Category: Thoughts

Matt Capps Books, Christian Theology, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Philosophy, Religion, Theology, Thoughts

The Curious Christian

hero-cover-2Curiosity is such a childish word, right? Not so fast. Just because we grow up doesn’t mean we should lose our wonder at the world, or the people around us. When we do, we lose so much because curious is how God made us to be.

My friend Barnabas Piper is on to something here. Without curiosity a Christian’s life is incomplete. “Without curiosity he can never discover deep things, deep connections God tucked below the banal surface of life.”

In his new book, Piper explores what curiosity is, and how it affects relationships. Here are a few good quotes!

  • Curiosity is more than a mere trait. It is a discipline, a skill, a habit – one that will expand your life in magnificent, if subtle, ways.
  • Imagination guides and shapes our use of information.
  • God is echoed in rhythms of music, meter of poems, strokes of brush, taps of a hammer, numbers on a pivot table, laughs with a friend, fantastical fiction, icicles, acorns, sweet tea, oak trees, walleye, alloy metals, espresso, and cirrus clouds.
  • You and I were created to create and discover, created for the vocation of reflecting God’s image.
  • Curiosity combined with courage presses in and digs deeper in relationship.
  • If curiosity is not increasing our joy and capacity for enjoyment then something is amiss.
  • Curiosity is a hunger to know more truth so that we can show people more truth so that our world will see more of God.
  • Curious people create more, find better solutions to problems, overcome challenges, meet needs that arise, make connections, and prepare better for the future.
  • Open-mindedness, at its best, is humility and grace blended with curiosity – but not without conviction.
  • The Christian faith should be curious, not blind. It should be full of questions, not fear questions.
  • True curiosity is the pursuit of truth, the exploration of God’s creation and will for the world.
  • Questions are the currency of curiosity. But unlike other currency there is no withdrawal limit and they multiply themselves. Spend liberally.

Be curious. By all means, invest the time to read this book.

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Gospel, LifeWay, LifeWay Church Resources, Pastoral Ministry, The Gospel Project, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Thoughts

The Gospel of Jesus in Jonah

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What does Jonah have to do with Jesus? Here is one thought…

“The good news of the gospel is that Jesus has provided a way of salvation. Jesus (though He did not deserve it like Jonah did) hurled himself into the storm of God’s wrath so that you and I might be saved. When Jesus sunk to the depths of death on our behalf, he made it possible for us to arrive safely on the shore of eternity. That is not only good news for us; it’s also good news for those around us.”

This is an excerpt from a reflection on the gospel of Jesus in the book of Jonah that I wrote for The Gospel Project. You can read the whole thing here.

Matt Capps Christian Theology, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Gospel, Pastoral Ministry, Philosophy, Religion, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology, Thoughts

Eugene Peterson and The Pastoral Imagination

There is something special about pastoring a local church.

Being called to shepherd a local congregation and being a part of a particular church family is a blessing.

In the American church we often hold the megachurch pastors in high esteem becuase of the breadth of their influence. This is something we can be thankful for, if they steward their influence well.

However, let us not forget that the depth of ministry in a local community – through a local congregation – is a powerful witness to the kingdom of God.

While local church ministry happens in obscurity, it has profound implications on eternity.

In the past few years I have come to appreciate the ministry of Eugene Peterson. His writings have profoundly shaped my pastoral imagination.

Take a few minutes and watch this video from Nav Press and you will see why. Also, if you have not read any of Peterson’s books – I encourage you to do so. Here is a link to his Amazon Author’s Page.

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Gospel, Pastoral Ministry, Religion, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology, Thoughts

Community (Part 2)

As stated in my last post, I recently contributed to a free 10-week Bible study for the North Carolina Baptist State Convention called Patterned. This curriculum explores what it means to be a disciple-maker.

This free curriculum includes a downloadable workbook and videos for each session. Here is a list of the topics covered in the curriculum. I wrote the sessions for week 6 on community.

Week 1: Praying for the Lost
Week 2: Defining Evangelism and Discipleship
Week 3: Studying the Bible
Week 4: Telling your Story
Week 5: Gospel Conversations
Week 6: Community
Week 7: Unreached People Groups
Week 8: Ministry Opportunities/Storying
Week 9: Living Intentionally
Week 10: Transformation, not Information; Sending

Visit the website to find out more: Patterned 

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Gospel, Pastoral Ministry, Religion, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology, Thoughts

Community (Part 1)

I recently contributed to a free 10-week Bible study for the North Carolina Baptist State Convention called Patterned. This curriculum explores what it means to be a disciple-maker.

This free curriculum includes a downloadable workbook and videos for each session. Here is a list of the topics covered in the curriculum. I wrote the sessions for week 6 on community.

Week 1: Praying for the Lost
Week 2: Defining Evangelism and Discipleship
Week 3: Studying the Bible
Week 4: Telling your Story
Week 5: Gospel Conversations
Week 6: Community
Week 7: Unreached People Groups
Week 8: Ministry Opportunities/Storying
Week 9: Living Intentionally
Week 10: Transformation, not Information; Sending

Visit the website to find out more: Patterned 

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Christian Theology, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Gospel, Pastoral Ministry, Philosophy, Religion, Theology, Thoughts

The Neglect Of Beauty in Theology

Beauty

The Gospel Coalition just published my newest article titled “5 Reasons Christians Neglect Beauty In Theology“.

To be human is to have a sense of beauty. Beauty demands our attention. There is no way, then, to escape the aesthetic task.

If the practice of aesthetics is the responsibility of every person, it’s especially true of Christians. Doing aesthetics isn’t so much a theological option as a theological necessity.

It’s no stretch to argue that the evangelical church has largely neglected theological inquiry into the nature of beauty and aesthetics. Most reflection and writing on these subjects come from professionals in philosophy and in the specialized field of aesthetics. Christians are largely on the sidelines. This should not be.

Here are the five factors that have contributed to the lack of distinctly evangelical contributions to the conversation. Would love to hear your thoughts!

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Gospel, Pastoral Ministry, Religion, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology, Thoughts

Pastors, Let Your Deacons Serve

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I recently wrote a post titled Pastors, Let Your Deacons Serve at For The Church. 

A few weeks ago I was having lunch with the chairman of our deacons when he casually made a comment that revisited me throughout the day. Our conversation was focused on several upcoming opportunities and decisions that would require preparation and administrative work. As we were making a list of things to do, I “offered” to take care of the tasks so that he would not have to bother with them.

With wisdom and gentleness, he said, “Matt, I know you like to take control. I know you work hard and like to take charge of these things, but allow me to do this.” The operative word in that comment was “control”. In that moment the Holy Spirit quickly revealed that my “offer” was actually a manifestation of my idolatrous bow to control.

Read the rest here.

Matt Capps Adoption, Biblical Theology, Christian Theology, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Gospel, Pastoral Ministry, Religion, Theology, Thoughts

This Is My Son.

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This is our precious son.

We have taught him about MLK, and that Americans have not always been nice to brown skinned people.

But, it breaks my heart to think that one day I will have to fully explain to him the complex brokenness of our world.

One day I will have to fully explain our country’s disgraceful history of racial discrimination.

One day I will have to help him understand that we, as a country, have not fully moved beyond these racial issues.

Thankfully, I will also get to point him to the coming day that we read about in Revelation 21.

The day when our loving Father “will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, for the former things will have passed away.”

On that day, God will “make all things new.”

On that day every believer, from every “tribe and people”, will “stand before the throne and before the Lamb”, as one (Revelation 7).

How long, O Lord?

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Gospel, Pastoral Ministry, Religion, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology, Thoughts

Teaching and Disciple-Making

Where is the intersection of Sunday School and disciple-making? I recently sat down with the North Carolina Baptist State Convention and shared my understanding of how these two cross paths.

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Christian Theology, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Gospel, Pastoral Ministry, Philosophy, Religion, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology, Thoughts

The Sin of Retaliation

Decorative Scales of Justice in the Courtroom

This was originally published at The Biblical Recorder.

The natural mode of our hearts is expressed well in the Latin phrase lex talionis, which means “the law of retaliation.” When someone crosses us or makes demands on us our initial reaction is to respond in the same way. Why not? This is the way we’ve heard that the world works. Right? Retaliation is sinfully seductive and bitterly sweet.

However, as Christians we operate by the laws of a different world, the Kingdom of God. This is why in Matthew 5:38-42 Jesus says, “you have heard it said … but I tell you.” What does he tell us? Jesus demands that when someone insults us, we should not respond in a way that escalates violence. Instead, we should respond in love towards our attacker, in a way that prevents further attacks or stops the progression of violence.

Moreover, when someone takes your possessions, Jesus calls us to respond in the way of love, namely, to go the extra mile, to give freely to those in need. In many cases, those who pursue our possessions have an actual need they are trying to meet.

Doesn’t Jesus call us to give to those who are truly in need?

Now, we can split hairs on this passage and develop numerous scenarios where helping can hurt. Or we can think of many modifiers to these words in order to show how these things may or may not play out. But I think that misses the point of the passage.

In fact, the initial response of counting the costs to respond this way shows that retaliation is our natural desire.

However, Jesus calls us to think differently. Moreover, His Spirit enables us to respond differently.

In a unnatural way – better yet, a supernatural way – our need for retaliation and personal justice is not bound by the “pay out” on this earth.

If our self-esteem is found in our stance before God, we can lovingly stand in the face of sinful insults. If our treasure is found in the inheritance we have as children of God, we are not devastated when our earthly belongings are taken. This is the power of the gospel.

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