Paul repeated the question: “Who has known the mind of the Lord?” And Jesus spoke in parables. So is doctrine just a bunch of trivia created by preachers and theologians—essentially theoretical—that might direct us toward God, but should not cause anyone to think he or she knows anything about who God really is?

J.F.K. once said, “Don’t ever take a fence down until you know the reason why it was put up.”  This could probably apply to doctrine, which means instruction or teaching.  The bible discusses two types.  One is man-made (e.g., Mar. 7:1-16), and the other comes from God (Tit. 2:10).  As Corey and Matt explained, the bible—God’s instruction—reflects who God is.  So those who genuinely desire to know God must be open to his instruction (Joh. 14:15-17).  The danger of man-made doctrine is that it causes people to stray from God’s instruction (Mar. 7:1-16, Col. 2:8).  Those who promote it aren’t interested in building up the church or being faithful to the clear teaching of the bible—they’re experts in things that cause speculation, disputes, and moral uncertainty (1 Tim 1:3-11).  They often operate subtly.

In Genesis, for example, Satan could’ve openly told Eve, “Disobey God!”  Instead, he cleverly approached her when she was alone, asking, “Did God actually say . . . ?” (Gen. 3:1).  He apparently convinced Eve to eat the forbidden fruit by getting her to question the authoritativeness of God’s instruction.  By causing confusion about what God has said, Satan causes confusion about who God is (see Rom. 1:18-32).  But our “God is not a God of confusion.”  (1 Cor. 14:33).  He wants us to know Him (Joh. 17:2-3).  This is why Paul prayed that we would “be filled with the knowledge of [God’s] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding . . . and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (Col. 1:9-10).

Of course, we presently know only what God has revealed to us at this time.  But at some point, we “shall know fully.” (1 Cor. 13:12).  Meanwhile, we can be confident that what we know now is substantial (see 1 Joh. 5:20).  Believers “have the mind of Christ” and can actually comprehend “the thoughts of God.” (1 Cor. 2:9-16).  And what we learn about God through the Spirit is confirmed in the bible.  So if you reject or otherwise mishandle sound, biblical doctrine, you’ll be rejecting the truth about who God really is—this is not trivial (see Tit. 1:10-16).

Is it easy to follow God?

Is it easy to follow God? I think that depends on how much God you're actually following. I have observed a peculiar behavior from some, where the Bible is taken to a sieve, and any part of it that would make someone uncomfortable would be sifted out. What remains is a politically correct, albeit watered-down, version of God. A version of God that will tell you whatever you want to hear and that lives for you. A version of God that is butterflies and rainbows. A version of God that is easy to follow. Why are these thoughts peculiar? Because they are far from the truth that God wants us to have. If you remove parts of the Bible you are removing God's intentions for the world and for you. In fact, you're missing out on something.

The idea of being challenged by the Bible is not a new one. In fact, a man approached Jesus believing that he had it all together- he had kept all the commandments. Jesus then told the man something he didn't want to hear:

Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." (Matthew 19:21 ESV)

What did this young, rich man do when he heard the Truth of God, straight out of the mouth of Christ? He left in sorrow, because he had so many possessions. Like this man, it is easy for us to get out of scripture only what seems relevant to ourselves, and to dismiss the rest as irrelevant, mistranslated, or metaphorical. The man in the verse thought that knowing God was only about keeping the Commandments, but it was quickly pointed out to him that there was more to it than that. He found out that in order to know the real God, not one just invented for his own reality, he must dig deeper. A God that has been sifted and watered-down is not the God of reality, not the God who promises eternal life, treasure and everlasting joy, but a false, shallow god. To have the true God means to take God in full, down to the core. It is imperative that we embrace all of God through the Scriptures and not hold back.

Can we really know God? More on this next post.

The Bible

This is the start of a four part series. We are starting with the following question:

How much of the bible do I need to accept in order to become a Christian?

In order to become a Christian you need to accept a person, and that person is Jesus Christ. There is not a set of certain propositions that you have to intellectually accept before you can become a Christian. “Christian” means “little Christ,” and it was a term used to describe some of the early disciples of Christ. A disciple of Christ is someone who follows Him, trusts Him, and continuously learns from Him how to live his/her life. To become a disciple of Christ, you simply have to accept HIM into your life, to put HIM above everything else in your life. No matter how much information you intellectually accept as true about Christ, you do not become a disciple until you accept HIM into your life, which means that it is entirely possible to believe that every word of the bible is true and still not be a disciple of Christ. And keep in mind that “accepting” Him also does not mean accepting an idea of Him that someone has created that is not grounded in the truth of the bible.

So where is the balance here? How do Christ and the bible fit together? The bible is entirely about Christ, from the beginning to the end. When you accept Christ into your life you get the entirety of the bible as well. The Christ that you have accepted is the same Christ that the bible extensively talks about. So how much of the bible do you “need” to accept in order to become a Christian? You “need” to accept Christ, and when you do you get the privilege of reading and accepting His words, the bible. Christ says himself that, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” If we accept Him then we will also listen to and accept what he has to say to us. But this poses a problem for many of us. What happens when we come across some of His words that we don’t like? What do we do when the bible says something that makes us feel uncomfortable? This will be addressed in the next post.

Pointless Fighting Over Religion

For centuries, Jews, Babylonians, Romans, Muslims, and even Christians have fought for control over the location at which God told Abraham to offer his son (near Mt. Moriah, the present site of the Muslim Dome of the Rock). Originally the site of King Solomon’s temple, several other temples have been built on this land, destroyed, and rebuilt over time. People of various cultures have offered sacrifices and prayers to various gods at this spot. One might ask, "why couldn't they just get along and worship together? Don't they have anything in common?"

Well, to some extent, there is common ground. The common ground is the ground itself and the stories it tells. Jews, Christians, and Muslims all believe that God told Abraham to offer his son on a mountain in Moriah. There is disagreement over which son, as well as over the event's implications. Regardless, we can agree that God stopped Abraham just before he could take his son’s life on that mountain. As Abraham had already spoken, God provided the offering that day.

And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.(Gen 22:13)

God spared Abraham's son and provided the offering in Abraham's day, but he did not spare his own son when Jesus died on the cross. Abraham's "test" on the mountain in Moriah foreshadowed the perfect offering of God’s only begotten son as the ultimate sacrifice for sins.

Pilate went out again and said to them, "See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him." So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold the man!" (Joh 19:4-5)

Interestingly, although we don’t know the exact geographic location of Calvary (a.k.a. Golgotha), the place of Christ’s crucifixion, it is believed that Calvary is at least within half a mile of Mt. Moriah (Heb. 13:12), just outside of the walls of Jerusalem.

The Uniqueness of Christ

People have argued about religion and truth for thousands of years. But at times, when we've been honest with ourselves, we have been able to agree about some things, including the condition of man. No matter how much good we do, there is always a feeling on the inside that something is still missing - that because we are all human, we'll never be able to get to the point where we can say things are just as they should be in our hearts.

We Christians believe that Jesus is the missing piece for every person-not more trying and more good deeds. That does not mean good works have no importance. However, doing good simply won't be enough to make things right on the inside. Even atheists have appreciated how Jesus gave us such an accurate description of our hearts.

Consider the recent conversion of A.N. Wilson, English writer and newspaper columnist. He attended theological college, only to drop out at the end of his first year. Persuaded by the popular mode of intellectualism, he thought that no one could know the truth about who Jesus was, and that we couldn’t rely on the bible’s account of Jesus:

“[W]e can accept some church version of Jesus, or if it makes more appeal to us, we can accept a ‘heretic’ version; or we can make one up by ourselves.”

An atheist for thirty years, Wilson reconstructed his own view of Jesus by looking to the very scriptures he claimed we could not rely on, and then by speculating that Jesus was something other than what was presented in those scriptures (e.g. that Jesus was probably married).

After thirty years of being a very vocal atheist, Wilson recently returned to the Christian faith, accepting the gospel and the biblical view of Jesus in what he calls a road to Damascus experience:

“In the past, I have questioned [the gospel’s] veracity and suggested that it should not be taken literally. But the more I read the Easter story, the better it seems to fit and apply to the human condition. That, too, is why I now believe in it.”

Similarly, W.E.H. Lecky, historian and atheist (never a convert to Christianity) said this about Jesus's character, as presented by Christianity:

“[It] has shown itself capable of acting on all ages, nations, temperaments, and conditions; has been not only the highest pattern of virtue but the strongest incentive to its practice; and has exercised so deep an influence that it may be truly said that the simple record of three short years of active life has done more to regenerate and to soften mankind than all the disquisitions of philosophers, and all the exhortations of moralists.”

History of European morals: from Augustus to Charlemagne, Volume 2

Also consider this interesting observation of Christian apologist, Ravi Zacharias:

"So profound was the transformation of British society that Bertrand Russell, one of the most prominent and influential atheists of the last century, could later write, 'It is doubtful that the method of Mahatma Gandhi would have succeeded except that he was appealing to the conscience of a Christianized people.'"

Ravi Zacharias said he was amused to see this quote by Russell, an atheist, in the home of Ghandi, a pantheist.

Our church will be covering the issue of truth starting on January 1st:

http://www.icontact-archive.com/qBrsGr8VFWe6RhfqOBRshfOK0ckkYIsA?w=2

Room Full of Guys: Eating Wings, Watching Sports, and Talking About Jesus

The men of Grandview Christian Assembly and Oasis Christian Community gathered together on a Friday night and had a good time. Not surprisingly, food was consumed and we talked about sports. But something special happened-we talked about Jesus.

I think the conversation that went on that night is one that all men should have at some point, as well as one that men should constantly keep in their minds. The conversation required us to consider what it means to be a man of God. I'd like to offer a few points that stuck with me, along with a relevant bible verse:

1. Being a man of God means being responsible for something outside of yourself.
2. Being a man of God does not mean that you cannot be compassionate.
3. Being a man of God means being passionate about things that are meaningful rather than things that are meaningless.
4. Men of God have Jesus as their standard (not Al Bundy, Peter Griffin, and Homer Simpson).

"...the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." - Mark 10:45

¹⁷ “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

¹⁸ “Bring them here to me,” he said. ¹⁹ And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ²⁰ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ²¹ The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children

.

The story of Christ feeding five thousand people is one of the most well known miracles from the Gospels. It is, by all accounts, an incredible story of Christ doing something that all of us would think was impossible. But it is more than just a miracle. In John, the story begins with Christ asking his disciples how they planned to feed such the multitudes, though he already knew the answer. What Christ wanted, however, was for his disciples to bring forth the offering. When they mentioned the boy who was willing to give up the bread and fish, Christ instructed them to bring it to him. Taking it, he broke the bread, blessed it, and then had it distributed.

Christ's will for us is not all that different. Undoubtedly, he has a plan and future for us. He knows of a need that each believer's experience, skills, and knowledge can fulfill. However, he wants us to offer ourselves. He wants us to be his willing workers and come forward to him. Then he breaks us. As individuals, we are not ready to serve God. Like the five loaves of bread, our own strengths and willpower can only be spread so far. Christ takes each person, just as he received the bread, and must first break him/her open so that he/she can be used. But he never leaves us broken. Instead, he blesses us, strengthens us, makes us greater than we were, and ultimately distributes us to those in need.

The potential of being broken isn't always the most comforting of thoughts. It stops many from offering themselves to Christ in fear that they will no longer have control over their own life or future. It can in many cases mean great trial and tribulation. But the end result is blessing and distribution. The end result is being poured out by God for those in need. Christ will never break something without a greater purpose to result. Like the young boy and the disciples, offer what little you have, and Christ will show you how to benefit the world through it.

Zombie Post

Trying to reanimate this blog. But i will need some help. Anyway I dont want to dwell on the undead for too long so here we go.

The quote below is something that any Christian should keep in mind. And we must ask ourselves the following questions. How much do we actually love Christ? How committed are we to truly following him?

From "The Imitation of Christ" By Thomas Kempis. Year 1420ish:

"For a pittance men will travel a great distance, but for eternal life many will scarcely take a single step. They look ahead to puny gains and sometimes shamefully wrangle over a single penny; neither do they hesitate to wear themselves out working day and night for some foolish promise or trifling object.

But for the good that never changes, for the prize beyond all prizes, for the highest honor and the glory that never ends, men, alas, are too lazy to put forth the slightest effort. You should be ashamed, lazy and evergrumbling servant, when you see other men more eager to lose their souls than you are to gain life!(emphasis mine). They find greater joy in chasing after empty dreams than you have in pursuing the truth.

The desires of men often end in disappointment but My promises never deceive anyone. The man who trusts in Me I never send away empty. When I make a promise I keep it, and I fulfill whatever I have pledged - if only you remain faithful to My love unto the end. I reward all good men and I heartily acclaim all who are devout."

I Refuse

I know it has been a while since the last post but here is a song with a great message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR0lPDcwh-E

The chorus of the song really speaks to me every time I hear this song. He starts by saying, "I don't want to live like I don't care." I do not want to go through my life ignoring the people around me. I do not want to spend every day consumed with thoughts about myself instead of thinking about others. I WANT to live a life where I DO care. A life where I am constantly thinking about the needs of others. A life where I care for others before I care for myself. The song goes on to say, "I don't want to say another empty prayer." I do not want to go through the motions. I do not want to live a fake life. I do not want my relationship with God to be a job, just something I do because it is the right thing to do or because that is what other people do. I WANT to "Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called." 1 Timothy 6:12. Enter into a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ, a life of constant interaction with Him.

And the song goes on, "Oh, I refuse to sit around and wait for someone else, To do what God has called me to do myself." I do not want to live a passive existence. A life where I always defer to the second half. A life where I let others take action even when I know that God wants me to step up. I WANT to always be prepared to follow God wherever he leads me. Always be ready to answer his call to take action, while trusting that he knows what is best for me and will guide me through whatever situation that he leads me in to. And the chorus ends with, "I could choose not to move, But I refuse!" Yes I have a choice. We all have the choice. We all have the choice to ignore the people around us, to ignore our relationship with God, to ignore God's call to take action. It is our decision. A decision that will lead us down two very different paths. Are we going to refuse to stand still? Are we going to refuse to let ourselves become complacent? Are we going to refuse to ignore Jesus Christ? Or are we going to take the "easy" way out and live a passive, meaningless existence? The choice is yours.

Life of Christ

From Hearing God, by Dallas Willard. "Once, in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, the disciples' boat was almost beaten under by the waves while Jesus slept calmly. His disciples woke him crying, 'Lord, save us! We are perishing!' (Mt 8:25). Jesus reproachfully replied, 'Why are you afraid, you of little faith?' (8:26). Now the disciples obviously had great faith in Jesus. They called upon him, counting on him to save them. They had great faith in him, but they did not have his great faith in God. It was because the did not have his faith that he spoke of how little faith they had. Some Christians too commonly demonstrate that the notions of 'faith in Christ' and 'love for Christ' leave Christ outside the personality of the believer... These exterior notions of Christ's faith and love will never be strong enough to yield the confident statement, 'It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me' (Gal 2:20)."

I am often amazed at the things that Paul says, like that statement above in Galatians 2:20. He also says in Philippians 1:21, "For to me to live is Christ..." Paul was obviously embracing the above notion of having the faith and love of Christ instead of just having faith in Christ and love for Christ. He clearly had the life of Christ living in him but what exactly does that life entail. Christ explains what this life is in John 5:19, "So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise." This is the life of Christ. A life of total service to God the Father. Jesus Christ does nothing for himself but only what the Father wants him to do. This is the life that Paul had and this is the life that we were meant to have as well...

But do we? Do I? I often look at how far I am from being able to say what Paul says. Say that my life is Christ. Say that everything I do, my entire life is what God wants me to do. Say that my life is that life of complete servitude to God. Being able to go to bed every night knowing that everything I did that day was for God. A life of no regrets. A life of no second guessing. A beautiful, perfect life where my selfish thoughts and actions no longer exist but only the thoughts of Christ. The faith of Christ. The love of Christ. Is there any other way to really live? Is there any other life other then the life of Christ that is even worth living? Paul didn't think so and neither should I.

Jesus is the Perfect Surety

Isaiah 53:5 says,

But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

A surety is someone who can be primarily liable for paying someone else's debt. If the surety is able to completely satisfy the debt, the person who incurred debt will not have to pay for those debts. Jesus is the perfect surety because he is able to fully pay for the debts of those of us who believe.

"Upon Christ as our substitute and surety was laid the iniquity of us all. He was counted a transgressor, that He might redeem us from the condemnation of the law. The guilt of every descendant of Adam was pressing upon His heart. The wrath of God against sin, the terrible manifestation of His displeasure because of iniquity, filled the soul of His Son with consternation." (The Desire of Ages, E. G. White, p. 753.)

Now, some people may think it is strange that Jesus can volunteer to bear our punishment if, as C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity, you think only in terms of "the police-court sense." But he says, "if you think of a debt, there is plenty of point in a person who has some assets paying it on behalf of someone who has not." This is consistent with the idea of who God is - he does not take pleasure in punishing the wicked. Rather, he punishes because debt must be repaid and would love for us to return to him.

Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? Eze. 18:23

Jesus chose to act as a surety by paying our debts when he became a man and died for our sins. Thank God for the riches of Christ poured out freely upon us!

God's Justice; God's Mercy

(Note: I apologize for the length of this posting. Hopefully, it will not discourage you from taking the time to read it.)

Recently, I've been listening to an audio-book recording of R.C. Sproul's work, The Holiness of God. If you have never read it, or listened to it, I suggest picking it up. It is a wonderful book regarding what it means for God to be holy, how that affects his dealing with us as well as how we -should- view him, and how Christians should live and behave in light of his holiness. It covers a multitude of aspects of God's character but one it touches on that I was particularly interested in was the relationship between God's justice and his mercy.

Sproul points out that for many modern day Christians, and certainly for most non-Christians, there seems to be a tale of two Gods in the bible. The 'God of the New Testament' is portrayed as loving, kind, gentle, good, and merciful. We are told that He loves us and has forgiven our sins. However, as a seemingly stark contrast, the 'God of the Old Testament' is angry, bitter, wrathful, and fierce. He is seen as unforgiving and quick to anger. Christians and non-Christians alike have a hard time reconciling the stories of the Great Flood (Genesis 6-9), the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 14), the Egyptian Plagues (Exodus 7-12), the conquest of Canaan (Joshua 6-12) and a host of other stories regarding the judgment, destruction, and wrath of God. And furthermore, they argue, look at all the disasters and sorrows that God -could- stop, merely if He wanted to. Certainly, they would say, a loving God would not visit such pain and despair upon the world He created. Aren't his actions unmerciful? Of course they are, but are they unjust? Certainly not!

We know from Romans 3:23 that, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." All have sinned. That means that everyone has offended God, everyone has disobeyed God, EVERYONE has rebelled against and broken his laws. And, therefore, since all have sinned, all are deserving of punishment. Look back at those stories mentioned above. In each of them, God was not meting our punishment on undeserving people. Instead, in each instance, God was distributing justice against people who sinned against him first. For each of those instances, there was not one person killed who was righteous or innocent. All had sinned, ALL deserved punishment. God's justice, then, was served in each and every instance of his wrath and punishment. He was not an angry or impatient God, He was a just and righteous God.

But what of those who God has not destroyed? What of those who God has endured and withheld his wrath from? If all are deserving of punishment and destruction, shouldn't we too be destroyed? Of course we should. The fact that we haven't is the blessing of God's mercy. We all are deserving of our punishment, yet God, in his love and mercy, stays his hand. We look at the Old Testament as an example of God's wrath and punishment, but instead we should view it as the proof of God's mercy. The few times God does strike out against the unrighteous are a mere blip against the vast majority of times that He shows mercy to sinners. But, if God shows mercy to some and wrath to others, is He not playing favorites with his creation? Is He unjust and unfair? Again, certainly not!

Mercy is present when God withholds his justice. Yet God does not owe us mercy; He does not have to grant it. God tells Moses in Exodus 33:19 "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy to whom I show mercy." God will be merciful on those of his choosing, and does not have to grant it to everyone. And furthermore, it does not make him unjust when he does not choose to grant it. To judge God as unjust, we must assume that we are more just and more fair. However, how can we, those who are unrighteous and deserving of wrath, possibly judge Him, the one who is righteous and holy? We have no right, no basis, no challenge to make. Justice AND Mercy are God's to deal out in whatever measure he feels appropriate. We should not be surprised or confused at God's wrath, we should be grateful that his mercy has withheld it from us!

Our outrage at the 'God of the Old Testament' then, is not outrage at injustice, but a result of our ungratefulness. We have grown up in a culture that has forgotten who God is. Certainly and undoubtedly, God is loving, tender, merciful and kind. But He is also holy, just, and righteous. When we read the Bible, then, we should not ask, "Why did God do such and such?" Instead, we should say, "Thank You Lord for Your mercy and grace, neither of which I deserved, but which You gave to me freely."

The Transcending One

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. - From Romans Ch. 11

Lately, I've been amazed at how God transcends mankind. Our attempts to pin him down are futile.

I do not mean to deny that we can have a relationship with God. Just the opposite - I believe that we can, but I think that a necessary first step to having a real relationship with him is to realize how unique he is. It's similar to how I have to understand that my wife is different from me in order for me to enjoy a relationship with her.

In particular, one must realize that it is impossible to judge God. Under what standard would you judge him? Would you rely on your experience as an expert on how gods are required to behave? Impossible. We don't even have an analogy that comes close.

The best we've got is the concept of ownership - generally, a property owner has the right to do what he wants with his property, provided that he doesn't violate the law that he is subject to. But who ever heard of a man owning the entire universe, including the very concepts of law, justice, and goodness? Similarly, we might consider how parents generally have the right to control their kids as long as they don't do anything that most decent parents wouldn't do. But how do you determine how a decent creator should control his creation?

I always have to laugh a little when I hear someone try to limit God with an absurd hypothesis like, "If God exists, he should..." The moment you assume that there is a God, even if only for the sake of argument, you have to realize that nothing can logically follow the word "should" because it is coming from your mouth. Last time I checked, you and I were not qualified to explain what an omnicompetent being should be doing.

It doesn't sound like a fair debate, does it? Well, it isn't. Not if we assume that there is a God. But by God's grace, we can know him and enjoy his company.

Where Do You Abide?

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

I had a conversation recently with Ryan Conlon where we talked about what it means to "abide" in the word of Christ. It caused me to think of other things in my life that I would claim to abide in. The most common example I thought of is where I live. My home. And I realized that this is a very important aspect of life today. When we meet someone for the first time one of the first questions we ask is usually about where they live. It is something that we use to define a person. Were do they live? Where is it that they call home? Where do they remain or dwell? Where do they continue to return to? Where do they "abide." And ideally, this place that we abide in is a place of comfort, a place of safety, a place where we start almost every single single day. It is no wonder that having someone break into your home is such a traumatizing experience for some. Their source of comfort and security was broken in to. The place they abide in was compromised.

But Jesus tells us to abide in his word. His word should be the place of comfort, the place of peace, the place where the rest of our life is based out of. It should be the foundation of our lives, the place we can rest from the outside world and the place where we can gain strength and courage to take on the challenges of each day. I often wonder how often I abide somewhere other then the word of Christ. How often do I base my life on something else and only look to the word of Christ when I absolutely need to or when it is convenient to do so? Jesus wants us to completely base our life on his word. He wants i to be the source of our lives. The question we have to ask is what stands in the way of this happening and how do we deal with it?

But one thing is certain, if we abide in the word of Christ it will change our lives and give us a foundation on life that will never be broken. How do we know this? Because Jesus says so.

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock." Matthew 7:24-25

Where's the fun in being the new man?

¹⁷ This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of^d]">[d] the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸ having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; ¹⁹ who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
²⁰ But you have not so learned Christ, ²¹ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: ²² that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

A week ago, we had a discussion in our bible study regarding the significance of 'putting off the old man' and 'putting on our new selves'. Paul is quite obvious as to the meaning of these phrases; we should no longer indulge in the sinful lives we inhabited before Christ, but should strive to live in holiness and Godliness. As Christians then, we are called by God to live a different lifestyle than many of our un-Christian friends. And undoubtedly, as those friends see our different behavior and mannerisms, they inquire as to the cause and purpose of such a lifestyle. Undoubtedly, it is good that they see the difference Christ has made in our lives, but do they understand why?

To Christians, the reward for living without these indulgences and sinful passions is inherently obvious. Our continued fellowship with God and Christ, and the benefits that come from such should far outweigh the fleeting pleasure gained from sinful activities. However, for the non-Christian, a life without the joys of partying, sex, drugs and other vices seems empty, hollow, devoid of life and fun. And for many, the idea of sacrificing such 'pleasures' for the intangible promise of eternity seems a bit far-fetched. However, when non-Christians survey the benefits and sacrifices of faith in Christ, what they notice is those sacrifices, not the benefits.

The challenge then, in presenting the gospel to someone, is showing them why the new man is much more appealing. When asked by a non-Christian why we don't partake in certain behaviors, do we simply answer with a, "Because I'm a Christian," or do we explain that our fellowship with God makes those things seem joyless and fruitless to us? The Christian faith is not a legalist one, or something based on works, but is about a relationship with Christ, a relationship that changes our wants and desires. And if we expect that the people we talk to will find value in that relationship, we need to explain that our abstinence from certain things isn't based on an arbitrary set of rights and wrongs, but because we have a direct connection to the God who gave everything for us. The 'fun' in being the new man is that we have contact with the God of the universe, who loves us and cares for us unconditionally. And compared to that, what could bring more joy?

Now, we simply must find a way to show that joy to those who have yet to find it.

A Frightening Relationship?

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." -Philippians 2:12-13

A recent conversation I had with Seth Evans on this passage brought me to a different understanding of these verses than what I had before. Although I don't actually remember if I ever had a good understanding of these verses in the first place. I always wondered why I should be afraid and trembling as I looked to "work out my salvation" by developing a deeper relationship with Christ. What is frightening about getting to know Christ, my Savior and Lord, better than I did before? Shouldn't this be a wonderful, joyous experience? And if so, could it be both joyous and frightening?

The answer is yes, it can be both. And I realized that in order to really feel the full extent of the joy that is possible in a relationship with Christ that I must experience the fightening apsects of the relationship as well. How does this work? The Lord wants to be at the center of our lives every day, behind every decision that we make. However, we still have to make the choice to give him control, look to do his will, and put our trust in him. This is why pursuing a relationship with Christ can produce so much "fear and trembling." Giving someone else control over our lives can be a very difficult and frightening experience but it is a necessary step to deepen our relationship with Christ. And the more faith we have in Christ the easier it becomes to trust him with our lives.

Finally, Paul makes it clear in this passage that this is a personal process. He says to "work out your OWN salvation" and he urges them to do this when he is no longer there. Why is this important? Paul wants them to look to Christ and trust in him first and foremost. Sometimes I know that when I finally do give up control of one aspect of my life that I immediately look to others to copy their behavior. Obviously, the examples of others can be very helpful in our walk with Christ but it can only take us so far. Eventually, we need to look to Christ and put our trust in him instead of ourselves or our fellow believers. Eventually, we need to obey Christ because we our close enough to him to KNOW that it is what he wants, instead of obeying simply because it is the "right" thing to do or because someone else is doing it. Only then will we truly start to experience the most wonderful and joyous life possible on this earth, the experience of a true relationship with Jesus Christ.

“Is this not Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?”

It can be dangerous to make major decisions based on knowledge, sight, and reasoning alone. This is very troubling. What else can we rely on? How about faith?

In our modern, advanced legal system, we’ve overturned well over two hundred convictions that appeared to be very reasonable. I recently learned of a woman who observed her rapist very carefully while being attacked. She later identified a man as her rapist and testified to help put him away for a very long time. Over 10 years later, she was shocked and devastated to learn that based on DNA evidence and a confession from the real rapist, the man she honestly and reasonably believed to be her rapist was innocent. A man of faith, he was able to forgive her.

When Jesus began to speak about his divinity, many people honestly and reasonably believed that he was speaking nonsense. He was Mary and Joseph’s boy. How could he have come from heaven? When he told Peter about how he would die and be raised from the dead, it also sounded like nonsense.

Another thing that sounds like nonsense is the fact Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.” What about the people who died before Jesus was born? What about people in remote villages who will never hear the name, “Jesus”? Is God unjust to make “The Way” so narrow? These concerns are reasonable and genuine. But if God is truly a just God, he will deal with every scenario that becomes reality in the most just way possible. Not satisfying?

Some time after Peter rebuked Jesus for talking about death and resurrection, he followed him up into a mountain to pray. Peter was amazed to see Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah about what he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Clearly, the bible says Moses died before Christ was born; so how could he have been speaking with Jesus during Peter’s time? Moses had been dead for over a thousand years!

The bible teaches that all things have been created through Christ. This must include all who lived before his birth and any person living in the most remote, non-English-speaking village. If Jesus can pre-exist creation, be born into it, talk to Moses after Moses has died, and die for the sins of the people you know about, he can also deal justly with the people you aren't so sure about on judgment day.

Should we then cease to preach the gospel of Christ? The bible speaks of an “angel flying in mid-heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those dwelling on the earth, even to every nation and kindred and tongue and people.” But Jesus told his disciples that they would be his witnesses in “Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” So we’re not exactly off the hook. The God of the bible is powerful enough to accomplish his work both through people and despite people.

Prayer

"If the thing he prays for doesn't happen, then that is one more proof that petitionary prayers don't work; if id does happen, he will, of course, be able to see some of the physical causes which led up to it, and 'therefore would have happened anyway,' and thus granted prayer becomes just as good a proof as a denied one that prayers are ineffective." -The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

This quote shows the trap that we can fall into when we pray for things and Klaus Issler uses this quote in his book Wasting Time With God, where he explains how profitable petitionary prayer can be for us if we avoid these kind of traps. He explains how beneficial it can be to take even the smallest requests to God because in doing so, our faith in God will grow exponentially. This book made me realize how often I try to do things by myself first, turn to God only as a last resort, and then give myself or other things and people the credit when the problem goes away. What I should be doing is going to God first and giving him the credit when things work out(even when it appears to be a coincidence that would have happened anyway) because this is what will strengthen my faith in his ability to help.

There are so many things today that we can do ourselves, which is why we feel like we don't need God to intervene. But the truth is that God can still help us with anything we do. All we have to do is ask him. Issler challenges his readers to step outside their comfort zones and make requests to God that will stretch their faith in him. As Dallas Willard says, "The cautious faith that never saws off the limb on which it is sitting never learns that unattached limbs may find strange, unaccountable ways of not falling." God wants us to ask him for help in our lives because that is the best way to strengthen our faith in him.

An old hymn,
What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer!

True Fasting

3'Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?' Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. 4Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Isiah 58:3-4

In the first part of this chapter the people are asking why God is not recognizing their fasting. The answer is revealed in the second half of verse 3 and verse 4. The people were fasting in order to please only themselves and while they were fasting they were oppressing and fighting other people. This was why God was not paying attention to them. However, Isiah goes on to point out the kind of fasting that will get God's attention in the following verses.

6"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 7Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 8Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. 9Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I am. 'If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, 10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. 11And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Isiah 58:6-11

Here Isiah shows what true fasting is all about. He says that helping people in need is the form of fasting that the Lord desires. This is what is going to get the Lord's attention.

I recently read the book, "Unchristian" by David Kinnaman. He did extensive research to figure out exactly what people outside the Christian faith thought of Christians. One of the six most common responses was that Christians are judgmental. He explains one of the possible reasons for this in the following statement.

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"What if Christians are perceived as judgmental because we are trying to be popular with the wrong audience? Scripture makes it clear that we exist only to please God. But what if our judgmental attitudes are just posturing to look good to other believers? Are we trying to please God or polishing our holy credentials in front of fellow insiders? Is it possible that part of the reason that Christians have lost their appeal to outsiders is they have lost passion for people outside the church?"

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I can see this in my own life all the time and I agree with Kinnaman that this can be a big problem in the church today. I know that there are times when I can become obssessed with my own righteousness and try my best to appear perfect to others, which always causes me to forget about the people around me. But this is not the goal of the Christian life. The goal is to get out of yourself and to start thinking about others. Obviously, we should still continue to strengthen our personal relationship with Christ but a lot of the time the best way to do that is to reach out and fill the needs of others. This is what Isiah is talking about in the verses above and this was also one of the things that Christ stressed the most. Jesus had quite a few harsh words for many of the Pharisees because they were pursuing their own righteousness and forgetting about the people in need around them. One of the best ways to grow in Christ is to start thinking more about other people and less about yourself.

Eating God's Word

As Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, he countered Satan's first temptation with one of the most important teachings a Christian will ever encounter- "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" (Mat 4:4 and Luke 4:4, quoting Deut 8:3)

This teaching de-emphasizes the importance of eating to emphasize the importance of devotion to God. But I think we can also learn a practical lesson about devotion to God from eating.

When you eat, I think it is pretty reasonable to say that you should always do the following things:

1. Pick up the fork/spoon and put the food in your mouth (because leaving it in your plate won't help).
2. Chew and swallow (don't spit it out).
3. Repeat.
4. Make sure that your plate is full of food that is not just good to you, but good for you.
5. Enjoy!

Similarly, I think it is safe to say that we should do the following with God's word:

1. Read it (leaving it on a table all day will not be useful).
2. Understand and obey (don't just quickly gloss over everything or even worse, reject it by disobeying).
3. Repeat (after all, once isn't enough for eating, right?).
4. Don't pick and choose ("every word" means "every word," not just the words we like).
5. Appreciate God's word!

I think one of the most difficult things for a child to learn is to enjoy food- not the sweet stuff like desserts, but the stuff that you really need. There's something about certain foods that just disagrees with you (I always hated peas as a kid). But at some point, you've got to grow up and learn to enjoy what is good for you. That applies to God's word just as strongly. We will sometimes have to develop an appreciation for certain portions of God's word that we might not appreciate at first. It might be that some things just don't seem worth taking in very often, if at all. The price is giving up on your basic, child-like (we all start as spiritual babies) instincts. The prize is life. We live on God's every word.