Archive for the ‘ Religion ’ Category

Responses to Christmas: God’s Parents

It is time for a special series … THIS WEEK ONLY!

Yeah, I kind of gave into some of the materialistic hype. This special is only available the week leading up to this Christmas.

I have a seen a few similar series going around, but mine is better because … uhhh … I am doing it this week? This series is about how people responded to the birth of Jesus.

God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:26-38

http://seg.sharethis.com/getSegment.php?purl=http%3A%2F%2Fasimplemanofgod.wordpress.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php&jsref=&rnd=1324259818020

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.”

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Matthew 1:18-25

God clearly chose these two to raise the boy Jesus for a reason. Other than being descendents of David, they also were kinda righteous, as humans go.

Take Mary:

  1. She was presented with something impossible: pregnancy without … the fun part. Her reaction to hearing this: “Help me understand how this is possible!”
  2. With a response that would make most humans say “Yeah, okay. Whatever that means!” she replies “I do not really get it, but I will follow You and see what amazing things you can do!”

Now Joseph:

  1. His first response to the unknown was to protect the girl he loved yet bow out gracefully. He wanted to protect himself (not bad) and the girl who apparently had been unfaithful, someone who apparently had sinned rather egregiously. He was a pretty cool dude, man!
  2. He has a dream telling him that the baby will be God and save people from their sins, therefore he should still marry Mary. Based on that dream, he complies. This is really all we know about Joseph (other than he and Mary forgot Jesus at the age of 12, and he also looked for Him). Personally, I see there is more than enough information here to understand his character: awesome!

What can we learn from these two?

  1. It is okay to have doubts, provided you are willing to listen to God (or His messengers).
  2. It is okay to question God, provided you are honestly seeking answers and not trying to justify yourself or simply asking rhetorically from disbelief.
  3. Sometimes, perhaps many or most times, we will not fully understand (if at all) what God is doing, but that is okay provided we continue to follow His leading.
  4. Enduring something inconvenient can lead to amazing blessings!

What about you? When you have doubts do you listen for God’s leading? Do you ask God any of the who, what, when, where, why, or how questions expecting a reply and being open to the answer? Are you willing to move forward in your confusion and lack of understanding? Do you trust God? If you do, amazing blessings await. To be fair, the blessings may not appear until eternity, but a lifetime of worries and pain is worth an eternity of peace and joy. (Think of a road trip someplace, like Disneyland or to family you have not seen in a while. It may be uncomfortable getting there, but the joy and experience of getting there almost help you forget it or even make it worth it.)

2011
12/19
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Liberation

I thought for fun I would post one of my papers from school. It is a little longer than what I usually do (about twice as long!), but maybe you can learn something … or help me in my education! I hope you enjoy!

Liberation

            “The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God” (LASB, 2005, Romans 8:21). History is rife with subjugation, abuses, and oppression. In this post-Enlightenment world, Western society is beginning to overcome the evils of the past. The past 50 years has seen the rise of Liberation Theology. The black community in the United States produced Black Liberation Theology. The Latin American masses have produced their own form of Liberation Theology. Women are coming out of the shadow of men with Feminist Theology. Each theology has its strengths and weaknesses, and they all start with the focus of overcoming through Christ.

Black Theology

           Probably the biggest reason so many Africans came to the United States of America was the slave trade. Many were brought simply to be bought and sold as slaves. The American Civil War played a pivotal role in freeing the blacks, as they have been called due to the darkness of their skin, from slavery. However, they were not given full rights in most instances as compared to the predominant white people. Blacks were still considered second-class citizens, at best.

This came to a head in the decades after the Second World War. The 1960’s were a turbulent time of war and protests, and the greatest protest of all was the Civil Rights movement in the United States. Headed by the likes of Martin Luther King, Jr. – who fought from a Christian standpoint of equality of all men – and Malcolm X – who took a form of Islam and called it Black Power, the embracement of the black identity – the movement quickly shattered all of the segregation and inequality.

During this time, there were some theologians who took the stances of King and Malcolm X and merged them. Black Liberation Theology sought equality for blacks with whites. This called for finding blacks’ unique identity and a view of the gospel tailored to this self-awareness. It was a call to take hold of one’s blackness and find freedom from the segregation and oppression of the dominant white society. God is found in these moments of liberation and is always fighting towards liberation for all people (Grenz & Olson, 1992).

The upside to Black Theology is that it strives to take the Christian message of freedom from bondage and make it applicable and understandable to a certain group of people. The entire Christian message is about freedom from sin and evil and all the ways in which it manifests itself. Sadly, many took this message and used it as justification for violence and a reverse-racism against whites and sometimes also other ethnicities. Joseph R. Washington, Jr. attempted to warn about separation as opposed to integration – the original intent of the Civil Rights Movement. He foresaw the growth in violence and lack of forgiveness that could grow. James H. Cone, the first recognized representative of Black Theology, also spoke of accepting one’s blackness but forgiving yourself and others. Blacks were seeking their freedom. Some chose violence and others peace (Grenz & Olson, 1992).

Latin American Liberation Theology

            Blacks had contemporaries who found violence and the gospel working together. In Latin American nations, poverty ran rampant. Most Latin American theologians saw the evil capitalist nations of the Northern Atlantic to blame for the condition of the masses. Because of the greed of these nations, leadership at home worked people ragged with minimal pay why taking most of the profits for themselves and using violence against anyone who dissented in any way. This led to a small wealthy class always getting richer and a large impoverished class always getting poorer (Grenz & Olson, 1992).

Theologians, like the blacks, turned to the liberating message of the Gospel. They argued that Christ is found only with the weak and impoverished. Therefore, the rich did not have Christ, and if violence was used by them to oppress the poor then violence is an acceptable response to find freedom. The only way to achieve true freedom, for both the poor and the rich, would be to do away with evil capitalism and turn to Christian Marxism. Only when people do not allow their possessions to own them but instead see all things as belonging to all people will they be liberated. Humanity will then be able to works toward a proper Christian society and wipe out poverty. This then leads to the teaching that good theology is dependent on right actions (orthopraxy) which help interpret theology, for God is only found with the poor. Helping the poor to be liberated reveals good theology (Grenz & Olson, 1992).

Liberation theology is great in that it reminds the Christian to have a heart for the poor and for transformation of society. The idea, however, that theology is dependent upon orthopraxy is flawed since only an understanding of what is right can lead to right action. The use of Marxism is dangerous since it has a tendency to deny sinful nature. History has shown that Marxism always leads to the exact outcome Liberation theologians seek to avoid. The acceptance of violence is also dangerous. It can help breed hatred for other people instead of the Christian call for loving our enemies.

Feminist Theology

            Women have felt this lack of love for millennia. Like the blacks and the poor, many women have felt subjugated and oppressed. Christianity should be the one place this is not true, but this has sadly not been the case. In the United States, blacks got the right to vote before women, and they could teach and preach in a church before women were allowed. All of this frustration built up to the point that Feminist Theology was born.

Feminist Theology arose at the same time as the others. Like the others there is the focus on freedom from oppression and right action. The differences arise in approach. Feminist theologians wish to redeem or remove the parts of the Bible that demonstrate (or seemingly demonstrate) oppression or abuse of women. They seek to remove the barrier between the sexes through interpreting the Bible through the feminist worldview. Feminists see Jesus as a feminist preacher, but His message has been twisted by the male-dominated worldview. Likewise, God is not a He but either genderless or a God/ess (Grenz & Olson, 1992).

Feminist Theology raises the awareness that women have not been given their proper place in Christianity or the world. However, in their attempt to fight sexism, feminists have made it too easy to reverse the sexism. In many ways, feminism has gone from seeking equality with men to superiority over men. Finally, it is always dangerous to remove or skip over parts of the Bible with which one is not comfortable. Doing so is almost like declaring oneself equal to God.

The biggest problem with each of these theologies is that of ethno- or gender-centrism. The focus shifts too much from Christ to humans. To say God is the God of only the poor or a certain ethnicity or a certain gender denies so many other attributes of God. Theology becomes pushing personal assertions and ideals onto God and declaring it truth instead of seeking truth and allowing God to properly shape one’s worldview and understanding of Him. When the focus moves to humanity, pride and sin and all that accompanies them – hatred, violence, selfishness, etcetera – easily takes hold. The gospel is about liberation, but liberation must never take control of the gospel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Grenz, Stanley J., & Olson, Roger E. (1992). 20th century theology: God and the world in a transitional age. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. & Zondervan. (2005). Life Application Study Bible – NIV. Carol Stream, IL: Author.

2011
12/13
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 11/27/2011

My Thanksgiving Day post was about why I am thankful, so today’s poem is a reminder of that.

 

 

here is why
daniel m  klem

why were there screams
and all of the cries
that the Son of Man
should be crucified
the senseless violence that
could have been stayed
was acted through
on that horrible day

why did God allow it
if His Son had to die
it happened so you
could keep your life
Christ died to set
our souls completely free
and wash sin from everyone
including you and me

 

Taken from simple words for God from a simple man of God by daniel m  klem, page 116.

2011
11/27
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Misunderstood Identities

I just might do a series based on the teachings I have done the past couple Sunday nights. Today’s post is an adaptation from the first night, October 30th. The two lessons were titled “Masks: Judging others” and “Masks II: Living for others.”

                                                    

Everyone wears masks. Masks hide our emotions. Masks hide our true thoughts. Masks hide our face behind make-up, humor, and life-style.

It is how we use our masks which can cause so many problems between each other. Today’s focus is sexual identity.

Our culture has turned sexual activities and preferences into identities. (Ephesians 4:17-19)

  • The average homosexual will not tell you about struggles with same-sex attraction. He is a gay man. She is a lesbian. Life
    revolves around their same-sex attraction. There is no separation between sexual desires and life in general.
  • A “playah” (a.k.a. pervert … sorry, guys) only knows a life of chasing women. It carries over into every area of life. Think of Barney from “How I Met Your Mother” on CBS. If you have ever watched the show, you know that Barney is a sweet guy, but he hides it behind skirt-chasing and getting with babes.
  • Many feminists make empowerment of women and hatred toward men the only way they can live. Real feminism seeks equality with men with the understanding that there are differences between the two genders. So-called “radical feminism” is what gets people’s attention, because radical feminists are the loudest. Some at least have been honest enough to admit that they want to see the roles completely reversed, that women should be the ones in power if men are even necessary. Their entire lives become replacing men, not seeking equality.

This is a general group with only three sub-groups listed. For this general grouping, there is a tendency for Christians to just write them off as beyond help or just crazy. We either want nothing to do with them or spend the majority of our time telling them how sinful and evil they are, or, worse, talk about how sinful and evil they are behind their backs. Our understanding can be just as darkened as theirs is of God’s love, grace, and justice (this last one includes his strict laws and wrath as well as forgiveness through Christ).

For years I based my identity on being single. I sometimes went out of my way to alert others to my singleness. This is no different, and I know and know of many people who do or have done the same thing.

Marriage is understandably different, especially from a biblical perspective. This is because the Bible tells us “the two will become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5; Mark 10:8; 1 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 5:31), and that means each person’s identity changes. They are not complete without the other.

David and Jonathan (Starting in 1 Samuel 18) demonstrated that marriage is not required for this kind of relationship, the kind in which one person is not complete without the other. It is not the same thing as marriage, but more importantly they did not base their entire lives on the other person. For both of them, their true devotion was to God.

This is not an argument about whether or not homosexuals, “loose” people, feminists (or chauvinist of any kind), or any other people who base their identity on sex and gender (or variations on gender) can be Christians or go to Heaven. The real argument here is that the problem has arisen that those who focus so much on “sexual identity” are not focused on God. Their understanding of God has been darkened.

The problem is selfishness. Sometimes selfishness can include others, including in a loving relationship. It reminds me of Terry Hoitz (played by Mark Wahlberg) in “The Other Guys”. He was so frustrated that his tagline was illogical (but quite hilarious): “I am a beautiful peacock! You have to let me fly!” ((If you are wondering why this is so funny, peacocks are semi-flightless, only able to go relatively short distances of a few hundred feet across land and fifty feet up.)) The reason I think of this line is that peacocks are often associated with pride and arrogance, and this line is slightly illogical as is basing your entire identity on how or with whom sex is or is not performed.

And just to make sure it is understood: None of my statements of the three sub-groups listed above are meant to be taken as universal. That would also be a logical fallacy and undermine my entire argument. All people, even Christians, can base their understanding of life on crazy, inappropriate, and sometimes weird things … not just sex (though you can see Christians and the religious right who focus on not practicing certain sexual act or preferences or whatever you want to call them).

So what say you? Am I right? Am I wrong? Am I off the mark or right on? Any comments to help clarify, support, or debunk my claims?

2011
11/08
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The Lovable Jerk

I know. A corvette and mention of a jerk. It must be that I have a corvette and you love me for it!

No, actually this is a dear friend and his first corvette. Trust me. It applies. You probably have a good question, though.

What is a lovable jerk?

To help you understand this, I have a couple of stories.

This past weekend was the monthly mens breakfast for my church. We had a great time at Denny’s with stories, life updates, and a great challenge about finishing strong. The pastor ducked out a little early. I jokingly thought to myself “He did not really finish! He left early!” When the rest of us walked to the front to pay our bills, there was some confusion at the register. It took a minute to figure out that “That one man with the glasses” (the pastor) “paid for it all.” I sent him a text message (do not get too mad at me, because I will explain myself):

“You are a jerk, but a lovable jerk who is greatly loved! May the Lord bless you and keep you, brother!”

(He loves me, too. And if you know about whom I am speaking, just praise God for his love.)

Another person is a lovable jerk. I put the same disclaimer here as for the pastor: praise God.

This man is that dear friend who, quite honestly, deserves a corvette. If you know this man, you agree. The story about him takes place when I was first allowed to see this man in action. Our car was having some issues, and (as has happened many times since) he offered to fix it. He fixed the car and paid for the parts he needed. I was at work when he did this, and I remember thinking “He better not have topped off the gas tank.” He did. He is still floored to this day that when I saw the gas gauge jump to “F” I looked at him and said “You jerk!” He asked his son later, “Was he mad at me?”
“No, dad,” he said. “He was saying thank you!”
Again, he still is amazed by this.

He has learned, though, what I really mean when I say it.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14-16

When I call you a jerk, it usually means “You are jerking on my heart-strings, right now.”

When I call you a jerk, it usually means “You have done quite well!”

When I call you a jerk, it usually means “God, I praise You for this blessing through this person.”

You lovable jerks make me praise God.

Go be a lovable jerk for God. (See the related Philippians 2:12-13)

Go on! Do it!

(On a side note, today I was hired to work with 1st and 2nd grade autistic children in the same school district as my wonderful wife! Praise God! No, seriously … PRAISE HIM!)

2011
09/20
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Passed Experiences

This past Sunday was the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The wife and I (the husband in this scenario) spent our Sunday morning teaching the K-2nd students. I realized that none of the students we had were even a glimmer in their parents eyes when the attacks happened. I felt a little older realizing this (and that they have no idea that most of their favorite cartoons are remakes of originals from when I was their age). Later in the day I read some articles that kind of ruffled my feathers.

Apparently many public schools do not teach about the attacks so much as having respect and tolerance for Muslims and other cultures. The most some schools say is something about the attacks bringing an awareness to the plight of Muslims in our world, not that Muslims were responsible.

I am not flustered that they are teaching that we need to get along with others. We do. Even the Bible teaches that (“Love your neighbor as yourself” ring any bells?). We must also realize that most Muslims will not try to kill all unbelieving infidels. Some are merely “cultural Muslims” (believing because they are required by law), and many just want to live their lives like any other sensible person.

My issue is that truth is glossed over or even removed altogether. If we cannot properly teach history we cannot learn from it nor grow past it.

And this has happened before.

God told the Israelites in Deuteronomy 8 “Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. . . . If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.” (vv. 2 and 19)

Over the first few hundred years living in the borders of Israel, they constantly forgot and had to have judges sent to lead them, restore them, and save them from their enemies. (See the book of Judges) Then they were given kings who were supposed to write the Law in their own hand to help them remember God’s commands. Within a few generations (Solomon’s children) this was largely forgotten, and soon prophets were sent to remind them (most of them killed, see 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles).

In just a few short centuries, Israel went from a bastion of freedom and a nation of God to being destroyed and carried off to another country. This is God’s chosen people! They were destroyed … TWICE!

Today, a nation built on the principles of the Bible, is beginning to look a lot like ancient Israel. Even our President seems to be able to rightly say “Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation.” Sadly, this administration has done much to attempt to rewrite parts of history. This is not a political jab, just a statement on the state of our nation.

Are we going to remember our past, both on the national and individual levels? Are going to check ourselves on a regular basis or allow mistruths and outright lies guide our lives? Are we going to be people of redemption and grace or use the name of the Lord our God in vain by claiming to be His while walking away from Him?

2011
09/13
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September 11
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I love you with all of my bowels

If you had not heard the teaching, yet, instead of saying “I love you with all of my heart,” for centuries people essentially said “I love you with all of my bowels” or intestines or guts or whatever. It makes sense, too, when you consider “falling in love” frequently includes feeling sick to your stomach!

I propose something a little different today.

What if it is not necessarily love, but merely lust or physical attraction?

I am not saying love for another person will not cause physical manifestations within our bodies. I have experienced it. My wife and I occasionally joke around, saying “You make my bowels move” to say “I love you.”

However, I also remember something else as I think back on my life. The times in which my bowels seemed to move for someone the most I was thinking not so much about the long-term benefits of a relationship as the instant gratification of the flesh.

“I want to touch her just once.” “I want to know how [various parts of her body] feel.” “I bet the sex would be great!”

In truth, the times I feel “my bowels moving” for my wife very frequently are when I am ready to take her to the bedroom (wink wink, nudge nudge). Many people with whom I have talked (teens, young adults, older adults; men and women) have also said that those physical emotional responses have largely led to thoughts of physical (read: sexual) interaction with another person.

I guess this is more a warning than anything else, especially to young readers (high school/college): Be careful of those feelings.

How many people have rushed to marriage because “He makes my stomach hurt … in that good way!”
How many people have had sex outside of marriage because “It felt like what was right!”
How many people have not listened to others because “My whole body seemed to tell me it was the right thing to do!”

How many divorces could have been avoided?
How many diseases and unwanted pregnancies could have been avoided?
How much heartache could have been avoided?

The heart [bowels/body/emotions] is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?

Jeremiah 17:9

I thought in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless.

Ecclesiastes 2:1

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

Matthew 15:19

I added some meaning and italics.

The point is as I said above: we cannot always trust our emotions and when our bodies react.

This is what the LORD says:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

Jeremiah 17:5

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5

Why are rules set in place for our relationships? It is not to deny our freedom or punish us. In fact, rules for relationships are their to protect us and remind us that we have a tendency to really mess things up in our lives!

We must remember to keep our emotions and bowels and hearts in check by trusting that God just might know us well enough to know what is best for us. We must remember that we can so easily be deceived by our own emotions if we base our understanding on us and not what God has told us. We must remember the need of hearing the Holy Spirit, and that means we need to learn to be able to listen to Him in all things.

2011
09/06
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Used goods

I once prayed “Father, use me for Your will.” When I say “once,” what I really mean is that I did not understand exactly what I was asking for when I first prayed that prayer.

Most of us would like to do something great for God. We have those dreams of leading thousands at a time to Christ or performing amazing miracles which lead many to investigate the claims of the Gospel message. Some of us want to write that devotional, Bible study curriculum, or song that changes the way people think about God.

We take Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,” and use it as evidence that we are to do great things.

I must point out that it merely says “to do good works” (and is also referring to our inability to gain God’s favor or salvation through works, but only by God’s grace). Jesus told us to do good works, as well.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:13-16

We must remember, however, that on our own “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6), which means our good works are worthless. It is only when we are used by God that our works mean anything, are in fact “good.”

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”

Philippians 2:12-13

 My simple prayer led me through many trials and tests. I was forced in many ways to re-examine all that I believe and think.

What have I learned?

Two things:
1) That I still have a lot to learn!
2) While we may be able to do things with good intentions, we can only truly do good things when used by God.

When we are God’s “used goods,” He will use us to accomplish His will, not only for us individually but for the all of Creation. We must remember that much of the time this means our good works may be doing the dishes, paying bills, and helping our neighbor. Sometimes it means scrubbing toilets, washing people, and feeding mean-spirited, smelly hungry people. Sometimes it means sharing the Gospel, preaching the Gospel, and leading ministries.

We must be open to God to know what to do. We must remember that much of our being used by God means faithfully living our lives in the day-t0-day routines of life. It also means faithfully following His leading if and when He uses us for “the greater things.”

2011
08/30
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I BELIEVE! I think …

A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

“O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evilspirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”

Mark 9:17-29, NIV

 I told you the man’s plea would return!

To go along with the prayer theme I started last week, I am looking at one of my personal prayers. Back in 2007, as God was bringing me back to my senses, I re-discovered this package. In particular, I noticed our friend the dad for the first time and finally paid attention to that last statement: “This kind can come out only by prayer.”

Why are the so relatively few miracles today, at least in Europe and the United States? Why had things gotten so rough in my life? How could I see more miracles in my life?

I prayed “God, I believe you can do amazing things, and I want to see You do amazing things in my life and the lives of others. Help me truly believe You still move today!”

It was not that I had never seen miracles. There were several times between 2000 and 2007 in which I saw and/or experienced things that amazed me or just could not be explained in our understanding of natural ways.

Perhaps, kind of like Matt Appling mentioned yesterday, I believed more in myself than God. I believed more in myself than God for the simple reason that I had stopped talking with Him for a couple years.

Why had I slipped so far from God? Why was I struggling with seeing – let alone being used by God to perform – miracles? Why did I struggle with … believing Him?

Faith grows through prayer. Belief grows through prayer. Miracles happen through prayer. God talks with us through prayer.

Do not get me wrong! God speaks to us through many different ways. It is just that much easier to hear Him and see Him acting when we talk with Him on a regular basis.

We may not see “miracles” happen every time we turn a corner. Heck, we may not see a “miracle” for years! The questions of God’s love, God’s power, God’s faithfulness, God’s works are more easily answered when we allow God to speak to and through us. The manifestations of God’s love, God’s power, God’s faithfulness, God’s works in our own lives are more easily seen and even felt when we allow God to speak to and through us.

This happens the mostest and the bestest through prayer, when we talk to God and let God talk to us.
(In other words, do not just tell God things. Sometimes you have to stop talking and listen!)

2011
08/23
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Belief
Prayer
Relationship
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Belief in Unbelief

I have discussed before about how doubt is okay in certain circumstances. I was recently reminded of this topic while listening to one of my favorite songs (Jason Gray, For the First Time Again, and today I refer to the verse mentioned in the song and will get back to this later!), and it also reminded me of a conversation I had with me own mum a few years ago.

The verse I refer to is Mark 9:24: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

The man who said this to Jesus believed that Jesus could help, but he struggled with doubt. He just handled it in the correct manner. He asked God.

What if our doubt has to do with whether or not God is involved?

The Bible deals with this.

John, in 1 John 4:1, says “Dear Friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Did you know we are not supposed to have a blind faith? Many in the Western Church have been raised to “just believe and not ask questions.” This verse seems to declare otherwise. (Another is 1 Thessalonians 5:21)

Some people send out and/or forward e-mails that sound very inspirational or seem to raise awareness of some injustice or cause. This is the very reason Snopes.com (atheistic, as far as I know, but still quite trustworthy if you are concerned) was founded, to discover which stories are true and false. (Something I found ironic, my mom raised me to study things, and when I e-mailed her a link to something cool she asked forgiveness for not trusting me and checking Snopes! I had already checked it myself! This is the conversation I mentioned above) It is more than okay to look into these e-mails and reports.

As we get into the presidential election, we are going to be hearing many things from the candidates and their supporters both for and against each candidate. We have seen some of these stretch the truth pretty far in the past. We should check everything we hear about a candidate before choosing what to believe about them. It is just smart and an all-around good idea. If you believe we can trust everything every politician says, you need a little more help than I can offer!

Every time we meet for church or to study the Bible or for a fellowship event (concert, Promise Keepers, Women of Faith, leadership/missionary conferences, etcetera) we should approach each teaching with sound reason and a healthy dose of skepticism. I am not saying we doubt everything that is said, nor I am saying we should discount our knowledge of what each speaker has said before. For example, if you have attended the same church with the same pastor for years with solid teaching, you should be able to trust what the pastor says this Sunday, too. However, as many of my pastor friends have said over the years, we should follow along in our Bibles with every teaching to make sure there is no mistake! This is not questioning everything that is said, rather it is confirming truth or revealing mis-truthes and mistakes.

Similarly, whenever a new teacher comes along, a new theologian theologizes, or science proclaims new evidence of something, we should test the statements and information for validity and trustworthiness both with Scripture and logic. I am sorry if your feelings are hurt, but outside of Christianity all religions do not pass most tests. Even some spheres of Christianity (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints [Mormons], Jehovah’s Witnesses, Westboro Baptist Church, some separate congregations within mainline churches, and many others) leave Scripture and logic behind. We must be careful.

This is why doubt is a good thing. This is why we can believe in God and His Church but show signs of disbelief. My mom sometimes regrets feeling like “a Doubting Thomas,” but when we are receiving teachings from a fallen world and those who may be false prophets (which can come from other religions and secular society) it can be wise to not believe everything.

If we continually seek our Lord, it becomes easier to know when it is Him speaking and when it is not. I teach the young men I mentor (and anyone else who listens) to test everything I say. They are not to accept everything I say as truth but make their faith their own. We do not always agree on every little thing, and that is okay. It is not okay when our unbelief gets in the way of our belief in God and our ability to love Him and other people.

Have some doubt, but as I said in the posts I referenced at the beginning of this one, make sure your doubt pushes you toward God and not away.

2011
08/09
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Doubt
False prophets
Wisdom
TAGS





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