Climbing The Summit 8,000 Feet!

The first time I heard Tim Keller speak at the National New Church Conference in Orlando, FL, I came away pondering how God could bless someone with so much insight. Tim has more knowledge and understanding in a hangnail on his pinky than I have in my whole body. His presentation at the Leadership Summit centered on his latest book, The Prodigal God. I have purchased the book and the discussion guide, but have yet to review the material. His presentation convinced me that I needed to tackle this subject. I have digested his previous book, The Reason For God, and highly recommend it from an apologetics standpoint.


What do you think is the biggest problem in the church today? According to Tim it is “spiritual deadness,” a lack of spiritual vitality. I could not concur more! I see this in my travels. One of the reasons for the deadness, according to Tim, is that

some of us resemble the elder brother in Jesus' story of the prodigal son. The elder son believes his relationship with his father is intact because of his goodness. And because of his goodness he believes he has leverage over his father. Elder-brother-types are insecure inside and judgmental outside. Their standing with God is based on performance. There will be no fruit of the Spirit. Marks of spiritual deadness will blanket their lives.


In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus is preaching to the religious leaders of his day. The parable is mainly about the elder brother. The younger brother represents the sinners who are around Jesus. The elder brother is like religious people in the church. Both brothers are alienated from the Father’s heart. The younger brother’s sin is very obvious. He follows money. The elder brother doesn’t love the father either. He doesn’t want to put a party hat on.  Both love the things of the father, but not the father. The shocking ending: the father has to urge both of them to come into the feast - the bad boy is saved and the good boy is lost. He is lost because of his goodness, not in spite of it.



Are you angry when your life doesn’t go well? If someone criticizes you, do you go through a meltdown, or melt the person down that criticized you? Are your prayers mostly petition prayers,

where you just never enjoy God? Is there not much adoration or intimacy in your prayer life? Are you constantly loathing people? Elder brothers also have a hard time forgiving. The elder-brother-types stay angry and bitter because they feel they are superior to those that have offended them. Elder brothers are obeying God to get things. God is a means to an end. Gospel believers obey just to get more of God, to delight in God and to resemble God. The elder brother is a religious person - “I obey, therefore I am accepted, rather than a follower of the gospel - “We are accepted then we obey.” Churches are filled with too many elder brothers.



Unfortunately, to many of the above questions I personally would have answered in the affirmative, thus my own need to work through Tim’s book! Overcoming Acedia in our culture requires Overcoming Acedia in our own lives! Let’s pray that we as prodigals all eventually come home