I was substituting for Robin’s Bible Class for International Students last week. I asked my students if it were possible to read and study the Bible and not know God. Two of the girls replied, “It is impossible!” So we turned to John 5:39 & 40 which reads:
You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.
I then asked the class if they had any favorite authors. One of the girls said that she liked J.K. Rowling and that she had read all of the Harry Potter books. I then asked this girl, “If J.K. Rowling came here, would you be able to go up to her and say, “Hi, J.K.!” and would she know you?
She thought for a moment and then replied, “Even though I like her books, I have no personal interest in this person.” What a remarkable statement and how appropriate to the class discussion!
Even though I did not quote John 1—
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. (John 1:1, 14, 11)
We did talk about how God’s people, the people of the Scriptures (Bible) had no personal interest in the Author. Instead, they were the front runners in rejecting and crucifying Him. At the end of class I again asked the students, “Is it possible to know Scripture and not know God?” This time I got a harmonious, “Yes!” I thought it was a good class.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Irreverence?
The other day I heard a familiar hymn about Jesus that was oh, so different. If I had not been paying attention to the words, I would not have recognized the song. Someone had taken the words to an old favorite of mine, and had set it to a different tune. The music made me think that the song belonged in a Night Club. It reminded me of people like Sinatra singing with a microphone in one hand and a cigarette and champagne glass in the other. And while the song was one of my favorites, I could not sing along. I felt very uncomfortable because the music seemed very irreverent to the words that were being sung.
After some reflection, I came to the conclusion that the artist probably did not mean to disrespect the LORD. The artist probably wanted to communicate “the message” and wanted to “speak” to a certain culture or audience. And whether this is true or not, I suspect that it is still okay. The reason why I’ve come to this conclusion is because of what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:15-18, which reads:
“It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice…”
Although I have reached this conclusion, I still feel very uncomfortable with this hymn being sung in this way. I will probably continue to struggle with this for a while, but I it is my prayer to align my mind, heart, and spirit with Paul’s words, “The important thing is…Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice! Yes, and I will continue to rejoice!”
After some reflection, I came to the conclusion that the artist probably did not mean to disrespect the LORD. The artist probably wanted to communicate “the message” and wanted to “speak” to a certain culture or audience. And whether this is true or not, I suspect that it is still okay. The reason why I’ve come to this conclusion is because of what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:15-18, which reads:
“It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice…”
Although I have reached this conclusion, I still feel very uncomfortable with this hymn being sung in this way. I will probably continue to struggle with this for a while, but I it is my prayer to align my mind, heart, and spirit with Paul’s words, “The important thing is…Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice! Yes, and I will continue to rejoice!”
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The Gift of God
Several years ago, a man who used to frequent our church was going through some turbulent times in his life. One morning, during these days, he got up, sat outside with his cup of coffee and as he watched the sun rise, he said, “Here we go again.” His despair was very great.
I sort of have the same attitude as this guy. I have a hard time seeing life as a gift of God. I have lived long enough to see how life is full of disappointments, cruelty, and injustice. I have seen how life and relationships can be fragile, volatile, temporal, and uncertain. Somehow thinking that my life is so much better than 90% of the world and that my children are so much better off than those starving “third world children” does not really comfort me or make me feel better. When I look at life with these eyes, I can see how people can become hard, cold, and calloused and if life was a “gift from God,” I can see how people might think that God has a morbid sense of humor.
However, when I consider that the “Gift of God” is really God, Himself, I can look at life differently. I can declare with the Psalmist, “…though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You (O, LORD) are with me…” (Psalms 23:4) And again, “O God…earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (Psalms 63:1) I can also add my voice along with the multitudes and sing, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, Because He lives, all fear is gone; Because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives.”
I would “cash in my chips” in life except if it weren’t for the promise of “Immanuel—God with us…always, even to the end of the age.” For this reality, I am eternally grateful and forever His.
I sort of have the same attitude as this guy. I have a hard time seeing life as a gift of God. I have lived long enough to see how life is full of disappointments, cruelty, and injustice. I have seen how life and relationships can be fragile, volatile, temporal, and uncertain. Somehow thinking that my life is so much better than 90% of the world and that my children are so much better off than those starving “third world children” does not really comfort me or make me feel better. When I look at life with these eyes, I can see how people can become hard, cold, and calloused and if life was a “gift from God,” I can see how people might think that God has a morbid sense of humor.
However, when I consider that the “Gift of God” is really God, Himself, I can look at life differently. I can declare with the Psalmist, “…though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You (O, LORD) are with me…” (Psalms 23:4) And again, “O God…earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (Psalms 63:1) I can also add my voice along with the multitudes and sing, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, Because He lives, all fear is gone; Because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives.”
I would “cash in my chips” in life except if it weren’t for the promise of “Immanuel—God with us…always, even to the end of the age.” For this reality, I am eternally grateful and forever His.
Drawing Power
I often marvel at the sports section of a newspaper and wonder how long it takes someone to think up its headlines. I also wonder if they pay someone to sit there and think up these catchy headlines. If you’re a sports enthusiast, you know what I am talking about. The headlines in the sports section catch my eye almost every time because there is a clever pun with a player’s name, a team’s name, or a city’s name. I am amazed that they can come up with these plays on words day in and day out.
In I Corinthians 2:1-4 Paul writes,
When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
Sometimes I get the idea that Christians think that the “gospel message” is not good enough. Sometimes I get the impression that Christians think that we need to help God out by making “the gospel message” more appealing or attractive to others.
Paul says the power of the “gospel message” does not lie in our ability to make it more presentable or devising a more clever technique or program, but it rests of God’s ability to draw people with His plain and simple message.
Jesus says it this way,
But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw* all men to myself. (John 12:32)
Jesus is saying that when He is crucified, He will drag* all people to Himself. The Gospel—the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the drawing power of God. If this is not the message that is drawing us, perhaps it is not God that is reeling us in.
Notes:
*This same word is used in John 21:6 for hauling in a catch of fish and in Acts 16:19 Acts 21:30 when the crowd brings Paul from one place to another.
In I Corinthians 2:1-4 Paul writes,
When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
Sometimes I get the idea that Christians think that the “gospel message” is not good enough. Sometimes I get the impression that Christians think that we need to help God out by making “the gospel message” more appealing or attractive to others.
Paul says the power of the “gospel message” does not lie in our ability to make it more presentable or devising a more clever technique or program, but it rests of God’s ability to draw people with His plain and simple message.
Jesus says it this way,
But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw* all men to myself. (John 12:32)
Jesus is saying that when He is crucified, He will drag* all people to Himself. The Gospel—the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the drawing power of God. If this is not the message that is drawing us, perhaps it is not God that is reeling us in.
Notes:
*This same word is used in John 21:6 for hauling in a catch of fish and in Acts 16:19 Acts 21:30 when the crowd brings Paul from one place to another.
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