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One of the biggest personal problems I have had throughout my life is that far too often I play not to lose instead of playing to win. What do I mean? In basketball whenever I got the ball, there was always this fear I had of screwing up, so I would play as safely as possible. I would often only take shots I thought I could make, which meant I didn’t shoot much, and I would try to pass the ball as soon as it worked out well for the team. In this way, I never screwed up when I played, I didn’t have many turnovers, and my shooting average was 75%, but I didn’t play much because I didn’t contribute much to the team winning. I was so focused on not looking foolish or not failing, that I wasn’t thinking about how to score more points for my team and win the game. There is a whole mentality around playing not to lose rather than playing to win, and I think that it marks the difference between the losers and the winners in life. The person who plays not to lose will do well at their job, but when it’s time to go home, then they are going home even if there are still things to get done on the job. So long as those things are not so important that they risk getting in trouble, then it is okay if they get left undone. The person who works at their job wanting to win is the person who stays and makes sure that the job gets done, and that it gets done right. Not because they’re worried about getting yelled at, but because they want to succeed in what they are doing, and so they stay and work the extra hours going above and beyond what is required by the people in charge to do what is necessary for the job to be done well. This can be applied to relationships as well. There are people who do not want to win at their relationships, but rather they do not want to lose at them, so a wife will only sleep with her husband when he begins to get uppity about it, not because she is trying to win at being married to him, and is trying to win in making love, but because she trying to avoid conflict, and not lose her husband. Likewise a husband might take care of the honey-do list, but not because he wants win at his marriage, but because he wants his wife to leave him alone. The couple that is living not to fail their marriage is a couple that does what the other person asks, but they do not do a lot of things without having to be asked, and while they make sure to acknowledge all the special days, there is nothing special about those days. A man not wanting to lose on Valentine’s Day will give his wife flowers and maybe take her to fancy restaurant because that is what is expected. A man looking to win Valentine’s Day might bake his wife a cake, or make her feel special in a way that only he knows how, or take her on big trip, again not because he is doing what is expected him, but because he wants to win the day. Playing to win vs playing not to lose. Obviously this mindset can be applied to one’s faith too. The person going about their faith not to lose is the person who reads just the bare minimum of the Bible to say that they have read it, and then they move on to something else. They come to church just enough times to ease their conscience, but no more. They give just enough to say that they have given, but make sure to count every dollar that comes out of their wallet. This is not the way we are to go about our faith. Paul states in 1 Corinthians 9:24, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.” Here Paul is talking about one’s life and how they live out their faith. Not only is Paul talking about living your life with the end goal in mind, but with the focus and dedication that runner has when there is only one prize to win. Yes, you can be a Christian with a basic understanding of the Bible, or you can be a Christian that pours into the scriptures desiring to them know more fully with each passing year becoming an expert in them such that you can teach a few things to your pastor. Which do you believe is the person who playing to win in their faith? Yes, you can go and serve people as it is convenient to you, and you can be the person that is known for give so much of their time to the service of others. You go and visit people in the hospital, and those in prison, and the homebound members not because you have to, but because you know that they will appreciate your visit, and you want to win at your faith. You can go to church during the worship service and leave as soon as the preaching is done, and you can come to church early to pray before worship starts, you could have already read and study the passage the preacher is preaching on so that you have a basic understanding of it before the service starts, and you continue to ponder and reflect upon your time in worship after you’ve gone home. Isn’t obvious which one is running the race to obtain the prize? The tricky thing about this, is this is not something that you can force yourself to do. If you don’t really want to do something but feel obligated to do it, then chances are you are going to do the bare minimum not lose rather than doing all that is necessary to win. This is where prayer and the Holy Spirit come in. At the end of the day how you live your life when it comes to the spiritual and the profane is a matter of the heart. Where is your heart when you consider your job, or church, or service towards others? If you have no heart for those activities, then they will be a job or duty to you. If this is the case with your faith, then you need nothing other than to the Holy Spirit, and pray for the Lord to change your heart. Pray that God will help to run the race of faith in order to win the prize, rather then just running so that you won’t be in last place. I don’t have many regrets, but the ones that I do have often comes from those times when I could have done more, but I wasn’t playing to win, and so only did the bare minimum. Thankfully, my savior did not act in the same way I did. Jesus always gave of himself, and loved us enough to die for us, and now has been risen from the grave and has ascended to the right hand of the Father. I know that in him I will not lose, because he has already given me victory so instead of living life trying not to lose, I can live life wanting to win knowing that because of Jesus I already have both already won, and will win in the days to come.
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"Excitement, eh. Adventure, eh. A Jedi craves not these things." While these things from the character Yoda in Star Wars might be true for Jedi, they are not true for most humans. While we may not want danger, the fact that there is such a market for TV, video games, and books, that are filled with exciting stories and adventure, demonstrates that most people want some type of excitement in their life, even if it is a safe and pretend form. Sadly though our real life so often does not reflect the lives that we enjoy in these various stories. Real life is filled with routine, the usual day in and day out stuff that all of us go through such as, waking up, getting ready for work or school, talking to the same people, and pretty much having the same constants every day with very little variables. Is this a bad thing however?
There are those who would argue that routine is bad if it continues for too long. It has been said that routine can ruin romantic relationships in that routine is not really romantic. Of course we have countless fictional examples of men and women leaving their regular routine lives to live a more exciting and fulfilling life. There have been Christian authors who have spoken about how if a Christian's life is routine, then they are not living the life that God called them to live because he called them to live an abundant life. From these comments it would seem that living a routine life is something to be avoided at all costs, but what does scripture say? To be sure, scripture is replete with examples of exciting stories from David escaping Saul or Elijah challenging the false prophets to a sort of cook off to see if their gods were better than Yahweh to many exploits of the apostle Paul. Yet we also see people who seemed to live a pretty ordinary life, such as Mary and Martha, who are perhaps best known for hosting a party for Jesus. This is an exciting moment to be sure, but not because of their action, but rather because of who Jesus is. Of course we also have 1 Thessalonians 4:9-11 which reads, "Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you". What Paul meant here is that Christians should not seek to be well known from a worldly perspective and by outward acts of extravagance but should be known through humble and Christ-like behavior. While at first one might wonder what this verse has to do with the question of routine, I use it to demonstrate that the Christian worldview is different from the the world's. Nowadays it seems like unless someone is trying to achieve some type of mass recognition or mass success, they are wasting their life on the mundane. Scripture feels differently about that however. From the Bible's perspective, if one is living a life with impeccable character and teaching their family to do the same, then one is living a noble life. One holds a job that the world would consider worthless, and yet if one is a good father or mother, then, from scripture's view, they have accomplished something great. To be clear to all the hard workers out there who do become successful from the world's standard, I don't seek to diminish their accomplishment, but I want to encourage the parents who did not have the highest paying job but raised their children to love God and love their neighbor. From scripture's point of view, the person who emulates Christ and lives humbly has done more for the kingdom of God than the one who lives an important life and yet their character leaves much to be desired. When it comes to looking at our lives, there is always the temptation to judge it by the world's standard, which usually looks to things on the outside. Scripture, on the other hand, constantly points us inward, examining our inward qualities such as integrity, charity, humility, and purity. Christ exemplified all of these traits well, and, by the Spirit, we can grow so that we can be witnesses of Christ from the inside out. What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject. You can comment below, and let me know, and as always thanks for stopping by. God bless. I try to stay up to date on matters in the world, and what other believers think of current affairs. In reading various news articles, blogs, and even some videos I have seen some Christians having an almost defeatist attitude towards the world, politics, and the church. To be sure, I can see why. It seems like not another day goes by where we aren't confronted with something that bumps up against our biblical worldview, and in many ways it can seem as if Christians are in retreat on all fields. Even though this is not true, and Christians are making headway on some key issues there are still many more concerns that believers have to admit defeat on for now. Add to that an interesting election cycle that is really just getting started since now we know the primaries, and well it can seem as if the darkness closing in. As a result I have noticed in other believers as well as myself that I can get a bit depressed. Now I want to make it clear, I am not talking about depression here. This is a separate issue, I am talking about the feeling of being depressed due to circumstances in the world. As such I was reading in Acts when I came across the narrative where the disciples are beaten for preaching the gospel, and when they leave they are rejoicing because they counted it as a blessing to suffer in the same way that Jesus did. From there I also thought about Philippians 4 where Paul talks about how he has learned in Christ to be content in any situation, and I realized that my feelings of depression over the state of the world were at best unbiblical, and at worst, perhaps sinful.
Now I need to clarify what I mean when I say this. There is a biblical way of weeping over the state of the world. When one weeps for the confusion, and rebellion and loss of truth that we see in modern America, I believe we are having a heart following after Christ's who wept for the children of Israel when they rejected him. Like the Lord who grieved over making the world after seeing all the evil taking place within, believers can share in this same feeling. This was not what I was feeling. I felt more the way one feels when they lose the big game. I was saddened more by how this world changing affected me rather than the loss of truth, and rebellion from God. This is not a biblical form of sadness. To be honest those feelings were filled with self-centeredness, self-righteousness, self-importance, and in case you missed the theme here, it was self. It is so easy to take the focus off God, and put it on ourselves, and this why scripture is so important because the word's focus is on God, not on us. The word revealed to me that these feelings I had were not about God, but about myself, and it revealed a lack of trust in God. If anyone has the right to be optimistic, its Christians. Even if we see the world slip into utter chaos we still have reasons to be optimistic because of what has been accomplished by Jesus Christ, and what has yet to be done, but will be done soon. As believers we know that Jesus has completely saved us from our sins. He has washed us clean, and made us righteous through himself. No matter how dark life gets, the believer can trust Christ will see them through, because Christ has already preformed the great miracle of raising one who was dead in sin to be alive in Christ. We can trust even after we sin that Jesus who began a good work in us will see it through to completion, and so even in our most shameful moments we have reason to hope, and rejoice. The same can be said for the world. Although we know that things can and probably will get worse, we trust and hope that Jesus is going to return. We already know that God has won the war no matter how many battles we lose. The decisive battle has already been decided, and so believers should not face the world with its deceptions and darkness as solider who has is uncertain of the outcome, but as one who knows they are going to win. Let us be bold in proclamation of the gospel, and of the hope that is within us. Acting as winners not losers because we know that in the end Jesus has purchased victory for us. What do you think? Comment below, and let me know, and as always thanks for stopping by. One thing that I have become more thankful for, and more aware of the older I get is the understanding of the importance and reality that God is the source of all things (except evil, which is not so much an entity in and of itself, but rather an absence of good). Understanding the ethics that we have are reflections of the attributes and character of God, such as the ethic of honesty is a reflection of the fact that God is truth, or charity is a reflection of the truth that God is love. For the Christian who continues to grow in their understanding about God by how God has revealed himself through his word, what the Christian then has is a solid foundation in which to approach all of life's various challenges, pleasures, and intriguing moments. Many times when people read scripture they read from the idea that is simple a rule book, or history book, or perhaps even a theology book. As I continue to read scripture I have learned that this is not the case. The Bible is a collection of books in which God has spoken to give the believer a solid foundation for their worldview, or way they view the world. It does contain history, rules, and theology however these things are not ends in themselves as they would be in books specifically about theology, history, or ethics, rather scripture includes these topics to give the reader an foundation and compass they may use, (with discernment from the Holy Spirit) to learn more about history, ethics, and theology. For example, let's look at the Trinity. The word does not appear in scripture at all, and yet Christians understand that belief in the Godhead, (that being within the one being of God their existence eternally three persons co-equal, and co-eternal; namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) is crucial to having a saving faith in God, and Jesus Christ. We do not see in scripture where this definition of the Godhead is given, but rather it was constructed by believers reading the scriptures and meditating on them day and night, and from the foundation of what is revealed in scripture about God, and the fact that scripture consistently talks about the divinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit we can see how these ancient believers were able to articulate this understanding of God and the reality that God is a triune God. The same can be said for us nowadays. Scripture will not tell you how to parent in every situation. If it sought to, it would be even longer than it already is, and yet throughout scripture we see examples of good parents and bad parents. We are given ethics such as parents are to discipline their children, but they are not to provoke anger in them. So the parent is given a solid and firm foundation from which they may approach all the situations that arise in parenting a child, and with the aid of the Holy Spirit they can be God honoring parents despite their imperfections. In the same way we can move into other areas such as philosophy epistemology, and psychology, and so on with a firm foundation, and build upon the truth of scripture. This has been what early scientist did, but understanding the foundation that God is a God of order, and that he created the universe in an orderly way, they then sought to increase their knowledge from this foundation, and from the scientific method was developed. I believe it is a useful and important exercise for people to reflect upon some of the foundational assumptions about reality that they have, and examine them, and I am happy and thankful that when I consider some of my foundational assumptions about God, scripture, and ultimate reality, I continue to find that proof of God's existence compelling. What are some assumptions that you perhaps have always or often taken as a given? What kind of foundation do you have? Comment below and let me know. I enjoy reading your comments and interacting with you, so if you feel like responding please do so, and as always thanks for stopping by. God Bless
Sometimes I can be easily offended. It is an imperfection of my character that I can hear something, or read something, and just take it to be offensive. With Twitter, Facebook, comments on articles, texts, and all the day to day interactions with people there is plenty of material for one to consume, and it is a statistical probability that in all of that someone will have said something that touches a nerve. Now I'm not talking about someone has an idea you disagree with but rather someone says something and you take it as a personal attack on yourself. For example if someone were to say me on a Friday, "Well i have to get to sleep, some of us have to work tomorrow." I could take that as the person might have been suggesting that I am lazy in some way since I'm not working on a Saturday.
It is comments like these that can create a sense of bitterness and distrust in the people around you. I admit I have struggled with this my life. Reading into what people are saying, and wondering if they are giving me a back handed compliment, or being passive aggressive. What I have discovered is that more often than not, it is not them, nor their intentions, but rather it was me, and this was usually just in my head. I have discovered that people for the most part are the diabolical geniuses I have given them credit for, and that many times they are just thoughtless. If not thoughtless then they are just so self involved that they don't see how their words effect other people. I discovered this in part due to my own thoughtlessness, and how my words effected other people sometimes in ways that didn't dream of nor desire. So the question remains then what does one do in this world of langue? How does determine if a person's words is meant to be offensive or not? To answer this I suggest we approach people's words the way we should approach scripture. Reading the Bible is not about reading it, and then putting in whatever interpretation you want. Many do that, however if you want to truly understand what the text says, you should seek to find what the intention of the author was, and then you will know what he means when writes what he wrote. What was Paul's intention when he wrote, "for by grace you have been saved"? To understand this we look at the context of these words, within the body that they were written. So we look in the rest of the letter, but then we look at other works of scripture that he has written and we look to other books of the Bible to see how it connects with what they wrote, until we can get to a good idea of what Paul's intention was when he wrote those words. I suggest that people approach the words of others in the same way. Instead of making our initial feelings about a statement the truth until it can be proven other wise, why don't with hold judgment and try to look more into what the person said, and see if they truly meant it as something hurtful, or if we misunderstood, or perhaps if they were being just kinda thoughtless. For our friends we can look at how they have treated us in the past, and see what they have said to others, and of course the greatest method of all, just ask them. Yes it is okay to ask someone what they meant by that statement if you want to know their intention. The trick though is that you have to believe them. I know for myself even if someone tells that they didn't mean to offend I can still feel like they did. Sometimes those feelings are correct, but more often than not, those feelings are wrong. We have to be careful with how much credit we give our feelings, and always seek to balance it out with reality, otherwise we can begin to view the world in way that is inconsistent with the way that it really is, which can be just as bad as trying to figure out how to go, with a map that is turned upside down. As Christians we recognize that how we feel can be inconsistent with reality. There are times when we can feel dirty, or guilty, or shameful. Times when we can feel like we are worthless, and yet those feelings do not change the fact that we are forgiven, washed clean, made right in God's eyes, and loved by the Lord. In the same way how we feel about people's statements can wrong too, which is why we balance reason with feelings, and continue to seek truth, and be merciful and long suffering with friends even if they say things that can be thoughtless at times. What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with this blog? Comment below, and let me know, and as always thanks for stopping by! So this past weekend my wife and I went to see the new movie "Risen" in theaters. If you are interested in seeing this movie, and do not want it spoiled, I suggest you only read through the third paragraph of this blog post, as I will be spoiling the movie from that point on. (Spoiler Alert)
The movie "Risen" is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ as told from the perspective of a Roman solider named Clavius who is tasked with finding the body of Jesus in order to quell any unrest that might occur in Jerusalem with the proclamation of the messiah's arrival. Overall I enjoyed the movie. It did get a little long in that you will feel like you've been in theater for two hours which is about the run time of this movie, but I thought that the movie did an excellent job of portraying what it would be like to live back in the 1st century, (aside from casting choices which I will get into later) and did a good job of approaching the resurrection account from several different perspectives. The actors all did a good job, I don't think any of them will be winning an Oscar, but I never felt like I was just watching a movie. The main character Clavius played by actor Joseph Fiennes was very good in portraying the mix of emotions one would feel when considering the ramifications of a man being risen from the dead. I fear however that his performance might be too subtle for critics notice, but that is neither here nor there. In terms of Biblical accuracy the film did okay. This is something that I will have to cover when I get into spoiler territory, but for now let me say that while they did quote from scripture which I was pleased by, the movie took a literary licence with when and where some Biblical events took place. One thing parents should consider is that this movie seeks to be accurate in terms of the brutality of warfare back in those days which is seen a battle sequence at the beginning of the movie, and the cruelty and brutality of crucifixion as well. The violence in the movie has a purpose which is to demonstrate how brutal the world was during that time, but parents should be aware of the violence in this movie while considering taking children to the film. This concludes my spoiler free review. If you do not want the movie spoiled then i suggest you stop reading now. One of the scenes I really enjoyed in the movie is the scene when Clavius first witnesses the resurrected Jesus. He is hunting for the disciples of Jesus and so he is kicking open doors, and searching house to house, and he enters one house where he is sure to find all the disciples. The audience by this point in the movie has only seen one of the disciples Bartholomew, and it is in following him that Clavius was able to find the others, so when he opens the door we see all these different men, and you can't really tell one from the other until it pans to one man, and at first I didn't have any idea who it was, but then it did a jump cut to that man on the cross and then I realized, that's Jesus! The reason why I enjoyed this so much is twofold. #1. I enjoyed because it put me in the same emotional state as Clavius. The movie had a done a good job of sucking me into following Clavius hunting down the disciples, and that sudden realization that the man he is seeing is in fact Jesus and the shock that went along with that was great and really put me in Clavius' shoes for that moment. Major props to the movie for doing what they did. #2. I thought this scene was brilliant because at first Jesus just looked liked everybody else, and it wasn't until I saw him on the cross that I understood that it was Jesus. I liked this because whether it was intentional or not this movie was accurate to the prophecy in Isaiah stating that Jesus would not stand out in his appearance and so we have in this movie a Jesus who didn't stand out in his appearance. I think it was great how it worked out that way. This brings me to the casting of Jesus which I also really liked. Now I don't want to come across as a racist here, so if you get that vibe, I'm sorry, it's not my intention, but i really liked the fact that Jesus was not played by a white guy. Jesus was played by Cliff Curtis, and with his performance, and make up, Jesus looked much like a Jew would who lived in the region at that time. I am so happy to see a Jesus that is more historically accurate. Again I'm not trying to be racists in saying all Jews look a like or anything thing like that, but it was good to see a Jesus with darker skin, and who looked the part. What I also found interesting were the casting choices in terms of Jews and gentiles. There is a clear ethnic difference between the characters that are meant to be Jews, and the characters that are meant to be Gentiles. While the movie take a literally license with both, it is still good to see that they are showing these ethnic divides in the movie which further nails down the point that in Jesus these divides have been torn down as Jesus welcomes Clavius to follow him just as he welcomes Simon Peter. Clavius being a gentile, and Simon Peter being a Jew. In terms of biblical accuracy as I said the movie puts biblical narratives in, but changes them slightly. Take for example when Clavius first sees Jesus. Shortly after Thomas walks in and touches the side of Jesus, and the nail holes in Jesus' arms. In the Bible however it is Thomas who is there first, and then Jesus arrives, so while the movie had this narrative in there, they did alter it slightly. For the most part though since the movie takes place from the perspective of Clavius who someone not named in Scripture it is possible for the audience to either view this as a what if situation, or see Clavius as one of the many witnesses of Jesus' resurrection not listed by name in scripture. While Christians should be aware of these changes they are not so bad as they alter the meaning of the text nor in the opinion of this Pastor undermine the text or the faith. In conclusion I think Risen is a great movie for Christians to watch due to its focus on the resurrection which can be an aspect of Christ that does not get the attention it is due. It is also a great way to start up conversations with unbelievers about if Jesus did really rise from the dead and what that means for everyone if he did. The movie is not too preachy so I feel that is an unbeliever is willing watching the movie will not cause them cringe as watching other Christian movies that have been made in the past. Parents should note the violence in the film as it does have a violent battle, and you do see the two other men next to Jesus on the cross getting their legs broken, and we see Jesus being stabbed in the side as he was. While it is true that Romans did break the legs of people on the cross and Jesus was stabbed in the side, if a parent chooses not to allow a child to see that violence at that point in their life, then that is their prerogative. Risen is a movie that I would like to own and would enjoy seeing again. Have you seen the movie Risen? What did you think? What is your favorite Christian movie? Comment below and let me know, and as always thanks for stopping by. I try very hard to keep my political views to myself in terms of if I'm republican or democrat, liberal or conservative, and which presidential candidate I am supporting. With the election coming up this year and many evangelical leaders discussing politics, I felt it necessary to discuss something that has been weighing on my mind regarding this upcoming election. I fear that the presidential election has become more a popularity contest rather than a thoughtful process in which the people decided which leader will best reflect their values and fulfill the duty of doing what is right for the nation as a whole. This can be seen in who the front runners are of the two main parties. For the conservatives you have Trump, and for the progressives you have Sanders. Going off of the briefing with Albert Mohler both of these men while popular have kept the details of their beliefs and worldview close to the chest. They are in the lead more based on attitude and presentation rather than their actual stances on things. I wonder how many people actually know what Donald Trump's worldview is? How many people know what Bernie Sanders' worldview is? Does it even matter? The answer to this question reveals the sad truth of the current state of culture here in America which is that most people aren't interested in thinking, they are interested in feeling. I admit I am perhaps moving into the realm of speculation here, however I think that for many people the reason they like Trump is because he acts like a winner, and promises to make them feel like winner if elected. People in America have long been told by media, college, and many a blog that they are losers, and more often than not, they are losers because of things they have no control over. You're white? You're a loser because your race oppresses minority races, you shouldn't talk on issues because of your skin color. You're African American? You're a loser because you are oppressed by the white man. You won't amount to anything because whitey wants to keep you down. You're a man? You're a loser who is a rapist in waiting and oppressor of women. You're a woman? You're a loser who is oppressed by men everywhere and is helpless to defend herself. This claim has been made towards race, gender, sexuality, and any other characteristic that might be out of one's control.
This has been the mantra of the progressive left for decades, and for many people it has worked. By believing their failure is a result of color, sex, or anything but themselves they have been able to transfer the guilt they have onto that aspect that they cannot control. They have also believed the lie that they could create a utopia of sorts if they trust the highest power they are willing to believe in that being the state. This has been the dominant worldview in America for a while now. People are losers but its not their fault, but since it is not their fault they must be saved by the state. The state must regulate healthcare, the market, speech, income, etc... in order to save people from that which they cannot control because they are losers. While this can allow for the transfer of guilt letting people remain comfortable in their sin and depravity, it also removes things such as honor and dignity. This is where Trump comes in. Many people in America are tired of feeling like a loser. They are tired of being called loser over things which they cannot control or change, and they want to feel like a winner. Trump acts like a winner. Whether he is or not does not matter. When he speaks, he speaks with confidence, he doesn't care what others think, because he acts like he believes what he is saying is right, and true. Trump has charisma, and a natural magnetism that causes people to be drawn to him even if they don't agree with everything he says. To paraphrase a friend, Trump acts like an Alpha. Add this with his completely contrary stance from the left and people's desire to feel like a winner, and you have the reason why Trump is leading the polls. (At least in my humble opinion) The trouble with both Trump and Sanders is that they are leading based on people's feelings rather than on people's reason. Now I do not wish to be patronizing and suggest that anyone who supports Sanders or Trump has given no thought to their stances and is placing their support through feeling alone, however I will suggest that feeling is the primary factor in their choice, as both candidates have not been all to clear in the details of their worldview and polices. At least when compared to other candidates such as Cruz or Clinton. It is from here that I wish to discuss this from a Biblical worldview. If we are to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ exercised through the scriptures then we must understand that it is the duty of every Christian to "Not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind" Romans 12:2, and to "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" 2 Corinthians 10:5 then we must recognize the purpose of government as God has ordained it, and allow the scriptures to guide our choices in the voting booth. Before continuing I want to make it clear that I am not going to say that one should or should not vote for a particular candidate, but rather offer a worldview I feel is Biblical and then allow for the choice to be made between yourself and the Lord. Christians should understand that the government is an institution that was ordained by God much like marriage, and the family. It has a particular purpose. This purpose is clearly laid out in Romans 13, and so we should understand that when we elect leaders in government, we are electing them to fulfill a purpose that God has ordained and one day God will judge. For example God will judge the current administration for what it has done well, and for what it has done poorly. Every congressmen, judge, president, and so on will be judged by God one day. This revelation has a couple of implications for believers. First, that the leaders in government effect the cultural at large. While it is wrong for people to put their full trust in men, men in power still have the position to effect culture, and this effect can be God honoring or not. Unjust men can punish those who have broken no civil law, or could not to serve justice to those who have broken the law. Unjust men in power can create laws punishing those seeking to the will of God. The idea that a corrupt individual will not abuse the power given them is absurd. This is why the character of any person seeking to hold any office in government is important, just as character is important for any man seeking to be a bishop or deacon, as is made clear in 1 Timothy. The second implication is that we may share responsibility by putting someone in position to sin. If you put an alcoholic in charge of inventorying all the drinks in a bar, while he is guilty should he steal some of the drinks and consume them, you are also responsible for putting them into that situation knowing of their weakness. The same can be said if one votes for someone they know has a worldview counter to that laid out in scripture. Worldview matters for it is one's worldview that guides their actions. If one has a worldview counter to the scriptures then one will live out that worldview in office, and by voting for that person you will be putting them in a position to be judged by God knowing that they will not do what is right in the eyes of the Lord sharing in the responsibility for their actions. With all this in mind it is important for Christians to really look at each of the candidates as well as examine their own worldview, and the worldview of scripture. The first question should be does my worldview align with God's and the next question should be, does this candidate's worldview align with God's and mine? It is easy to simply like a candidate because he or she is popular, or you like one or two stances, but for the Christian, we are not afforded the easy way out. We must examine each person seeking leadership in this nation and with careful thought and reflection. Then vote for the candidate we feel will best bring honor to God. In this let us be diligent, let us be consistent, an let us be honest. I am currently reading Did The Resurrection Happen? a book about the discussion of the Resurrection between former atheist Antomy Flew, and apologist Gary Habermas. So far I have been enjoying the book, and the opening discussion inspired this blog post. The first thing that Gary, and Antomy do is they come to an agreement on the relevant facts of their debate. For example they both agree that the person of Jesus was a real person, and did live at the time he is recorded to have lived. If there is any disagreement about the facts, then they discuss it, although one can tell that the two of them have had many discussions in the past, and so they are able to quickly reconciles any disagreements about the relevant facts. It is from here that the two can make some real progress in their discussion, because they were able to start from the same point. What I am going to say next might seem obvious, however I am surprised by how often it is ignored by those engaging in debate with others, myself included in that assessment. Before any real progress can be made in a disagreement, it is important to come to consensus about the relevant facts. Again this seems obvious, however one need only to read the comment section of almost anything on the internet or listen to any discussion between disagreeing parties to see that rather than starting from a common point, and moving forward from there, people start where they start, and often just talk past one another. When it comes to evangelism, this is important, because there have been many Christians, myself included who have not been persuasive in their presentation of the gospel because they assumed a person was starting from the same place as them. Just reading someone scripture when, they do not believe scripture is the word of God, and do not believe in God is often not going to be that persuasive. This is not to say that the Holy Spirit cannot work in such a way, but to suggest that the Spirit often does not work in such blunt of manner. Let us consider Paul in the book of Acts when reaching out to the pagans worshiping the Greek gods. He starts with the common ground in pointing out that they are religious (please note I said religious, and not godly important distinction) and that they even have an alter to the unknown god/God. It is from here that Paul starts, and makes his case that the unknown God they have an alter for is God, and He is the true God greater than all their gods and goddesses for He is not limited in power and influence. In the same way when Paul would debate with Jews, he would take them to the Old Testament and argue his case from there. Again I am not undermining the power of the Holy Spirit that is necessary in order to change an unbelievers heart, what I am suggesting is that when we use our minds, and our reason that was given to us by God, we please God, and it is reasonable when discussing any topic with anyone to first start from a common point, and slowly work your way forward logically reasoning from the common ground you both share. This is the difference between having a civil discussion in pursuit of understanding truth, rather than simply winning an argument. Anyone can win an argument, just mock whatever the other person is saying while making a few assertions here and there until the person gets frustrated and gives ups. Bingo, you won, but what did that really accomplish? Did the person learn anything? Did you give them any reason other than perhaps "social pressure" to change their perception? Did you learn anything? The goal of winning an argument rather than having a civil discussion simply leads to a shouting match, and it becomes more about rhetoric and playing to the crowd rather than content and the logical consistency of one's argument. For the sake of unbelievers, and because of the truth of the gospel, let us not be content with simply winning arguments, but let us strive to make progress in rational discussions with unbelievers as we pray for the Spirit to bring them to life turning a heart of stone into a heart of flesh. What do you think? I have heard that there has been some trouble commenting on this blog. I am looking into this, however if you wish to comment on a blog, and find that cannot do it on the website, please feel free to comment on the Facebook that the church has. What did you think of this blog? Was it helpful for you? I'd love to get your feedback. Comment below and let me know.
"The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps" Proverbs 14:15
There was an article floating around Facebook this past week about how archaeologists had found the remains of an army at the Red Sea. I saw it posted by a few of my friends, but upon examination of the article it was clear that it was apart of a satirical news site. Many people were tricked into believing what this news site told them. It's easy to guess what happened, Christians were so excited about prospect of there being more evidence to biblical accounts that without a second thought they quickly shared the news site. If they had taken a few extra moments to verify, then they would have been spared the embarrassment of thinking a false site was speaking truth. It happens to us all, and perhaps more than we care to admit, and it is easy to do with the amount of information and the ease and speed one can communicate their thoughts. It takes roughly 5 seconds to share an article(depending on your internet connection of course) and have your thoughts known for all the cyber world to see. The one problem that I see with this, is that it has created an environment that produces more emotionally charged responses rather well reasoned conversations. People see something and post a reactions without taking the time to really think about what they are saying and or what are they really responding to. May times people can be responding to the emotion they felt while reading or watching something, rather than the content of whatever they read or consumed. Let me give you an example in my own life. When I read about the shooting that took place in Oregon, I was upset. I was upset about the loss of life, I was upset because the killer targeted Christians, and I was upset because I knew all the various ways this story would try to spun. If I had written something then and there it would not have been helpful to the situation. To be honest I at first wanted to blame those who constantly bash Christianity and accuse them of creating an anti-Christian atmosphere in which this killer was cultivated. Thankfully I stopped and did some more research, and learned more about the killer. I learned that there might have been some mental problems there, and there was a deep longing to be known, or famous. I am feel more confident to give much more reasoned response to this then my first emotional reaction. Another example would be the situation with Kim Davis. So many people responding out of emotion either for or against her, and/or her actions rather than taking the time to truly think about the situation. When act purely on our emotions we are no longer thinking critically, and so we become vulnerable to all kinds of deceit. This has long been a problem in Christianity which is why it is possible to have so many false teachers in the faith. Their words fill us with emotion and sound so good, but if we were to really consider what is being said and how it fairs against God's word, we would find these false teachers wanting. It is important that believers follow the wisdom in this proverb and give thought to their steps, not simply reacting to what happens around them. This is also true when it comes to internet sources which lead me to another issue for many today. Many people have a lack of discernment when it comes to sources. For example, most college students ca tell you that Wikipedia is not a reliable source in terms of papers. The reason being is that at least of time of this post it can be edited by anyone. With the internet, some time, and a little knowledge of to write, one can make complete nonsense sound like well researched thesis to one who does not know any better. It is important that one seeks to find balance sources from which to read from, sources that offer their view, plus an accurate presentation of an opposing view. Unfortunately many articles will only ever offer a straw man of what an opposing view thinks, and so this means one will have to read many things if they wish to be informed. This strikes right at the core of our being which wants to express our views right away, and maintain a sense of righteous indignation against our opponents, but the wise Christian holds their tongue until they can give a meaningful answer. "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. be merciful even as your Father is merciful." Luke 6:35
"For is you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." Matt. 6:14 "And when he saw their faith, he said, 'Man your sins are forgiven you.'" Luke 5:20 "Jesus said, 'Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.' And the divided up his clothes by casting lots." Forgiveness is such an important concept in Christianity, that one cannot really have Christianity without it. As Christians we are dependent upon the forgiveness of God for sins, and in turn we are called to forgive those who have sinned against us. The verses above reflect just how Christ felt about forgiveness. He commanded it of His followers and he gave while on the cross. In recent days I have been thinking about forgiveness in my thoughts two questions have emerged, 1. Has culture at large lost the importance of forgiveness? 2. What would the world look like if Christians were more forgiving in family life, social media, and towards other Christians? Since becoming a pastor I have been much more involved in social media in an attempt network, and to stay informed, and as a result I have read a lot of comments, blogs, articles etc... I have seen people get into fights in the comment sections, I have seen responses that Christians give that honor Christ, and I have seen comments that make wish the person hadn't said they were a Christian. One thing I have not seen however is a lot of forgiveness. In fact in the culture at large I wonder if we have quietly dismissed forgiveness or only forgive when it is absolutely necessary. Of course in secular culture the concept of forgiveness is long gone. Someone can say something 30 years ago, and it could brought against them today, and not amount of apologies will ever make it better. People have to be so careful about what they and what they support because of this lack of mercy and forgiveness prevalent in secular culture. Is the same true for us Christians? I'm afraid when it comes to social media it can be. I have seen well meaning people show very little forgiveness when a pastor makes a mistake, and gives a wrong address for verse or perhaps uses a bad analogy that inadvertently teaches heresy rather than orthodoxy. This lack of forgiveness can also seen when Pastors, apologists, or lay Christians push back against the culture of death, there is can be more an attitude of take no prisoners rather than one of forgiveness and mercy. I believe that this is not demonstrating a Christ like attitude, and this is a blind spot for many Christians today. This not to say that this a blind spot for all Christians, but I do think it is for many, and I know it has been one for me. The reason why forgiveness has been put on the back burner for so many people is because forgiveness requires us to give up something that we don't want to give up and that is our anger. That is what forgiveness is, to stop being angry or resentful to an individual or individuals that have wronged you. This is loss of anger is not just that the dust has settled and you are not angry at the moment, but that you no longer have anger towards that person for their action against you. Anger is a powerful emotion, and it makes us feel powerful when we have it. The idea of just giving up our angry makes us feel weak, especially if we forgive a person before they have asked us for forgiveness. We must keep in mind however why it is important for us to forgive. The first reason is because our forgiveness of others points us and other people to the forgiveness that we have received from God. As Christians we have received God's amazing forgiveness for all of the times that we offend Him, all of the times that we sin, and so when we forgive others we are pointing ourselves back to that forgiveness we first received. The second reason is that holding a grudge is like holding a container of poison with a faulty lid. Your intention is to unleash it on the one that offended you, but it ends up doing damage to you. Holding a grudge hardens the heart and makes one bitter. I have known people who would no forgive and can see how their hard hearts effect every aspect of their life. It is not a pretty picture and so not forgiving someone will in the end only hurt you more than all the anger you would pour out on your offender would hurt them. Because of the reality of the fall people are going to sin, and thus people in some way are going to offend and hurt us, just as we offend and hurt other people. The way to move forward is to follow in the foot steps of our savior Jesus Christ and forgive as we have been forgiven. What do you think? Do you have a story of forgiveness? Comment below and let me know. |
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