Every Thursday we host a Bible study for high-school boys here at the church. Normally we eat lunch, have a Bible lesson, and then play Halo for a couple of hours before everyone goes home for the evening. This week was different. The weather has gotten warm and so the boys went outside. The boys decided to wrestle in the yard. For the next hour my yard was turned into a wrestling ring. We had one on one matches, team fights, random acts of violence, body slams, kicks, punches, you name it. It was really entertaining.
Throughout the festivities, as the testosterone began to flow, teen aged boy would come my way and challenge me to spar or wrestle. I always politely declined. I was wearing clean clothes and didn't want to get them dirty and there were some big athletic boys in attendance and I didn't want to risk getting my butt kicked in my own back yard.
As everyone was leaving one of the young men, Boulos Shakkour, stepped up to me and made one final challenge. "Come on man, fight me", he said.
I said, "that's alright."
But then something different happened. Boulos said, "You're scared." Normally I would have just blown that off and said something like, "of you??? Right.." But my son, Andrew had walked up and before I could talk he said, "My daddy's not afraid."
"Yeah he is.", Boulos said.
"No he's not", said Andrew.
Listening to this exchange something welled up inside of me. My boy thinks I'm invincible. I like that he thinks that. I know that some day he will see through the illusion and realize that I'm human, but everything inside of me screamed, "NOT ON THIS DAY!" I had to validate my little boy's brags on my behalf. And Boulos would have to suffer the consequences.
"Let's fight", I said.
We quickly outlined the rules. We were going to box but no blows to the head. Fifteen young men and one five year old boy gathered around to watch the bout. There was lots of hooting and cheering and when they said "go", I unleashed 34 years and 240 pounds of fatherly pride on Boulos (and I might add one really wicked left hook). After about one minute of solid beating, Boulos threw in the towel. I was happy. My boy was happy, and for now, he still thinks I'm invincible.
Strange as it may seem, it only took about three minutes for me to start thinking about the whole incident in spiritual terms. The Bible calls God our father over and over again. It also calls him a shepherd, a bridegroom, a warrior, and a lot of other things. These are all metaphors of course, ways that the Word can communicate some aspect of God's character to us. Father, however, is far and away the most common thing that God is likened to. These last five years, I have begun my journey through fatherhood and I always look at events like this and think, "How is this like God's relationship to me?"
Two things strike me. One is that if I would be stirred into action, even action I wouldn't normally have taken, just to please my son and validate his boasts on my behalf, how much more God? The Bible says that God delights in us. How many things happen in our lives for no other reason than the fact that God wants to bless us. And, maybe if we would brag about God more we would see him do more.
The other thing that strikes me is a difference. The fact of the matter is that I can't whip everybody. I don't know everything. And I can't solve every problem. One day Andrew will figure this all out. One day he will be bigger and stronger than me. And, I'm not going to get any younger. In that way God is totally different than us. He does know everything. He can whip anyone, and He can solve any problem. He will also never age or wane.
How encouraging it is to know that our Father can do anything and that all of the resources and power in the universe is is owned by One who wants desperately to bless us.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Labels
I remember being a little kid and getting into an argument on the playground. Some kid got insulted and in response he said, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus thought that words were so important that he said (Matthew 12:36-37) "I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." If words can send you to Heaven or Hell then they must be pretty important and they must have real consequences.
In Matthew chapter 12, there is a very specific series of events that led Jesus to make that statement. Matthew 12 is a long dispute between Jesus and the Pharisees. In verse 22 Jesus cast out a demon from a man and also restored his sight and his voice. The Pharisees saw all of this and said that Jesus had done the miracle by the power of Satan. Jesus responded to what they said in verses 25-37. He first basically told them that what they were saying was foolish. This part of his response contains the famous statement that "a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand." He then, in verses 31 and 32 went on to talk about "the unpardonable sin" of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
It seems obvious to me from the flow of the narrative that the Pharisees had just committed the sin or possibly they were very close to it and he was warning them. So what had they done wrong? When Jesus was here on Earth, I believe that he accessed supernatural power the same way that we do- by praying, fasting, and being in the will of God. The actual source of the power, the supernaturally active agent, was the Holy Spirit. So Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit had just healed this man and cast out a demon. The Pharisees called the work demonic. Their sin was labeling the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit as evil.
You see, labeling is important to God. If you call good things evil or evil things good, it really bothers Him. In Romans chapter one, Paul outlines a long downward spiral of sin. I don't have time to go through the whole thing, but the last sentence, the bottom of the spiral says this, "Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." When people begin sinning they feel guilty about it but by the end they have seared their conscience so badly that they no longer recognize it as sin. In fact, they approve of it.
I'm writing this because I'm becoming more and more frightened for America and for Western culture in general. There have always been certain sins in our society, but they were usually not generally approved of and they were recognized as sin. We now call homosexuality an alternative lifestyle. We call abortion choice. We call pornography and profanity art or free speech. And the list goes on and on. It seems that we are at a point where we are parading our sins and glorying in them.
But we aren't just calling bad things good, we are calling good things bad. We call young men and women who are waiting for marriage to have sex prudish or out of touch. We call men and women of faith fools. The church is seen as backward and an impediment to society. We call people who stand up for morals and standards mean-spirited, and we call people who say Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation exclusive bigots.
What is the church to do in the face of this assault on our values and morals? We do what Jesus said. We act as salt and light. No matter what is said or what the consequences, we must illuminate the dark. We have to insist that evil is evil. Abortion isn't choice-it's murder. Homosexuality is an abomination. We also have to defend the Truth. We have to let people know that they can't get to Heaven by just being good. They have to know that Jesus is THE way, not a way.
Standing in the face of society isn't easy. At the least it will get you ridiculed. In worse circumstances, it might cause you to lose a job or a position. It might make you an outcast from your family. It could result in violence against you, and in extreme cases even death. What we have to realize is that God will not always tolerate sin. He is very patient, sometimes so patient that people think He will never judge or that He isn't even there. But, in the face of the current level of sin, there are only two possible outcomes- either America will repent, or God's wrath will come. Maybe it's already started.
If we want God's wrath to be averted or lessened we must stand up for the Truth. Or, in the worst case scenario, if God does pour out his wrath, then when it's over and people have seen their folly and are ready to repent, we have to be there holding out Truth and hope to them.
In Matthew chapter 12, there is a very specific series of events that led Jesus to make that statement. Matthew 12 is a long dispute between Jesus and the Pharisees. In verse 22 Jesus cast out a demon from a man and also restored his sight and his voice. The Pharisees saw all of this and said that Jesus had done the miracle by the power of Satan. Jesus responded to what they said in verses 25-37. He first basically told them that what they were saying was foolish. This part of his response contains the famous statement that "a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand." He then, in verses 31 and 32 went on to talk about "the unpardonable sin" of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
It seems obvious to me from the flow of the narrative that the Pharisees had just committed the sin or possibly they were very close to it and he was warning them. So what had they done wrong? When Jesus was here on Earth, I believe that he accessed supernatural power the same way that we do- by praying, fasting, and being in the will of God. The actual source of the power, the supernaturally active agent, was the Holy Spirit. So Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit had just healed this man and cast out a demon. The Pharisees called the work demonic. Their sin was labeling the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit as evil.
You see, labeling is important to God. If you call good things evil or evil things good, it really bothers Him. In Romans chapter one, Paul outlines a long downward spiral of sin. I don't have time to go through the whole thing, but the last sentence, the bottom of the spiral says this, "Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." When people begin sinning they feel guilty about it but by the end they have seared their conscience so badly that they no longer recognize it as sin. In fact, they approve of it.
I'm writing this because I'm becoming more and more frightened for America and for Western culture in general. There have always been certain sins in our society, but they were usually not generally approved of and they were recognized as sin. We now call homosexuality an alternative lifestyle. We call abortion choice. We call pornography and profanity art or free speech. And the list goes on and on. It seems that we are at a point where we are parading our sins and glorying in them.
But we aren't just calling bad things good, we are calling good things bad. We call young men and women who are waiting for marriage to have sex prudish or out of touch. We call men and women of faith fools. The church is seen as backward and an impediment to society. We call people who stand up for morals and standards mean-spirited, and we call people who say Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation exclusive bigots.
What is the church to do in the face of this assault on our values and morals? We do what Jesus said. We act as salt and light. No matter what is said or what the consequences, we must illuminate the dark. We have to insist that evil is evil. Abortion isn't choice-it's murder. Homosexuality is an abomination. We also have to defend the Truth. We have to let people know that they can't get to Heaven by just being good. They have to know that Jesus is THE way, not a way.
Standing in the face of society isn't easy. At the least it will get you ridiculed. In worse circumstances, it might cause you to lose a job or a position. It might make you an outcast from your family. It could result in violence against you, and in extreme cases even death. What we have to realize is that God will not always tolerate sin. He is very patient, sometimes so patient that people think He will never judge or that He isn't even there. But, in the face of the current level of sin, there are only two possible outcomes- either America will repent, or God's wrath will come. Maybe it's already started.
If we want God's wrath to be averted or lessened we must stand up for the Truth. Or, in the worst case scenario, if God does pour out his wrath, then when it's over and people have seen their folly and are ready to repent, we have to be there holding out Truth and hope to them.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Up North
Earlier this year, we started a discipleship ministry. The purpose of the ministry is to bring students over to spend an academic year studying and volunteering in ministries. The idea is that the students will grow through their studies and through their experiences here and that the students will have a real impact now through their ministry work here. God blessed us with three great students and the program has been going really well.
A big part of the program is the opportunity to learn about the Bible here in the land at the places where the events occurred. As a part of that we went to the Galilee for three days earlier this month. Israel is a pretty dry country, but the Galilee catches a good bit more rain than the rest of the country. Because of this it is a beautiful land of green mountains, springs, and streams. It is also where Jesus spent the vast majority of his ministry years.
We saw a number of amazing places. We saw Gadara, where Jesus cast the demons into the swine. Gamla (pictured), where the Roman legions assaulted a Jewish town during the rebellion in 67 AD. Caesarea Phillipi, where Peter proclaimed Jesus to be the Christ. Mt. Tabor, where Deborah gathered her troops. And, Mt. Carmel, where Elijah called down fire amongst many others.
The possible highlight of the trip was seeing Capernaum. Capernaum was Jesus's hometown throughout his ministry years. It has been well preserved. The synagogue where Jesus taught was renovated later but is still there. You can stand in the middle of the room where Jesus taught. One of the other amazing things at Capernaum is that you can actually see Peter's house. There are ancient Greek texts that said the ancient Christians built an octagonal church on the remnants of Peter's house. When archaeologists started digging around in Capernaum they found foundations from a house that had foundations of an octagonal church on top of them. The foundations combined with the texts are very convincing.
The amazing thing about traveling through the and with a Bible and a map is that the land supports the Bible in every way. If the Bible says that David and Goliath fought in a valley with a stream and that David could have walked there then all of those things are there. You go to Gadara and there is a cliff from which the pigs could have jumped into the lake. Every story you read is confirmed by the land. At the end you realize how foolish it is to think that the Bible was somehow modified or faked later. No forger outside of the country could have gotten every single detail of the geography right.
In the end we had a great time and our faith was built.
A big part of the program is the opportunity to learn about the Bible here in the land at the places where the events occurred. As a part of that we went to the Galilee for three days earlier this month. Israel is a pretty dry country, but the Galilee catches a good bit more rain than the rest of the country. Because of this it is a beautiful land of green mountains, springs, and streams. It is also where Jesus spent the vast majority of his ministry years.
We saw a number of amazing places. We saw Gadara, where Jesus cast the demons into the swine. Gamla (pictured), where the Roman legions assaulted a Jewish town during the rebellion in 67 AD. Caesarea Phillipi, where Peter proclaimed Jesus to be the Christ. Mt. Tabor, where Deborah gathered her troops. And, Mt. Carmel, where Elijah called down fire amongst many others.
The possible highlight of the trip was seeing Capernaum. Capernaum was Jesus's hometown throughout his ministry years. It has been well preserved. The synagogue where Jesus taught was renovated later but is still there. You can stand in the middle of the room where Jesus taught. One of the other amazing things at Capernaum is that you can actually see Peter's house. There are ancient Greek texts that said the ancient Christians built an octagonal church on the remnants of Peter's house. When archaeologists started digging around in Capernaum they found foundations from a house that had foundations of an octagonal church on top of them. The foundations combined with the texts are very convincing.
The amazing thing about traveling through the and with a Bible and a map is that the land supports the Bible in every way. If the Bible says that David and Goliath fought in a valley with a stream and that David could have walked there then all of those things are there. You go to Gadara and there is a cliff from which the pigs could have jumped into the lake. Every story you read is confirmed by the land. At the end you realize how foolish it is to think that the Bible was somehow modified or faked later. No forger outside of the country could have gotten every single detail of the geography right.
In the end we had a great time and our faith was built.
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