Like many of you out there, I have a Facebook account. In fact, I can probably lay claim to, initially, being one of it's most enthusiastic users and supporters. I was hooked on it to a degree like no other and often wondered what the world would be without it.
Actually, it would be no better or worse.
Really, you say? What made me change my mind? After one gets over the usual euphoria or being 'in-touch' in a social network, the novelty wears off when one is constantly addicted to the 'thrill' of playing with new applications, adding new friends, placing updates about yourself etc.
In other words, it's all about satisfying your ego again.
What else would motivate you to update others about your life on a constant basis? Do I really need all my friends to know that I had a tough day? Why don't I take it to God instead in prayer, lamentations and exhortations. The reason for why one doesn't do it has always been the same: people only care about themselves and they want others to care about them. But God doesn't feature in there at all
It is a practice that is self-seeking and self-glorifying. The more I update, the more I revel in myself; good or bad. And pretty soon, everyone's raving on about ourselves. Add to that the countless hours that are spent playing around with useless applications and it becomes even more distressing when we consider that those times could have been better spent reading God's Word, spreading the Gospel or in earnest prayer.
No matter how you slice and dice it, unless you tell me that you are running a ministry or counselling someone over Facebook (which is quite possible and therefore a couple of redeeming features characteristic of the system), it remains a tool of destructive distraction that would seek to take you away from building the Kingdom of God
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
Reality Based spirituality?
There are two shows I am hooked on, and yes, they happen to be reality shows. They are "The Biggest Loser" and "Chopped". One is all about obese people trying to lose weight and the other has to do with four chefs trying to be the last one standing,in other words, trying not to be 'chopped'
Without a doubt in both of these shows, an amount of intense competition, skullduggery and conflict is necessary. Those are elements compulsory for TV viewership. It is also depressing at times for while compeition is exciting to watch, it also in some ways reminds us of our very primal nature to get ahead at the expense of someone else. It always leaves a taste of wanting something more at the end, a higher and more noble precept, rather than what I witness- which is a survival of the fittest in the ultimate Darwinian sense
On certain occasions, I see some contestants knowingly and willingly put the interests of the group or their team first over themselves. Invariably, while they are loved and respected for that (so say their teammates as they tear up..and then vote them off anyway for being a threat!), they do not win. It seems that Americans love a sole winner and champion the individual succeeding at all costs, no matter the social impact
It broke my heart when I saw a contestant on 'chopped' last night give one of his two eggs to his competitor in the final cook-off last night. He didn't need to do it but he did, and in the end; it jeopardised his dish and he lost the contest. Was his compeititor grateful? No way. She acted as though it was on her own effort, disregarding the charity of the other person. What was even more demoralising was that when the loser was interviewed at the end, he admitted that he should not have given up the egg and instead had concentrated on keeping it all for himself
Thus went another disillusioned soul into the night, who now believes that the meek will not inherit the earth and he will get stomped on if they turn the other cheek. Better to be like the world because the way of Christ doesn't pay, does it?
I sadly admit that at times, the way of our Lord does not look very intelligent, street smart of common sensical at times. In fact, just following it can make our life look like it took a downturn. But then again, Jesus did not promise that all will be great, rosy and peachy
"In this World, you will have trouble" said Christ. And you will - for following him. Don't look to the so-called corporate fat cats who claim that Jesus blessed them this way and that. Maybe so, and if they were honest, they ought to be humble and ascribe it to his grace that they are so blessed and not swimming in a lake of fire. If they claim to they are able to 'work' the gospel so it turns out well for them in terms of material riches; be careful - who are you going to belive: man or our Lord? One is a liar, the other is not. You decide
In my time, I have been made a fool for following Christ. My career has suffered due to decisions taken not to compromise the gospel, and I have had to endure the sniggerings and criticisms of being one who walks the meek way. Or as some of my less charitable detractors have labelled it - the 'loser' way
But I hope and pray that I will not be like that losing chef at the end; that no matter if the decisions I take do not make me a success in the eyes of the world, my peers, parents or even the church. As long as Jesus sees me as his own. That is enough. For to be 'chopped' by him on judgement day, will be far, far worse than anything that could happen to you on a so-called 'reality' show
Without a doubt in both of these shows, an amount of intense competition, skullduggery and conflict is necessary. Those are elements compulsory for TV viewership. It is also depressing at times for while compeition is exciting to watch, it also in some ways reminds us of our very primal nature to get ahead at the expense of someone else. It always leaves a taste of wanting something more at the end, a higher and more noble precept, rather than what I witness- which is a survival of the fittest in the ultimate Darwinian sense
On certain occasions, I see some contestants knowingly and willingly put the interests of the group or their team first over themselves. Invariably, while they are loved and respected for that (so say their teammates as they tear up..and then vote them off anyway for being a threat!), they do not win. It seems that Americans love a sole winner and champion the individual succeeding at all costs, no matter the social impact
It broke my heart when I saw a contestant on 'chopped' last night give one of his two eggs to his competitor in the final cook-off last night. He didn't need to do it but he did, and in the end; it jeopardised his dish and he lost the contest. Was his compeititor grateful? No way. She acted as though it was on her own effort, disregarding the charity of the other person. What was even more demoralising was that when the loser was interviewed at the end, he admitted that he should not have given up the egg and instead had concentrated on keeping it all for himself
Thus went another disillusioned soul into the night, who now believes that the meek will not inherit the earth and he will get stomped on if they turn the other cheek. Better to be like the world because the way of Christ doesn't pay, does it?
I sadly admit that at times, the way of our Lord does not look very intelligent, street smart of common sensical at times. In fact, just following it can make our life look like it took a downturn. But then again, Jesus did not promise that all will be great, rosy and peachy
"In this World, you will have trouble" said Christ. And you will - for following him. Don't look to the so-called corporate fat cats who claim that Jesus blessed them this way and that. Maybe so, and if they were honest, they ought to be humble and ascribe it to his grace that they are so blessed and not swimming in a lake of fire. If they claim to they are able to 'work' the gospel so it turns out well for them in terms of material riches; be careful - who are you going to belive: man or our Lord? One is a liar, the other is not. You decide
In my time, I have been made a fool for following Christ. My career has suffered due to decisions taken not to compromise the gospel, and I have had to endure the sniggerings and criticisms of being one who walks the meek way. Or as some of my less charitable detractors have labelled it - the 'loser' way
But I hope and pray that I will not be like that losing chef at the end; that no matter if the decisions I take do not make me a success in the eyes of the world, my peers, parents or even the church. As long as Jesus sees me as his own. That is enough. For to be 'chopped' by him on judgement day, will be far, far worse than anything that could happen to you on a so-called 'reality' show
Monday, August 3, 2009
Can you lose your salvation?
Recently, a learned brother in Christ , and also an avowed Wesleyan Arminian; challenged me once again on the doctrine on whether salvation can be lost. For 5-point Calvinists like myself, we believe that our sovereign God who has done a work of grace by calling us to him will not let us fall away irredeemably. He will preserve us to end. We call this point the “Preservation of Saints” , the “P” in TULIP.
As an Arminian, his contention is that this salvation is not certain. It can be lost due to the lack of judicious cultivation of one’s salvific faith. Or maybe just stumbling back into sin. the His proof text used was from Hebrews 6:4-6, which states:
“For it is impossible, in the case of those who have been enlightened, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt”
A-ha! ‘So one can fall away!’ said my antagonist confidently. On the surface, it sure looks like that. Those referred to seem to have all the hallmarks of a believer, seen all the things associated with that of a follower of Christ, and sadly had backslided away; beyond redemption
It is a tough passage no doubt, but then again, what does one make of another verse that seems to contradict that?
“ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
- John 10:27-29 (ESV) –
Or this:
“even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will”
- Ephesians 1:4-5 –
Notice the phrase “ no one is able to snatch them out”. That means nobody, not Satan, not your beer loving friends or a night in Vegas; no one can snatch you from the Father once he has called you
This does not mean that you do not sin. After justification, we are still works in progress. This is the process of santification, but we will not be sinless until we are in heaven where there is no sin.
The confusion, I believe, comes from a view of salvation as a one time event where you get your ticket punched as though you were about to board a train. This is the present view of salvation in the evangelical church. You put your hand up, and accept Christ. Thereafter, you strive to be good, but if you’re not, you might backslide so much that you lose your place on the train. God takes your ticket, so to speak
Look at Ephesians. We are chosen before we even ‘decided’ to go up for that altar call. That aligning of your heart’s compass needle to the true north of the Godhead is a work of the Holy Trinity indeed. It is the Holy Spirit, regenerating your mortally depraved soul, pointing to the Son as the atoning sacrifice for your sins and bringing you to your knees in repentance before the Cross. Redeemed from your sins by his blood, you have a righteousness not of your own, that of Christ, and through that, the Father calls you his own – from the very start
It’s the ultimate love story
To solve the issue of Hebrew, one should look at the literary effect being outlined here in that passage. The key phrase is the use of an absolute proposition : “It is impossible..” By doing so, he is stating the absurdity of a certain situation happening. And the example put forward is a question as to whether someone who is a believer can fall away
The manner in which it is answered is telling. The author’s premise is:
1) It is possible to “taste the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come..”
2) But once you experience all that, how is it possible that you can fall away?
3) For it should be impossible for you to do that, but if you do, then maybe you haven’t really “tasted the goodness of God”
4) Thus, those who claim all that and still fall away…were not truly saved in the first place
This is sobering thought. But it does make sense in the light of other cautionary passages such as Philippians 2:12 which tells you to “..work out your salvation with fear and trembling”. It means work on your sanctification, know that you are justified but if there is no display of sanctifying behavior, in other words, your deeds do not follow your words – then brother, sister: I think you have a serious problem here saying that you are justified
Thus, my problem with the Arminian view. If Jesus says that he will “give them eternal life and they will never perish”, how come some seem to do just that in Hebrews? This gives us the unsavory possibility of having to call our Lord a liar; which he definitely is not. But the author of Hebrews in not telling tales as well, which leads us to the position that there are those who look, smell and taste like a follower of Christ; but they are not of him. Again, we do well to heed the verse that says:
“ Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven”
Or in my vernacular, putting a tuxedo on a goat still makes it a goat.
SDG
As an Arminian, his contention is that this salvation is not certain. It can be lost due to the lack of judicious cultivation of one’s salvific faith. Or maybe just stumbling back into sin. the His proof text used was from Hebrews 6:4-6, which states:
“For it is impossible, in the case of those who have been enlightened, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt”
A-ha! ‘So one can fall away!’ said my antagonist confidently. On the surface, it sure looks like that. Those referred to seem to have all the hallmarks of a believer, seen all the things associated with that of a follower of Christ, and sadly had backslided away; beyond redemption
It is a tough passage no doubt, but then again, what does one make of another verse that seems to contradict that?
“ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
- John 10:27-29 (ESV) –
Or this:
“even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will”
- Ephesians 1:4-5 –
Notice the phrase “ no one is able to snatch them out”. That means nobody, not Satan, not your beer loving friends or a night in Vegas; no one can snatch you from the Father once he has called you
This does not mean that you do not sin. After justification, we are still works in progress. This is the process of santification, but we will not be sinless until we are in heaven where there is no sin.
The confusion, I believe, comes from a view of salvation as a one time event where you get your ticket punched as though you were about to board a train. This is the present view of salvation in the evangelical church. You put your hand up, and accept Christ. Thereafter, you strive to be good, but if you’re not, you might backslide so much that you lose your place on the train. God takes your ticket, so to speak
Look at Ephesians. We are chosen before we even ‘decided’ to go up for that altar call. That aligning of your heart’s compass needle to the true north of the Godhead is a work of the Holy Trinity indeed. It is the Holy Spirit, regenerating your mortally depraved soul, pointing to the Son as the atoning sacrifice for your sins and bringing you to your knees in repentance before the Cross. Redeemed from your sins by his blood, you have a righteousness not of your own, that of Christ, and through that, the Father calls you his own – from the very start
It’s the ultimate love story
To solve the issue of Hebrew, one should look at the literary effect being outlined here in that passage. The key phrase is the use of an absolute proposition : “It is impossible..” By doing so, he is stating the absurdity of a certain situation happening. And the example put forward is a question as to whether someone who is a believer can fall away
The manner in which it is answered is telling. The author’s premise is:
1) It is possible to “taste the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come..”
2) But once you experience all that, how is it possible that you can fall away?
3) For it should be impossible for you to do that, but if you do, then maybe you haven’t really “tasted the goodness of God”
4) Thus, those who claim all that and still fall away…were not truly saved in the first place
This is sobering thought. But it does make sense in the light of other cautionary passages such as Philippians 2:12 which tells you to “..work out your salvation with fear and trembling”. It means work on your sanctification, know that you are justified but if there is no display of sanctifying behavior, in other words, your deeds do not follow your words – then brother, sister: I think you have a serious problem here saying that you are justified
Thus, my problem with the Arminian view. If Jesus says that he will “give them eternal life and they will never perish”, how come some seem to do just that in Hebrews? This gives us the unsavory possibility of having to call our Lord a liar; which he definitely is not. But the author of Hebrews in not telling tales as well, which leads us to the position that there are those who look, smell and taste like a follower of Christ; but they are not of him. Again, we do well to heed the verse that says:
“ Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven”
Or in my vernacular, putting a tuxedo on a goat still makes it a goat.
SDG
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The 'wrong-ed' way of Jesus
Recently, it came to my attention that there was some conflict amongst some people I knew at church, and it spilled into what could be characteristically called - a blog war. Accusations, sniping and who knows what else was thrown on each side. To date, it still has not been resolved.
One of the good and bad things about the internet is that it has given voice to the dienfranchised. If I feel wronged, I blog, email, twit about it. Far more effective than making 100 phone calls or writing 100 letters (and a lot cheaper too). The problem here is the phrase "If I feel wronged"
Rather than talk about that. Let me point to the Word of God as usual (yes, yes, I know..we Calvinists always go on and on about the Word). Throughout the story of the Bible, it has been one of humanity feeling 'wronged'. Eve feel wronged for being duped by the serpent. Adam felt wronged by being sucked in by his wife. I bet both of them felt wronged when God gave them marching orders out of Eden. Cain felt done in by Abel, then did him in. Esau - done in by his deceitful brother Jacob. The list goes on...
History is one whole litany of man feeling he's been 'wronged'. Well, sorry, my Oprah sensitised touchy-feely people..there's only one who's been 'wronged' here - and it's God. Somehow or another, from day 1, we have been the abject failure of whatever it is we were supposed to be. We kill with words, then objects, or both. Hate, discord and greed is what we are best at sowing, not seeds of grace and love
And then we committed the ultimate wrong - we sent the Son of Man to the Cross.
Yes, you, chum. With your filthy, sick sins. You and I might as well have pounded the nails into his hands, or picked up the scourge to whip and tear his flesh. We are stand condemmned; and rightly so.
However, Jesus, the only man to have been wronged by every person in existence, bore the wrath that was due to us and took our sins. He who was justifiably wronged and should have exacted just retribution to us for our inquities gave his life for us instead. What grace..what mercy..what humanity. The truest sense of it. And beyond.
In finality, I am not saying that we shouldn't seek justice, resolution, reconciliation or dialogue. All of those things under the banner of Christ is all good. Damn good. What I am leaving you with is this - there is a bigger picture, and it goes beyond some bits of jottings on a blog. We should all seek to remember that, including me
SDG
One of the good and bad things about the internet is that it has given voice to the dienfranchised. If I feel wronged, I blog, email, twit about it. Far more effective than making 100 phone calls or writing 100 letters (and a lot cheaper too). The problem here is the phrase "If I feel wronged"
Rather than talk about that. Let me point to the Word of God as usual (yes, yes, I know..we Calvinists always go on and on about the Word). Throughout the story of the Bible, it has been one of humanity feeling 'wronged'. Eve feel wronged for being duped by the serpent. Adam felt wronged by being sucked in by his wife. I bet both of them felt wronged when God gave them marching orders out of Eden. Cain felt done in by Abel, then did him in. Esau - done in by his deceitful brother Jacob. The list goes on...
History is one whole litany of man feeling he's been 'wronged'. Well, sorry, my Oprah sensitised touchy-feely people..there's only one who's been 'wronged' here - and it's God. Somehow or another, from day 1, we have been the abject failure of whatever it is we were supposed to be. We kill with words, then objects, or both. Hate, discord and greed is what we are best at sowing, not seeds of grace and love
And then we committed the ultimate wrong - we sent the Son of Man to the Cross.
Yes, you, chum. With your filthy, sick sins. You and I might as well have pounded the nails into his hands, or picked up the scourge to whip and tear his flesh. We are stand condemmned; and rightly so.
However, Jesus, the only man to have been wronged by every person in existence, bore the wrath that was due to us and took our sins. He who was justifiably wronged and should have exacted just retribution to us for our inquities gave his life for us instead. What grace..what mercy..what humanity. The truest sense of it. And beyond.
In finality, I am not saying that we shouldn't seek justice, resolution, reconciliation or dialogue. All of those things under the banner of Christ is all good. Damn good. What I am leaving you with is this - there is a bigger picture, and it goes beyond some bits of jottings on a blog. We should all seek to remember that, including me
SDG
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
At times, I have asked why I nit-pick over certain points or words in the Bible. I suppose it is a sign of the times that this current generation seems to eschew the practice of careful thorough analysis, as opposed to a cursory reading with an emphasis on the subjective experiential result at the end. Their feeling is: “ Why do you want to argue so much, I mean, can’t we all just stick to John 3:16, hold hands and sing ‘Kumbaya’?”
Unfortunately, I would call them out of their own hypocrisy. They say that words don’t really matter. Really? Ask your girlfriend or boyfriend how they felt about you. And if they said they ‘liked’ you when they meant they ‘loved’ you or vice-versa, can you see how much confusion and grievance that could possibly cost? Words, and their correct definition and placement within a context are tremendously important, and no more so than in God’s Word
One word that, by the grace of God, has made a comeback is “Propitiation”. It is not a word that we use very much any more but one that is vitally important in understanding the whole message of the Gospel. To ‘propitiate’ is to make a sacrifice to avert some form of judgement, wrath or anger. It is a word used to describe the conciliatory and atoning sacrifices made in order to avoid a divine punishment.
In recent times, this word was seen as primitive and not representative of what a ‘loving’ God should look like. So, it is no wonder that as some translations of the Bible omitted the aforementioned word, and used the term ‘expiate’ instead. This was seen in the New English Bible, where it is mentioned:
“ For God designed him to be the means of expiating sin by his sacrificial death, effective through faith. God meant by this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had overlooked the sins of the past..” ( Romans 3:25 : NEB )
What is the difference? To ‘expiate’ means that sin is removed, or put out. The root word ‘ex-’ is the same as the one used in words like ‘extinguish’ and ‘exhale’. Is a wrong word to describe God’s saving grace? No. Christ’s death on the cross indeed cancelled the debt of sin over us. It was redemptive in the removal the sin curse.
Is the word sufficient? No. It hardly does justice in depicting the real nature of his death. In using the word ‘propitiation’, as seen in the ESV translation below, we finally see that Christ’s death did not just remove the sin debt, but also appeased the wrath of God who previously had judged us all as sinners worthy only of receiving death. It also depicts that the very act of sending his own son is a testament to his loving grace and mercy and also characteristic of God as a just being. It is crucial that we see this, otherwise our depiction of God will be a one dimensional, mono-perspective one and our whole understanding of the Gospel will have been built on shaky foundations
“ whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance, he has passed over former sins.” ( Romans 3:25 : ESV )
‘Expiation’ is insufficient because it does not refer to the satisfaction or appeasement of God’s wrath, turning it to favour. God’s righteous anger needs to be appeased before sin can be forgiven (note the sequence), and God in his love sent his Son (who offered himself willingly) to satisfy God’s holy anger against sin. In this way, God demonstrates his righteousness, which here refers to his inate nature of being holy, and just.
Thus, one word is of matter of grave importance. At the very heart is the nature of salvation itself, and if one lacks a proper understanding of it, one does not have the correct understanding of God. It is that important, and it is that serious
SDG
Unfortunately, I would call them out of their own hypocrisy. They say that words don’t really matter. Really? Ask your girlfriend or boyfriend how they felt about you. And if they said they ‘liked’ you when they meant they ‘loved’ you or vice-versa, can you see how much confusion and grievance that could possibly cost? Words, and their correct definition and placement within a context are tremendously important, and no more so than in God’s Word
One word that, by the grace of God, has made a comeback is “Propitiation”. It is not a word that we use very much any more but one that is vitally important in understanding the whole message of the Gospel. To ‘propitiate’ is to make a sacrifice to avert some form of judgement, wrath or anger. It is a word used to describe the conciliatory and atoning sacrifices made in order to avoid a divine punishment.
In recent times, this word was seen as primitive and not representative of what a ‘loving’ God should look like. So, it is no wonder that as some translations of the Bible omitted the aforementioned word, and used the term ‘expiate’ instead. This was seen in the New English Bible, where it is mentioned:
“ For God designed him to be the means of expiating sin by his sacrificial death, effective through faith. God meant by this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had overlooked the sins of the past..” ( Romans 3:25 : NEB )
What is the difference? To ‘expiate’ means that sin is removed, or put out. The root word ‘ex-’ is the same as the one used in words like ‘extinguish’ and ‘exhale’. Is a wrong word to describe God’s saving grace? No. Christ’s death on the cross indeed cancelled the debt of sin over us. It was redemptive in the removal the sin curse.
Is the word sufficient? No. It hardly does justice in depicting the real nature of his death. In using the word ‘propitiation’, as seen in the ESV translation below, we finally see that Christ’s death did not just remove the sin debt, but also appeased the wrath of God who previously had judged us all as sinners worthy only of receiving death. It also depicts that the very act of sending his own son is a testament to his loving grace and mercy and also characteristic of God as a just being. It is crucial that we see this, otherwise our depiction of God will be a one dimensional, mono-perspective one and our whole understanding of the Gospel will have been built on shaky foundations
“ whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance, he has passed over former sins.” ( Romans 3:25 : ESV )
‘Expiation’ is insufficient because it does not refer to the satisfaction or appeasement of God’s wrath, turning it to favour. God’s righteous anger needs to be appeased before sin can be forgiven (note the sequence), and God in his love sent his Son (who offered himself willingly) to satisfy God’s holy anger against sin. In this way, God demonstrates his righteousness, which here refers to his inate nature of being holy, and just.
Thus, one word is of matter of grave importance. At the very heart is the nature of salvation itself, and if one lacks a proper understanding of it, one does not have the correct understanding of God. It is that important, and it is that serious
SDG
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Chicken or beef, sir?
Picture this:
You're at your wonderful, large comfortable middle class church with numerous programs. You've got programmes coming out of the wazoo. And all of them look good. Maybe a worship workshop? How about a power prayer seminar? Or maybe a retreat for some spiritual invigoration? Sounds good, right?
Decisions, decisions. Choice after choice
And yet..all so wrong
When you are faced with alternatives, and all those alternatives look good - how do you choose? I mean, it's not as though I've a choice between church or drugs, right? They are all 'spiritual' and 'godly' choices
Oh,oh..my normal readers (about 1 or 2 in the world..:-) )know that when I start using quotation marks, I'm about to get snarky, and they would be right
Listen very carefully:
If you choose what your heart is telling you to..chances are...it's the wrong choice.
Remember what it says in Jeremiah: "The Heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9 ESV )
Your choice should be the one thing that you find boring, painful, a chore you wrestle with and the very thing you fear
For most people in church, it's serious Bible study. The one with no jokes, no trendy topics and dazzling music or video. Just you, a Bible and God. That's it.
I have seen the most spiritual looking and sounding people suddenly go weak at the mention of reading the Bible seriously. I have seen the same people in worship, raise their hands in glorious ecstasy to the King of Kings, promise that they will go to the ends of the earth for their Lord and fall to their knees in supplication..
..but they will not pick up his Word to know him better. His very precious divine word that has come through millenia, literal blood, sweat and tears and now is neatly bound in leather and sits in front of us in an airconditioned study room at church. We will not touch it.
Why? I've been asking over the weeks. Why is that?
Paul knew the answer, and it is a sobering one indeed:
" For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.."
( 2 Timothy 4:3 ESV )
Think about that for this week
SDG
You're at your wonderful, large comfortable middle class church with numerous programs. You've got programmes coming out of the wazoo. And all of them look good. Maybe a worship workshop? How about a power prayer seminar? Or maybe a retreat for some spiritual invigoration? Sounds good, right?
Decisions, decisions. Choice after choice
And yet..all so wrong
When you are faced with alternatives, and all those alternatives look good - how do you choose? I mean, it's not as though I've a choice between church or drugs, right? They are all 'spiritual' and 'godly' choices
Oh,oh..my normal readers (about 1 or 2 in the world..:-) )know that when I start using quotation marks, I'm about to get snarky, and they would be right
Listen very carefully:
If you choose what your heart is telling you to..chances are...it's the wrong choice.
Remember what it says in Jeremiah: "The Heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9 ESV )
Your choice should be the one thing that you find boring, painful, a chore you wrestle with and the very thing you fear
For most people in church, it's serious Bible study. The one with no jokes, no trendy topics and dazzling music or video. Just you, a Bible and God. That's it.
I have seen the most spiritual looking and sounding people suddenly go weak at the mention of reading the Bible seriously. I have seen the same people in worship, raise their hands in glorious ecstasy to the King of Kings, promise that they will go to the ends of the earth for their Lord and fall to their knees in supplication..
..but they will not pick up his Word to know him better. His very precious divine word that has come through millenia, literal blood, sweat and tears and now is neatly bound in leather and sits in front of us in an airconditioned study room at church. We will not touch it.
Why? I've been asking over the weeks. Why is that?
Paul knew the answer, and it is a sobering one indeed:
" For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.."
( 2 Timothy 4:3 ESV )
Think about that for this week
SDG
Monday, June 29, 2009
Really Radical Youth - Part 2
Imagine a youth who is well behaved, polite and properly attired. Someone who listens and obeys their parents. Works as a volunteer at church and social organisations on the weekends. What would you call him or her?
An oddball. A freak. A nerd.
Can we just take a breath and a pause to reflect on what has happened to our perception of moral values and cultural mores? The absurdity of taking what looks to be a more biblical model for behaviour and saying that it is out of the norm? We sometimes need to step back and take a look in the mirror to see how warped we've become, because we have accepted the lowest common denominator of social behaviour, applied the weakest of standards to our youth, and deemed it okay; even worth developing
It is the equivalent of giving everyone an 'A' because we don't want to damage their precious self esteem.
I see this in many instances. When a youth event is Bible study, hardly anyone turns up. When it is a 'fun' event involving worship, food and what-not; the place is filled to the brim. The watchwords of this age are fun, good feelings and being happy. To which I say: Beware - these will not get you the Kingdom of God.
Look, I don't have just classical music on my iPod. Nor do I dress like someone out of 'Revenge of the Nerds'. What's on the outside doesn't always reflect the inside but it is folly to suppose that there is no connection between the two whatsoever. You are what you eat. You dress and behave the way you feel and think. Perhaps, we need to think about that a little and check the way we portray ourselves to the world.
I gauge it very simply. Whenever I drop my 89-year old grandmother at church on Sunday, hardly anyone ever bothers to open my car door to help her out. They just walk by caught in their own little world. So, really , there is nothing radical about our faith when this happens, nothing radical about our church and nothing radical about our people
To paraphrase a song, 'We are the World', and that is a sad indictment indeed according to biblical standards
An oddball. A freak. A nerd.
Can we just take a breath and a pause to reflect on what has happened to our perception of moral values and cultural mores? The absurdity of taking what looks to be a more biblical model for behaviour and saying that it is out of the norm? We sometimes need to step back and take a look in the mirror to see how warped we've become, because we have accepted the lowest common denominator of social behaviour, applied the weakest of standards to our youth, and deemed it okay; even worth developing
It is the equivalent of giving everyone an 'A' because we don't want to damage their precious self esteem.
I see this in many instances. When a youth event is Bible study, hardly anyone turns up. When it is a 'fun' event involving worship, food and what-not; the place is filled to the brim. The watchwords of this age are fun, good feelings and being happy. To which I say: Beware - these will not get you the Kingdom of God.
Look, I don't have just classical music on my iPod. Nor do I dress like someone out of 'Revenge of the Nerds'. What's on the outside doesn't always reflect the inside but it is folly to suppose that there is no connection between the two whatsoever. You are what you eat. You dress and behave the way you feel and think. Perhaps, we need to think about that a little and check the way we portray ourselves to the world.
I gauge it very simply. Whenever I drop my 89-year old grandmother at church on Sunday, hardly anyone ever bothers to open my car door to help her out. They just walk by caught in their own little world. So, really , there is nothing radical about our faith when this happens, nothing radical about our church and nothing radical about our people
To paraphrase a song, 'We are the World', and that is a sad indictment indeed according to biblical standards
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)