Live from Seattle!

Snow is the coolest, isn't it? I mean its one of those few things that makes all grown ups act and even feel like little kids again. Of course when it happens in the South or here in Seattle it also makes a mess of things since it is such a rare occurrence.

The view from the plane last night was pretty cool though. Snow covering everything here in Seattle, and it was at night so that made it look cool too. (Yeah, if you haven't figured it out yet, Shaw and I are in Seattle for Christmas with her family)

One thing that became very clear to me on the trip yesterday was just how sanctifying air travel is. I mean have any of us flown around Christmas time and not had some sort of delay or been overwhelmed by the 50 million other ppl that are traveling as well? Well while i was in Atlanta last night (with extra time on my hands because of a delay) I decided to walk around the terminal we were in for a while.

While walking i started thinking about what makes me different (as far as being a Christian goes) from the rest these people i am walking past. Then another question occurred to me that I have had a good time meditating on since then. What would Christ have looked like walking through the busy E Terminal of Atlanta's airport? Not the full blown ministry Christ, but the pre-baptism Christ. After the beginning of his public ministry he would have always had people following him and recognizing him no doubt. But what about before? What do you suppose Christ would have acted like? Clearly his character never changed, but what about the way he interacted with the world before that?

Just interesting to think about I guess...

Merry CHRISTmas from the frozen North West! Much love to all 3 of my readers!

I know...

So it has been a while... I have no excuse really, other than I was just to lazy or unmotivated. But since once again i was hounded by all 3 of you to add something I will indulge my fans!

Nothing really deep on the radar right now... I have been studying through Romans for the HS Sunday school class i teach. I think i am actually starting to understand what Paul was after in chapters 6 and 7. At least it seems like at certain points i have flashes of "oh! yeah!" I am also actually starting to revise my thesis! HAHA!! I am not lying either! I have a lot of work though, so its kinda hard to get super motivated to do it. I also have an opportunity to give my pastor a break from preaching Jan 11th, so that will be good. I think im gonna take his input at dig in to Luke 23 and work on something that has to deal with how to overcome evil with good.

Speaking of my pastor; i got to sit down and share lunch with him this week and as always left feeling encouraged and challenged. If you don't have a shepherd in your life that is challenging you and encouraging you, FIND ONE!! It is a shame for any believer to live their lives without close fellowship and shepherding in the local body! anyway... There were many things that he encouraged me with as we talked about the upcoming birth of my first man-child, but there were really two that stuck with me.

1st i expressed my concern over being a good father. it really freaks me out that i have to be one. and i want to be a good one. i want to have a relationship with my son like my pastor has with his and enjoy close fellowship and relationship with my kids. i want them to know that i love them deeply and i care for them no matter what. most of all i want them to come to know God. As usual the advice given to me from my pastor was simple and profound. It went something along the lines of "If you want to be a good father, be a good husband. If you want to be a good husband be a good Christian." Simply put, be a good Christian. Make mistakes, repent, learn from them, and love Christ. It's so simple that even i can understand it, but its so scary because i am aware of how lame i am as a Christian...

...that brings me to the 2nd thing he said that really encouraged me. He was talking about his own walk with God and how he is aware of his tendency to pull away and allow his relationship with God to become cold, and he shared with me how it vital it is that he begs God for the ability and the grace to not be like that and to overcome that coolness and apathy.

And then it all hit me later on in the week... God! I need you!! I am desperately lost and wretched without you!! I will surely be a lame and worthless father and husband if you do not change my heart and grant me grace upon grace! God change me please! Help this worthless man! God help me! Be with me...


... And if it be your will, Save my child!

Say what?!

Have you ever read one of those passages in the Gospels where Jesus is explaining something or interacting with someone and he makes some statement that seems to be completely out of no where, or completely unrelated to the topic at hand? Well I had a question posed to me at work this week and the passage in question had one of those lil statements, and after i worked through it and finally understood it; i came to the conclusion that in those situations it is that enigmatic statement that is probably the key to understanding, interpreting, and applying the passage.
So wanna know what i figured out? (don't hold your breath Jim, you already have this one sorted out) The passage in question can be found in Matt 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-22; or Luke 18:18-30. There is one phrase in these passages that seems completely out of place, or at least at the hight of randomness, and it comes right at the beginning of the conversation between Jesus and this really rich, important dude.
"Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone" (Luke 18:19). Well lets see Jesus... umm you are God, and at the very least you seem to be doing some really good things like heal people and take care of people. So yeah, I would probably call you good too. What does that have to do with this whole conversation about entering the kingdom of God?
Come to find out; EVERYTHING! What is the purpose of this story? What is Jesus trying to teach and reveal to us in this interaction? Well how does it end? It ends with the important, wealthy guy walking away upset, Christ saddened, and everyone else confused. But why did the important dude leave upset? Well because he was apparently stinking rich and liked being that way.
Jesus tells our friend, that in order to inherent the kingdom, you need to keep the law. Our friend positively replys he has done this. We all smile sarcastically at the naeivity of our friend... DUDE! no one can pull that off... but Jesus doesn't argue this point with the fella like we all want too. He lets him have that point, and makes one more stipulation. Take everything you have, sell it off, give it all to other people in need, and the come follow me. Ahh yes, the deal breaker...
But why didn't Jesus argue the whole keeping the law point?
Well He was/is God, so he had a perfect understanding of the situation and our boy's heart. He knew just as well as we did that this really important dude didn't keep the law like he said, but what else he knew was that the issue with this guy wasn't keeping the law as much as it was a divided heart.
This guy was trying to do it on his own. Our important friend was setting up his own standard of good (which was no doubt way low) and nailing it every time. Jesus knows this and as soon as He hears the word "good" out of the rich guys mouth, he cuts to the chase. Our boy's standard of good was off. It was a man made standard. The rich guy was all about situations that he could benefit from with as little cost as possible. Jesus simply begins by stripping away this false standard and laying his royal flush of sorts right out on the table.
God demands perfection and radical commitment to His cause. No one can be a part of His kingdom and still run their own kingdom on the side. We all want it Good, but the standard that we have set up for good is soooo much lower than what it should be. This guy is no different. He wanted in, but he wanted in on his terms. God's terms didn't seem good to him. This isnt any different than what He asks of every other person when they are confronted with the exclusivity of Christ.

Whats the app here? Let's answer a few questions and see if that helps us understand.

First: What was our boy looking for? A way in on his terms. R U?

Second: Do you really believe that God is good? Then by definition God's way would always be the best.

Third: Where does all good come from? Well the theological answer is God. So when you begin to think about this whole interaction; if the rich, important dude would have stopped and paid attention to what Christ says at the beginning, (you know the part where no one is good but GOD) then the rest of the conversation would have never happened. The only reason he was rich was because God was so very good he blessed this guy. Our problem is that we as human beings get hung up on the good things we are blessed with and miss out on what is really good, or best!

If we enjoy stuff like this w/o submission to God's authority and rule, imagine what it might be like if we did submit to God's authority! There is a whole new (eternal) world of good that we haven't even touched.

So you gonna keep eating the knock off brand of chips, or are you gonna eat some Lays Wavy Potato chips? Both good, but one is better than the other and we all know it.

(One more note while I am thinking about it. If you live in America, the EU, or any other 1st world nation you are so stinking rich its not even funny. I don't care if you only make 25k a year, compared to the rest of the world you live like a king!)

I dream of...

...Jeannie

...Falling

...being naked in public

...specific revelation?

I will admit to the top 3, but the 4th; not so much. So i had this conversation today... Actually i opened my big mouth when i knew better and got into a long, worthless, waste of oxygen debate on whether or not God still speaks to His children in dreams. I say "still", because the first obvious observation on the discussion is that the Old and New Testament are full of recorded dreams that God used to communicate any number of different things as general as the rise and fall of a nation to specific as "there will be a guy showing up to your house, he has killed Christians in the past, he will not be able to see, you will heal him, he will be a great man of God..." (obvious paraphrase)

So why not now? Why can't we expect God to reveal things to us in dreams now? Obviously the question is not about ability. The fact that He has, and that He is God makes it more than possible. Not that anything is hard for God, but if you had to rank dream weaving on a scale of difficulty for God, I doubt it makes the top 1 billion.

So the question becomes need and purpose, wouldn't you agree? God does nothing simply to do it, all things are in His sovereign control for the purpose of working out His perfect will. The answers to need and purpose will give us the best idea of whether or not it in fact happens.

Lets start with need first...

Does God need to reveal anything to human beings? YES! The biggest being that we are created, our original parents sinned, they represented every last one of us, we all die because of sin, we cannot have a relationship with God because of sin, God had to fix it, He did fix it, we have a way to fellowship with God, it is an exclusive way, and once we begin that path, it is narrow and there are expectations that God has for those He has redeemed, oh and finally in the end God turns out to be the winner and rules forever...
Cool thing is, He reveals all that too us and so much more than we can ever grasp or understand in that thing we call the B I B L E (yes thats the book for me...) The Bible is God's revelation of Himself to man. In that Bible God, through a human author (which is so amazing it makes my head hurt) said this; and i quote... " His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. " And if you aren't sure what he is talking about finishing reading the rest of the chapter... He is talking about truth. Ahhh what is truth? The Bible tells us that too!

So in this revelation that God has so graciously (seriously, He didn't have to reveal a freaking thing to us!) reavealed to us, He makes it clear that what He has revealed should be enough for us lil ol human beings while we live our lives out here on earth. So He did need to reveal himself to us, YES! and HE DID!

Does He still need to? Well i guess that depends. Do you believe that what the Bible says is correct? Yes?

GOOD!

Well then if the Bible claims sufficiency, then its safe to say that's all we need. Here is my problem with saying that God still uses dreams to reveal specific revelation to human beings... That implies that this direct revelation given to you was so important that God had to give it to you and you alone, and that also implies that what He had given you before this (the Bible) wasn't enough by itself. Honestly there is no way to resolve it! Trust me i have thought it through and tried! You can't say that the Bible is completely sufficient and all you need and in that same breath claim that God is revealing things to you directly that are specific to you and your situation and not already revealed to you in the BIBLE! HE HAS NO NEED TO DO SO IF WHAT HE GAVE YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE WAS ALL YOU NEEDED! (sorry im still worked up)

Second issue: Purpose

What would be the purpose in direct revelation apart from scripture? If there is no need, then there is no purpose. I realize that is sort of a straw man argument, but if you really think about it, the only real issue is need. If there is no need, it undermines purpose. God does everything for a reason. If you want to argue that He doesn't; do me a favor and stop reading my blog, you're wasting what little time you have left before eternal judgment. God had a very specific purpose every time He revealed himself directly to a human being. If you go back and read those amazing OT stories of Joseph, Jacob, Abram, Moses, Joshua, Daniel, you can see the need and purpose for why God did what He did. If they had had the Bible in the form we have it today, they wouldn't have needed it, and most of them had a better understanding of what little they did have then we will ever have of the whole thing that we have.

The reason this is such an issue for me is because I LOVE the Word of God!! And I HATE anything that would cast doubt or call into question the Word of the Almighty! It is the most precious possession we have, and as post New Testament believers we are blessed beyond measure with what we have. I can't imagine what Moses, Daniel, David, or Nehemiah would have done to have what we have!

The sad thing is... and we all know it... we waste it. We take it for granted. I am so spiritually rich and yet i act just like the Hilton sisters in all their glory. Spoiled as can be and dumb as a rock...

God forgive me...

Bull...

Did you ever play that card game... you know the one... you always called it "BS". The one where you lie about what cards and how many you are putting down... I always did love that game. And I honestly think, if my flawed memory serves me not so well, it was the thing that actually got me thinking about the topic I came across tonight in an email i got from a friend.

First thing I want you to do is check the video out. The man in the video is, in my humble opinion, a very godly, intelligent, and respectable person. I am also guessing that after you watch the video, you will read the article that comes along with it.

My question is this: Who do you agree with? Who's response do you think is out of line? Honestly I want to know.

And, just because I can, I'll add my 1.5 cents... (its my blog anyway)

Shockingly enough for those of you who know me, I agree with Dr. Tripp, and I am irritated by Steve Camp's response. What Dr. Tripp is doing is applying what the Bible teaches (theology) to life (practical theology). He is making a great point about what makes things sinful or wrong. He didn't refer to it in the video, but the first thing that comes to my mind is the Sermon on the Mount. This is what Christ was doing for His audience. He was explaining what is most important. THE HEART!! Words are meaningless by themselves! I can use the most PC, Vanilla, Unoffensive words in the world and express the most vile, foul, sinful things possible.

While I agree with Dr. Tripp, I guess the only thing I would do to maybe help our more easily agitated and irritable brothers and sisters to enter into the waters of practical theology with less reactionism would be to replace the use of the word he chose with the word ass.

Why ass? you ask. Well its even better for making the point, because even my KJV only friends have to admit that this word has changed in acceptability and usage as far as culture is concerned. Notice all the non-authorized versions have since left that term for a beast of burden out.

Alright, lets hop in our little time machine and head on back to 1611 shall we... If i was conversing with any of my good friends, born again or not, and i referred to my pack mule as my ass no one would have batted an eye at me. So far so good, eh? Ok well lets keep it going. Lets say that as my ass and I were trotting along with my friends, we have a run in with a rather unpleasant fellow who felt that my friends and i were taking up too much of the road on with our asses. As a way to express my displeasure and unloving feelings for this man's response I referred to him as an ass in conversations with my friends as we continue the journey.

What made one usage any different than the other. The word itself is culturely acceptable, right? Fast-forward 397 years... replace my friends and i riding donkeys with mountain bikes, and the word ass with donkey. Do you see the difference, or lack there of?

Lets be honest, in most circles i run in, if i were to refer to a donkey or mule as an ass it still wouldn't go over so well, now would it. And i don't! Not because the word has since become sinful and I shouldn't use it, but because the culture I live in dictates that it isn't appropriate for me to use that particular word in a public setting. (Now I may refer to my friend as an ass in jest, but it will only be because i am 100% sure that he and i are on the same page on what matters, and the situation and all that, which would be another whole post) The word isn't the issue. The word is a marker that helps me to understand and navigate the culture i live in, so that I can be as effective as possible in my proclamation of the Gospel, both in my speech and my life.

Why are we as Christians either so afraid of culture that we detach and lose influence (i.e. modern science/nameless and countless other bastions of faith that have disproportionately large populations compared to their impact on the local culture and community) or so enamored with it that we adopt it and begin to change our theology to fit in with it (i.e. the emgerant conversation/seeker-sensative movements).

Where's the freaking balance!?

Sneaky Christians?

So i was listening to this chapel message by Mark Discoll the other day and he was talking about a lot of different things that had to do with his involvement in the Emergent Church movement, and his eventual break with those that are at the head of this monster know as "The Conversation". In the course of his discussion he brought up the point about how we as Christians should interact with the world around us. How we should present the truth and so forth. He referred to Mars Hill in Acts 17, and using the example of Paul he stated that we as Christians should be subversive in our interaction with the world and how we share the Truth. In essence what i understood him to say (and I'm gonna go back and have another listen cause it was that good) was that the Truth never changes, but we have to know who we are talking to, and that depending on our audience, our message may SOUND different or look a bit different, while the truth itself is never changed. ( I may not even be doing such a hot job of explaining it, so you may want to listen for yourself. Its from the Convergent Conference 2007)

Anyway, this is something that I have been really rolling around in my mind A TON.

I guess the basic question that i am left with is: "How much does our presentation of the Gospel change when we deal with different audiences?" How do we contextualize the truth without compromising its integrity? It has to happen. That is obvious. The obvious would be in extreme cases like my boy Nathan and his wife Emily who have gone to China. The way that he will explain the truth of Christ will be SO MUCH different than what he is used to in some ways. It has to be, he is in a completely different culture! The context of life is way different. They're commies for cryin out loud!

BUT...

How much? How far? Is that what is wrong with so many of our efforts to reach people? Have we lost touch with culture? (And if you think that is a good thing, read Acts 17 again... Paul was in touch with the culture there in Athens.) I wonder... is it really as sharp of a razors edge as it seems to be?

And the answer is...

Don't over think it... (mom) :) It's simple, or at least it seemed to me to be that way from what I remember from the story of Abraham. OBEDIENCE! But what motivates this obedience? Why was it that Abraham was so committed to this YHWH character that had him uproot his family and move to the boondocks?

For one: Love. Look at what YHWH promises Abe. Land, Nation, and Blessing on the entire world thru ol' Abe. God shows all this grace, blessing, and favor to Abe, and he understands that the least he can do is obey when he is asked to do something. Don't believe me... go back and ready thru Genesis again and look at some of the crazy things that Abe was asked to do.

For two: Fear. YHWH can and should very well strike fear into the heart of anyone who truly understands (as much as is humanly possible) who it is they are dealing with. Abe had that figured out too. Don't think so? Go read Genesis again my friend.

It really should be what motivates us all. Think about it. When we sin, its because either we've forgotten what Christ did for us on the cross and all that He gave for us... OR ...We have forgotten all that Christ suffered on the cross as He became the object of God's hate of sin.

I know there is a ton more here that i could dig into, but maybe I'll just get you started instead.

-Grace-

Back by Popular Demand!

Ok, so maybe not, but at least I will satisfy the 2 of you that have inquired about my lack of posting.

I don't really have a lot on my mind at this point, but I thought I would share a question with you that I had my Sunday School class ponder this past week. We have been working our way through Romans. ( I know! I think its cool too!) We were finishing up chapter 4 and discussing the whole deal of justification by faith.

For the sake of time I am going to have to leave a lot of the background work and reading to you, but anyway we boiled the discussion down to one main issue. What saves people? The answer is easy, right? Altogether now... FAITH! YAY!! So thats it... man that was easy... but then you start to think about the whole issue that is raised in Chapter 4. If I am justified (made positional perfect/righteous before God) then why the heck would I worry about doing what is right all the time. (Because if we are all honest, most of the time doing the right thing is usually the harder of the 2 options we are pondering at that particular time.)

So the question then becomes: "If I am justified by Faith, then what is my motivation for doing what is pleasing to God?"

So what's your answer? Leave it in the comments, BUT you can only answer the question from Romans 4. Let's see what ya got!

Why Unicorns and Jesus have nothing in common...

Did I get your attention? Well this blog post got my attention, and here is my stab at a response. I have read through the entire thing at least twice, some of it more than that. The reason I decided to take the time to respond should hopefully be obvious by the time I'm done. So my suggestion first and foremost is go read it for yourself. That way you can see that as much as possible I am trying to be honest with what I read, and I'm not trying to rape any context or anything violent like that. So with all that said...

If you're like me, when you started off reading you feel there is some real possibility for the subject matter and all. Believe it or not, i like the unicorn idea, and the whole opening section. I agree as well that there is a HUGE issue with how Christians deal with Atheists. I agree that the Atheistic movement and "The Brights" and all that seem to be a branch of Atheism that is interested in an evangelism of its own... thats scary itself. Anyway, yeah we as Christians seem to have a hard time dealing with these people.

I even agree with Mr. Peacock's first main point about understanding that Atheist don't believe in God and keeping that in mind when you talk with them.

BUT...

The second point that he follows up that first one with and pretty much all subsequent points that follow are in some serious need of critical thought and biblical wisdom. Consider some of the following quotes from that section. (These should just be for refreshment, because I am sure you already read it for yourself)

"They're not wrong - no more than you are in asserting that your faith in the tenets of Christianity are all you need to live your life."

I believe it is at this point that the author really reveals a lot about themselves. If you read the quote in context you get a better idea of the issue here... The author is dealing with the main issue that ultimately all evangelism comes down to. ABSOLUTE TRUTH! Where do we find it? Is it a fact? How do we know? etc... The last statement in the same section confirms that this is the issue at hand.

"It's crazy to buy something you can't prove exists, isn't it?"

So what we are really arguing over or talking about, or whatever you want to call it, is Faith. You put your faith in science as an Atheist. You say you don't need faith because Science is all about fact and what you can know and doesn't deal with things that can't be proven, and yet it deals with the origin of man and universe, which is completely unobservable by man, and so therefore in the purest since of the word, cannot be science. Not to mention the whole paragraph smacks of post-modern ideology.

So True, atheist don't need to believe in God, but they still need faith...

Next issue. Consider the following paragraph that describes the typical response to a conversation about God, faith, religion, Christ, etc.

"When you did any of those things, did you notice an eye roll? Did the person groan? Did they shift in their seat and, at the very least, say they would go (or research what you just said, or give the matter some thought) and then never got back to you?These techniques probably feel natural to you. They feel like you're sharing the good news of your faith and the joy it brings to your life, and it probably feels great to share that joy with others."

It is right after this that he compares your effort to talk about Christ with an Amway sales person.

My question is this; Who's problem is it that your conversation about the truth of Scripture is making them uncomfortable? Consider Christ's own words in John 15:18-19. Should we not expect that response most of the time, no matter if they are an Atheist or not?

Then there was this idea, and seriously I loved it...

"Again, try to put yourself outside of your own perspective and into the shoes of your intended audience. You're interrupting their time and space to bring them a message you feel is important. And sure, you have the right to choose your faith and the right to free speech, but as GK Chesterton said, to have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it. And ultimately, "You need to hear this because I need to say it" is the ultimate in self-serving causes... And if you're serving yourself, you certainly aren't serving God."

Right on! We better make sure we have the right motives for why we do what we do! But shouldn't love motivate us to tell everyone we know and have opportunity to talk with, that they are wearing the cross-hairs of God's Wrath squarely on their shoulders. "Naw man, you're cool... that just looks like a huge set of cross-hairs. God isn't really that worried about what you're up to." That could be the most unloving thing i could ever think to do to someone.

I also take issue with the paragraph where the author blames this "interruption tactic" evangelism on the rise of Atheism in our world. I would purpose (as my elder at church Dr. Marks has already done) that the reason the Atheistic movement is in such blossom, is that as a whole, Christians have written off science, and higher thinking. Instead of trying to become as educated as we can and interact with them on their level, we have tossed the baby out with the bathwater. Be honest, as a whole, Christians are a pretty uneducated lot. Do i believe in creationism? YES! That doesn't mean i shouldn't learn as much as i can about how the scientific data that we have points to the truth of Scripture about creation. Instead, we give all that data and evidence, and allow the atheist to do what they will with it, completely unopposed. Shame on us!

Although there is much more that i take issue with in this post, there is only one more that i will deal with here. (maybe i'll finish it up later in a part 2! that will keep all 4 of you on the edge of your seats, won't it?)

What is the goal of evangelism? Pretty basic question to ask if you want to talk about it right? Well here is Mr. Peacock's answer:

"And the goal is to get people to follow the teachings of Christ and live a Christ-like life, right?"

Well, no actually i would disagree. The goal I believe is to expose people to Christ, and then pray like crazy that God will actually change their hearts so that they will be able to understand and apply truth, and then they will be able to follow and live Christ. Consider Paul's words here in I Cor. 1:22-24. We can do nothing to change a person's behavior. We want them to come to a deep and real understanding of the Truth of Christ and the power of His resurrection. Only then, through the power of the Holy Spirit will they be able to live and follow Christ. While you're at it take a gander at Romans 6.

Really what scares me, is that most all of us could read that post and at some time or another in our day or lives would totally agree with it. It looks good! But like my mom tells all her students; its like an ice cream Sunday with just the smallest amount of poison. That's how the Enemy is most effective.

Keep your guard up!

I'm not dead yet...

but you have to admit there are some days when you really understand the bit about death losing it's sting".
been a while since I've been on here so I am sure all 3 of my readers are long gone. oh well... its been busy that's for sure.
These past few months have been filled with pressure, pain, and disappointment. God is dealing with me for sure. As if you needed to be reminded about God's sovereignty, even over the little things; here is the passage that God brought me to about 2 days before this last run of trials began. So needless to say, I was warned. :)

But as I arrived home tonight with a heart full of disappointment again something occurred to me while seated in the bathroom. (some would say that that is best place for deep thinking) So if you can get past the place where the thinking went on, let me fill you in...

it isn't ground breaking and it really isn't that deep, but it was what started me out of the hole i was in. I Peter 5:6-7 "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you."
Look this is it. Humility says I am not numero uno. There is someone bigger, better, greater, and its about them not me. That someone is God, who by the way if you are a child of His, CARES FOR YOU!!! LOVES YOU!!! (this is how it went in my head). The reason i can cast all the anxiety, all the cares, all the needs, all the concerns on Him is because of two HUGELY (not a word i think) important facts. God is sovereign. That means He is in absolute control. Nothing happens or exists outside of His control. If it did, He wouldn't be sovereign. Second important fact: God is love. Not God loves, God is LOVE. Complete and utter concern for the person being love, and doing what is best for them. So He does whatever he pleases, and it is His pleasure to love His children. It can't go wrong! It won't be a loss for me!

It still hurts though... BUT... God is faithful!

It was huge for me tonight. Maybe God led you here so that it might encourage you too.

What I read on the NY Times Website that didn't shock me...

...but scares me when I think about the nation my children will grow up in.

What I wish I would have applied then that I understand now

So I had the opportunity to share some truth with the entire high school today in chapel. The title pretty much sums up the jumping off point that I used to get started today. Over all I felt like things went rather well, and I've since received some positive feed back. (which i never really know how to take... i mean if you were blessed by something i said, i am thrilled, but only because God used me, so it wasn't really me that did anything other than open my mouth) But i thought i would put it up here for all 4 of you to read as well. Maybe it reminds you and encourages you. Maybe it helps you understand me better. Maybe God will use it here too!
So my background is pretty much the one where you grow up in a Christian home, you always go to church, and you know all the right things to say and how to act Christian. I got some more practice at acting Christian in HS since i went to the same Christian HS that i now work at. There are two things I am sure of as i look back at my "Christian" HS experience. 1) I was 100% sure i was a believer then. 2) I'm about 95% sure now, that i wasn't a believer then.
So as i thought more and more about what i would tell these students who sit where i had sat, and many of whom think like i thought, i decided that i would tell them what i wish i would have applied (not known, because most of us already know it) to my life then, that would have saved me a lot of trouble, hurt, regret, and pain now. What would I tell myself if i had the opportunity to go back and tell skinny little HS Mark, what would i want me to know? I came up with 2 things...
1) The decision you make now carry consequences far beyond HS. The decisions you make now set the stage for the decisions you make later. Good or bad. Don't be foolish enough (like i was) to think you can live for yourself now, and sometime later you'll get everything worked out with you and God.
The best example i can think of when it comes to this mistake (outside of myself), is David. Like I said, its nothing we don't already know. But take some time and remind yourself about the most infamous incident in David's life. Did good ol' King Dave set out that fateful spring to make a baby with another man's wife? NOPE! Then how the heck did it happen? It was all in the decisions. Look closely at the 1st 6 verses.
v1) "But David remained in Jerusalem": Nothing sinful with this decision. Maybe he just wanted to take the spring off. Maybe he wanted to stay home and spend more time with his family. There are a ton of maybes that we can throw in here, but one thing is for certain, you can't call the decision sinful. What seems to be the key here though, is that this isn't where David belongs. It wasn't the wisest decision.
v2) "and the woman was very beautiful...": Why does this phrase stick out to me so much? Well how did he know she was beautiful? He took a look that was long enough to allow him to observe those details; probably more than one look in fact. He found himself in a position that would be very tempting for most men... a naked lady in plain sight. Do i look away, or do i make a closer inspection. It doesn't seem to far off to say that David had crossed from a look to an inspection. Why was he in this position in the first place? See verse 1 again.
v3 "And David sent and inquired about the woman..." While we can make some educated guess as to why he makes this inquiry, he may have allowed himself to make this step based on some sort of feigned decency. "Who would take a bath on a roof like that? Out in the open for people to see? Who is this lady? What's her deal? I need to get to the bottom of this!"
From there its all down hill... once he knew who she was, he sent for her, slept with her, conceived a child with her, murdered her husband, and took her for a wife. How in the world did we get here!? See verse 1. The decisions we make now will set us up for the decisions we make later. We can't expect to be able to live our life for ourselves and make decisions based on what we want one day, and then expect to be able to magically switch gears the next day and automatically make good, wise, God honoring decisions. Don't hear me say that once we have made bad decisions there is no hope for change. The point here is, once we make selfish, unwise decisions, its easier to make more of those same decisions than it is to make wise ones in their place, and vice-versa.
2) The Christian life is just that... a LIFE.
What are you about? Here is a fun little exercise... ask your closest friend/family member to answer that question for you with complete honesty. See there shouldn't be a part of our life that is the Christian part of us that remains separate for the weekend us, and the "no one is looking" us. If we have been truly born again, then our life should be saturated with Christ. It should bleed over into every last aspect of who we are.
The best example from the Bible that i can think of for this is Judas. Why? Well lets observe a little bit about our friend, shall we?
Historical Background: The Jews are looking for a political Messiah that will throw off Roman rule and oppression and set up an earthly government that puts the Jews at the top of the food chain. This was the common understanding of the Messiah in this day. Judas is a normal Jew that would have understood the Messiah like the rest of the normal Jews of his day.
What we can learn about Judas from scripture seems to indicate that he was particularly fond of money, and most likely what he could buy/do with that money. He finds this guy named Jesus who people are saying might be the Messiah. He seems to be able to do some pretty incredible things. He hangs out in interest. Jesus then recruits Judas to be one of his students. BINGO! Free ride to the top! Judas has hit it big... man he can't even believe it!
The rub... As the movement gets rolling and things seem to be headed in the right direction, all of the sudden Jesus starts talking about dying and what have you. Maybe it was a mistake, or one of those tricky parables that Jesus likes to tell... but no... he keeps talking about it. He really thinks he is going to die! He wants to die!? This guy isn't the real deal! He is just like every other fake Messiah that tried to throw off Roman rule before! This is a sinking ship!! I have to get out of here, and fast. And on the way out, he figures out a way to make a little bit more money off this fake. Sell him out...
What went wrong!? Think about it! How could you walk, talk, eat, sleep, laugh, cry, etc. with the Son of God for 3 years or more and not really believe? How could you be a part of some really amazing things and not really buy into what was going on around you?
I think the answer is simple. The "Christian" Judas was only a small isolated part of who Judas was. It wasn't real. He had found a way to restrict his "Christianity" to a small part of who he was. He was able to play that part when he needed to, but it wasn't who he was, or what he was about. It never became his life. The proof is in the jello. when the pressure was on, and things started looking bad, the real Judas revealed himself. And we all know how the story ends for him... (ref Matt 6:24)

This one nagging question still remains... Why is the lie that, when you become a Christian your life won't be as good, fun, enjoyable, so believable? Am i helping to promote that idea with how i live? Are we promoting that idea as Christians in general?
Truth is: "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly"

Not too sure how this one is going to turn out. I am sitting here at my CPU. I should be in bed. I am coming to the end of another long week. I am acutely aware of the fact that trials are the best thing for me, but man I would much rather not put up with them.

James 4 keeps coming to mind these days. There is certainly a lot of things that I would like to have, maybe even want to have. Then there is this on particular thing that I REALLY WANT. And so far, nada. My faith is at least deep enough to be able to dismiss the little whispers of "If God was really good He'd give you whatever you wanted." Maybe its not even my faith, but the fact that I work in a Christian school and I see the result of parents who never tell their child "NO!"

What is most amazing to me about the thing that I want so bad is that it is a good thing. Really, honestly, truly. I would even go so far as to say that what I want is biblically something I should want. But that really isn't what amazes me. What really amazes me is that I am so depraved, so fallen, so twisted, so un-human that I can take this really good thing and want it so much that it becomes wrong.

Maybe we all need to read James 4 with a little more candor. Lets be a bit more real about our situation. What is it that I want so bad, that isn't God, that if I don't get, I can promise you I will sin about it. So what! I mean it's not my neighbor's wife that I want that bad. Its not untold riches that I desire to the point of committing sin to attain. It something that in just about any other situation God would smile on in delight.

Yet it is this very thing that God has seen fit to expose my own vileness with. Lord help me! help us! help us to be wretched and mourn. Help us to gain a proper understanding of who we really are. Lord, then give us the grace to change. Give us the grace to over come. Lord help us to trust that every thing you do is good. You cannot do evil or wrong. Help us to apply the truth about You and your Word to the specific and vile parts of our lives.

Lord help us to humble ourselves before You, so that we will be exalted by You and You alone. Lord you know... you know...

Survey Says!!!

(never really got into that show, btw) So how do we go about answering this question of Christ's ability to sin. (His peccability/impeccability) Well, first things first. Lets start with what we know.

1) Christ was sinless... If you can read through the New Testament and somehow come away with any other idea about Christ, throw that Bible away and find a real one. I mean, if you want to argue that the Bible teaches anything else, then stop reading, your wasting both of our time.

2) Christ's Temptations were real... The real deal for sure. If they weren't real, then passages like the ones we find Matthew 4:1-11 are so bogus that once again I would ask that you take your Bible and throw it away. Well don't do that... better yet, get on your knees, beg God for Mercy and Grace and read like your life depended on it. (eternally it does)

3) God cannot be tempted with sin... Jesus was God. 100% God. And so begins the rub with what we can clearly say is defined for us in Scripture. James 1:13 and Col 2:9

But that didn't really get us anywhere did it? I mean all it did was confirm that the question we are faced with in the person of Christ isn't something lame Bible teachers come up with to mess with their students. It's a real problem!

So what are we to do now? Well lets continue the consideration BUT FIRST let me just say that we are now leaving what is clearly, 100%, undeniably taught by scripture, and we are making some "observations" that still may help us come to some sort of conclusion.

Observation 1: If Jesus was only Human, and was still born in the miraculous way that He was, then we would be able to say that it was in fact possible for Christ to sin. Why? Because if you read Genesis 1-3, you will notice that there were 2 other humans in the same state and we all are aware of what they decided to do when faced with temptation.

Observation 2: The problem we have with our first observation is that it seems more likely that Jesus, from conception until death, never was simply just God, or just man. His natures were always apart of Him all the time. Thus we have to consider a different option if we are going to affirm that indeed Christ was tempted and could sin.

Observation 3: While we have observed that it seems safe to say that the two natures of Christ were never separated from one another, there are certainly things that Christ did experience only in His humanity. One example would be sleep. Jesus, being a man, slept. He even got so tired, that at one point he was sleeping through a violent storm while in a small boat in the middle of a large lake. But it is also clear from numerous passages like Psalm 121:3-4 that God never sleeps. So it would be safe to say then, that while the human Jesus slept, the divine nature did not experience the same state. SO... could it be then that Christ could have sinned and experienced temptation only in His humanity? Well not so fast... because we also observe at this point that it seems clear from Scripture that sin effects the entire being of the one that is committing it.

Observation 4: It is impossible for God to sin. Well duhhh, right. But the reason that it is impossible for Him to sin is because He is both infinite and holy. So there is no end to his holiness, which equals no sin.

So then, with these 4 observations in place. Understanding that Jesus was both 100% God and 100% Man, when we ask the question of whether or not it was actually possible for Jesus to sin; we must answer with an emphatic NO!!

See that wasn't so bad. "Ok", you say, "but what about Hebrews 4:14-16?" Doesn't seem to me that the author of Hebrews can really make a claim like that if the guy that was being tempted never really had ability to sin. I mean lets be honest, the thing that is so hard about temptation is that there is this pressure, tension, and mental/spiritual battle going on between what we know we should do, and what we shouldn't do (and there is a distinct possibility/probability that we could in fact do the thing we know we shouldn't do).

Glad you asked!!

Well? Was it?

Oh yeah, that nagging question that we were left with when we talked about the humanity of Christ. Could Jesus, the incarnate God and human being, have sinned? Well first off, is this question even that big of a deal? I mean yeah, maybe if your some big headed, think glasses wearing, dead language speaking theologian. But what about you? or you? Yeah you guys, the normal, every day, run of the mill American Christian. Well consider the possible outcome of either answer.

1) YES! Well ok, that means when we read Heb 4, we can look and say; "Man he really does know what I am going through! But then again, what if he had sinned? Now I seriously cannot think of a more terrifying thought. Thats the end of everything as we know it! (REM is playing softly in the background for effect) Leaves a big question mark behind the word deity when you refer to Christ.

2) NO! Well ok, that makes me feel a ton better about whether or not the world as we know is simply going to cease to exist all of the sudden because Jesus finally gave in to some temptation. But then again, when I look at Heb 4 with this answer, it seems.... well... disingenuous doesn't it? Really? Tempted like me in every way? Right...

So this one seemingly small and theologically obscure question has some serious weight too it doesn't it? How do we answer it? Which one is right? They both have issues, serious draw-backs even. I think I might leave that answer for another day...

Need a Good Cry?

This will help ya out if you do. I don't rememeber who sent this link to me, but everyone needs to read this.

I hope I enjoy a similar situation...

The Humanity of Christ and...

...it's application to your life. So I'm a big believer in Biblical Counseling. That is what I have a degree in; well sort of. (its not a long story, but its a story that I can make sound really long and terrible) Anyway, all that means is that I am really interested in how the Bible/Theology applies to the every day life of the believer. While teaching through the subject of Christology this week, and more specifically the Humanity of Christ, I came across the question of why Jesus had to be human. Good question eh? Easy one to answer too. Go on, take a minute and see how many answers you can come up with.
Anyway, the text that I am using to teach the class (Grudem's Student addition) brought up two major reason why Christ had to be a human just like you and I. 1) Representative obedience: that means that in order for Christ to be the representative for any human beings, he had to be one. I used the example of electing someone from SC to go and serve in congress as a rep for Arkansas. It wouldn't work, because they weren't from Arkansas and have no idea what it is like or what they need or anything like that... they can represent a group they don't belong to. Same is true of Christ. In order to be the 2nd Adam and represent and stand as a rep for any human being he had to belong to that group. Your salvation depends on his humanity. 2) Substitutionary Sacrifice: God is just, equal, fair, and righteous. If he is going to trade one thing for another, then it has to be of equal value. Paul reminds us in Romans that our lives are required of us when we sin. I sinned, so I earned death. The payment God demands is one human life. Therefore if something is going to be a substitute for me, it has to be equal payment. A Human life for a Human life. Again, if Christ isn't truly human, then your salvation is worthless. The terrible price that is required for your transgressions has not yet been paid, and you are still left to fill the debt. All of the sudden, something so simple, so taken for granted, so... forgot about is so HUGE!! If Jesus isn't a real human being just like you and I, we're all in for one terrible eternity!
But he was human! AMEN! Thank you God! Now when I read Hebrews 4:14-16 I can find a whole new reason to be thankful! The applications that come from knowing that Jesus was a human exactly like you and I (before His resurrection) seem endless, don't they?! Thankfulness: i don't have to pay the penalty of sin. Encouragement in Temptation: Jesus knows what it means to feel the pressure of a sin weighing down on you. Boldness: When i go before the throne, my High Priest knows me and what it is like to live in my world. He lived in it! Go read, study, apply, live, and glorify.

But there's always that one nagging question... Was it even possible?

Hebrews (The book, and the nation)

So unless something drastic comes up that changes my mind, my goal is to begin a study of the book of Hebrews. I have been kicking this idea around since the beginning of the week when my pastor brought us a very humbling, convicting, passionate, and awesome exposition of Hebrews 11.

The next day I was to meet up with a former student who is in a state of serious conviction. As I considered what passage God might use to help him in his quest, I turned to Heb 3. Such goodness!! So as I sat in the coffee shop waiting for my friend to arrive I began to read through the whole chapter to remind myself of the context. Sadly I didn't end up spending time with my friend that day, but i did end up reading from chapter 3 all the way into chapter 8. What amazing beauty and clarity is used by the author to show the identity of the Messiah. How well he must have known the Law and Prophets. It was clearly his meditation day and night.

Then another thought struck me. What about the Hebrews? I grew up mainly in fundamental/independent Baptist churches. I saw all the major Old Testament stories on the story boards. I knew that they were (past tense) the people of God. What about now? If God's plan doesn't involve the ethnic nation of Israel now, then why in the world do we have such an amazing book like Hebrews in the New Testament? The thought that kept coming up as i read that day was "This would be the perfect book to give to an Israeli who knows their Old Testament".

One thing that I try to teach all my students is: "Never allow your experience to help you interpret what the Bible has to say. Study the Truth first, and then allow that to shape your understandings and convictions." So the question that looms large as I begin this project is: "How wrong has my experience been, and what is the Truth about God's plan for people Israel (present/future tense)?

But first...

Biggest Understatment ever...

...AND...

Sometimes the truth is hard swallow...

The great side of post-modernity here