tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23067919972294383342024-02-06T20:48:09.445-05:00A Preacher's LifeCarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-2933570549357256672013-08-27T01:53:00.004-04:002013-08-27T09:44:04.786-04:00What Shall I Wear to Worship?<span style="font-size: large;"> The question stated in the title of this blog is a good one to ask. It matters on many different levels. It matters because how we present ourselves to God matters. It matters because how we present ourselves to fellow Christians matters. It matters because how we present ourselves to the world matters. Of course, the question of what we wear matters outside of our worshiping God as well, but rarely do I see discussions and debates about that get as heated as what we wear when worshiping God. </span><span style="font-size: large;">In light of this question getting oft brought up and discussed, I thought I might attempt to add my thoughts to the discussion as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> First, it would probably be good to discuss modesty. Modesty, in many ways, is defined by the culture in which one lives. Now let me make it clear that I do not believe that culture allows us to transgress God's laws if our culture is accepting of some act or way of living if God has forbidden it. That being said, there is clear Biblical evidence, as well as logical conclusions, that what is modest can be greatly affected and shaped for the Christian by the culture in which they live. Consider I Corinthians 11:2-5;13-16 for a moment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="text 1Cor-11-2" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text 1Cor-11-2" style="background-color: white;"> I commend you <span class="crossreference" style="vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-28586B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)"></span>because you remember me in everything and <span class="crossreference" style="vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-28586C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)"></span>maintain the traditions <span class="crossreference" style="vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-28586D" title="See cross-reference D">D</a>)"></span>even as I delivered them to you.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="text 1Cor-11-3" id="en-ESV-28587" style="background-color: white;"><span class="versenum" style="vertical-align: top;"> </span>But I want you to understand that <span class="crossreference" style="vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-28587E" title="See cross-reference E">E</a>)"></span>the head of every man is Christ, <span class="crossreference" style="vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-28587F" title="See cross-reference F">F</a>)"></span>the head of a wife is her husband, and <span class="crossreference" style="vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-28587G" title="See cross-reference G">G</a>)"></span>the head of Christ is God.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="text 1Cor-11-4" id="en-ESV-28588" style="background-color: white;"><span class="versenum" style="vertical-align: top;"> </span>Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head,</span><span class="text 1Cor-11-5" id="en-ESV-28589" style="background-color: white;"><span class="versenum" style="vertical-align: top;"> </span>but every wife who prays or <span class="crossreference" style="vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-28589H" title="See cross-reference H">H</a>)"></span>prophesies <span class="crossreference" style="vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-28589I" title="See cross-reference I">I</a>)"></span>with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same <span class="crossreference" style="vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-28589J" title="See cross-reference J">J</a>)"></span>as if her head were shaven...</span><span class="text 1Cor-11-13" id="en-ESV-28597" style="background-color: white;">Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered?</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="text 1Cor-11-14" id="en-ESV-28598" style="background-color: white;">Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him,</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="text 1Cor-11-15" id="en-ESV-28599" style="background-color: white;">but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="text 1Cor-11-16" id="en-ESV-28600" style="background-color: white;">If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do <span class="crossreference" style="vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-28600R" title="See cross-reference R">R</a>)"></span>the churches of God.</span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text 1Cor-11-16" style="background-color: white;"> Notice hear that Paul is discussing prayer, one way in which we can worship God, and in context is talking about a time in which they have gathered as an assembly. Paul talks about how it is not only shameful for a man who prays and prophecies have long hair, but how it is also shameful for a woman who has her head uncovered when she prays or prophecies, and is no different than her head being shaven. Paul mentions that even nature teaches that long hair on a man is shameful, but in what way? Is man inherently opposed to having long hair, while women are inherently opposed to having short or shaved hair? Not at all, rather, the word nature here refers to a learned behavior or way of life, one that was defined by their culture. Because of what it would lead others to think about them, there were some things they could not do because of society's disdain for them. Does our society view all long hair on men as shameful, or does long hair insinuate some sort of sinful lifestyle? How long is too long? What about short hair on women? Is it viewed with shame, or does it suggest something immoral? How short is too short?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text 1Cor-11-16" style="background-color: white;"> We can also consider I Timothy 2:9, which addresses the appearance of women in a congregational worship setting.</span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text 1Cor-11-16" style="background-color: white;">I Timothy 2:9<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">likewise also </span><span class="crossreference" style="background-color: white; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-29709A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)"></span><span style="background-color: white;">that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire,</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Should we conclude from this if a woman today wears her hair in a fancy braid, wears any sort of jewelry, or costly attire (at what price does it become costly attire?) is in sin when she worships with other Christians? If so, then there is an extremely large group of women that need to be corrected! No, instead we see in two different epistles that how Christians were to dress were influenced and affected in many ways by the culture in which they live, and we can see this in practice still today. When I do mission work in Jamaica, there is a cultural dress that is very different from what I am used to, and if I wore what I might normally wear in America, I would stand out, maybe even be considered a show-off. In like manner, a friend and brother of mine who preaches in the </span>Philippines described what they might normally wear, and it would be considered beyond casual in many American churches today.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"> Now there are passages within the Old Testament that refer to the topic of clothing while worshiping God, and while the Old Testament was "written for our learning," we must remember that it was to guide us to the new covenant. There is much within that old covenant that focuses on the outward, and ritual, and it is important to note that, but it is also important to note that these things were a shadow of the ethics and behavior of God's kingdom on earth, and so we much be very careful in picking and choosing what we pull from the old covenant as principles for better understanding the new. Did the priests under the old covenant have a certain garb? Certainly, though it is also the case that the average priest had a much more plain garment than the high priest, and that, according to Leviticus 16, when the high priest went behind the veil on the day of atonement, he too would have a much plainer garb than he would in his normal day to day duties, but is the principle in that to be that God's priests today need to have the best clothing by society's definition? I would not personally be quick to jump to that conclusion. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">Other than those two passages we noticed above, I cannot find much of anything in the New Testament that is very specific on our outward appearance when it comes to worshiping God. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">That is not to say there aren't any, just that as I write this I am not aware of any others. There are a plethora of verses though that talk about the inward "dress" of man though. Other than noting that we should not go out publicly, and even in worship with other Christians, in a way that would cause society look at us in shame and to question our morality, God seems more concerned about the condition of our heart and mind when we come and worship Him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I would imagine though that whenever this topic is discussed, people expect some sort of discussion on the typical suit and tie that many of the more conservative churches seem to expect. Should we simply rebel against this? Well, no, not if it will cause division and strife, and not if it will cause the brethren and/or the world to look on you with shame, or to question your morality. If I am preaching, there is a 99.9% chance that you will find me wearing a suit. Why? Because I feel it is the right garb for a preacher to wear? Not at all, but normally because it is what is expected and I do not wish for the focus to be on me, what I'm wearing, and why I might be wearing something unexpected. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> At the same time though, we as Christians do not need to grab onto this particular trend for "worship wear," and hold on so tight that it becomes something we bind. And let us also be honest with the fact that even though we might often say we don't bind the issue of wearing some particular type of dress clothing to worship, that can often found that it is implicitly bound, or that we find ourselves like those in James 2 who begin to judge someone based on what they are wearing. We might find ourselves worrying so much about what someone is wearing, wondering if they didn't have anything better to give to God, or how we just saw them at a funeral in suit last week, yet for worship they wear jeans and a polo, that we end up compromising our ability to properly worship in the process.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> What many fail to take note of is that America is currently in the middle of a generational change. We might notice it in the sense that we note all of the bad things that are happening, but in doing so we might fail to remember that generational, or cultural, change is not inherently bad, and even if many aspects of it are, it doesn't mean all of it is. The Millennial generation has recently surpassed the Baby Boomers for the largest generation in America. Baby Boomers are also at the point where they are getting much closer to retirement, if not already there, while Millennials are entering the work force, or may be at a point where they are taking many of the powerful and influential positions from the past few generations. That means that our culture is in somewhat of a flux right now. We've seen that that can bring about a lot of negative, and ungodly changes, but it also connects back to the principle of modesty we noted earlier.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Because we are in a flux, it can hard to always pinpoint the cultural side of modesty. We have many Baby Boomers still in positions of influence and power, speaking of a secular sense, that hold on to many of their generations cultural concepts of modesty and what is appropriate. At the same time, we have many Millennials who are bringing in what their culture deems as modest and appropriate, and so we have a good bit of friction and strife that may come up because of it, and the problem is that this friction and strife is not always kept out of the Lord's church. We have many well established brethren from the strong Baby Boomer generation, and at the same time have a great number of Millennial brethren that are reaching the point where they are expected to help lead the congregations, and both have scruples and aspects of culturally based modesty that they hold onto, and so friction and strife occurs, and both sides grab on tightly to their scruples, and their generational culture, and hold on tight, refusing to budge, and at the same time questioning the love that the other group has for the Lord, how devoted are the really if they would act or appear in such a way, how they are trying to bind what is not bound or lose what is not loosed. Consider this quote from C.S. Lewis on the topic of modest clothing in the midst of a cultural and generational shift:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>"While this confusion lasts I think that old, or old-fashioned, people should be very careful not to assume that young or 'emancipated' people are corrupt whenever they are (by the old standard) improper; and, in return, the young people should not call their elders prudes or puritans because they do not easily adopt the new standard. A real desire to believe all the good you can of others and to make others as comfortable as you can will solve most of the problems."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> If we fail to do have the understanding and Biblical attitude towards cultural bound modesty what is the result? Well ultimately we get so caught up in these little cultural battles over things that are not as important as either side may make them out to be, and were never going to be permanent in the first place, as change in culture will always happen, that we lose the opportunity to be a light to the world. We get so caught up in nitpicking little things that are more of a matter of the culture in which we grew up than an actual Bible command or desire of God, that we lose our ability to be effective in teaching people that God's church is about how groups of people can all find common ground despite generational or cultural differences, and how God's kingdom focuses on what is eternal rather than what is temporary. And the problem is that both sides of this generation change are to blame.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Of course, I also have to ask the question of consistency in how we practice these issues. Many brethren have asked why men might wear suits to the morning worship service of a congregation, but just jeans and a casual button up at night, and while I might disagree with the conclusion they have about what to wear, their question is no doubt a valid one. What is the difference between the two services one might attend on a Sunday? But what about other times where the congregation worships together in some fashion? What about Wednesday night when we have singing, praying, and teaching? Should our Sunday garb not be the same, or does the fact that we collect an offering and partake in the Lord's Supper on Sunday change what we are expected to wear? What about a youth devotional? What if I am worshiping alone, singing songs of praise to God? If God expects me to appear a certain way when with the saints, is it different if I'm alone? These are questions that BOTH sides of the issue need to consider if they are going to take the time to debate and discuss the issue to any real depth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> To make a short conclusion to a rather lengthy post, maybe it would better for us to stop nit-picking a number of different issues that are going to end up being, Biblically speaking, affected a great deal by the cultural stance on things, and focus on perfecting unity with one another despite differences, all while being an example to the world what the church is supposed to be. Does that mean I have the answer to the question in the title? Not entirely. I do believe the Millennial generation still has a sense of respect of reverence for what they wear outwardly when it comes to worshiping God though it might not match up to the older standard, just as much as I believe that the older standard holds a greatly needed respect for the act of coming before God in worship and praise that many Millennials today need to learn from and practice as well. Might there be a middle, and hopefully Biblical, ground for us all to stand on?<br /><br /> </span><br />
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Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-50284227005823287052013-08-08T18:29:00.000-04:002013-08-08T18:33:47.973-04:00Are You Holding on to a Letter that Kills?<span style="font-size: large;"> Paul's second epistle to Corinth is one that deals with many of the false charges from Jewish "converts" who were trying to maintain the Law of Moses alongside the "perfect law of liberty" (James 2:8). At the start of II Corinthians 3, Paul defends himself by pointing to the very people that were questioning his credibility, the church at Corinth that he had planted. In verses 1-4, Paul notes that one could know his character based on what he taught, and how the churches he planted lived. If he was representing God and godliness, then the congregations he planted or taught would follow God as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Following the example of the church at Corinth though, Paul then begins to contrast that which Corinthian Christians were taught by Paul to that which the Judaizers were teaching currently to those in Corinth. He does this by reminding the Christians what the purpose of the Old Testament was as well as what the purpose for the New Testament is, and how it excels in comparison to its forerunner.We will take the rest of this chapter verse by verse to discuss Paul's argument.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">II Co 3:6 who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Paul has just noted that God had made him sufficient to preach the Gospel of Christ (Verse 5), and starts by making a contrast between what he calls "the letter" and "the spirit." Our part in study is to determine what Paul is referring to in by these two terms. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> As we continue through the chapter, we quickly find that "the letter" refers to the Law of Moses that was given on Mount Sinai. In verse six, Paul refers to the "the letter" as something that kills, and in verse seven Paul writes, "Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone" and continues to reference the events between Moses and the Hebrews after Moses comes down from the mountain. It is here that it becomes clear what "the letter" that kills is. It is the entirety of the Law of Moses, which was written on stone. This begins with the Ten Commandments, and continues on through what is recorded in the book of Leviticus.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Paul addresses the fact that Moses' face glowed for a period of time after receiving the law, and how he put a veil over his face (Exodus 34:29-35), but how it would fade away, and how that event was actually a foreshadowing of the fact that the Law of Moses itself would fade away as well.<br /><br /> Along with identifying "the letter," we also need to identify what "the spirit" is that Paul places by the side of the Law of Moses. Many people try to define it, but we really have no need to as Paul himself defines it in verse seventeen. Paul writes, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." Paul is clear that what he is contrasting here is that which was given to God's people by Moses and that which was given to God's people through Jesus. The two contrasting covenants both were given with a purpose, but God's people cannot be under both of the covenants at the same time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>II Co 3:7-8 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> When many entertain the thought that we are not under the Law of Moses, Ten Commandments included, cannot seem to fathom the thought. Paul makes it clear though that the Law of Moses was glorious, and had a specific purpose. One should never downplay anything that God has given as part of His ultimate purpose, but at the same time one should keep God's actions within their context and purpose. And so Paul notes that the Law of Moses came with glory, and that should be remembered, but from the inception of the Law of Moses, it began a process of being brought to an end to make way for the even more glorious teachings of Christ, the perfect law of liberty, and the question we must ask is, if there is a covenant that is more glorious than the Law of Moses, why would one want to bind themselves to the commands within Law of Moses?</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">II Co 3:9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> As Paul continues making note of the contrast between the old and new covenants, he refers to one as the ministry of condemnation and the other as the ministry of righteousness. The Law of Moses is the ministry of condemnation (again, the letter kills!) because it was not designed to forgive sins and save individuals, but to teach people about how deep sin goes and how deeply it affects our relationship with God.Galatians 3:24 reminds us that the Law of Moses was a "tutor" or "guardian" to bring us to Christ so "that we might be justified by faith." The "tutor," or "paedagogus" described here was one that would lead young Jewish boys to school. As Albert Barnes wrote, </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"It is true, that when the “paedagogus” was properly qualified, he assisted the children committed to his care in preparing their lessons. But still his main duty was not instruction, but it was to watch over the boys; to restrain them from evil and temptation; and to conduct them to the schools, where they might receive instruction."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> So while the Law of Moses was able to restrain them to an extent, the purpose was to lead, not to teach. And so it is in the law of liberty that one is able to find righteousness, and again, as we did with the last segment, we must ask, if the Law of Moses can only bring condemnation, and only the law of liberty can bring righteousness, which one do we want to be in submission to now?</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">II Co 3:12-16 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech--unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Paul notes that he is able to have bold speech in what he teaches as minister for God and an apostle for Jesus because the law of liberty which he preaches is not one that fades away, is more glorious than the Law of Moses, and leads to righteousness rather than death.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Paul then turns back to the illustration of Moses putting the veil over his face to make one last statement against the Judaizers who were condemning him and the work he was doing in the name of God. Paul makes the claim that those who are still trying to stick to the Old Testament, refusing to acknowledge what its true purpose was, and that it was not meant to last, but to lead to the messiah, are like Moses, covering their face with the veil. The difference is that when Moses went back before the Lord, he took the veil off, but these Jews refuse to lift theirs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> We can then make the same comparison to the many today that so desperately want to hold on to the Law of Moses. Sometimes it might be just the Ten Commandments. Sometimes it might be just particular bits of the book of Leviticus that suit a moral argument they want to make. That is not to say that we should not study the Old Testament, because, like with the Jews, it can prepare us to better understand the messiah, and there are many shadows within it of things to come, as we've seen from this very post, but we should not confuse learning from the Old Testament with being bound to its law. By Paul's argument, those that wish to hold on desperately to being bound to any part of the Law of Moses are no different than the Judaizers who leave a veil over their hearts and minds. It is certainly a blunt statement, but one who would forego, or even weaken the ministry of righteousness that gives life needs just that!</span><br />
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Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-62464162100006760872013-04-18T15:39:00.006-04:002013-04-18T15:40:07.883-04:00Why My Wife and I Will HomeschoolThis morning I read a blog post on Facebook (<a href="http://moralitycheck.wordpress.com/2013/04/18/ancient-boundaries-spiritual-liberty/">http://moralitycheck.wordpress.com/2013/04/18/ancient-boundaries-spiritual-liberty/</a>) that provoked me to write a post I have had developing in my thoughts for a while now. It's about homeschooling. You see, I've got two children now. One is four, which means that a year from now, he will be of the age where most parents will be getting ready to send their child off to a public school to start Kindergarten. Kristen and I have decided to homeschool our son. We will also be among the group of parents getting ready this time a year from now to take our son to a public school and watch him start his first day of kindergarten there, probably to be sad all day about how quickly our son is growing up, and awaiting the moment we can go pick him up and see what all he did during the day. Maybe you're confused. You read above that we were going to homeschool Ben, only to read after that that we are planning on sending him to a public school. You read correctly.<br />
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As a parent, and then even more so as a Christian, I don't really see how anyone can escape the necessity of homeschooling their children. I may send my child off to a public school to learn knowledge about the world, to meet (and hopefully influence) other people his age that come from different backgrounds and cultures, and too enjoy many good friendships that come from such a place, but that never takes away the necessity for me to continue to teach him in the home as his father, and to have that be his main source of learning, and comfort, and growing as a person. I can't say that I know much about education of young people in the ancient world, but I can't help but think of Deuteronomy 6:5-9 when I consider my role as a parent. Moses said, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." You see, regardless of any sort of teaching situation, the parents of children were commanded to teach their children through word and example about God. It isn't an option. Ben WILL be homeschooled no matter what because Kristen and I don't plan to abandon him as he grows.<br />
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In the article above, Andrew Warnes noted that he planned to homeschool his children in the sense that they would not be attending public school. He also notes though that quite often we can get into an unwarrented and unneeded firestorm over the issue within the church. At one point, those within the church that homeschooled might have been thought of as outcasts. They were trying to take their children out of the world. They had unrealistic expectations, and were keeping their children from being able to function in a world marred by sin. Certainly some families have had that result by the methods they have chosen. Sometimes it seems the tables have turned though now, to the point that it often seems like those who choose to make use of public education are showing a lack of concern for their children's future, that they are throwing them to the wolves, and placing worldly knowledge in their mind while setting the children up to abandon God and His church. Again, there are certainly those who have achieved just this by the methods they choose, but just like with the homeschooling assumptions mentioned above, this is not usually the case at all, and all of us, regardless of what we choose for our children in the area of education, need to remember this.<br />
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If I were to be honest, Kristen and I haven't talked much about our decision to send Ben to public school simply because of worrying about what type of reaction we would get because of it. It would be nice to just be able to put off this feeling of worry on other people, but having conversation over this issue, and others that Christians may practice differently but aren't matters of salvation, is important, and it is something that I don't need to avoid either. It really seems that sometimes we get so worried about this issue and others that we cut off any ability to grow, and share the pros and cons of any decision we may make. Kristen and I know that there are a lot of issues that will come about because of public schooling that we will need to be ready to deal with, but there are also many positive aspects. The same could be said about homeschooling. Are there issues with homeschooling that could have a negative affect if handled improperly? Certainly, but there are also many positive aspects of it, and Kristen and I are not above homeschooling in both senses if public school doesn't work out for Ben.<br />
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Regardless of any future education situation we find ourselves in, Kristen and I will (hopefully) homeschool Benjamin still, simply because that is our role as parents, and along with this, I pray that we will be open and patient with those that may differ in decisions made for their families.Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-90721225403087995742012-08-03T20:19:00.000-04:002012-08-04T14:32:26.466-04:00Boycotting Convenience<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Boycotts. I've talked about them just as much as everyone else. I may have talked more about them than I needed to, maybe not enough, maybe just the right amount. I figured at least one more time wouldn't hurt. Boycotts are all of the rage these days, whether they come from the liberal activists, conservative activists, Christian, non-Christian, heterosexual, homosexual, and anything else you can think of. The only thing more popular is probably that boy band Misdirection, or whatever they're called. Most people who read what I post on Facebook know that I'm not a big fan of boycotts, but I do support at least one boycott, the boycott of convenient Christianity. This blog post might rub a few the wrong way, so I will do my best to be as kind as I can, to not make blanket statements and not judge the hearts of individuals. I will have to reject the easy way dealing with things though. In my opinion, boycotts are just a way to take the easy route in dealing with things. I'll try my best to explain myself. Before I do that, I will note that I also consider the "Chick-Fil-A (CFA) Appreciation Day" a boycott, not in the usual sense, but a show of support that in essence proves we'll boycott the companies that don't fall in line with our beliefs, and show immense support for those that do. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I want to preface my explanation by saying that I don't believe there is anything inherently wrong with choosing to not shop somewhere. As another has said, and I share the sentiments, I don't eat at Hooters because the clothes that the waitresses wear can very easily cause lust, and is probably designed to do just that. I'm like that with a few other places too. I have personal boycotts that I personally uphold, so for me to condemn someone for choosing not to shop somewhere, or choosing TO shop somewhere based on their moral beliefs would be highly hypocritical. The one thing I've yet to notice though is a great public outcry against Hooters, whether it be a call to boycott them, or a call to visit a restaurant that has modestly dressed waitresses in support of their dress by Christians. Along with that, our scruples are rarely consistent. That almost seems to be the nature of scruples. We boycott Target, Home Depot, and J.C. Penny. Then we support Chick-Fil-A, but show our support by uploading a photo from our computer that has an operating system produced by a company that openly supports gay rights, and post it on a social media site that also openly supports gay rights. Amazon.com openly supports gay marriage the day of the CFA Appreciation day and I've yet to see an uproar about it and the companies that followed suit. Our scruples aren't consistent, and no one has asked them to be consistent, but when we make them into a public issue, and moral stance, that scruple opens itself up to judged by the world, and one might want to consider how the enemies of the cross would use such inconsistency. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The personal choice to not shop somewhere is certainly Biblical as far as I'm concerned. Romans 14 is the foundation I'd give for that stance, so go read it. Paul's writing though calls for one to make the decision and go on living their life. If you don't support a place, avoid it and move on. It's no one else's business. It isn't my business to ask people what places I do and do not support, and it isn't my place to tell other people what places I do and do not support. If I'm asked to go somewhere that offends my conscious, certainly I can decline and explain why, but is that the same as making a public announcement of it? Certainly not. That's why I personally have come to the conclusion that the boycott trend, specifically in regards to the Christian life, usually tends to be more of a lazy form of Christianity rather than a committed life of discipleship and service to God and the world. That sounds harsh, I know, and I don't want to pretend that I'm not guilty of lazy Christianity as well, as there are certainly more ways in which it manifests itself outside of the mass boycott movement. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> As far as I've observed, this approach seems to do more with distancing ourselves from the work of a Christian, rather than embracing the life that God would want us to live as a disciple. It's much easier to stand to the side, complain about the current culture's lack of respect for God, and claim, "Well I won't shop anywhere that supports this sin" than to actually reach out to people who struggle in whatever sin it might be, get to know them, talk to them, love them, and help them. Certainly there were SOME who disagreed with Chick-Fil-A's stance and protested on the CFA Appreciate day. My question is which is easier? To stand in line, get your food, post a picture of your food on Facebook and exclaim how much you love CFA and good family values, or to perhaps find a protester and say, "Hey, I know you're not fond of this place, so let's go to Jimmie John's. I'll buy you lunch and we can talk about our beliefs and ourselves. I'm sure you're hot and tired after standing in this heat anyway." Certainly the first situation is easier. We don't have to be involved. We don't have to face someone we believe is living in sin and deal with them as a person. We instead get to sit inside a cool place, eat our tasty food, and be glad that we get to stand against evil. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> How was it that Jesus dealt with the unfair and unjust publicans? Well he called one to follow him. Another we meet, well Jesus called him out of a tree and invited himself over to eat with him, an act that wasn't anything simple in those days. Jesus led the way by setting the example, by finding those who needed the Gospel and approaching them face to face. The way of the world seems to be dealing with problems through a distance. These days, when we go to war, we use guns, they distance us. We use bombs and drones which distance us even more, as do missiles and rockets. When we want to debate (and here is me calling myself out) we get on Facebook and find a post to comment on back and forth. A situation where we can sit on our couch or in our office and never have to deal with the person face to face, simply respond to a screen and their still picture. That's not to say that written responses are bad, because the majority of the New Testament is just that, but simply to note that we live in a day and age where we enjoy the ease of being able to face issues at a distance instead of dealing with someone as a person.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I've heard some make the cry that we're being persecuted and we have to win the culture war. We have to stand up for free speech. As one brother pointed out, "<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">The mission of God is about reconciliation of all people to God and each other (Eph 2:14-16) and not winning a culture war." Brethren, we cannot "win" the culture war. The truth it, it was won long ago. Jesus already won the culture war through a sacrifice of his own life and freedoms. Revelation makes sure to constantly point out as well that as long as the earth stands as it does, the culture war will not be over. You can read through the book and find that God brings justice against Rome, but John continues on to write, pointing out that even though that nation fell, more will come and will be just as evil, and it will continue on until the final judgment day. From start to finish though, John's writings tell us to patiently endure. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> About persecution, I wouldn't go as far as to say that Christianity faces no persecution, but could it be that maybe we're exaggerating it just a bit? On CFA Appreciation Day, I saw some talk about how Christians were bravely standing up to ungodly morals. Bravely? Really? Not to be to critical, but at what point were we in danger by going to CFA to eat? Did we think we might be arrested for going? Beaten? Killed? Some may call us hateful, bigots, homophobes, or any other amount of things, but should we really consider ourselves as brave for standing in line for an hour, only to sit down among fellow believers and supporters and peacefully eat our $7 a person meal? Persecution comes in all shapes and sizes, but to call this persecution, and going on to pretend we are being brave in eating chicken or not shopping somewhere, at least in my opinion, should be considered an insult to those in the world that have and still do face real danger in standing up for our heavenly King. Nigerians are currently being murdered for their faith, and yet we're outraged and feel persecuted because someone tells us we're hateful and judgmental, and we fight back by eating chicken. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> Let's deal also with the topic of free speech. Many people stated they were simply standing up for freedom of speech, or working to protect that right. I enjoy freedom of speech. It allows me to post this. Sometimes I think we expect too much from that right though. Some mayors said they didn't want CFA in their towns. They may not have the right to do that, but they have the right to say it, and to encourage people to resist a CFA planted in some town. Free speech does not promise that there are no consequences, and if we get to enjoy it, so do other people. When companies come out as pro-gay rights, we feel like we have the right to say almost anything we want in response to them because "we're speaking the truth." Yet when someone speaks against what we believe, it almost seems like we can't believe that it actually happened. So let's enjoy free speech, but let's be balanced on our approach to it as well. And should we be expected as Christians to defend that right? In my opinion, not especially, no. They are nice, but think of the "rights" we already have in Christ. Jesus didn't die so we could say what we wanted without consequence, but so we could preach the truth despite the consequences. I was told recently that if we don't stand up against this, then we're going to be silenced in the pulpit when it comes to preaching about these issues. That's simply not true. If one is silenced from teaching the Gospel of Christ and all that it comes with, it isn't because any government agency said to stop preaching, but because the preacher was too afraid of what consequences his actions might bring. Do we NEED to protect our civic rights? Not at all.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /> I know this is long, but there is one more issue I feel needs to be discussed, and that is our method of dealing with issues. I can't know the heart, intentions, or motivations of anyone but myself, but our motivations don't always justify an act or make it the best way to react to an issue. I've been told that Christians were orderly, nice, kind-hearted, and all the other good things one should when participating in CFA Appreciation Day. That's good, and we should act that way regardless of where we are, but consider this illustration. As I write this, my wife is pregnant and suffering greatly from morning (read "All-Day") sickness. She's miserable, and I want her to be happy. I can, and have, tried many things, and though my intentions are good, sometimes I just make it worse. This issue has been addressed many times by other authors, and the reaction always tends to be the same. "God already spoke on the issue and we have to stand up for truth!" You're right, no one is claiming otherwise. It isn't a question of SHOULD we take a stand, but HOW we take a stand. There is no one right answer, but consider how all of this CFA mess has played out over the last few weeks. A man known for running a business based on a few Biblical guidelines is asked his stance on a hot-button issue and he responds to it. The opposing side responds by calling for a boycott, and calling the company evil and immoral, trying to prove that they have the loudest voice and the most power. Our response is to come in waves to Chick-Fil-A to prove that WE have the loudest voice, the most power, and more influence. Their response then is to come a few days later and practice homosexual PDA at Chick-Fil-A's to show that they aren't giving up, and that they are actually the ones with the most power and people. I then received invitations to reenact the events of CFA Day to try and shut out the PDA'er's so that we can prove that we have the most power and are the majority. Brethren, where does it end, and what does it accomplish? </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> Let's think about things for a moment. When they called for a boycott of CFA, how did we feel? How did we react? Did we suddenly wish to consider their viewpoint? Did we want to sit down and talk to them about it? No, we wanted to strike back. And when they decided to strike back against our strike back, what was our reaction? Did we want to sit down and talk about it then? Did we want to consider their point of view? No, instead we started to devise MORE ways to strike back. Now consider the reactions to our boycotts and strikes. If we don't like it when they, in mass, boycott our beliefs, and try to publicly strike against them, what makes us think that we are doing good, and reaching out, and working towards their reconciliation to God when we act in the same way they do? I hear nonstop from Christians, complaints about having the non-Christian lifestyle shoved down our throats, so why do we think that shoving our beliefs down their throats is going to be an effective strategy? Why do we think that filling up the Facebook news feed with crowds at Chick-Fil-A, and bragging about how much we've eaten there and how much we've spent there, and how it proves that "bad people" aren't as in control as they want us to think is going to be effective? This doesn't mean that we don't act, and don't stand up for what we believe in, but it does call us to think about what we're doing, the effect it has on others in the short and long run, and if it is productive evangelism. Everything we do is evangelism. Paul wrote to the Colossians that all that we do, in word or deed, should be done in the name of Jesus, giving glory to God. What we do matters, and has an effect on others and their thoughts about Christians and Christianity. The only way some people may know what God or Jesus is like is though us, our speech, the way we react to difficult issues, the way we face sin, and work on reconciling people with God, and so yes, our boycotts and support rallies might be done with the best of intentions, and they might be done with good attitudes, but those things don't always make an action right. I'm not saying that the support rally or any boycott was sinful, not at all, but that we should at least be willing to take the time to consider how the side we're trying to reach out to will react to what we're doing, and be patient enough to wait if we don't have a perfect way to handle something right when it comes up. Don't take the easy way out.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /> I'm all for boycotting simplicity. I don't always do it perfectly, but I'm all for it. For dealing with people instead of sin. For trying to win souls instead of the culture war. For using the free speech that Jesus won for me, rather than the free speech a man thought up for me. It isn't easy at all, but Jesus called us to take up a cross, not a pillow, and follow him.</span></span></span>Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-66402596224821199762012-07-31T12:51:00.000-04:002012-07-31T12:51:05.741-04:00Heroes of the Faith<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Early this week, two
souls were added to the body of Christ. On Monday evening, Ladarius Adams was
added to the body of Christ. Though he is young, he was determined to follow
Jesus from his youth, and be an example to his friends. Certainly anytime a
young soul obeys the Lord, we are, or at least should be, inspired and
encouraged in our faithfulness as well. While we don’t want to downplay any
baptism, the baptism is Ms. Louise Jay was certainly one that I will never
forget.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> Our sister Jay is 72
years old. That seems rare enough, someone advanced in their age obeying the
Gospel of Christ. Not only is she older than most who obey, but Ms. Jay also
suffers from Parkinson’s disease to the extent that she is wheelchair bound.
She can barely stand on her own, and walking alone is out of the question, but
still she wanted to study. Our sister Sue Calloway took up the task of studying
with her off and on over a period of two years, and sister Jay finally was
decided she needed to be baptized for the remission of her sins. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> The nursing home she
lives in has a tub that we were hoping she could be immersed in for
simplicity’s sake but we were out of luck with that, so to the church building
it was. When we arrived at the building, sister Jay was ready to go. We got her
to the steps that led up to the baptistery, and with the help of Jeremy Smith
and Curt Porter we started moving her up the steps. Sister Jay can walk a bit
with help and railing, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen her move like she did.
We were all trying to get her to slow down, take a break, sit down on Curt’s
knee and rest, but she refused and kept going. She finally made it to the top
of the steps and sat down so she could scoot down into the water. She made her
confession and we slid her into the water. With the three of us holding her,
she was under and up quickly, but it was a life changing moment, for her, but
also for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> A lot of us tend to be like Moses when faced with doing the work of God.
We like to make excuses about why we can’t do it. “People won’t accept me” or
“I’m too nervous” or “It’s just too much to ask of someone like me.” I have to
wonder if those things went through sister Jay’s mind? Certainly she understood
there was danger in climbing up those steps, of being immersed in water given
her condition, of trying to get back down the steps wet, and yet she was
determined to be immersed. Certainly there is much we can learn from her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> She reminded me of the Ethiopian Eunuch
of Acts 8, when he asked, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being
baptized?” In like sense, sister Jay understood that if the means to obey were
available, then she was going to obey. The means WERE available, and she DID
obey. So today we need to ask ourselves, “What’s my excuse? If a 72 year old
who is wheelchair bound can obey the Lord, what’s keeping me from doing it?”
Thank the Lord for people like our sister Louise Jay.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTZ0o6TpU7qIxPE4g5UPl09OeOR7mqwbqCzV1gzZUjw_j6NirxYyj4bLSosvk6sesvQkx70RFP_H4sfU6Uf4LFIJCFijr1RVFEgPk7XFRISYzwpZfLhl3othSB46LZbwYoqZkvN50i24q/s1600/306434_553388214558_465654999_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTZ0o6TpU7qIxPE4g5UPl09OeOR7mqwbqCzV1gzZUjw_j6NirxYyj4bLSosvk6sesvQkx70RFP_H4sfU6Uf4LFIJCFijr1RVFEgPk7XFRISYzwpZfLhl3othSB46LZbwYoqZkvN50i24q/s1600/306434_553388214558_465654999_n.jpg" /></a></div>Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-4741849776351046922012-07-26T17:05:00.002-04:002012-07-26T17:05:14.990-04:00You Didn't Build That!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> There has been a lot of talk in the past few weeks dealing with
just how responsible one is for something they create. A speech was made noting
that people don’t ever get to where they are alone </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">and surrounding the quote those is a note of
thankfulness for those who helped make it happen, whether it be from teachers,
parents, and sometimes government help. One may feel differently about
individual cases, but if we consider the thought behind the quote, we can make
some astute spiritual observations.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">The
reaction to the above quote seems to reflect a great deal of America’s
individualism. <b>I</b> work hard, <b>I</b> create something, <b>I</b> don’t owe anyone anything. Certainly
that might sound nice, but, at least by a Biblical standard, it isn’t a lifestyle
or mindset that a Christian should ever maintain. Christianity is a religion
that demands humbleness, less of a sense of myself, and a greater sense of
others. Consider the farmer who built bigger barns found in Luke 12:13-21. Just
in verses 17-19, the personal pronouns “my” and “I” appear eleven times.
Throughout his inner dialogue, he had the mindset of “I DID build that.” In
that train of thought, he seemed to come to the conclusion that because it was
all of his work, then what was produced was his to do with as he pleased. What
was it that he forgot though? Someone taught him how to farm. Someone taught
him how to build barns. Someone provided him with seeds. Ultimately he forgot
that ALL that he had came from God, and thus, all that he had came with the
responsibility to use in a way that served God. Regardless of what one has
today, they had help from someone getting there, and above all else, all of us
are able to prosper because of God and His creative power. Sometimes one just has to wonder how often
God looks upon His creation being misused, abused, hoarded, and treated
selfishly, and says to Himself, “Hey, you didn’t build that!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> While we need make sure we
have a humble approach in the world, it’s important to do so within the Lord’s
church as well. It can be easy for us to approach God and His church like the
Pharisee, who prayed, “God, I thank You that I am not like other
men--extortioners </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax
collector.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all
that I possess” (Lk 18:11-12). He speaks of himself, and all that he’s
accomplished, but he is compared to a </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">publican who “beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a
sinner!'” (Lk 18:13). The publican realized that he could not build himself up,
but that he was reliant on God to do so.
We can easily be like Diotrephes, who loved to have preeminence (3 John
1:9), while forgetting that it is Jesus who has the preeminence in our lives
(Col 1:18). We can gain the idea that the things we do build up the church, and
that the church just can’t function without me, and yet Paul constantly too the
approach that while he and others planted and watered, it was God who deserved
the credit because He was who gave the increase (1 Cor 3:6). When Paul returned to Antioch with his
missionary team, “they reported all that God had done with them, and that He
had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> It is beyond easy
to have the attitude of, “I did that!” or, “I built that!” and yet there is no
place for that in the Christian lifestyle. If all that we did is guided by God,
as it should be, then we certainly do our part, but credit goes to God. In all
things that we do and accomplish as servants of God, let us keep a mindset, not
of “I did that!” but instead a remembrance that, “God did that!” God created us
and this world. God sent His son to die for us. God built His church through
His son. God is the one that give the increase through our actions and His
providence. God is the one who is preparing an eternal home. In what part do we
have the right to say, “I built that”?<o:p></o:p></span></div>Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-21056218394396910772012-07-18T15:25:00.000-04:002012-07-18T15:25:46.333-04:00A Review of "A Faith Not Worth Fighting For"<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I have not posted anything in quite a while, so I figured what better way to possibly start back than with a book review for a book I just finished. This book is titled, "A Faith Not Worth Fighting For," and it is a collection of essays dealing with difficult questions that come alone with holding a position of Christian pacifism, written by various pacifists including one of our brethren in the church of Christ. Before we get into a review of the book, I'd like to give a little bit of a set up about how I came across this book, and why I chose to read it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Before reading this book, I was not a pacifist. So you don't get distracted, I'm not saying I am one now or that I am not, just that before reading this book, I was not a pacifist. Growing up I had little thought of war, and after 9/11, when the set up to invade Iraq was taking place, I was in support of it, and did support that war for a good many years. Over time and study of the events that lead to the war, along with examining myself, and the act of war in general, I came to the conclusion that I could not support the Iraq war, or any other war that has spawned because of it for various reasons, but logically and religiously. That didn't mean that I was against war altogether, but in this situation, with this war and it's background, I did not feel that I could support it. Basically speaking, I was a holder and advocate for the Just-War position, believing that war should not be sought after, yet in a time after we have been attacked and needed to defend ourselves, war could possibly be justified. I could not believe that the constant, what I believe to be, war mongering done by politicians and upheld by citizens on both sides of the political spectrum was justified though, whether it be about Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, or Iran. I had a Christian Facebook friend who is a very strong pacifist though, and a mutual friend of his recommended this book, hoping the pacifist friend could give feed back. In seeing what this book was about, I knew I had to read it. I had been struggling with a lot of tough questions that this book promised to touch on, and the Kindle sample I read sealed the deal. I thought it might also be helpful in getting a review from, not only a pacifist who would already hold such positions, but from a non-pacifist who might be changed one way or another by reading this book, and thus I began to read.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> This book is not a book that makes a basic case for pacifism. Those involved in writing for this book assume that you are already a pacifist, or that you understand the position fairly well, and understand some of the difficulties that come along with that position. Before we get into the meat of this review, here are the chapters of the book:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;">Foreword -</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;">Stanley Hauerwas</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 17px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Introduction: Why Refusing to Kill Matters for Christian Discipleship -</span><span style="line-height: 17px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Justin Bronson Barringer & Tripp York</span></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Chapter One: Isn’t Pacifism Passive? -</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">C. Rosalee Velloso Ewell </span></div>
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Chapter Two: What About the Protection of Third-Party Innocents? On Letting Your Neighbors Die - </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">D. Stephen Long</span></div>
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Chapter Three: What Would You Do If Someone was Attacking a Loved One? -</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Amy Laura Hall & Kara Slade</span></div>
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Chapter Four: What About Hitler? -</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Robert Brimlow</span></div>
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Chapter Five: Does Christian Pacifism Entail the Rejection of a Police Force? -</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Gerald W. Schlabach</span></div>
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Chapter Six: What about those men and women who gave up their lives so</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">that you and I could be free? On Killing for Freedom -</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Justin Bronson Barringer</span></div>
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Chapter Seven: Does God Expect Nations to Turn the Other Cheek? -</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Gregory A. Boyd</span></div>
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Chapter Eight: What About War and Violence in the Old Testament? -</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Ingrid Lilly</span></div>
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Chapter Nine: What About Romans 13? ‘Let Every Soul Be Subject’ -</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Lee C. Camp</span></div>
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Chapter Ten: Didn’t Jesus Say He Came Not to Bring Peace, but a Sword? -</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Samuel Wells</span></div>
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Chapter Eleven: What About the Centurion? A Roman Soldier’s Faith and</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Christian Pacifism</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> -</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Andy Alexis-Baker</span></div>
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Chapter Twelve: Didn’t Jesus Overturn Tables and Chase People Out of the</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Temple with a Whip? -</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">John Dear</span></div>
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Chapter Thirteen: What About the Warrior Jesus in Revelation 19? He Has</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Trampled out the Vintage -</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">J. Nelson Kraybill</span></div>
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Conclusion: A Faith Worth Dying For: A Tradition of Martyrs Not Heroes -</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Tripp York</span></div>
</span><div style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 17px; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Afterword -</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Shane Claiborne</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"> As you can see, these are mostly topics that are very complicated, and can be very offensive depending on the answer given, and the tact used in the answer. In fact, I'm sure my review will end up being offensive to some, just noting some of the contents and conclusions of the chapters, as well as my thoughts on the book, so let's go ahead and get into it.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"> Outside of the Bible, this book has been one of the most challenging books I've read in a long time. While I don't know anyone that is an outright fan of violence, and violent methods, it did help me to notice how quick many seem to be to seek violent solutions, or imagine that a violent act is the best method of dealing with an issue while still proclaiming Jesus as the Prince of Peace and Christianity as a religion of peace. Many seem just as ready to pick up a gun as they are a bomb. Many seem just as willing to drop a bomb on enemies of America as they are to drop food on the needy of the country. One note was constantly made throughout the book that Christians seem to be some of the only people that don't take Jesus' call to turn the other cheek, never seek </span></span><span style="line-height: 17px;">vengeance</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">, or bless and feed an enemy as literal, constantly trying to find situations where one can get around that call. We all seem to believe that pacifism is passive, and thus to take action, it could easily lead to violence and thus violent act is justified. The book really begins though, with proving that pacifism is not at all passive. </span></span><span style="line-height: 17px;">Passiveness</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"> is not doing anything at all, yet Christian non-violence not only suggests, but demands that we stand up and take action, but that we do so in a way that doesn't result in violence. One may suggest that this wouldn't work, and might even lead to death, and I would echo the authors of this book as well as the early Christians and Jesus himself and say, "Exactly." It is shown that the early Christian, up until the time of Constantine and the acceptation of Christianity, that the early church was strongly non-violent, noting that they could not be Christians and violent, not only in times of persecution upon the church, but at any time. In fact, quite often, if one was part of the Roman army, they were expected to quit that service due to the fact that it would command them to kill their enemies, and that was not acceptable for a follower of Christ. While one could remain in the army, they would most likely soon be booted out due to their unwillingness to practice violence against any enemy. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"> The book is very honest too. Many oppose Christian pacifism because it entails sometimes that the conclusion of an event might not only lead to the death of oneself, but also to the deaths of innocent people involved. While this is a very good argument that is very emotionally charged, it is one that goes both ways. Even in acts of violence, innocents can and do get harmed and even die. Because of the fact that evil exists in the world, bad things happen, and so the main question to be asked is not about which one might produce a certain end result, but which one is more faithful to following after Jesus and the life he showed us as recorded in the scriptures? This book is open about their own struggles though as well. Many have friends and family that serve in the military, or on the police force, so how does one go about handling that in a way that isn't destructive. How can one show appreciate for those acting if one does not approve of the actions they are doing, if that can be done at all? Thankfully, these authors are willing to admit that they don't have all of the answers for all of the questions. In the chapter about Christians taking advantage of the police force, or even being part of a police force, the conclusion is more of a vague ending, noting that there isn't always a clear answer, and one must use their own conscience, a similar ending given to chapter six concerning those who give their life for the civic freedoms of this country. They are willing to admit that it isn't a clear cut position, just as is with a Just-War theory, though they still hold to the belief that a Christian should never engage in violent acts.<br /><br /> One issue that I was very thankful for was addressing the issue of Romans 12 and Romans 13, that is, the role of the secular government in comparison to expectations of the Kingdom of God. This is handled primarily in chapters 4, 7, and 9. One position I've always been taught, and always held onto, was that Romans 13 was a sanction and approval for the government to use violent force when needed, and that because Christians are to be subject to the government, they can thus take part in the offices of the secular government and are thus approved to use violence in what they feel are justifiable situations, that is, for good. It is noted though, that the end of Romans 12 could very well set up for a scenario where Paul is noting that Christians are expected to act in a certain way, never seeking vengeance, not repaying evil with evil, blessing and feeding their enemies, while Romans 13 notes that that secular governments operate in a manner entirely different from God's Kingdom, yet God can still order or arrange them, to be his tool of vengeance, that is, to accomplish good and to be a terror to those who do evil. It does not mean that God approves of their actions, but can very well providentially use them to accomplish his means. This is something we see occurring in the Old Testament through and through, were God used the Israelites to destroy nations, and even later, God used evil nations and their violent spirits, to punish Israel, only to later destroy them as well. It never meant that God approved of their violent natures, but certainly he was capable of arranging them, using them as they were, to carry out his will. As we noted though, this follows a chapter that ends with the description of the Christian life, where one seeks peace and sacrifice. Paul wrote,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> "</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 21.603347778320313px;">Repay <b>no one</b> evil for evil, but </span><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 21.603347778320313px;">give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. I</span><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 21.603347778320313px;">f possible, so far as it depends on you, </span><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 21.603347778320313px;">live peaceably with all. </span><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 21.603347778320313px;">Beloved, </span><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 21.603347778320313px;"><b>never</b> avenge yourselves, but leave it</span><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 21.603347778320313px;"> to the wrath of God, for it is written, </span><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 21.603347778320313px;">“Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” </span><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 21.603347778320313px;">To the contrary,</span><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 21.603347778320313px;">“if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”</span><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 21.603347778320313px;">Do not be overcome by evil, but <b>overcome evil with good</b>" (Rom 12:17-21).</span> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"> Now this is not all said without noting that the book does have a few problems, at least in my opinion. Some of the chapters were left wanting severely. For instance, chapter three dealt with what one would do if someone was attacking their loved one. The author barely actually dealt with that issue, gave Biblical backing or thought to her writing, or really gave any idea of what one should do. Instead it seemed almost like she used her space to write about her feelings on the powerful white-male culture in dealing with rape and race relations. To me, this chapter seemed utterly useless. Chapter eight felt like a let down in dealing with violence in the Old Testament. This was a big question for me, and still is, yet the authors solution for this issue was basically to believe that the Old Testament was a collection of stories formed later to tell of Israel's history, and so the very violent sections just didn't really happen. Instead of Joshua being true, it's said that Israel really took the Promised Land in a form shown in Judges, of basically slipping in unnoticed, and taking over bit by bit until they had it all. It seemed as if the author was basically trying to ignore the violence of the Old Testament instead of dealing with it. Finally, chapters 10-13 seemed a bit overly complex concerning the topics at hand. It felt like the solution should have been simple, but the authors needed to fill space and so they took the overly complex route to a pretty good conclusion. Certainly there was good material in there, and I learned a few new things, but the chapters could have been much shorter while being more edifying and hard hitting as well.<br /><br /> To try and conclude, am I pacifist now? I don't know. I'm not any more in support of violent actions, and certainly have moved closer to a position of Christian pacifism, but I've yet to really meditate on these issues, pray to God for wisdom, and deeply search the scriptures myself for what Jesus says about such things. If you were to ask me who should read this book though, I would passionately respond with a strong, "Everyone!" Regardless of your political position, thoughts on war, thoughts on self-defense, thoughts on the army, or anything else that may involve someone having to act in a violent way, if you are a Christian, you need to read this book. Despite some of the above mentioned weaknesses, when it does hit, which is more often than not, it hits heard, and forces you to deeply examine your devotion to Jesus, your walk in following him, and how you react to situations. In the end, their conviction to stay non-violent in all situations is strengthened by the fact of the resurrection. We have no concern about what our enemies can do to us here because the end of this life, is not the end our the Christian's life. Never underestimate the power of peaceful approach, but even if it does end in death, it isn't the end of you.<br /><br /></span></div>
<br />Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-19430638786066024022011-09-29T01:06:00.000-04:002011-09-29T01:06:05.456-04:00My Wife is InsaneShe really is. For the last week she's been doing the Insanity workout program with me. This is my second time through it and her first. One thing I've noticed is that this time it's a good bit easier for me. It isn't easier, but by all means it is easier. I really want to focus on the fact that my wife is doing this. This program lives up to it's name, Insanity, and my wife has never really been someone that does hardcore exercise programs, and her taking this up has taught me some lessons about my Christian life.<br />
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A lot of people say Insanity is not for everyone, and I'll be one to admit that I didn't give much credit to my wife at first for being one who would finish it, but after enduring the first night and still doing the second, then third, then fourth, and so on, I realized anyone can do this that puts their mind to it. Honestly, I'm sure most people thought the same about me, so it's a bit hypocritical for me to assume such of her, right? A lot of times we assume Christianity is too tough for us, or we see someone seeking after God and just assume that Christianity isn't something for them, but the truth is, Christianity is for anyone who sets their mind to it, and quite often it's the person you least expect.<br />
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Insanity also gets a bit crazy, and a lot of the stretches and exercises can included some positions that one might not be used to. Of course by my second time through I've mastered them all and never make any mistakes and need no improvement. Kristen on the other hand doesn't know them yet, and isn't as flexible from the stretching so she doesn't have them down perfectly. It therefore becomes my responsibility to point out all of her flaws and make sure she gets it right from the get-go. If only that were the case. I've still got a long way to go myself, and certainly I've gotten better (I hope) but it wasn't 3-4 months ago that my back wasn't fully straight, or that I didn't squat down for enough, or whatever the case might be. It's plenty easy for my to focus on the fault of others and improvements they need to make, all while forsaking my own, and honestly, I've caught myself trying so hard to watch Kristen that I've forgotten to focus on myself, and while my intentions are good, and I simply want to help, in the end, I sometimes do harm to both Kristen and myself, losing my own focus and possibly discouraging her instead of letting her learn herself. Quite often, we do the same thing though. We're so focused on helping others that we forget to focus on making sure we're doing well ourselves, and we end up stumbling in the process. At the same time, it's easy to become so critical of others that we discourage them more than help them, getting in their mind that they can't do it right. While I do have better form than when I started, and I hope I'm a good example , Kristen has the ultimate example before her in the form of the workout coach. He has designed this workout and knows exactly what he's doing and how to do it. Certainly if Kristen is going to hurt herself I'll say something, but if she's simply working at something and slowly improving, I'd do better to let her keep her eyes on the "perfect" example and follow him rather than me, and the same thing applies spiritually.<br />
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Finally, I have to admit that Kristen is quite the inspiration to me. Yes, I've done it before and know that I can do it again, but to see Kristen keep at it and improve daily does encourage me to keep going. It's easy to look at those who are new to something and expect them to look up to us and be encouraged by us, and certainly those new to something that is a big change in their lives, and very different from what they're use to, but at the same time, we who have made it through and are continuing on should be encouraged by those who have decided to take up the challenge and who are pressing on despite all temptation to quit and despite discouragement and pain that may come with the choice. Hopefully we can see how that relates to Christianity as well.Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-91363907930813494182011-08-11T15:40:00.000-04:002011-08-11T15:40:00.783-04:00It Seems That All My Bridges Have Been Burned<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Quite often we limit our sources in a search for Godly wisdom, and in doing so we miss many reminders of God's truth that can be found in this world. Paul was willing to use any source he could find to relay a godly truth. Titus 1:12-23 has Paul quoting a pagan poet to make a point, and Acts 17:28 has Paul doing the same. If a secular source can remind us of truth that has been revealed by God through His word, there is no reason not to grow from the lesson. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">A</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"> currently popular secular band may not fully understand or care about the grace of God and how Christians extend grace as well, but despite that Christians can surely be reminded of God from this source, just as Paul used pagan poetry to sometimes teach about God. The lyrics read, “It seems that all my bridges have been burned, but you say that’s exactly how this grace thing works. It’s not the long walk home that will change this heart, but the welcome I receive with the restart.”</span><br />
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</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every child is born innocent of sin, but at some point we willingly sin and break the relationship we have with God and need to be reconciled unto Him (Rom. 7). It is here that God extends His grace, a grace that reaches over the bridge burnt by sin and out of His love and care for us and pulls us over that gapping, impassable hole to be with Him once again. In the same sense, we mimic this in our relationships with others. Often others burn the bridges that connect their lives to ours, but we extend grace to them when they desire to rebuild that relationship, and we leave the past incident behind. We do not hold it against them, or constantly remind them of the past that they had. The deed has been done, the bridge has been burned, but we’re over it now and continue on. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the lyrics remind us also, “It’s not the long walk home that will change this heart, but the welcome I receive with the restart.” Too many Christians want their unfaithful brethren and sisters to return, but want to act like the prodigal son’s older brother at the same time. Everyone deciding to follow Christ knows the journey is not easy, but welcome restart, whether with initial obedience or a repentant return, reminds them of the love and support that will accompany them through the journey. God extends this for sure, but if His children will not, how can we expect people to really desire to journey with us towards heaven? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">May we always remember God’s grace and extend grace as well.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'AvantGarde Bk BT', sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></span></span><br />
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Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-90170774367068243892011-07-26T22:07:00.000-04:002011-07-26T22:07:03.892-04:00I'm Still HumanA lot of times, people see the preacher and think of him as more than a Christian, a super Christian, someone who only focuses himself on things people might consider "preacherly things." The thing is, preachers are Christians just like everyone else and actually like different things. I figured I'd just share some things that I currently like.<br />
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I'm a big music person and my tastes are very eclectic. You give me almost any style of music and enough time and I'll find a song I like. There are plenty of other things about me that make up my sweet style.<br />
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I'm weird. I've come to accept that. I'm fine with that. It isn't the, "Wow, stay away from that guy" type of weird (at least I hope not), but I'm weird. You'd have to spend more time with me though to really get an understanding of it.<br />
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I'm very shy. Most people might find this hard to believe, and it's more in unfamiliar settings. If it's at an event in which Christians are involved I'm more open, but can still be a bit shy. For example, I was once at a birthday party for a friend's son, but other than my own family, I knew one or two people out of the thirty-ish people there. I was quiet and withdrawn pretty much the whole time.<br />
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I'm a nerd. I like computers, video games and technology in general. I like cartoons and comics from Japan. I like sci-fi and fantasy stuff. I also enjoy grammar. I've studied grammar. I always try to type and text with proper sentence structure. I even bought Ben a lightsaber today to start to indoctrinate him with a love for Star Wars. See?<br />
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I'm also an outdoorsy person, though I haven't really been able to manifest that side in me in a while. I like hiking and camping. I spent two weeks for two summers (four weeks in all) hiking through New Mexico and then Montana. I'd really like to be able and go and do that again sometime, just to see all of the sights again. I enjoy canoeing and kayaking, except that they don't make kayaks long enough for me that are of any cheap price.<br />
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I'm not a "cars guy." I don't really know how they work, and I'm not that great at fixing anything on them. I know a few things here and there, the basics, but that's about it. I don't care a thing about sports cars or anything fancy. I'm also not that big into sports. I can watch and appreciate most sports, but I don't really care one way or another. I'm still nice enough to let my son be sporty if he wants too.<br />
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I am a very political person. I enjoy discussing and studying politics. I do my best to keep politics separate from religion unless it's an area where the two combine, but I do think one failure of the church is making it into more of a political party than a spiritual haven. I suppose if I had to classify myself politically then I would be a conservative libertarian, though leaning much more towards the libertarian side of things.<br />
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I'm a cynical optimist. It seems a bit contradictory, and it really is. It's constantly a battle, and thankfully the optimism wins out the vast majority of the time, yet many times I can still become very disappointed with society, and even with the church, to the point where I can only think pessimistically about it all.<br />
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Finally I'm a dreamer. A day dreamer, a night dreamer, an all the time dreamer. I have some of the strangest dreams I know of, but I wouldn't want them to go away. I usually have to listen to music while I go to sleep or else I'll replay all of the events of my day, week, month, year, life over in my head and wonder what would have happened if I had handled it differently. It's part of my personality (INFP) and it's fun, but can be annoying when I try to sleep.<br />
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That's a lot of off the wall info, but it's just how I roll, ya know? Quite often I see preachers get frustrated with the work they do because people forget they are human just like everyone else. They have likes and dislikes. They have quirks that others might find weird, or might find common ground upon. They have struggles with their emotions, thoughts and other things. When people make a preacher some holy position above everyone else, it doesn't encourage them as much as it alienates them. How are they supposed to relate to people and be open about their struggles when they are quickly perceived as those who have one of the easiest spiritual lives due to their knowledge of the word and dedication to preach it. In all reality, the preacher is a Christian like everyone else who uses his specific abilities and talents to help the kingdom of God.Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-53775982342294531582011-07-24T22:44:00.003-04:002011-07-24T22:45:11.708-04:00The Christian Rubix Cube<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my office I have three Rubix Cubes. Each one adds a new layer to the usual 3x3x3 model going to 4x4x4 and finally 5x5x5. I used to be able to solve all three of them, but after a few years without practice, I can only solve the normal Rubix Cube. Most people walk into my office, grab the cube and start mixing it up, thinking if they turn it a different way than last, it will somehow be harder, but it isn’t. Solving the cube isn’t luck, there is a pattern to follow, and no matter how mixed up the cube may be, you can follow the pattern back to restore it.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In many ways, Christians are like Rubix Cube. They get mixed up, changed from their state of perfection, but they can be restored if they follow the pattern of God found in the Bible. There is a difference though. I can solve the Rubix Cube without really thinking about it. My hands just go through the motions, knowing what they need to do, and I don’t really have to think about it. For the Christian, both the actions and the heart must be involved. If we’re just going through the motions, we’ll never be “solved” and restored back to our original state of being a forgiven creature.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes people get upset about being mixed up and giving into sin. Surely we should mourn over the times where we sin, and seek to correct ourselves. Remember though that while we should see sin for the destructive force it, coming back to God gives us a wonderful reminder of His love, and His ability to fix us in our mixed-up state and bring us back to perfection.</span></div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">We live in a world the mixes us up, and makes us confused. We must make sure that our lives are in God’s hands, as He is the one that gives us the pattern and is able to restore our souls to the way the need to be.</div>Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-10287256950662390032011-07-22T11:25:00.002-04:002011-07-22T11:25:53.410-04:00The Fruit of the Spirit Is...<object height="132" width="176"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/527581586248" /><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/527581586248" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="176" height="132"></embed></object>Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-67186279540818445102011-07-21T17:51:00.002-04:002011-07-21T18:03:37.796-04:00Because of YouToday I found a quote by a man named Greg Gutfield in which he says, "I became a Conservative by being around Liberals. I became a Libertarian by being around Conservatives." As far as politics go, which I rarely discuss openly in relation of religion unless they are intricately connected in some way, I'd say I relate very well to what Gutfield said. No matter where you go, and what group of people and their beliefs there are, there always seem to be hypocrites. There are people who preach the importance of a certain way to believe and that it is the best, if not the only real way to live a successful life, yet when it comes time to live by the same standard they fail miserably, not in the sense that they just made a mistake here and there, it happens, but that they never really care to live the lifestyle they promote, it's simply an act, simply an image for those looking towards them. I like this quote, and it does a great job of reminding me of how important it is for me not only teach the ways of Christ, but even more important for me to live them.<br />
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Shortly after reading this quote, I was studying over Romans 2 and came across this passage:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth--you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." (Romans 2:14-24)</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Paul in writing to the Romans reminded them that though the Gentiles were not under the Mosaic Law (though I know this is debated back and forth, I don't view it as a salvation issue), they were still able to be saved. They were still under some form of law. We don't have all of the details of it, but they were accountable to God for what they did. Paul then uses this, with a bit of a sarcastic tone, notes the way the Jews thought of themselves. They saw themselves has having the light of truth, as being instructors of the foolish, and teaching the children, yet Paul goes on to note that the Jews didn't actually practice what they were preaching. They were hypocrites through and through. They didn't just stumble occasionally, this was their normal way of thinking and doing.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Paul reaches the climax of his argument by coming down hard on the Jews by pointing out that the reason the Gentiles blaspheme the name of God is not because of their hard hearts or because they inherently hated God, but simply because the attitude and actions of the Jews gave them no reason to want to follow God or believe He was necessary.<br />
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Paul would continue on to explain to the Jews that circumcision, the biggest act they based their covenant faithfulness on, means nothing if you ignore the rest of the law. What good does it do for me to get pulled over for doing 100 in a 35 only to tell the cop, "Well Officer, at least I've never killed one," as if that justifies my other actions. Many Christians still do the same today. We look back to our baptism and think, "Well I've been saved," and formulate this argument in our head that our baptism allows us to do as we please.<br />
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This really made me consider so much of what I see around me. The biggest reason people claim for not wanting to acknowledge God and His Word is not because they believe in evolution, not because of natural disasters or social problems, not even because their is suffering in this world. The biggest reason people give for their negative attitude towards the God of the Bible is because of His followers. Too often we end up holding on to the same attitude as the Jews. We come out of the waters of baptism as a new creature, ready to serve, but time settles in and we somehow get the notion that we are saved by Christian Social Security rather than by the grace of God, the blood of Christ and our obedient faith. We've somehow formulated the idea that if we put enough years of pretty good service into our Christian life, that eventually we can retire and draw from our past work to remain saved. Quite often we stand back and question why someone doesn't want to be a Christian. The first question that should pop into my mind should be, "Do they blaspheme the name of God because of me?"</div>Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-51973896800773803692011-07-17T02:47:00.002-04:002011-07-17T02:47:30.898-04:00Why Must I Love This Song So?<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6CRiR52YtjE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-87266081828062749972011-04-27T16:59:00.000-04:002011-04-27T16:59:40.723-04:00Let's Be MatureYes, I know that coming from me, the title is a bit ironic. Let's go ahead and get that out of the way. This post doesn't want to deal with a Christian's maturity level, though that is a reasonable topic to discuss though I for one am not qualified to do such, but instead it concerns Paul's first letter to the Corinthian church concerning the wisdom of God He taught there. To them, Paul wrote, "Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away" (I Cor 2:6). The question is, who are the mature? What is this special group of people that are able to receive God's Truth and apply it to their needs? There are at least five popular views on this, but are they all valid? In his commentary on I Corinthians, Gareth L. Reese looked at these five views and their validity and I want to do the same. I'm not going to copy and pate his words, but expound on his writings, giving him due credit.<br />
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To set up the context, Paul has been looking back to the first time he came to Corinth to preach. He did not come speaking in the popular style, or teaching the popular doctrines. Instead he came in weakness and fear(probably his physical condition at the time) teaching things that most were not teaching. He did come with the power of God though, and his preaching these words showed true results that resulted in saved souls. The saving Gospel, designed by God was what Paul presented to the mature Corinthians, but who are these mature people?<br />
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The American Standard Version translates "mature" as "fullgrown" and the King James Version translates it "perfect." Our word perfect usually speaks of some sort of absoluteness that one isn't going to find in the original Greek word, "telios." The best way to learn what this means is to look at the context.<br />
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One explanation is that it refers to the full-grown Christian as compared the babe in Christ. Reese explains that this is based off the beginning of chapter three with the discussion of milk and meat. These mature Christians would be those who have gone beyond the basics into the deeper issues of duties, privileges and blessings of Christianity. Clearly Christians learn more and grow in knowledge as they continue to walk with God, but as Paul continues to talk about this wisdom he is imparting, it seems to be more of the case that he is referring to the basic wisdom of God, the plan that God had to save mankind through Christ, which is the basic foundation for all Christianity. This isn't a teaching shared only with the well studied Christians, but to all of mankind who would hear it.<br />
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Another thought is that it has to do with the mystery religions of the time, in which one who was fully initiated at the time was said to be "perfect" that is, fully instructed in all of their teachings. In relation to Christianity, Reese writes that this would be one who had all knowledge of Christianity and were qualified to see it's beauty and wisdom. This does not seem to fit the context at all though. There was the idea of Gnosticism, that some Christians could receive the secret knowledge of God and know the TRUE teachings of Christianity yet there is no scripture that that indicates such a thing.<br />
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A third explanation is that it refers to those who had the Spirit of God and could speak in tongues, that is, different languages. Sometimes, in early Christian literature, the word "telios" meaning perfect or mature, was used in this way. I Corinthians 13:8-10 though uses the word "telios" to describe those living after the time that tongues had ended.<br />
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Some have taken this to mean that some Christians can get to the point where they are sinlessly perfect. As mentioned earlier though, this idea is not found in the word "telios" The Bible never teaches that one reaches the point of never sinning again (Phil 3:12; I John 1:9). There isn't an English that really catches the essence of reaching an end or reaching a goal that "telios" gives us so we must try and find the best word to fit, which can sometimes give us a bit of trouble.<br />
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The fifth, and the most likely, understanding takes a good look at the two classes we have before us (mature and immature) in the context they are given which is the wisdom of God verses the wisdom of man. The immature are those who rely on the wisdom of man, the wisdom, as Paul shows, changes in man's wisdom occurs over and over and never provides a real solution to problems. The mature are those who recognize the and rely on God's divine wisdom found in the Gospel. The setup of mankind being saved through a man dying on a cross seems foolish on the surface to many, but in the context of God's wisdom it makes perfect sense, but one must be willing to recognize and appreciate that sacrifice. <br />
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Are we mature? Whose wisdom do we put our trust in? Many times we cannot keep from turning on the news, turning to politicians, self help books or the latest in philosophy and psychology, but us there where true, lasting wisdom is found? Not at all. These sources cannot give us answers to the questions that matter most in our life about how to be happy, what is the point of living here, and what happens when I die. Only God can give those answers, so let us be mature and turn to Him.Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-35437957995621228942011-04-24T03:19:00.000-04:002011-04-24T03:19:07.862-04:00Forgive and...then what?The God of the Bible is a forgiving God, and there is no doubt about that. Throughout the Bible we see God graciously forgiving those who do not deserve it. In fact, the entire Bible is a book about forgiveness. It is a book about God's mission to be reconciled unto man and what He did to make it possible for us to come to Him. The very basis of the Bible is that man has a need to be forgiven and that God is a God who wants to forget. The prophet Jeremiah, prophesying by inspiration concerning the New Covenant that would come under the Christ had this to say concerning God and forgiveness in the age of Christ: <br />
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<b>But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." (Jeremiah 31:33-34)</b><br />
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Did you catch the last line? God will forgive their iniquity and will remember their sin no more. That's the great thing about God. When He forgives my sin, it's gone. It will never be brought up again. God will not use it against me. He will not remind me of all of the mistakes I made nor will He remind me of how much of a "dirty sinner" I am, and imply that I should be thankful that He would have enough love to forgive me despite my flaws. That is not a God I want to serve, nor is it a God I WOULD serve. We must realize that God does not forgive unconditionally. God does expect us serve Him, to do our best, to seek after Him, and admit when we mess up, but when we do ask for forgiveness, it's done.<br />
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The problem is that in this area I am often unlike God, and many Christians doing their best to emulate God's character aren't any better than I am when it comes to forgiving and forgetting. I'm sure we've all heard about someone doing or having done something marginally wrong. We learn that someone is a heavy smoker, that someone we know spends many nights drinking or doing drugs. We surf a brother's Facebook and see that he curses and lists filthy movies and music as his favorites. We look through a sister's profile and come across pictures of her in skimpy outfits, bikinis even. It comes to the surface that someone is having sex outside of wedlock or even is dealing with the consequences that could come from that, that is, a child conceived out of wedlock. I could go on, but hopefully you get the picture. We learn that fellow Christians aren't perfect and that there are things they might struggle with or maybe have made a mistake. Am I compromising on these issues? Am I saying these are just minor things that we should overlook and never saying anything about? Not at all. But what do we do if we approach someone and they repent of the issue?<br />
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Sometimes we expect perfection in that area. I know a great sister in Christ who is currently dealing with an addiction to cigarettes. She knows they are hurting her wallet (being a good steward and all), her influence and her body and she wants to make a change for the better. She is strong and has shown it by going six days without a smoke at the time I wrote this. What happens if she were to slip up though? She's human, is she not? She's fighting a powerful addiction that most people can't ever seem to break, yet wouldn't a gut reaction to the news that she messed up be to think of how weak she is and that she must lack dedication? For many it would be, but that isn't the case. I know she's the type of Christian who would realize her mistake, pick herself up and start back the hard trek she's making. None of us are perfect, yet for some reason we expect every other Christian to be so, at least in the areas we personally think should be easy to deal with. The problem is, what's easy for me, might not be easy for others.<br />
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Sometimes we allow a stigmata to stick with someone regardless of what they do afterward. Let's look at an out of wedlock pregnancy. Unless you've never left your house and never talked to anyone outside of yourself and a pet, you probably know someone that has had a child out of wedlock. Chances are that person might even be a Christian. "How could that be?!?" you might ask, "Don't they know sex outside of marriage is wrong?!" I'm sure they do, but people make mistakes. We live in a culture where the secular side flaunts sex as normal in whatever situation it might occur and the religious side is often only willing to discuss the sinful side of sex and rarely the beauty that is godly sex between a man and a wife. This, combined with a cultural average of higher marriage age, often only adds to the burden young men and women feel as they deal with love and the natural desire for sex that God gave them. A couple might have a child out of wedlock though, and even if they, and sometimes just the mother alone, repent of their actions and do their best to raise that child in a godly setting, many in the brotherhood only see them as sinners and the child as a product of sin. Do we not realize how ungodly this attitude is? <br />
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It seems like we are quite often overly unfair to living children of God. We read through the life of Moses and skim over the fact that he murdered a man. I mean, he was the one that received the Ten Commandments. He's got a whole Law named after him. He even led the Israelites to the Promised Land! Why would we focus on a silly little murder? What about King David. This is the man who watched a woman that was not his wife bathe on her roof. Once he got a glimpse of her in the nude, he did what any great child of God would do and summoned her to his bedroom where he impregnated her. Once he realized what had happened, he tried to make it seem as if her husband was the father, and when that plan failed, he simply had the husband killed so he could marry the new widow. Yeah, I suppose that wasn't the BEST thing to do, but this was the king, and even God said he was man after God's own heart, so a little adultery and murder shouldn't be a big deal. What about Paul? I mean, he wrote the majority of the New Testament, so the fact that at one point in his life he dragged men, women and children out of their homes simply because they were Christians shouldn't really be something we spend time focusing on. When these men did wrong though, and were confronted by God's truth, what did they do? They repented. If these men were just "normal brethren" today, they would never live it down. <br />
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When it comes to forgiveness, Christians need more compassion and to practice godly forgiveness. It isn't a forgiveness that is unconditional or an act that simply ignores sin out of so called "love," but when one repents of their sins, the ordeal is finished. We have no reason to go around and whisper about what type of person they must really be, or formulate where their parents went wrong or if their parents even tried. We have no justification for spreading around what they had done though "now they've thankfully repented and been forgiven." Obviously they haven't earned forgiveness from us if that is the case. I want to be as God like in my forgiveness towards others as possible. I won't be perfect though, so please forgive me when I fail.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGFMyQwwHiYxW9FG59WshOvlhc1XSPWcmGr0nJIYEzLG1rChIra3gnkEF3fqiXMGU-g6IMZ5TnVZ827KXD1gJ8cnhf0yyOA-_bm0HvdYbubW3jiaF9uvvfNTjfo9NqHO8hGecQZrSZcwxT/s1600/prayer-for-forgiveness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="239" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGFMyQwwHiYxW9FG59WshOvlhc1XSPWcmGr0nJIYEzLG1rChIra3gnkEF3fqiXMGU-g6IMZ5TnVZ827KXD1gJ8cnhf0yyOA-_bm0HvdYbubW3jiaF9uvvfNTjfo9NqHO8hGecQZrSZcwxT/s320/prayer-for-forgiveness.jpg" /></a></div>Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-29141808290036050532011-04-20T15:46:00.000-04:002011-04-20T15:46:30.499-04:00Getting LostThe young adult class at Canal Heights has been studying from Leroy Brownlow's book, "Why I am a Member of the Church of Christ," and this week we've arrived at the topic of Once Saved Always Saved (OSAS). Over the past few years I've seen a trend in the belief of OSAS reversing from most people believing it is true, now going towards more people believing that a child of God can become lost again if they continue in sin. In my studies, I've concluded that a child can indeed sin and lose their salvation due to sin. This post will have my studies combines with the chapter in Brownlow's book on the issue.<br />
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Brownlow makes a great point of the fact that the Bible does indeed include someone teaching the doctrine of OSAS and that it is taught as early in the Bible as Genesis chapter 3. It isn't God that teaches such a thing, but the Serpent. Contrary to what God had already said concerning eating the fruit, the Serpent said, "You will not surely die" (Gen 3:4). The Serpent told these two people, who had relationship with God, and stood with Him without sin in their lives were told that they could transgress what God had commanded and not suffer the consequences God had promised.<br />
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There are also many places within the New Testament that inspired authors warn saved Christians that it is indeed possible for them to lose their salvation. II Peter 1:5-8 give qualities that Christians are supposed to have and improve as they grow, yet in V.10, Peter wrote, "brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, <b>for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.</b>" The obvious implication here is that if a Christian refuses to have these virtues, he will fall, and verse 11 makes it clear that he will fall from having entrance into heaven. <br />
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In his letter to the Hebrew Christians, the author of Hebrews wrote, "Take care, brothers, <b>lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God</b>" (Heb 3:12). It is made clear that a true Christian can regain an unbelieving heart that will lead him to fall away from God and keep him from entering the rest that is heaven. <br />
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To the Galatians Paul wrote, "You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; <b>you have fallen away from grace</b>." Law here refers to the Mosaic Law, and grace here refers to the system that is the New Covenant. They could not be saved by both, so to try and be justified by the Old Law resulted in a falling away from God's new system that could justify. Brownlow argues: 1) Man is saved by grace (Eph. 2:8); 2) A Christian may fall from grace (Gal 5:4) 3) Therefore, a Christian can be lost. <br />
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Finally, II Peter 2:20 paints an undeniable picture of one falling from salvation. "For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, <b>the last state has become worse for them than the first</b>." The one in Peter's picture escaped the entanglement of the world, became entangled again and became worse off than when he first began. Now if this man was not ever really saved to begin with, how could he be any worse off?<br />
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The New Testament makes it clear that one indeed can lose their salvation. Some might claim that this makes God unfair, taking back something He has given us, but from the start God was clear that one's salvation in Him required faithfulness to Him. It has been this way since the beginning of time. Does this mean that God is just waiting to "cut the rope" as we hang over hell? Of course not. God is patient and understanding, but patience and understanding does not cover one who choses to live in rebellion against God, who chooses to turn his back on God's way. Can a child of God sin as to become eternally lost? Yes, he can.Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-87171250716217331362011-04-03T13:30:00.053-04:002011-04-03T13:30:00.761-04:00Lyric Lessons: Paranoia In Bb MajorI really wanted to continue on through a few other songs from the concert of The Avett Brothers I went to the other night. As I mentioned in the <a href="http://preachercarl.blogspot.com/2011/04/lyric-lessons-head-full-of-doubtroad.html">last post</a>, many of their songs could be twisted a bit to have a spiritual application, though this probably isn't too rare if one is just willing to look for applications. They played a few songs I couldn't get anything out of, but their fourth song, "Paranoia in Bb Major," has some aspects we could easily look at and learn from, even within the church.<br />
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As the title suggests, this song is about being paranoid. The fictional man in the song begins by telling himself, "I keep tellin' myself that it'll be fine, you can't make everybody happy all of the time." This really is something that almost everyone loves to tell themselves, yet so many times we find ourselves seeking acceptance from others, and if not that, worrying what others think of us and the choices we make. The paranoid man talks about finding comfort "with all [his] friends then [his] friends start telling me that [he's] always been wrong, and [he's] so tired of being wrong." This is probably one other major source of paranoia or worry for Christians today. We all want to be accepted, and we all want to be accepted by the people closest to us, yet we want to follow God in all things. Surely the clash between wanting acceptance by both man and God causes hard emotions to deal with, a comfort in friends that is soon destroyed by their thoughts on your beliefs that might be contrary.<br />
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It's just a matter of life that not everyone will be happy with the way I live my life, and everyone that lives can say this about themselves. The question that then arises is, "Who will you seek to please, God or man?" There are countless amounts of times in the life of the Christ where He had to decide if He would seek God's approval or man's. In every instance Jesus chose God. Even in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus showed a desire to escape the pain before Him, but knew that God's will must happen, not His desire emanating from the flesh. As noted in the last post, Peter was concerned about what others would think about his relation to Jesus, and paranoid about how they would react if they knew. We must also note that Peter ended up being the one recorded for preaching at the foundation of the church in Acts 2. We are not perfect, but if we are repentant like Peter and continue on seeking after God, we can accomplish great things. <br />
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We also become paranoid and frightened over what brethren will think of us. There are many within the church who are ready and willing to jump on and attack any brother or sister that transgresses what they feel is right or wrong. This applies to the area of scruples and not doctrine. Many Christians allow the overly aggressive, scruple binding Christians to dictate everything one must think, do and believe in order to be pleasing to God. There are so many times that we are tempted to please brethren above God and this should not be the case.<br />
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Before we conclude, it should be noted that this truth does not grant us the right to do whatever we please and however we please under the, "Well if you don't like it, you have a problem with God" excuse. We must always seek after God's will, but it does not give us the right to cause unrest and bring a wave of destruction on the church over something that does not warrant it, yet many do this exact thing. We must also remember that how we act before the world gives people an impression of Christianity, and there are many who follow Christ, but do so in a manner that keeps anyone else from doing so. Sometimes the truth does push people away from God, but if someone is pushed away from God, it needs to be because they don't like what God has said, not because they just don't like us.Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-3681777343273388852011-04-02T12:22:00.002-04:002011-04-02T12:22:53.394-04:00Lyric Lessons: Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of PromiseLast night, Kristen and I went to see Band of Horses and The Avett Brothers in concert. We had seen The Avett Brothers (TAB) before, but that in no way lessened the truly fantastic performance they gave as they always do. As I was listening to the songs though, I realized that so many of their lyrics were deep, and could be used in the context of spiritual things if twisted just slightly. With that thought, I decided to do a short series of posts based around their lyrics, which is also good since I haven't posted anything in four months.<br />
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TAB opened with a new song titled "Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise." About this song, TAB said:<br />
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Scott - "The "Darkness" song! I don't want to sell out the song, because some people will get other meanings from it, but the reference to darkness came from looking around and thinking, things look great but I don't know about this. 'Things look great, things and they sure are pretty and they sure are moving fast, but something does not feel right.' With all of the traveling we do, things can feel menacing at times when you are in a new town and around strange people, and that was written around one of those shopping center areas where I was like, 'This isn't working. It looks like it is, but I don't think it is."<br />
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Seth - "The phrase that anchors this song is "there's a darkness upon me that's flooded in light..." and that line refers to these frivolous times where the dark side of life is a lot of times romanticized and made out like it's just fun when really it will destroy a person."<br />
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Certainly this can remind someone of the life that is the child of God's. Throughout the Bible we see men of God who have a head full of doubt despite the road full of promise before them: Abram lying about his wife though being promised of God's protection; Job doubting in the midst of suffering while knowing his "redeemer lives"; the Psalmists often crying out to God to remember them and speaking of how far away God felt while following that with a remembrance of how loving, caring and powerful their God was; Peter sinking in the water though knowing who Jesus was and the power He had; Peter again as he denied an association with the Christ in fear of death.<br />
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Christians today still face these same problems. Despite the road full of promise before us, we look at temporal, worldly issues and consequences and let them decide what type of person we will be and how we will act in a given situation. One lyric states that, "your life doesn't change by the man that's elected," and while certainly different policies can have an effect on your physical life, our spiritual status with God never changes, and no man can force us from the palm of God's hand (John 10:28) but we can always change our status ourselves. <br />
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The phrase from the song that continues to stick with me is to "decide what to be and go be it." There is a road full of promises, one that leads to eternal life (Matthew 7:14), but we must choose to find it and follow it. God has allowed us freewill out of the never-ending love He has for us. While many use that freewill to create and live in evil, to look at the temporal and let that decide our attitude towards life, to become cynics and pessimists, God wants us to use that freewill to notice and remember the road full of promise before us. Christians doubt. Children of God in every dispensation have had doubts, and acted based on doubts, but they always picked up where they fell and continued on the road full of promise despite having a head full of doubt. We ought to do the same.<br />
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</div>Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-32065295446274622092010-11-30T14:35:00.004-05:002010-11-30T15:00:33.769-05:00My Good Fruits are Sometimes RottenI was reading the sermon on the mount today and read over the Christ's points on bearing good fruit. I was reminded of the fact that I sin in my life. I was also reminded of the fact that God looks at the whole of man and his life instead of just one moment. Jesus said:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. (Matthew 7:15-20)</span><br /><br />There are a few ways to discern who is a false prophet or teacher. One way of the Old Covenant was if their prophesy failed to come true. Christ notes that another way is to watch their character. This surely puts a lot of emphasis on the importance of the character of a follower of God. Why would someone who lived like the devil be sought after or believed on concerning the oracles of God? Would a man go to a thorn bush for grapes, or too thistles to try and find figs? Of course not. Those plants by nature or worthless to man and not sought after for good things. We go to plants we know are good, or useful for something, for fruits that we know are good.<br /><br />Even though we know that a fig tree is good and worthwhile, does that mean that every single fig it produces is going to be perfect? Does it mean that every single fig that is produced will even be edible? Not at all. In fact, an occasional fig produced might end up doing harm to the one who eats it. Does that necessarily mean the whole tree is worthless though? Not at all.<br /><br />Psalm 78 records an inspired thought about the character of God. The psalmist wrote:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant. But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. (Psalm 78:35-41)</span><br /><br />The newly freed Israelite nation was by no means a perfect one. There were those who outright rebelled and were punished, some even by a quick death. God understood the fact that they faced temptations and sometimes, being weak humans, gave into them. The difference is one who strays from God's path, recognizes their wrong and returns, and one who continually acts in rebellion against God. One doesn't cut down and burn a fig tree that sometimes produces bad fruit, and he is often patient with the fruit even in a completely off season, but when the tree proves to be completely worthless, going against what it is supposed to do by nature without change, the tree can eventually be cast away.<br /><br />Christians sin. We don't always walk in the light and do we are expected to do in our nature of being children of God. It does not mean that God is not patient and long-suffering with us. It does not mean that we will be cast into the fires of hell instantly. Indeed what we do is important, and is a measure of our heart, but we can be thankful that we have a God who looks at the tree as a whole.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvLiN-etMtZ7lvmAQ_ag06sGthk9iJH7TvZTsf2yCEZnogldef2RmVHOvpuLS98rKNT124o_leoXMLtBIRoN9gdD_4Ed7A9YVC4uiGfhkqAlGZ-tYlj1035jc9Rkskz_S2ZgLvd6NInXay/s1600/fig.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvLiN-etMtZ7lvmAQ_ag06sGthk9iJH7TvZTsf2yCEZnogldef2RmVHOvpuLS98rKNT124o_leoXMLtBIRoN9gdD_4Ed7A9YVC4uiGfhkqAlGZ-tYlj1035jc9Rkskz_S2ZgLvd6NInXay/s320/fig.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545434999336265938" /></a>Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-22672896366286981382010-11-12T22:19:00.002-05:002010-11-13T00:18:44.461-05:00Walking with AbrahamLately I've been feeling like Abraham. It isn't that I've watched a nephew's city burn to the ground. It isn't that I'm 100+ years old. It isn't that I want to sacrifice my son. When I think of Abraham, I think of a man who knew God was in control, yet still had no real idea exactly where he was going and what he was going to do. Abraham has always seemed like a man who very greatly wanted to seek and serve God, but, as we all do, had questions and thoughts about when God was going to completely come through. He knew God would be true to His word, but it is clear that Abraham still had his doubts and worries. In moments of questioning, Abraham did thinks I doubt he was proud of. By the end of Abraham's life though, it seemed that these moments had tempered him and molded him into a stronger person with more trust in God than when he began his journey.<br /><br />I can only pray that the same happens to me. Lately my life has been a confusing swirl of events. Unlike Abraham, I don't have God actually speaking to me, and guiding me, but I do have His promises that He will take care of me and will open doors. I really have a hard time believing that Abraham would have put up his son for sacrifice if he had received Isaac two or three years into his journey. Abraham had many things to experience and learn before he could reach that moment. While I had made plans to get into secular work instead of going back into preaching, it doesn't seem like that is God's desire. If I really wanted to, I could stay out of preaching for the rest of my life, but I told God that I would go through the doors He opened, and while some doors seemed to close as soon as I was going to go through them, preaching was not one of them.<br /><br />There are things I would not have learned had I gone right back into preaching and not explored my options. My first preaching work left me with a bad taste in my mouth for the preaching life. There wasn't any reason you could name to make me want to get back into that life. If I had gone back into preaching as soon as I could I wouldn't want to do it. I might be providing for my family, but I would end up forsaking the Lord, if not in action, at least in heart. This time has allowed me to grow closer to my family. Many marital problems arise from financial worries, and when you're unemployed and living back with your parents/in-laws, marital stress does not follow far behind. I'd like to say that I was the victim, but instead I was criminal. I really do hate what my wife had to endure because of my emotions, but I do believe it only helped in the end once I realized how I was acting. <br /><br />In the end, it has really been a humbling experience. I'm sure I could think up many more things I have learned, but overall they fall into the area of trusting God and knowing He is in control. It isn't always fun to endure as long as we are willing to remember the Controller and seek His guidance, how can we go wrong?Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-10994804168491770132010-11-11T13:30:00.002-05:002010-11-11T15:58:16.340-05:00Understanding FaithMy wife has recently written two posts concerning leaps of faith (though not the kind usually discussed in religious topics) and last night at Bible study the topic was Hebrews 11. It seems that faith has been a pretty well discussed topic lately, at least in my life. Many people seem to view faith as the step we take when we have no proof or no real knowledge of something. Whether it be the existence of God, dinosaurs or even that God will take care of them, some, under the idea that they just have no proof, just have to take that leap of faith that something is probably true. <br /><br />Hebrews 11 paints a different picture of what faith is. The author of Hebrews wrote, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible" (11:1-3). When we really look at these verses, we can gain a different understanding of Biblical faith. Faith is not just a guess, or a shot in the dark, but an assurance. Faith consists of a proof we have that we are doing and following after is truth. Consider what Paul wrote to the church in Rome. He said, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." We don't have faith just by a guess, but by an assurance from God and His word. <br /><br />Consider also the third verse in Hebrews 11. Logic and reasoning can also be a start to faith. When we look at creation, logic leads to the conclusion that there must be a creator. The fact that trees exist tell you absolutely nothing about the God of the Bible though. Yes, it leads you to know that there must be a creator, but what is that creator's character? What is his plan or interaction with mankind? What does that creator desire of us, if anything? True faith doesn't come from just knowing there is a world here, but going back to Romans 10:17, true faith comes from God's revelation that He is the one who created this world. <br /><br />Consider the example of Noah given in Hebrews 11:7. By faith he built an ark. He had not seen a flood, or any physical sign of it's coming. There was no weather forecast, no raincloud in the sky (figuratively speaking of course) yet based on faith he built an ark. Was this just a lead into the darkness? Did Noah build based on just some presumption he had that it might possibly true that the world would flood? Not at all. In Genesis 6 it is recorded that Noah was told by God what was going to occur. Without God revealing to Noah what would happen, Noah could not have faith in God's Word.<br /><br />This leads us to another important point in faith based on Hebrews 11:4. Some have suspected that Cain and Abel are simply a picture of a pure heart, and that all God desires of us in our worship and sacrifice to Him is the right type of heart. When one turns to Genesis 4, there is no indication that Cain came with an impure heart. For all we know, he came in sincerity, but was rejected. God's response was that if he would do right, the whole event could be put behind them. Using this event in Hebrews 11 along with Romans 10:17 implies that Cain and Abel were told by God what to do. Abel was able to act in faith because he was acting based upon the word of God. We aren't told what this word was, but we know it was present and that Cain had no real excuse to act otherwise. While God does indeed want our heart in what we do, we must act based on the standard of God's Word.<br /><br />Hebrews 11 makes it evident that works are just important as faith in our approach to God. Consider verse 6. The author writes, "and without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." Consider the words "draw near" and "seek." Does not this teach that we must do our part as well? This is not works of man that somehow earn one salvation, but, as seen throughout Hebrews 11, works commanded by God. How safe would Noah have been if he had faith but didn't build the ark? Many today might have said, "If I build that ark, I'll be working for my salvation." Many people say that about baptism do they not? What if Moses had said, "I believe the death angel is coming, but if I put blood on the door frame, I'd be working for God's reward of safety for the first born"? John 12:24 records the hearts of the chief rulers who had faith, but refused to act based upon it. Numbers 14:11 records the attitude of the Jews toward being able to take the promised land and God equates their unwillingness to take it to unbelief. In the mind of God, one who refuses to act in faith doesn't have any real faith at all. What does this say about those who claim to have faith, yet refuse to obey the commands of God they know of because it would be "work"? This isn't referring to those who may not know the commands, but to those who do know, and see what God requests of them and still refuse.<br /><br />Faith is a topic that is oft misunderstood and misapplied to much religious teachings and lives. The Bible is clear on what God views as true and saving faith though. Saving faith is one that seeks after God, hears His word and acts properly based on what God has said.Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-26058049201283429022010-11-02T10:50:00.002-04:002010-11-02T12:23:23.611-04:00Till Minor Problems Do Us PartBen and I took a trip this morning to get Kristen's birthday breakfast. She may go into more detail on <a href="http://www.bringingupbenjamin.com">her blog</a> about that. I was listening to the radio on the way home, and one morning talk show had a man who had just released his new book. The book is one revolving around how to save your troubled marriage. His plan is to <a href="http://www.cheattosaveyourmarriage.com/">cheat to save your marriage</a>. That seemed a bit off to me, and to most of those who called in, it seemed off to them as well. His idea was that cheating fulfilled the need one had that was making him not enjoy his marriage. Sometimes it allowed the cheater to get that desire fulfilled and out of his system and sometimes it moves the couple to talking about their problems.<br /><br />I guess this is more of a rant at some points than anything, but doesn't that just seem selfish? I mean, I by no means proclaim to be the best husband, and I can't think of any marriage that is perfect, or even really good, 100% of the time, but what about wedding vows? Now that question was asked by a caller and the author of the book responded with, "How many people really even remember what they said in their wedding vows?" He does have at least one point right. I for one don't remember every single thing I said in my wedding vows, but I remember the basics: sickness, health, rich, poor, good and bad till death do us part. I don't know every single word of the constitution, the amendments or other laws, but I'm still going to follow them. I don't have to know every single word of something to know what the general meaning of what I promised. How does adultery stay to true to the promise made? <br /><br />How is this not also the epitome of selfishness? I would assume that all spouses act selfishly at times. I know I have, and probably will again regretfully. When does that ever improve a marriage? I've never know it too in my situation or for anyone else. What does the non-cheating spouse get? The problems may get solved at that moment, but wouldn't many live in fear that if they ever become less than perfect their spouse will just find someone else to fulfill their needs? God calls for the wife to be submissive to her husband and his needs, but also calls the husband to do the same. Marriage is about serving the spouse and their needs, not my own.<br /><br />Interestingly enough, though not surprising, when the author was asked about his wife ever cheating on him, he said that she hadn't, but didn't seem to happy with the idea of her doing so either.Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-71685489102250425592010-10-25T13:57:00.003-04:002010-10-25T15:07:59.351-04:00Learning to Be CrazyIt seems that some people become so intelligent that they lose their sense of reasoning. When Paul was telling the account of his conversion before King Agrippa, Festus interrupted stating, "Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind" (Acts 26:24). Paul responded that he was not out of his mind, but speaking true and rational words. Doesn't this mindset seem familiar?<br /><br />Quite often the world of science and skepticism makes the claim that Christianity is irrational. To believe in Christianity, one must put aside rational thought and rely on fairy tales and the ramblings of insane men. To be fair, I suppose I could understand the mindset of those who say that. It can be hard to go against the normal thoughts of the world and believe in something that does require the supernatural creation and guidance of a heavenly being. While I can understand it, it doesn't mean I believe their way of thinking is correct. In fact, those who berate Christianity for lack of reasoning quite often turn to those in the realm of science who make claims that are beyond believable, but quite often accepted due to their source. Consider a quote from Stephen Hawking. Hawking is a brilliant man. He has intelligence that I highly doubt I will ever achieve, yet this intelligence also leads to madness. In his newest book, Hawking stated that, "Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist." Hawking claims that the force of gravity can create something out of nothing. Again, I'm no genius, but my understanding of gravity is that it is the force that occurs between two objects that draw them to each other. My lowly thinking would tell me that if there was nothing present, the force of gravity could not exist. If that is the case, then how could gravity exist where nothing was, and if it did, how could it create something out of nothing? One doesn't have to go very far through the world of science to see madness stated as facts!<br /> <br />There is another type of this madness is found within Christianity. Matthew 16 begins with an interaction between the Pharisees and Jesus. They came asking for a sign from Christ as proof of who he was. Jesus answered telling them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times" (Matthew 16:2-3). Consider what Christ had already done by this time in his miracle working. Why did they need anything else? If they had not believed by this point, what would convince them? They had become so studied and set in what they wanted to believe that anything else was madness to them. The Christ could come and perform miracles before them, and he did, yet they were stuck in their madness. Many are still like that today. Despite what they find in the Bible as truth, they will not change their religious beliefs or thinking. They had learned so much that anything else was foolishness to them.<br /><br />We never grow out of learning. No matter how old we grow, what type of degree we might earn or what our profession may be, we will never stop learning. In all of this, we must be careful and make sure that we do drive ourselves into madness with our learning.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcznpU5rdmpTURMi7eiHY4gnOXtWFQL_Of51k4fKAiKyld8NpPapKKXTAY3jtmBooqsVGrEnCL2dBj9Lwd8ARggkC0TLolXmDLTNT5Nwr6MU_dblqSu9GldBcoE2MgyG0rk8GfiE-9KrYc/s1600/straitjacket_new1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcznpU5rdmpTURMi7eiHY4gnOXtWFQL_Of51k4fKAiKyld8NpPapKKXTAY3jtmBooqsVGrEnCL2dBj9Lwd8ARggkC0TLolXmDLTNT5Nwr6MU_dblqSu9GldBcoE2MgyG0rk8GfiE-9KrYc/s320/straitjacket_new1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532062459745960002" /></a>Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2306791997229438334.post-26674430043839754272010-10-22T15:53:00.003-04:002010-10-22T16:56:46.159-04:00Waking Up With the KingI am a fan of the Burger King King. I know that most people find him very creepy, or at least a tad bit unsettling, but I think he is quite funny. I found an article today written about Burger King's new promotion called "Wake Up With the King." For six dollars plus shipping and handling, you could buy a pillow case with the King's face on it in such a way that he looked as if he were laying next to you, staring at you as you slept. Again, most would find this creepy, but I couldn't help but start my day with a laugh if I had that. It seems that the pillowcases sold out rather quickly, so you getting one was probably based on determination to get one. If I saw the commercial and then said, "Well I can get that later," then I would be out of luck at this point. They're no longer available. What if instead of starting our day with the Burger King, we were determined to start our day with the heavenly King? Throughout the Bible we see men arising early with God on their mind.<br /><br />Genesis 19 records the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Before the destruction, Abraham had pleaded with God to spare the destruction if so many faithful could be found. Verse 28 and 29 record Abraham waking up early to see the result. Moses wrote, "And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD: and he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace." Abraham woke up early with a concern for God's justice and hope for a people. I would guess that Abraham knew the sinfulness of the cities destroyed, yet he hoped that enough could be found to save them. He also seemed to know of God's mercy and patience, as it had been bestowed upon himself many times. When Abraham woke up, he was concerned with the sin of the world and the effect it brought upon nations. I suppose he meditated on the issue. I can picture him in my mind, waking up with hope of peace on the horizon, only to see smoke. I can see Abraham walking away, sitting down and meditating upon the power and justice and mercy and love of God. If we woke up with this same thought on our mind, I wonder how much more motivated we would be to try and pull people from sin and to God? How easier it would be to remained focused on God and who He is.<br /><br />Genesis 20 has another man arising early with God on his mind. Abimelech was a king who had welcomed Abraham and his wife into his kingdom. He was not aware that Sarah was married though, due to a lie Abraham told, and took her as his own. In the night God visited him, revealing Abraham's secret and noting the death that would come upon Abimelech if he did not turn Sarah back over to her husband. I don't know how Abimelech slept through the night, but he did, and he woke up early. He "rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid. Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done" (Genesis 20:8-9). Abimelech was concerned with doing God's will. He had great motivation as his physical life was on the line and he wanted to protect that. What if we woke up, or even went to sleep, with sin in our lives? From studying the scriptures we can see how much more important our spiritual life is than our physical, yet many neither sleep nor wake with any concern for doing God's Will.<br /><br />A final example can be found in Jesus. John 8:2 records that, "early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them." Jesus was sure to have an early start on his work for the Lord. He knew the importance of time and using it wisely. <br /><br />I would think that time is the one thing we all fail with in using correctly. We all waste time, yet we can do our best to do with it all we can. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Y03tIyzgsx1L0mh_eFJE5_Q6eGQ4f47TMS7nfh82DmW8q19mBtjlCahgwo4p1ZjHktXYXSLfrHPLxu0oRW1ThUA-qjugwlruYJXOJMliDxHSYLW961GTZz3NGK7h1BKEMfNgK1RKUb9V/s1600/bk-pillowcase_20101015114641_320_240.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 445px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Y03tIyzgsx1L0mh_eFJE5_Q6eGQ4f47TMS7nfh82DmW8q19mBtjlCahgwo4p1ZjHktXYXSLfrHPLxu0oRW1ThUA-qjugwlruYJXOJMliDxHSYLW961GTZz3NGK7h1BKEMfNgK1RKUb9V/s320/bk-pillowcase_20101015114641_320_240.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530977066740200914" /></a>Carlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02364359777833029248noreply@blogger.com0