1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
-I Peter 1:1-2
Sounds hard to read doesn’t it? I kinda like how the writers in the New Testament would often start their letters with something poetic or grandiose. If you read it with a deep voice, you’ll sound like a preacher. Really, go ahead and try it. No one is listening and they don’t know how to pronounce Bithynia either….
Anyway, there’s a part in there that starts arguments, can you guess which phrase? Times up. It’s this one: “…who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God…” If you have a King James Version or one of the older ones, instead of “have been chosen” it says “the elect”. The elect is a term given to people who belong to God and this isn’t the only time it is used. Speaking of the end of the world Jesus said:
And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. -Matthew 24:31
It means chosen, (which is why the NIV just translated it that way instead of confusing us with “elect” and making us think we missed something at the ballot box…) and I Peter 1:2 says God chose people because of his foreknowledge, implying that God could see into the future, and knew what we’d be like, what we would do and not do ahead of time. You see, according to the New Testament, we were already chosen before we were even born.
…just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will…
-Ephesians 1:4-5
Interesting how the writers seemed to enjoy bringing this up at the beginning of their letters. Hmmm… anyway…
A quick word to help explain what considerations of mine go into putting all four Gospel accounts of the Resurrection together.
I believe we have to allow writers to tell a story their way. It’s important to note that the Bible records this story as any of us might tell a story. For instance, I could tell you that I went to a Christian conference in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and while I was there, I interviewed a protester who was a member of the Free Thinkers club at the University of Arkansas.
What I just wrote is a true statement. However, I didn’t include all the details I could have. Read the rest of this entry »
I have a million things to do, and … uh…. like 3 hours to get it all done, including a trip to a nearby city. So yeah, it’s one of those days, so this isn’t a huge essay or anything. I was just thinking a little bit as I drove to a mid-morning meeting, and reflecting on my life, Christianity in general and the reality of things.
By the way, I always have three points. It’s like all the years of teaching and public speaking have seared a permanent impression of three bullet points into my brain… You know, the same thing that happens to a television or monitor if an image stays in one place for a day and a half.
Life180 is a ministry we have just started, where we ask people to take 180 minutes of a Saturday, and give people in our community some help. Obviously, it’s also about helping people turn a 180 and begin to follow Christ. So we help out and we share our faith. It might be cleaning up a yard, washing a house, doing almost any sort of work for them. We don’t provide money, just a helping hand for anyone in the community who needs it -the elderly, the poor, people in bad health, anyone. We “officially” set these work Saturdays aside in the church calendar, although occasionally an emergency might arise which causes us to move the day up, or have an impromptu Life180 project.
I’m not trying to brag, I just want you to get a glimpse of what Church is supposed to be about and hopefully one of our ideas might be useful to you in your church.
Here’s a letter we received at the church this week from a gentleman we had helped as part of our Life180 project. What did we do? We hauled a bunch a wood for him to use for the winter.
To Everybody,
I’m sorry I took so long to write this card, but I did not and will not ferget what you all have don fer us out here. Yer kindness and thoughfulness has ment a awful lot to us. I won’t name names cause I don’t want to leave nobody out but thank you to everyone and who knos you may see me out ther wen I’m up to it. I’m gettin better every day. Thank you again it will not be forgoten.
Seventeen men showed up with pickups and trailers loaded with firewood. Enough to stock him up for the winter. We had cut it, split it, and loaded it on a Saturday morning when the temperature was about 8. Guys, there’s plenty to do in the kingdom of God besides all the “girly” jobs of teaching 3-4year olds or singing specials or cooking meals. There’s jobs for guys too. Looking after the people who need help, doing things to make your community a brighter place to be, putting other people ahead of yourself -even if it’s just for 180 minutes, that’s Christianity in it’s purest form.
God said: Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. -Isaiah 58:7-8
And oh, you gotta read this! Jesus said “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ -Matthew 25:37-40
Life180 isn’t all we do. I’m just using it as example. Whatever you do as a church, I firmly believe that while we are preaching the Gospel and encouraging people to “get saved,” that during all of that… we also have to BE Christians. And God not only cares about the poor and those who are struggling, but gets ticked off when his people ignore their plight. Just read Isaiah 58 where God tells the Israelites that he doesn’t answer their prayers because while they’re fasting and praying, they continue to take advantage of the poor and continue to exploit people with injustice. When Jesus tells the story above about people feeding the hungry and giving something to drink to the thirsty, he was using this as a measure by which people were allowed into heaven or kicked out into hell.
By our fruit people know us right? Jesus said you can tell who someone’s figurative Father is, by watching what they do…
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. -John 8:42-44
Jesus is really blunt when he wants to be. So is your church, are YOU, doing the things your Father desires? I mean I have to ask: Who’s your daddy?
yeah that was bad wasn’t it?
P.S. Feel free to start a Life180 at your church. I promise not to sue.
Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. -James 5:14-15 (NIV)
The mere suggestion that God may not work a miracle, or does not very often, would rock many people’s faith. “Pentecostals believe in religious experience the way electricians believe in electricity,” writes Earl Creps in his book Off-Road Disciplines -Spiritual Adventures with Missional Leaders, “without it, we have no reason to show up for work. The Spirit moves in profound and observable ways, and our heritage teaches that most everything else just takes care of itself.” A very open and honest admission by a guy who has taught in the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary and I’m told pastors a church these days.
He follows that with something akin to a bombshell when he speaks about his experience pastoring a church: “Our congregation’s story failed to line up with what our movement’s culture taught us to expect. At one public rally, for example, the only ‘testimony’ from two years of renewal came from one person who thought he might have quit smoking.” (p.12)
As this account shows, miracles haven’t always happened when we expected them to. Let’s admit it. People have had their faith rocked. Why didn’t God always come through? Why do miracles seem random?
And what those outside the church don’t always realize is that God has seemingly ignored one prayer while answering another. In fact, God ignored prayers in the Bible occasionally, AND answered others miraculously. As you can probably guess, there was always a reason. Here in the book of James, the Bible tells us to do one thing, but does it mean God will always, always, always answer with a miracle?
What do people think when church leaders proclaim with bravado that God has answered a prayer, or brought a miracle or WILL do wo-when in fact the prayer is not answered and the miracle never arrives? The simple answer of “God works in mysterious ways,” or “God answered no” does not fit with the stuff we were saying when we were so sure of ourselves and so sure God would do something miraculous. Compared to what we said beforehand, those statements seem like lame excuses.
However, our insistence God does what we want… well what does that seem like? Selfishness? Arrogance that we could demand things of our Creator as if He were simply an employee of ours? Even in this Bible of ours, God has refused to listen and answer prayers before, with good reason.
They have returned to the sins of their forefathers, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant I made with their forefathers. Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them. -Jeremiah 11:10-11
Even James, the very same guy who wrote the verse at the beginning of this post which details what to do when someone is sick and needs healing, also happened to write this:
You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. -James 4:2-3
So even James, in context, wasn’t giving us a blank check. I know, I’m just as disappointed as you are.
But don’t think for a second that people haven’t been driven away from God or turned their back on salvation because their very faith in God’s existence and the truth of Christianity was shaken because God didn’t do what they asked. It has happened. Most atheists in fact would cite something along these lines when explaining why they don’t believe in God.
More people than we care to admit believe Christians are delusional because we believe in miracles that don’t happen (according to them) and no one is currently walking on water to prove them wrong. If they did, I’m sure 20/20 or Dateline NBC would discover they were being held up by invisible cables… Read the rest of this entry »
I’m just musing and we accidentally got into this subject in a men’s Bible study over Daniel 9 of all places…
Disagreeing always gets people like me and you and trouble, but then again, if we don’t disagree from time to time, we feel like we aren’t standing up for anything. Politicians sugar-coat and avoid controversy, so do ministers, and I bet a lot of you do, too. Others take pride in taking a stand, which generally means, lambasting the person or view you disagree with. You know, what do you REALLY think of John McCain or Hillary Clinton?
Or put it in a Churchy context… Haven’t you heard that “Good Preaching” will always “step on toes” or offend people? Sugar-coated preaching is wonderful for curing insomnia, but not so good at changing lives. Do you feel that way? Hear those things? Believe’em?
In an age where we hide behind computer screens and don’t have so many face to face confrontations anymore, I’m not sure we’re even any good at this disagreeing thing these days. And truth is, count me in the camp that believes we DO water down our opinions to be less offensive. Ask yourself, do you even want people to know how you voted?? Most people keep that a secret, others… well they throw it in your face.
Which is good? The right thing to do? Can I just be me?
In an interesting interview with N.T. “Tom” Wright, TIME claims Bishop Wright is teaching new and revolutionary thought that throws traditional views about heaven out the window.
Truth is, however, that the Bishop isn’t saying anything new that many evangelical churches haven’t been teaching for years. To his credit, Bishop Wright actually looks at what the Bible is really saying. And amazingly, the Bible does not say we spend forever in heaven, playing harps on a cloud.
It’s good reading, but one caveat… the idea of heaven he gives does not contradict the Left Behind series. The Left Behind series supports the idea of a rapture, but not just a rapture of souls, but a transformation of bodies, the actual final resurrection for those who have believed in Jesus in the past and present. The question in regard to the Left Behind series is: Does God really resurrect his people before the end? Or at the end? (I’m not going to answer that one at the moment though)
Regardless, the Bishop is correct when he says the Bible speaks of us having literal bodies. The Bible describes living on a new earth, where there is also a new heaven and where God and humanity exist in an eternal state like Adam and Eve and God existed in the Garden of Eden. It’s not clouds, it’s a whole new world. It’s not disembodied spirits, but glorified and real bodies on a planet that has literally become perfect and eternal. A place where heaven has come down to us and the two exist together.
Are you voting? Not everyone is you know, but as my sister said to me the other day, I would like the right to complain, so I’m voting. Super Tuesday here I come.
Primaries are usually a different animal than general elections and for most of us we have better choices. Think about it. The primaries will be the one time when you have several candidates who you may like somewhat or quite a bit. Whereas in the general election, we tend to choose between one candidate we like somewhat and another we can hardly stand.
On Tuesday, I’ll have choices. As you can imagine, me being an evangelical type of guy and all, I tend to vote conservative. There’s Romney, the Mormon guy who will -despite what I may think of Mormonism- generally support and do things in office that I would agree with. However, I don’t agree with his immigration ideas and get the sneaking suspicion that he happened upon these ideas because the polls told him conservatives would flock to his side.
*Note to conservative candidates… Fix the leaky border and make sure we know who comes across and who leaves so drugs and nuclear devices can’t be transported so easily. That’s really all we want. After that, please be kind and humane to the people who came across the border in the past. Can we blame them for wanting to be inside the greatest country in the world? C’mon get real.
Then of course, there’s Mike Huckabee, a guy I’m supposed to like because he’s evangelical like me. Well, I’ve got news. I love Mike because he wants to abolish the IRS, not because he used to be a Baptist minister. For one thing, I don’t agree with everything the Baptists believe and secondly, I’m not voting to put Mike in a ministry, but a job. A real job with duties and public relation duties and necessary management skills and everything.
Not every evangelical I know would make a good President of the United States. Sure they’re saved, but do I want them figuring out the housing crisis? Maybe not. So Mike… you ain’t getting my vote just because man. Having said that, the whole IRS position of yours does help you in my opinion. A world with no IRS?? That’s like dreaming of Never, Never land. You are indeed my brother….
And then there’s John McCain, and I love how the same conservative pundits who have claimed for years that their listeners are not sheep, are today going ballistic because we listeners aren’t going to vote like they told us to. Ann Coulter gonna vote for Hillary if McCain wins?
Please. What’s wrong with you people? McCain is the bad guy because he wants something more akin to “Amnesty” (which Reagan did by the way), and stymied Bush several times. Last I checked, McCain would do more on the immigration thing than Bush ever did, supports the Bush tax cuts now, and if Romney gets a pass on his previous liberal leanings, why doesn’t McCain get to change his mind, too?
I hate politics. Well, that’s not exactly true. I’m fascinated and intrigued by it. Sometimes I just get annoyed by the demagoguery.
No I really don’t know what that means either, but it was fun to type.
Anyway, look, I’ve got real stuff to do.
There is a basketball game to announce tonight, a couple of guys are talking about getting baptized, and God answered my prayer a couple of days ago and my daughter’s cat was found. I’m not a cat person. I’m a daughter person.
I’d rather not have a health care system that looks like Canada, but I do love the one proposed by McCain, and the one in use in Romney’s State of Massachusetts, and of course I love what Huckabee has done with the IRS. I definitely want the government to quit allowing babies to be killed for profit and for convenience sake, and I would like the poor to be helped without being enslaved. In short, I have opinions and decisions to make.
Do I know who I’m voting for? Nope. But I am going to pray about it because win or lose…
God seems a whole lot more…for lack of a better word….cruel in the Old Testament. These days people will scoff at the idea of the Bible, and young believers express surprise, at what seems like such a huge a difference. Why was God so bent on punishment in the Old Testament and so bent on forgiving in the New? Read the rest of this entry »
The little kids did their thing Sunday night. Showing off their singing voices, their acting skills, and their innate ability to look extreeeeemely cute. When you think about it, it’s kinda weird how many people got their start as singers and musicians by doing this sort of thing in church. Even some of the notorious ones.
Which leads me to wonder about the millions of people and kids who have never been in a church and have so many preconceived notions about what “CHURCH” is about! And so little understanding of the hundreds of little things that church-goers like me take for granted.
I’ve got three kids and at least 50 people I know who would -without complaining- babysit for me in a pinch. If I have a question about working on my car, a legal question, advice on handling this or decorating that, or help moving, packing, painting, building anything… I know where to find it. Church. It easily becomes a huge extended family, complete with the weird uncles and doting grandparents. And every now and then… it’s really nice to have around.
Like the day when my wife had a miscarriage and the flowers and sympathies poured in. Upon returning home, the ladies of the church cooked dinner for us for a week! I can’t begin to explain how much that meant.
Churches do things like that all the time. Our church has a meal ministry, ladies groups, men’s groups, even Sunday School classes that give money to people in need. Just the other day, a class that meets on Sunday gave a fellow member some money to buy his kids Christmas gifts. Was I amazed? No. I was thankful that they would do something like that, but I’m not surprised. That sort of thing happens all the time. It’s a way of life.
Believe it or not, there are democrats and people who will vote for Hilary Clinton in a heartbeat here. We complain occasionally about the style of music we play on Sunday morning, and believe me, you never get rid of those discussions. You change the style and you change the complainers, but you never satisfy everyone. And that’s part of hanging around with human beings. We have different tastes, and we have different levels of patience, and some of us are better at being organized than others. I could go on and on. (on Sunday mornings I do!)
No, a church is a collection of people from all walks of life, from many different backgrounds, who have made a conscious decision to believe in Jesus, make an outward commitment to Christ in baptism, and put others and God, ahead of themselves.
We read and teach Scriptures like this one: Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. -Romans 12:10
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: -Philippians 2:3-5
It’s sad really that so many political leaders and church leaders have shown so much selfishness and hypocrisy over the years, because the picture it gives of the Church is simply not accurate. Honesty is upheld in church. Integrity is preached. Accountibility is practiced. In the midst of personal failures, the church is not only a place of forgiveness and second chances, but also a place that challenges us to leave behind the sin and failures. To strive for something better.
Not everyone does, of course. Not every church-goer really gives themselves to the person of Jesus Christ who can work so many changes and improvements into their lives. Some live off the help, the entertainment and the power the church can give them.
The goals are still the same, however, and none of them include political power or a conspiracy to enslave atheists. Can’t find those goals in the Bible. Those are caricatures produced in the ideological spin of our day. Very few times will you ever find a church who’s purpose in life is to gain anything political. Church is people caring for people, and people sharing the message that Jesus died for your sins, and you can be forgiven and set free if you’ll put your faith in him.
Pretty simple stuff, but then, church isn’t all that complicated.
Wow, you would think that the rapture had happened last Sunday at church. Now, this is my first “Deer Season Sunday” as a senior pastor in this part of the world, but I wasn’t expecting THIS. A full one-third of the congregation was missing this Sunday, and as it turns out, this is normal for every church around the area. One minister even said jokingly he was trying to decide if he should prepare a good sermon, or save a good one for later -when everyone is back.
Really?
Of course, going to church is not magic, and it’s not a sin to skip no matter what the Catholic Church says. It’s just practical. And maybe… it’s a little bit of where the rubber meets the road kinda thing? When we put our faith in Jesus and accepted God’s plan of salvation, we were committing ourselves 110% to God. (It was in the fine print) Anyway, going to church on Sunday is ONE way a person keeps centered on that commitment and maintains a focus on God instead of the many things that pull us away from him. That’s obvious though isn’t it?
Athletes don’t become great athletes without commitment, and God likewise has asked us for total commitment. As Pastor David said the other night at a Men’s Meeting… why do we insist on excellence on the football field and accept “good enough” in the church? You know, he was right! Wasn’t he? Jesus is not just my Savior, he’s my Lord. Church helps me maintain my focus.
Terrell Owens, wide receiver for the Cowboys, could skip a meeting or two as he’s getting ready for the game, and you know what would happen?? The Cowboys would fine him and us sports fans would criticize him. We demand excellence in football. In church we demand….
Shame, because not only can I think about God here, not only can I grow in my understanding and knowledge here, (I can learn the play book so to speak) but I can serve God, too. Being active in a church not only allows you to feed your brain, but to use your faith.
The spiritual battle is that I am constantly having my allegiances pulled away toward worldly things and toward myself. Every day the pull to live for myself only and no longer worry about my commitment to God tugs at me. It’s the same thing that happened when I was running cross country and my body constantly begged me to quit running and rest, forget about the race, forget about the prize and just rest… up here by that tree…. over there in that shade…. hey why not just fall down right here??? My body was sometimes so insistent that I did slow down and twice I even stopped! Amazingly, I never won a race by stopping or slowing down.
The challenge spiritually is similar. It’s a battle to maintain my allegiance and commitment to God, and it’s always a little disappointing when I realize I’m not giving 110%. Can I skip church, go deer hunting, or travel to a football game (like I did this season), and still be giving 110%?
Sure. I think so.
But only you can look in the mirror and answer that question for yourself.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. -I Corinthians 9:24-27 (ESV)
I was asked something along these lines in an email, and since it’s THAT time of year… hey why not talk a little about the spiritual realm?
*organ music*
Of course, the Bible doesn’t spend much time explaining demons or spirits and doesn’t even come close to the ghosts and goblins we talk about during Halloween, but there’s always something a little scarier about Bible for most of us. I’m not sure what it could be, hmmm…… maybe, because the Bible has more than a hint of the real thing?
*cue lightning flash and thunder*
Yeah. I know the majority of Americans these days don’t believe in a literal devil, despite the fact they tend to believe in a literal God. In the Bible however, Satan, fallen angels, and demons are very real. As real as you and me.
So what’s actually in there? Well if you go HERE, you’ll find several very indepth Bible Studies on such things, a lot more than I will cover in this post. Nevertheless, I thought it would be fun to scratch the surface just a bit and see if anything slithers out…. Read the rest of this entry »
Mountain View Christian Church where I pastor is an awesome place. It probably has one of the most loving, preach-the-Gospel focused atmospheres of any place I’ve been. Oh, it’s not a perfect place, but you truly get the feeling that the people here have a heart for their community and for reaching people with the message of Jesus Christ.
So this isn’t to complain about my church, or to point out any church in particular. This is maybe just a little bit of the secret that Mountain View Christian Church is starting to discover for itself…
For many people in this world, the question usually centers around meeting needs. Especially, where the church may be falling short when it comes to meeting our needs? C’mon you can think of something can’t you? Or if not your needs, someone else’s? Where is the problem in your in your life and in your community that your church should do something about? What about the preacher, or the youth minister, or the song leader, or the children’s minister, where are they falling short? How can they improve, what are they doing that you don’t agree with?
While we’re thinking about it, how do you find that perfect situation where the church is meeting your needs and doing something worthwhile for other people? Find a different church? Find the right pastor? Where do you go? How does a church accomplish all these things when it doesn’t have an unlimited budget, and when the pastors make too many mistakes?
You see, I understand many of those who voice concern DO have a point. I’m not making light of complaints or grumblings. The truth is, pastors at all levels are prone to failure, are still learning, and so are church members. Church members do complain about pastors and they often have a point. Pastors complain about church members and they often have a point.
All of us together complain about politics and we all have a point.
Alright. I’ve had it. Seriously. Enough of this being nice all the time, trying not to offend anyone about anything….
OK, it’s not like I have been doing that too much, but you get the idea. If you don’t here’s more:
Aren’t we serving God for a reason? At our own church we have an official “Purpose” and that purpose is simply Matthew 28:18-20. In those verses Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them everything Jesus taught us.
In other words, go tell people the message of Christ, and when they believe -baptize them. Then teach them the Bible. Pretty straightforward except we complicate it. Well maybe not our particular church, but the Church in general. We color it with all sorts of embroidery and pizazz and fellowship dinners. We dress it up in various arguments over doctrinal points we use to defend our traditions.
The Bible, the early church, wasn’t so complicated. They preached. People believed. They got baptized. And baptism wasn’t some ritual to be done to fulfill a “work,” baptism was an outward expression of your commitment to God to leave your old life and your sin behind, and give yourself to Jesus Christ. Baptism was clothing yourself with Christ. Baptism was an outward joining with Christianity -not a particular church or church denomination, but THE Church, THE Faith… regardless of the sign out front. (honestly, they didn’t have signs out front)
“I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.” -Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
And this guy:
“No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.” -I Timothy 5:23 (Paul giving some instructions to Timothy about various things)
Also note that Luke, the writer of Luke and Acts in the New Testament, was a physician.
-Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you.
Colossians 4:14
If being a physician or practicing medicine was a bad thing, then undoubtedly Paul would not have used it as a term of endearment…
Charles Spurgeon, one of those famous dead preachers once said this:
God does not condemn men for the use of the powers he has given them; he condemns them for the misuse of those powers; not for employing them, but for employing them as they ought not to employ them;
And undoubtedly God has given us a brain that can learn, and the ability to pursue fields in science and medicine. We can also use this ability for selfish reasons.
The military establishment, for instance, funds about 60% of all scientific research in this nation. Another good-sized portion of scientific research in America is centered around business and making money. Roughly speaking, it is safe to conclude that the vast majority of our research and development in the United States is not spent on finding cures and treating illnesses. Just as a gut reaction, do you think this is God’s intention for science? To learn new and better ways to fight other nations? Or to learn new and better ways to make a dollar? Read the rest of this entry »
For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, -I Peter 3:18-20
I was always told that Jesus descended to hell when he died, that he preached to those who lived before him, who had put their faith in God (see Hebrews 11) but had never heard the message of Jesus because they weren’t alive anymore when Christ showed up.
The evidence used for Christ or God most often by those who preached in the Bible was not the evidence of a miracle. Jesus used miracles. The early church performed miracles and Moses performed miracles. For most, however, it was the word of God and typically, the prophetic word that provided the evidence. Miracles by Moses, Jesus, & the early church leaders authenticated God’s word through them.
Why is this true?
JESUS SPEAKING TO THE PEOPLE IN HIS HOME TOWN:
“I tell you the truth,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” -Luke 4:24-27 [NIV]
First, Jesus was making a larger point to the Jews. He brought this up because in both of these examples from Israel’s history, God withheld blessing from his people and instead gave assistance to non-Jews. This was symbolic of what was happening in Jesus day. The Jews, God’s people, wouldn’t accept Jesus and so while God would bless the non-Jewish world through Christ, the Jews would be left out. In fact, their nation would cease to exist about 35 years after this in 70 AD when the Romans wiped them out.
But there’s another question.
Why is it true that God blessed two people, curing Naaman the Syrian of leprosy and providing food for a non-Jewish widow, while at the same time Jews were dying of leprosy and Jewish widows were starving to death?
Why doesn’t God give a miracle every time? Or more to the point… Why doesn’t THIS appear to be true all the time?
THE BOOK OF JAMES, GIVING VARIOUS INSTRUCTIONS AT THE END
13Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. -James 5:13-16 [NIV]
Without looking very deeply, this passage obviously seems to say that if the elders of the church anoint someone with oil and pray for them, they will get well. Period. They will be healed. Yet I know of times when this doesn’t seem to work. Someone prayed for by the elders, even anointed with oil according to the verses above, doesn’t always get better. Or least not for as long as we’d like. Why? Read the rest of this entry »
The biggest problem with the Creation and Evolution debate, for me at least, is the fact that God didn’t do things in a completely natural way. Oh, he could have, and it would have saved us all a lot of trouble, but nooooo… God had to go and jump into the world a couple of times and that messes everything up.
Every now and then I write these huge answers to a comment, then I think, why not post this thing? So here’s my attempt at an answer to a great question about the Jehovah Witnesses. (when they come to your door, tell them the crazypastor said hi!)
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It is hard sometimes to know where to begin with the Jehovah Witness Church. They have many beliefs about a great many things that come from their own church tradition and their official interpretations. And you know, as soon as I say that, immediately someone from a Jehovah Witness Church might object and say that it isn’t their interpretation, but it is THE interpretation. It’s the rest of us who are wrong!
That’s my point.
Generally the Jehovah Witnesses Church considers itself right and everyone else wrong. They aren’t the only Church like that mind you. Nevertheless, differences of opinion are not allowed. They have even produced their own Bible translation, with the wording changed in many keys places to agree with their own doctrine. They of course claim this version is the most accurate translation even though Greek and Hebrew scholars wouldn’t agree.
In John 1 for instance, John makes a clear statement indicating that Jesus shared in the essence of God.
The American Standard Version of 1901 (usually considered the most accurate to the original languages) translates it this way: John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (Word = Jesus)
The Jehovah Witness Church’s version of the Bible reads this way: “In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.”
(Notice Jesus was just a god in this one, not part of THE God. That’s because the Jehovah Witness Church doesn’t believe in the traditional Christian teaching of the Trinity. More on this later…)Read the rest of this entry »
As a pastor, one of the biggest pitfalls to avoid is getting so busy you …
Do you expect me to say: “don’t spend enough time with your family?”
Do you expect me to say: “don’t spend enough time formulating a vision?”
Do you expect me to say: “preparing for a sermon?”
Any of those would work. All would be true from time to time, as well as several other blank fillers. But they aren’t the biggest pitfall in my opinion. I wasn’t going to say those…
The Christian faith is, and always has been, a deeply personal give and take between a human being and God. It takes just a few minutes of skimming the New Testament to see that they weren’t talking about “The Church,” or policies, or human rights violations, or political issues, or church growth strategies.
Neither Paul, Peter, Jesus, nor anyone else was writing to the churches and making arrangements for their visits, sending advanced teams, speaking about follow-up when they left, or demanding a speaking fee of any kind.
It was always about the message, not the messenger -except of course with Jesus, who nevertheless remained humble about it.
I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. -John 5:30-31
This is important to remember because many churches this past Sunday had a contentious morning. Many had uncomfortable mornings. Many people in churches last Sunday are worried today over issues in their church, or upset at certain people in their church.
You may have been wounded by the accusations of someone in church, or the gossip that you catch out of the corner of your ears. Someone else may be stirring up dissension against the preacher, the youth director, or the worship leader, complaining to anyone who will listen. The Church leaders might not be handling an issue as you believe they should. You might be forced to cover someone’s Sunday School for the upteenth time because they didn’t show up. Something still might not be fixed that should have been fixed. It may seem no one appreciates you, or no one seems to show up on time, or the sound system isn’t working right, or the person running the computer isn’t paying enough attention, or maybe the sermons aren’t strong enough, good enough, or well put together, or ….
Here comes Dean. The strength and power of nature makes us feel so small. I believe a similar feeling will occur when we stand in front of God. Throughout the Bible, from Isaiah to John to the soldiers who guarded the tomb of Jesus, the presence of God in power seemed to make grown men feel very small indeed.
No easy answers in the next story. A Catholic Church in Peru was holding a funeral mass when the 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck. The roof caved in and many, including the church choir, the family of the deceased, and others were buried under it. CNN’s Harris Whitbeck described the scene and wondered allowed, “I couldn’t understand how this man and these women of the cloth could remain so calm, their faith so apparently unshaken while they contemplated the ruins of the church and the loss of people so dear to them.”
Besides Hank Aaron’s record getting broken by a juiced up, grumpy 43 year old…
Out of the book of Daniel, three big predictions
– Rise of the Final Kingdom
– Ruler Who Will Come
– Abomination that Causes Desolation set up in the temple
The final kingdom has been believed for many years to be a revived Roman Empire of sorts. Daniel 9:25-27 for instance said “the people of the ruler who will come” would destroy the temple after the Messiah was “cut off” (Jesus was killed around 36-41 AD). We know the “ruler” was probably the Anti-Christ from many of the things Daniel says, and in 70 AD the Romans destroyed the temple. So… there you go. Revived Roman Empire. That’s just one of the places that indicates it.
It is interesting that so many major religions of the world are currently looking for a Messiah-type figure to arrive. Islam has their 12th Imam, Judiasm is still waiting for the Messiah since they decided Jesus wasn’t it, Christians await Jesus’ return, and Scientology already has their Messiah figure evidently in the person of Tom Cruise.
It’s hard to write anything about ministry that doesn’t use the terms we’ve grown accustomed to -almost all of which have a more feminine quality to them. Church-speak, we must admit, is decidely feminine: Care. Nuture. Provide. Children’s Ministry. Commitment. Passion. Love. Compassion. Grace….
Grace after all, is the name of a girl.
So is Faith.
So is Hope.
When was the last time you said OUT-LOUD you wanted to have an “intimate relationship” with another guy?
Probably last Sunday.
Almost everything a church does these days automatically sounds feminine because we have conditioned ourselves to view Church stuff in a decidely feminine way. The good news is, however, church doesn’t preclude man-stuff. For instance, guys like to fix things and solve problems. When we help the poor, we don’t just need love, but tough love that says “C’mon, get out of bed and take responsibility for yourself!”
Sound harsh? Welcome to Man-World 101. That was actually a very loving comment. If spit flew out of your mouth when you yelled it, it just means you care.
When we help those in need that doesn’t just mean giving them comfort, but fixing their car, building an addition to their house, replacing a door…etc…
The problem with Churches, is we have food ministries in every church, but very few “car-fixing ministries.” We go to the poor districts of our cities and steal their kids to take them to some Children’s thing, but rarely walk into the poor districts and start sharing the Gospel or give free financial training. Or start a pick-up basketball game on their turf.
But ultimately, to really do Men’s Ministry you have to take risks. Demand sacrifice. Attempt the impossible. Do something scary. That’s what guys live for. It makes life more fun for us. It’s why most church-guys secretly rented the movie 300 when it came out on pay-per view this week…
So…. haven’t you heard? God wants you to have that promotion! If you give money, God will give you a nicer car! God doesn’t want you to be poor. I see financial success for you in the coming days…
Sound familiar? It’s the “Health & Wealth” doctrine. Giant slogans, catchy lines, and a message built around telling you that if you just join God, if you will start giving in the offering plate, if you will only have more faith, then all of God’s material blessings will rain down upon you. It’s a gospel built around self, and like any good, destructive doctrine, it has some truth in it. It’s just a little off. Read the rest of this entry »
The rancor against Creationist viewpoints, and the arguments swirling around the media and the internet over Intelligent Design come down to only a couple of things: Is the account in Genesis true or not? And is evolutionary theory at least partially true or not?
There is, unfortunately, a distinct inflexibility on the part of most people to believe that intelligent life exists on the other side of the debate. Regardless of which side you are on.
I hope I can respectfully add a few specifics about the actual Genesis account, and whether you are an evolutionist, a creationist, an intelligent design proponent, a college professor, or a normal well adjusted individual… hopefully the following will at least give you a more accurate basis from which to debate. Read the rest of this entry »
Remember all the stories about smuggling Bibles into the Soviet Union? You don’t? Okay, you must be young. Well, I wonder how many free speech people would defend Saudi Arabia’s policy of confiscating any Bibles coming into their country? The spiritual battle is the real front line in the Middle East.
No Republican candidates agreed to show up at a forum on Gay & Lesbian Issues sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, one of the predominant organizations advocating the rights of gay, lesbian and transgender people. CNN reported this today, but you have to read the article to also know that Senator Joseph Biden and Senator Chris Dodd, both Democrats, claimed to have scheduling conflicts and will miss the event as well. Calling the practice of homosexuality a sin usually doesn’t go over well at these forums… Read the rest of this entry »
I just had a question, but before he would answer a question, the customer service rep wanted some of my information. I should have said, no, but I gave him my information. When he started reading the required disclosures, I realized he was signing me up for a credit card. I protested and explained I didn’t want a credit card I just had a question. He stopped reading, answered my question, tried to sell me the credit card and again I said no and hung up.
