In the book of Philippians and several other places in scripture Paul calls for the church to be one, one in the mind of Christ, one in purpose, one in love. I have been struggling for some time reading many facebook posts of people who claim to be Christians because of this issue of unity in the church. I don't just struggles with the posts I believe are so wrong that I can not imagine how someone who approaches the Bible honestly and humbly as The Word of God could believe such a thing, but I also struggle with some of the articles that I can see where the author has pulled his ideas directly from scripture. I guess what I am saying is that it is not the content of the articles that I find so disturbing (though sometimes I find that disturbing too,) but it is the way in which the content is presented.
There is room in unity for disagreement. There is room in unity for discussion. However many of the articles that trouble me are not aimed for discussion, and most of the conversations that flow out of them are generally not discussions either. There is no room in unity for blatant attacks, which is what most of these articles are. You may have seem some of the titles like "5 things that will burn a liberal" or "10 things to make a conservative cringe." These articles, and I do not know if those are actual titles, are not aimed at informing people of the truth or bringing people to a point where they can agree with the author. They in no way are designed to help bridge the gap and bring unity amongst people. They are for the most part one author expressing themselves thinking they are clever and ignoring a very many facts to show how smart they are. We read this fodder and agree with what the author says and it inspires us and we go yeah take that bad guys (I will let you choose who you are calling the bad guy when in fact we should not be seeing the other side as the bad guys. We may lie to ourselves and say that we don't see them as bad guys, but then we treat them that way when they point out the flaws in the post we posted.)
I think the problem lies in our desire to express ourselves. We hold that in such high regard, after all it is the first amendment in the bill of rights. We don't always think about how our speech or our posts really affect one another. We do not take the time to ask will this help bring my brothers to my side or create a greater divide. Does this create communication or cause us to want to ignore each other. Does this article accurately represent what the other side is saying or does it create a straw man to make its position seem stronger (as I more often than not read articles I am opposed to I will tell you most of the time the straw man is so far from the truth with most things taken out of context that it is sickening.)
I want to leave you with a proverb which has been eating away at me causing me to think more and more about this issue. Proverbs 18:2 "A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart." I do not want to break this proverb down for you, because I think it is self explanatory, but I do wish that you would meditate on it.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Friday, January 16, 2015
Battling with Depression.
I find myself often battling with depression. It seems odd that I should go through this struggle. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am where God wants me. I have an amazing wife who supports me and trusts me to lead our family. I have two wonderful and beautiful children. I am able to pay my bills, feed my family, and even have the occasional extra. So why should I be depressed?
I have read many articles that try to give varied opinions on this matter. I think the most outrageous thing I have read lately is that I am depressed because my parents spanked me as a child, which they did often and I deserved it too. Other articles say that depression is a simple chemical imbalance in my brain. Many people will argue that my depression is a spiritual issue, either due to my sin or spiritual attacks. I recently read that 70% of pastors struggle with depression.
I don't know why I struggle with depression. I just know I do. I read through passages that tell us to "rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice" or the Psalms that call for us to "sing a new song unto the Lord." Yet I feel like if I were to sing it would sound melancholy, or I do not have the capacity to rejoice. Depression is not the absence of the joy of the Spirit, but the feeling of that joy being suppressed in a way. I find it difficult to talk about or even explain.
I feel as though I am not good enough to do that which God has called me to do. Which I know is ridiculous, because I'm not. God will often use the weak and feeble to do His will so that the Glory belongs to Him. I even feel as though I am not doing a good enough job in service to the King. Which maybe true, "all our righteousness is as filthy rags." Yet I know that what I do I do in submission to Him, to bring Him the Glory and that makes the difference, He somehow takes my service and uses it for His glory.
Even in my depression I know that I am His. I know that He has a plan for me and my life. The depression may try to suppress my joy. It may try to keep me from giving Him glory, but it can not. I will not allow it too, even this I give to Him who can use it for His glory. I write this not so that people know of my struggle. In fact I am embarrassed by this fight and would rather not talk about it with people beyond my wife. However I think many people struggle with their depression alone and in silence maybe for the same reasons I do. I want you to know that you too can give it to God and still give Him the glory through your struggles. Though you may not feel as though you have any meaning or purpose in your life know that God has meaning and purpose for you.
I have read many articles that try to give varied opinions on this matter. I think the most outrageous thing I have read lately is that I am depressed because my parents spanked me as a child, which they did often and I deserved it too. Other articles say that depression is a simple chemical imbalance in my brain. Many people will argue that my depression is a spiritual issue, either due to my sin or spiritual attacks. I recently read that 70% of pastors struggle with depression.
I don't know why I struggle with depression. I just know I do. I read through passages that tell us to "rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice" or the Psalms that call for us to "sing a new song unto the Lord." Yet I feel like if I were to sing it would sound melancholy, or I do not have the capacity to rejoice. Depression is not the absence of the joy of the Spirit, but the feeling of that joy being suppressed in a way. I find it difficult to talk about or even explain.
I feel as though I am not good enough to do that which God has called me to do. Which I know is ridiculous, because I'm not. God will often use the weak and feeble to do His will so that the Glory belongs to Him. I even feel as though I am not doing a good enough job in service to the King. Which maybe true, "all our righteousness is as filthy rags." Yet I know that what I do I do in submission to Him, to bring Him the Glory and that makes the difference, He somehow takes my service and uses it for His glory.
Even in my depression I know that I am His. I know that He has a plan for me and my life. The depression may try to suppress my joy. It may try to keep me from giving Him glory, but it can not. I will not allow it too, even this I give to Him who can use it for His glory. I write this not so that people know of my struggle. In fact I am embarrassed by this fight and would rather not talk about it with people beyond my wife. However I think many people struggle with their depression alone and in silence maybe for the same reasons I do. I want you to know that you too can give it to God and still give Him the glory through your struggles. Though you may not feel as though you have any meaning or purpose in your life know that God has meaning and purpose for you.
Friday, January 9, 2015
The danger of a Christian culture
We as Christians have a fine line we walk. We desire to be right, not just right but righteous. This desire, though noble, often leads us in the wrong direction. We often confuse biblical principles with societal norms. I have seen too often where we have taken what is culturally acceptable and claimed it to be the biblical principal. One of the ones that is commonly discussed in my house hold is the idea of wearing a tie to church. (Which I do.) The Bible never claims that men are to wear dress slacks, a button up shirt, a tie, and a dress coat to come to church. In fact there are no dress requirements at all in going to church. There were dress requirements for the priests in the temple as they offered sacrifices. There is also a principle that we should bring God our best, which is where we get the idea that men should wear suits to church, but we must remember that the suit itself is an American cultural idea of a man's best attire.
One of the major things to note is that culture changes depending on where you are, who you are with, and it changes over time. The easiest way to see how culture has changed over time is to look at what is considered modest for a woman. It used to be if a woman showed her ankles or wrists she was considered immodest. Now our culture can't seem to agree on what is modest. Is it immodest if she shows her knees? lower thigh? mid-thigh? Daisy dukes (ok that one is definitely pushing the lines?) Yet most people including many Christians would not have a problem with her wearing a one piece bathing suit which rides even higher than the daisy dukes. If we were to go to the middle east the woman showing more than her eyes is considered immodest. In some primitive tribes woman walk around without shirts with out batting an eye, no one in their culture finds them immodest. So clearly we can see how culture can be different through time, in different places, and with different people.
There is a biblical principle about modesty. 1 timothy 2:9-10 " in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works." Interesting that what Paul says is the adornment of modest apparel is "good works." Petere says it this way in 1 Peter 3:3-4 "Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." Peter notes that our concern should be on the inner person, the modesty that is within, the word merely was added by the translators because Peter was not saying not to wear clothing at all. God says in 1 Samuel 16:7"
But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" The Scripture never really gives definitive "this is what modest clothing for a woman is."
Some people will make the argument that we are not to cause our brother to stumble, and so a woman should dress in a way that a man will not lust after her. However the woman's clothing does not cause men to lust after her, the men are responsible for guarding their heart, and controlling their own desires. If a man is going to lust after a woman she could be completely naked or completely covered up it won't change the man's heart. Again we have a cultural issue where make the man's lust the woman's fault. The same is true that a man who has decided to guard his heart will not lust after a woman even should she be naked in front of him.
I use modest and dress as an example of a greater problem though. Too often I see believers making their culture the standard instead of the Bible. I even see some of them twisting the Bible to try to fit their standards. During Jesus day this was what the religious establishment had been doing. They tried to make their laws supersede those of scripture. Their laws initially were an attempt to comply with scripture. Over time though they had built so many laws up trying to be righteous, that they had lost righteousness in the mix. They no longer had God's standards. They were measuring all the wrong things.
Let us make sure as we are dealing with others, especially if we are discussing morals and standards, that we make sure that we are arguing from the Bible, which means actually being able to take a person to the scriptures and point out where it says that. Let's be willing to look beyond our own culture, and look at what God really said was right and wrong. It is good to desire to be right, but only God can determine what is right. Thank God for His word which tells me so.
One of the major things to note is that culture changes depending on where you are, who you are with, and it changes over time. The easiest way to see how culture has changed over time is to look at what is considered modest for a woman. It used to be if a woman showed her ankles or wrists she was considered immodest. Now our culture can't seem to agree on what is modest. Is it immodest if she shows her knees? lower thigh? mid-thigh? Daisy dukes (ok that one is definitely pushing the lines?) Yet most people including many Christians would not have a problem with her wearing a one piece bathing suit which rides even higher than the daisy dukes. If we were to go to the middle east the woman showing more than her eyes is considered immodest. In some primitive tribes woman walk around without shirts with out batting an eye, no one in their culture finds them immodest. So clearly we can see how culture can be different through time, in different places, and with different people.
There is a biblical principle about modesty. 1 timothy 2:9-10 " in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works." Interesting that what Paul says is the adornment of modest apparel is "good works." Petere says it this way in 1 Peter 3:3-4 "Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." Peter notes that our concern should be on the inner person, the modesty that is within, the word merely was added by the translators because Peter was not saying not to wear clothing at all. God says in 1 Samuel 16:7"
But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" The Scripture never really gives definitive "this is what modest clothing for a woman is."
Some people will make the argument that we are not to cause our brother to stumble, and so a woman should dress in a way that a man will not lust after her. However the woman's clothing does not cause men to lust after her, the men are responsible for guarding their heart, and controlling their own desires. If a man is going to lust after a woman she could be completely naked or completely covered up it won't change the man's heart. Again we have a cultural issue where make the man's lust the woman's fault. The same is true that a man who has decided to guard his heart will not lust after a woman even should she be naked in front of him.
I use modest and dress as an example of a greater problem though. Too often I see believers making their culture the standard instead of the Bible. I even see some of them twisting the Bible to try to fit their standards. During Jesus day this was what the religious establishment had been doing. They tried to make their laws supersede those of scripture. Their laws initially were an attempt to comply with scripture. Over time though they had built so many laws up trying to be righteous, that they had lost righteousness in the mix. They no longer had God's standards. They were measuring all the wrong things.
Let us make sure as we are dealing with others, especially if we are discussing morals and standards, that we make sure that we are arguing from the Bible, which means actually being able to take a person to the scriptures and point out where it says that. Let's be willing to look beyond our own culture, and look at what God really said was right and wrong. It is good to desire to be right, but only God can determine what is right. Thank God for His word which tells me so.
Friday, January 2, 2015
Put your Bible in a box, and take God out.
My wife commented the other day how she missed reading my blogs. I know I haven't written one in over a year, I have read quite a few though. I do not know why I have not written a blog but I promise I am going to try to do better and be more consistent. As I have been reading I have found a growing trend which quite alarms me. Many of the blogs I have read, boil down to people do not like the implications that some of the Bible messages give about God so they try to come up with creative reasons why the Bible is not an accurate account. I know this is nothing new, people have been trying to do this sort of thing for quite a while, the part that scares me is how many young people I see today buying into this lie.
The Bible is God's revelation of Himself. He used faithful men to write down the words he breathed into their lives. All of scripture accurately points to Him. The problem comes when we start looking at scripture and saying that does not fit my view of God therefore it must be wrong, we start saying we know God better than He does. What really ends up happening is instead of seeking out God we start making up a different god that fits into our box that we have made for him. The Bible is relatively easy to understand and pretty straight forward. God however is quite complex and scripture reveal that about Him.
Not only do we start to lose sight of who God is when we try to undermine scripture, but we start losing the common ground that enables us to have dialogue. We lose the objective revelation of God, and everything becomes subjective. With only a subjective revelation everything becomes relative, and with everything being relative even the language used in our discussions about God become relatively meaningless and shuts down lines of communication and intellectual discussions.
Half of the time those who are writing these blogs, trying to explain why the Bible is not an accurate account, often will cite things from their childhood growing up, either feelings, or ways that someone who holds to the Bible as being absolute truth misused Scriptures. The first problem comes that feelings can be, and often are, misleading. A man I love dearly had lost his Grandson in a tragic incident, and when asked if he could feel the Love God lifting him up, the man replied "no," but though he did not feel God's love lifting him up, he knew it was there, and that God indeed was carrying him through this tough time. Our heart according to the Bible is deceitful. The second problem comes out of the idea that the Bible can not be right because people who believe it to be misuse it, or misinterpret it. People look to for excuses to disbelieve the Bible because what they were taught as a child was wrong, instead of really trying to understand it as if it were the truth as Jesus claimed it to be.
There seems to be a lot of work put into trying explain away difficult passages that do not fit this nice picture people have of God. In the end I think people put more work into that then it would take for them to have a more open mind of who God really is. Yet who am I kidding those of us who hold to the idea that Scripture is in fact an accurate revelation of God, and believe it to be the truth, we are the close minded ones, who put everything into a box. Many authors have even indicated that we make the Bible a part of the Trinity. The truth is that I would rather have my understanding of the Bible in a box, than my have my God in a box.
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