise that theology is nothing to be scared of; it’s simply the study of God. Only a few minutes a day will greatly improve how you interact with the world in a Christian fashion. About three years ago, I had no theological experience and could not tell you one side or the other of any view people had concerning issues like the spiritual gifts, baptism, or the way God saves. Fast forward to today, and not only can I explain the different positions, I have confidence to share my own views among other believers. I believe that you all are able to be great theologians. R.C. Sproul once said: “Everyone is a theologian” . Even though everybody is a theologian, to be a good theologian you’ll need to put in some work. May I encourage you? You can be good theologians. Learning theology helps to understand God and what he has done better. Simple steps like reading scripture or discussing concepts with friends are great places to start. If you don’t already, you can learn words like “imputation” or “justification” that help you understand what God has done better. One example I can give to show how theology helps is the concept of God’s jealousy. People often step back and proclaim things like “God can’t be jealous. Jealousy is a negative emotion.” For the most sense, they are right. What happens, however, when you run into passages that say God is jealous? “I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me” (Exodus 20:5, which is part of the Ten Commandments). This is where theology helps. Theologians will look to see in life when there are times that jealousy is a good thing. Husbands and wives should be jealous for their spouses. If they are married, no one else should experience the privileges which come from that marriage. There is a healthy level of jealousy because that is something that belongs to them and their spouse alone. Noting this, we can look at God’s relation to his people. They are a people who are set apart for Him. We belong to Him. No wonder God is a jealous God when we stray away and do things against his will. But there is also a benefit of jealousy. God keeps us for Himself. Christians often ask this question: Can I be possessed by a demon? It’s a scary thing to consider that. Fear not! The concept of jealousy is yet again a good thing that God possesses. If God is a jealous God, He will not share you with anyone. Not some false god. Not a demon. Not even Satan himself. God is a jealous God that has almighty power on his side (the doctrine of God’s omnipotence if you wish to research that further). Since God is all-powerful, and He is jealous, you can be assure that no demons can possess a child of God. Theology is making sense of God and the world he has made. It does not take degrees or special skills to be a theologian. All it takes is a desire to know God and to pursue Him with your heart, and your mind. Theology will help you see clearly and with more grandeur. Let me challenge you to take time this week to learn one concept of God better. It will be worth the time you put in.  As a Bible college student, I have a passion for people to take theology seriously. I see a trend towards apathy in the church culturally, but a deep passion growing in the lives of young believers. My desire is to help inform all believers, young, old, and in-between, to think through why they believe what they believe. I believe a faith founded on reason is a faith rarely shaken.
Though I’m going to Bible college right now, doesn’t make me a super-believer. I like playing games with friends, chatting around the table, cooking, and wasting time when I could do something more productive. If someone like me can view the world as God tells me to, so can anyone. I’m passionate, and really hope you are too. Like everyone, I have topics that get me excited. How do we navigate Christianity in this post-modern era? How do we engage gender issues both inside and outside of the church? How do the songs we sing effect how we think? I love and encourage people to get excited and talk about what they love. Conversations are much more engaging when you talk about these things rather than the weather. Kevin Seguin8 minute read  There was big news recently for both Canadian and American Christians alike. As it happens, both the Supreme Court of Canada and the United States Supreme Court released decisions recently with big implications on religious freedom in both countries. I thought it would be a good idea to comment on these things this week as both countries are celebrating independence, and we have so much else in common. First, our American brothers and sisters have heard from their highest court on the subject of bakers and wedding cakes. In a not-so-landmark ruling, the court has affirmed, 7-2, that baker, Jack Phillips, is under no legal obligation to bake a cake for an event which he deems to be in conflict with his religious beliefs. For the record, this includes things like obscene cakes and Halloween cakes etc... If you're looking to get totally caught up check out Ed Stetzer's coverage of the ruling here. Second, we come home to Canada. In late May, only a couple of days before the cake ruling, the Supreme Court of Canada issued a ruling in Wall v. Judicial Committee of the Highwood Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Canadian readers may remember the case of the Alberta Jehovah's Witnesses congregation who excommunicated one of their members who then sued the group and claimed that the JW's decision to "disfellowship" him would cause him to lose most of his business. The case eventually made its way to the Supreme Court of Canada while churches, especially those who practice some form of church discipline, looked on with great interest. When the decision came out, a unanimous rejection of the court's jurisdiction to meddle in church affairs when it comes to discipline, churches rejoiced. Not only was this the best outcome for our cause, it was unanimous. For the interested, Joshua Tong wrote a great piece for TGC Canada explaining the decision in greater detail. Though many of my fellow theological conservatives were surprised by these decisions, I have to admit I wasn't. (I was surprised the Canadian one was unanimous, but not of the result in general) I wasn't surprised because *Spoiler Alert* as much as some within evangelicalism want to believe it, we aren't being persecuted, and we aren't being oppressed. While I was writing this, the SCC also rendered judgement on Trinity Western’s case where the decision was that the BC and Ontario Law Societies indeed have the power to deny approval to Trinity Western’s law school that would have required students to follow a code of conduct which restricts, among other things, all premarital sexual behaviour. So what about now Kevin!? Are we being oppressed now? Still no. I must admit, I wasn’t tremendously surprised by any of these results. I’ve written before on how Christians ought behave when they are working in the secular sphere and encounter these situations. I believe Christians ought simply perform their duties and allow other people to live their lives while looking for opportunities to share the gospel and being ready to give an answer and Peter instructed us in his letter to believers. We are living in a post-Christian, highly polarized, post-truth culture. That's just the reality at this point. I'm not saying that many Christian truths, beliefs and convictions aren't being challenged, of course they are, Christians value things that many of our friends and neighbours see as quaint and “old fashioned” at best and bigoted and horrible at worst. The difference being found, I believe, in how we express those values. What I am saying is that while we are seeing a loss of cultural prestige and influence, none of this amounts to persecution or oppression. Rather, we are at a critical juncture and our opportunities to preach Christ crucified have only increased. Here’s why: In the Old Testament, Israel, God’s people, were “set apart”. However, this means so much more that simply acknowledging that they were God’s chosen people and other nations were not. This also means that Israel was ‘different’ than its neighbours. They had practices and followed rules that were often wildly different than their neighbours'. Israel also often found itself occupied and at the mercy of some of these neighbours who found their practices somewhere within that “quaint-horrible” spectrum I mentioned earlier. When these things happened, did the Lord tell Israel to complain that their rights were being infringed upon? Far from it! Rather, He said through the prophet Jeremiah: “Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” -Jer 29:5-7 We have the same imperative. Live and do good in the place we are, be set apart, live our own lives as exiles away from home in a culture different than our own. Praying for and hoping for its good, yes, but above all, sharing the gospel with people, and see them saved, rather than wasting time trying to shape a culture into our image of Christianity.  As a Biblical conservative, a cultural Liberal, a husband, a dad, and a pastor, I want to see the church act differently in the world. My big passion in ministry is to see how believers can bring the Gospel into the world around them while pursuing the lost art of winsomeness. It is what fuels me and drives me to write. Engaging culture with the truth of the Gospel in a way that is winsome, wise, and as Colossians 4:6 directs us: “seasoned with salt.” It’s my hope that what I say here helps you not only in your own faith, but helps you share it more effectively and fruitfully.
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