Olivet Nazarene University Digital Commons @ Olivet Honors Program Projects Honors Program 4-1-2013 His Highest Glory, My Deepest Joy: Discovering Satisfaction at Its Source Bethany Addington Olivet Nazarene University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at:https://digitalcommons.olivet.edu/honr_proj Part of theBiblical Studies Commons, and theCurriculum and Instruction Commons Recommended Citation Addington, Bethany, "His Highest Glory, My Deepest Joy: Discovering Satisfaction at Its Source" (2013).Honors Program Projects. 30. https://digitalcommons.olivet.edu/honr_proj/30 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors Program at Digital Commons @ Olivet. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Program Projects by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Olivet. For more information, please contact [email protected]. HIS HIGHEST GLORY; MY DEEPEST JOY: DISCOVERING SATISFACTION AT ITS SOURCE By Bethany Addington Honors Capstone Project Submitted to the Faculty of Olivet Nazarene University for partial fulfillment of the requirements for GRADUATION WITH UNIVERSITY HONORS March, 2013 BACHELOR OF SCIENCE m Pastoral Ministry Copyright© Bethany Addington 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ................................................................................................................................1 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................2 Review of Literature ............................................................................................................3 The Writing Process .............................................................................................................6 Lessons from a Samaritan: An Excerpt ...............................................................................8 Peer and Profession Evaluation .........................................................................................23 His Highest Glory; My Deepest Joy: Final Draft ..............................................................26 Personal Reflection ..........................................................................................................109 References ........................................................................................................................111 Appendix: Writing for the Next Generation ....................................................................113 ii ABSTRACT This independent study project is a narrative devotional book written for a 16 to 25 year-old target audience. The book is primarily composed of autobiographical narratives, exegetical essays, and a small variety of poetic compositions. The literature examines several topics related to the satisfaction, purpose, and joy found in ever- increasing knowledge of Christ. To that end, this literary work ultimately seeks to communicate the unmatched fulfillment of relationship with Christ in a manner that is easily understood and applied, particularly to the lives of young Christians. The project is structured largely around an examination of the narrative of the Samaritan Woman in John 4, paralleled with my own experience of discovering profound fulfillment in relationship with Christ. The book also incorporates important truth presented in the book of Ecclesiastes regarding the common human experience of seeking satisfaction in every source “under the sun.” An examination of the life of Paul both before and after his encounter with Christ serves to illustrate the supremacy of relationship with God over slavery to the Law. Finally, a description of the genuine worship which flows naturally from the lives of those who have been profoundly satisfied in Christ provides readers with a clear illustration of the Christian life. In addition to the book itself, this project includes a summary of the author’s writing process, along with peer and professional critiques and reflections regarding the writing and editing processes. Keywords: satisfaction, Samaritan woman, well, John 4, glory, joy, Apostle Paul, Solomon, Ecclesiastes 1 INTRODUCTION I was sixteen years old when God ignited a passion in me that I had never experienced before. Through a youth ministry called Bible Quizzing, I had been studying and memorizing the letters of the Apostle Paul. Each afternoon as I recited Paul’s powerful words about the profound depth of Christ’s love and the unfathomable heights of God’s glory, I found myself increasingly captivated. Paul’s gift for communication through writing is undeniable, but there is an element to these letters that is unmistakably inspired by God Himself and breathed by His Spirit. Ironically, the most beautiful aspect of his own writing could not be credited to Paul in the least, for his words were simply the natural overflow of his life-changing personal encounter and ongoing relationship with the Most High God. I have found that the Apostle Paul and I share this love of expressing the truth of God in writing, and that is the passion that lies at the heart of this project. As God is daily at work in me, transforming and deeply fulfilling me, the worship which naturally results is most often expressed with pen and paper. My prayer and purpose in every element of this project has been to use the gift that God has given me to reflect back to Him the glory and honor that is due Him, for I am finding more and more each day that my deepest and truest joy is in His fame. 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE As mentioned previously, I originally drew much of the inspiration for my own writing style from the Epistles of the Apostle Paul. Paul is known for channeling his passion for Christ beautifully and poetically into his letters, and for applying his deepening understanding of Christian theology and doctrine to a wide variety of situations using meaningful illustrations and literary devices. Paul, having been trained in the Pharisaic tradition from a very young age, was well-versed in the interpretation of scripture and knew how to discuss religious topics in great depth.1 Those reading Paul’s letters, however, were not nearly so familiar with the discussion of complex theological matters and the application of those spiritual truths to real-life situations.2 The common metaphors that Paul employs, such as allusions to the Olympic Games and illustrations of the Church as a physical body, enabled him to communicate the complexities of spiritual matters to a wide audience. These characteristics and methods of communication by way of illustration played a large part in guiding my own efforts to communicate theological truth to a young audience. A study conducted by the Barna Group served to inform much of my strategy in writing for my target audience. According to the study, 16-29 year-olds are developing a growing frustration and disillusionment with the Christian Church in America. The following are some common perceptions linked with the evangelical Christian church, according to the study: 1 Irwin Edman, The Mind of Paul, (New York: H. Holt and Co., 1935), 53. 2 Gordon D. Fee, The New International Commentary: Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, (Grand Rapids: W. B. Eerdmans, 1995), 105. 3 The study explored twenty specific images related to Christianity, including ten favorable and ten unfavorable perceptions. Among young non-Christians, nine out of the top 12 perceptions were negative. Common negative perceptions include that present-day Christianity is judgmental (87%), hypocritical (85%), old-fashioned (78%), and too involved in politics (75%) - representing large proportions of young outsiders who attach these negative labels to Christians. The most common favorable perceptions were that Christianity teaches the same basic ideas as other religions (82%), has good values and principles (76%), is friendly (71%), and is a faith they respect (55%). Even among young Christians, many of the negative images generated significant traction. Half of young churchgoers said they perceive Christianity to be judgmental, hypocritical, and too political. One-third said it was old-fashioned and out of touch with reality. 3 The study goes on to explain that many of these perceptions “were rooted in specific stories and personal interactions with Christians and in churches.” This is an alarming discovery and has no doubt contributed to the growing disinterest with the Christian faith that is increasingly prevalent among young people. They do not see anything in the Church that is worth their pursuit, nor are there effective examples of what it means to live a Christian life. This research informs and gives shape to the goals of my project by accentuating the importance of representing the Christian faith as a dynamic and ever-deepening relationship with Christ, rather than merely an ideology, a political stance, or one of many equal spiritual avenues toward truth. It was important for me to represent both myself and my faith as authentic and even to share about my own struggles in a way which would illustrate God’s grace to work in us despite our weakness. Most 3 Barna Group, “A New Generation Expresses its Skepticism and Frustration with Christianity,” The Barna Group Ltd, 24 September 2007 [On-line]; Available from http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/94- a-new-generation-expresses-its-skepticism-and-frustration-with-christianity; Internet; Accessed 8 March 2013. 4 importantly, though, my goal was to demonstrate that Christianity goes far deeper than any of these surface-level perceptions implies. Rather, genuine Christian life is radical, all-encompassing, life-altering relationship with the Creator of the universe and results in a lifestyle that is counter-cultural and Kingdom-oriented. One of the fundamental concepts which underlies this devotional book is that of God’s passion for His own glory. This is the driving force behind the life and ministry of Rev. John Piper, as declared in his book, Don’t Waste Your Life. The book asserts that in every action throughout history, God’s primary motivation has always been the exaltation and glorification of His own name.4 This doctrine stems from the reformed perspective which focuses largely on God’s sovereignty and justification to act as He wills, in some cases even to the apparent detriment of humanity. While the Wesleyan tradition does not go so far as to affirm the reformed understanding that God causes destruction to take place for His own benefit, the concept that God acts in favor of His own name and for the accentuation of His character falls well within the boundaries of Wesleyan theology.5 The doctrine of God’s passion for his own glory reaches its point of greatest clarity in Piper’s well-known assertion that God’s glory and our joy are the same thing. This idea was first introduced to me by Louie Giglio, an author and minister to university age students. In his book The Air I Breathe: Worship as a Way of Life, Giglio describes the reality that every human being spends each moment of his or her life in worship to something. We worship the things that we prize most highly and which bring us the 4 John Piper, Don’t Waste Your Life, (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2003). 5 John Wesley, “The Unity of the Divine Being,” Sermons on Several Occasions, Thomas Jackson, ed. (New York: H. Holt and Co., 1935), 53. 5 greatest degree of enjoyment.6 Both Piper and Giglio agree that, while we may find some degree of satisfaction in earthly pleasures and things, we are designed to receive our deepest and truest fulfillment from our Creator. The result is a life of worship which overflows from our continual, uncontainable satisfaction in Christ, to the ultimate glory of God. In my research of this theological ideal, I find that this is one of the greatest points of contact between the reformed and Arminian traditions. The profound satisfaction which results in a constant exaltation of God’s name and character is described and affirmed wholeheartedly by John Wesley as the primary aim of the Christian life. In his celebrated sermon, A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, Wesley writes, One design ye are to pursue to the end of time— the enjoyment of God in time and in eternity. Desire other things so far as they tend to this; love the creature, as it leads to the Creator. But in every step you take, be this the glorious point that terminates your view. Let every affection, and thought and word, and action, be subordinate to this. Whatever ye desire or fear, whatever ye seek or shun, whatever ye think speak, or do, be it in order to your happiness in God, the sole end, as well as source, of your being.7 We find, then, that the profound satisfaction discovered in genuine, ever- deepening relationship with Christ, is the very definition of Christian perfection, and is the passion for holiness which has fueled the Nazarene denomination since its founding.8 Despite a myriad of theological variations and unique manifestations among the denominations of the global Church, this truth seems to lie at the very heart of the Christian faith as a whole. Its framework and implications are evident throughout the Old 6 Louie Giglio, The Air I Breathe: Worship as a Way of Life, (Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2003). 7 Mark R. Quanstrom, A Century of Holiness Theology (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 2004), 23. 8 John Wesley, “A Plain Account of Christian Perfection,” The Works of John Wesley, ed. Thomas Jackson, Vol. 5, (Oxford: Wesleyan Conference Office, 1872), 203. 6