When did it become an adjective?

When I was growing up, a long time ago before the earth's crust was solid, worship was never thought of as an adjective but rather it was a verb. I want to say that it is more than a verb it is life itself. We now have worship songs, worship time, worship services, worship leaders but do we have worship? Have worship as an adjective means that we compartmentalize worship. However, we are to live a life of worship.
I saw this about sixteen years ago when my son's best friend was killed in a car accident. When the police came to their home in the middle of the night his mother told the police that she knew where her son was, he was in heaven. The police were used to people reacting so differently, becoming hysterical and beating on them in their grief. This was a life of worship. God is good in the good times and in the bad. He is always good. He is not a therapeutic God but a sovereign God of the universe.

Your God is too Small

A number of years ago J. B. Phillips wrote a book titled, "Your God is too Small." I believe that you cannot worship a God that is too small. People have referred to God as the man upstairs or another such name but this is not a god that you can worship. The God that calls us to worship Him is bigger than the universe as He created it all. There are no words in any language that can describe Him. A domesticated god is not a god that we can worship we can only worship the God who cannot be tamed. When John tried to describe God words failed him.
How big is your God? Is your God indescribable?

Worship and Doctrine

Should a worship leader have a good knowledge of doctrine? Before I go any further with this post I should point out that I just used "worship" as an adjective when it is much more than that but I will get to that in another post.
Jesus told the woman of Samaria that the time was coming when we would worship in spirit and in truth. People love the spirit part but they ignore the truth. What does that mean for our worship?
First, we must know the truth and not just the truth in abstract but the Truth as a person. Jesus is the Truth and the life. Our worship is not just with our emotions but it involves the mind.
Second, it means that the songs that we sing should speak the truth. They should be more than a catchy tune but have meaningful words. My son often said that the choruses we sing are take home theology. It is important that the words speak the truth. It is important that the one that picks the songs we sing also knows the truth.
Some people have said "no creed but Christ" but what does that mean? If you don't have a creed then what do you believe abut Christ? Who is He? The creed "no creed but Christ" is laziness and does more harm to our worship than we could imagine. We must know the truth, we must worship with our minds, we must know doctrine to worship properly.

Assurance

"Every believer is saved but not every believer has the assurance of salvation. These doubts may arrest his spiritual growth, rob him of joy, and cripple his usefulness, but they do not alter the fact he is saved.". Curtis Vaughn
The puritans said assurance was like a three legged stool:
1. Objective - our grounding in Christ.
2. The internal witness of the Spirit.
3. A changed life.
Why do we need assurance? Doubt.
What causes doubt? Sin.

A Must See

I made a comment in class this past Sunday about YouTube. If you are on Facebook you will notice that there are postings constantly about a YouTube video that you "must see". Usually they range from a warm sappy story with a loose message to something funny but really they are not a "must see". Now don't get me wrong, I like most of those videos but my complaint is not the videos but how those videos have become the focus of what we do as Christians. The videos are a "must see" so the Bible is no longer a "must read". We have reduced Christianity to 2 or 3 or 5 or 10 minute videos. Most of these have a moralistic view of Christianity rather than a Gospel view.
I have a friend who posts a lot of music videos. I love them but I don't watch them all. I know that they can help with my worship but he knows (so he never says) that these are a "must see". I hope he keeps posting them. I know that even if I don't watch them all someone will be blessed by them.
So what about videos? Should Christians keep posting them? Yes, but Christians need to realise that these will never replace the Word of God or a devotional book.

Huckleberry Finn

When it comes to a definition of faith people have many different ideas. Today faith is used to refer to a belief system but that is not the Biblical view. Neither is Huckleberry Finn's view who said, "Faith is believing something you know ain't true."
Faith isn't believing the impossible but believing in a person, the Person Jesus Christ the Son. Remember the writer of Hebrews says that faith is believing the promises of God. We know that we do not live on facts but on promises.
John talks about a faith that overcomes the world. It isn't faith in faith, or just believing hard enough but believing that Jesus Christ came into the world to die upon the cross. At that point Satan was defeated forever and we became overcomers.

Are you adopted?

Love the Law

Once again John comes back to obedience, love and doctrine. In Chapter five he talks first about the doctrine of the belonging to the family and he immediately connects that to love. He then talks about test for knowing and he ties that to obedience.
Then he adds that love is obedience to the Lord's commandments. When was the last time you heard someone sing a song about loving the laws of the land? Maybe a song about the greatness of the traffic laws. Yet we know that these laws protect us and therefore we should be thankful for them.

Connections

It is interesting how John uses love as the connector of what he has been teaching. He first connects love and truth. He says that if anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God then God lives in him and he in God. And he adds that we know and rely on the love of God.
He then connects love and confidence. He talks about having no fear of the future because of God's love.
Finally he connects love and conduct. He reminds us that love is not something we talk about but it is something we do. We love because He loved us first.

To live above with saints we love
Oh that will be glory.
To live below with saints we know
Well, that's another story.

Smörgåsbord

I don't know about you but when I go to a buffet (or a smorgasbord as my Swedish friends call it) I do a lot of picking and choosing. I take a lot of one thing (too much I may add) because I like it and not much (probably nothing) of something I don't like.
People often treat the attributes of God that way. They like His goodness, mercy, grace and love so they overload on those but we will pass on the judgment, wrath, etc. The problem is that God is not part goodness, love, mercy, wrath, etc. You cannot say this much is love and this much is justice. God is all love, all mercy, all grace, all judgment, all wrath, all at the same time. That is what it means to be infinite. So to say that I like a loving God but not a judgmental God is to divide God up so that the God we want is not the God of the Bible.

OOPS!

I sometimes use my iPad with word recognition software. It has sometimes caused me grief when I did not look back over my email.

A Pastor couldn't attend a friend's wedding so he decided to send a very quick email to her. Instead of writing out the verse he just typed 1 John 4:18 which says "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." However, he forgot the 1 so the email contained the reference John 4:18 which says, "The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband."
OOPS

The Laptop Bible

God is love

John says that very clearly in 1 John 4:16. However, today many people want to turn it around and think that love is God. That is not true, especially when we define love the way that most of us do. Love is a feeling, love is something that happens but the translators of the King James Version of the Bible understood love differently when they translated the word "charity". Charity is something you do not something you feel.
So how should we understand that God is love. John 3:16 says it all. We think that God loves us because we are lovable. God loves in spite of the fact that we are unlovable. He didn't fall in love with us, He set His love upon us. How do we know that God loves us? 1 John 4:9 tells us, He sent His son to die for us.

Fundamentalism

Two days ago I wrote about fundamentalism and what they believed. However, you can give assent to these statements and still not be a Christian.
Initially fundamentalists said, "We believe these things." (see the blog on Nov 4) However, the next generation said, "This is how you become a fundamentalist. Believe these five tenants and you will be a fundamentalist." Then the following generation said, "Give mental assent to these doctrines and you will be saved." Let me tell you plainly, you can give mental assent to the doctrines, you can say yes to all the right questions and still not be a Christian. Let us go back for a moment. We believe these things because we are a Christian not to make us a Christian. We are saved by Christ alone.

I believe in the deity of Jesus Christ

Many people today believe in Jesus but they believe in only a man called Jesus. They do not believe that Jesus is very God in the flesh. We must not only believe that Jesus is God, after all Satan himself believes that, but we must allow Christ to be supreme in all areas of our lives and the life of our church. Paul writes to the Colossians, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the first born from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” Colossians 1:15-20

In this passage the deity of Christ is clearly stated to us. His deity is describe as the image of the invisible God, the first born and later it states that in Christ dwells all the fullness of God.

Jesus is supreme over all things: He is supreme over creation, He is supreme over governments, He is supreme over the church, and He is supreme over our souls.

I think I may be one of those

What comes to your mind when someone says the word “fundamentalist”, especially someone in the media?

Do you think of a right wing bigot who is against change, democracy and pluralism? Do you think of someone who bombs abortion clinics, marches against homosexuality and votes for the most politically right winged candidate in the running? According to the press the religious right, or fundamentalism, is intolerant of women, immigrants, the poor, minorities, homosexuals, non-Christians and anyone else who doesn’t fit in – all in the name of Jesus.

If this is what is meant by a fundamentalist then we do not want to be associated with them. Over the past years Christians who at one time were known as fundamentalists now want to be called evangelicals instead.

But let me make a confession. I am a fundamentalist. Now before you begin to think that I am gone too far to the right let me remind you that I have never been involved in a protest against homosexuality or abortion clinics though I believe that they are wrong and we should pray against these forces of darkness. I am not a member of a right wing political party. According to the press I have right wing views regarding homosexuality and abortion. However, some may think that I am left wing when it comes to other issues, especially those who are most vulnerable in our society such as the poor and the immigrants.

If being a fundamentalist is a crime then I am guilty as charged. I stand for the truth of God’s word and its application to life today. Yes I believe that there is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ but I also stand for religious freedom and people do have the right to choose but we must make sure that we give them the choice.

What does it mean then to be a fundamentalist? I believe that there are at least five major areas of belief that makes me a fundamentalist.

The scripture says, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you shall find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16

1. I believe in the infallibility of Scripture.

2. I believe in the deity of Christ.

3. I believe in the Virgin Birth and the miracles of Christ.

4. I believe in Christ’s substitutionary death.

5. I believe in Christ’s physical resurrection and eventual return.

If believing in those tenants makes me a fundamentalist then as I said before, I am guilty as charged.

Know what you believe.

When I was a university student I read a couple of books by Paul Little; Know what you believe and Know why you believe. Both topics are important. Later I had the privilege of hearing him speak at Urbana Missionary Conference just before he died in a car accident.
Yesterday I mentioned discernment but it is hard to have discernment when we don't know what we believe. Are we clear on what we believe about God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, Satan, man, sin, salvation, the Church, Scripture, etc.? If we think that these topics are only for theologians then we are in danger of being mislead by false teachers.
John says, "Be skeptical."
Why? Because there are many false teachers and their tribe is increasing.
So you may ask how can you know everything. You cannot but there are things that will help you. Spend time in Scripture. Be part of a Bible study. If you are studying a topic make sure that the topic has Biblical basis and not just man's opinion.

Discernment

Yesterday I wrote about Christians fascination with manifestations of the Spirit but today I want to point out one place where Christians are lacking. It is the gift of discernment. John 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." 1 John 4:1
So how can you discern a false prophet. John gives us one test here and that is the truth test about Jesus Christ. Did Christ come in the flesh? Was He both God and man? Did He come as the only way to God?
Here are some truths about Jesus Christ that cannot be denied.
Jesus is God.
Jesus is the Creator.
He is the only way to the Father.
He died for our sins.
He rose again.
He is reigning.
He will return.

Remember, Jesus did not become God, He was always God and He will always be God.

So how do we discern false teachers? John tells us to use the Jesus test. It is not the only test but if they deny the divinity or the humanity of Jesus then no other test is needed. That would be false teaching.

Manifestations

Why are Christians so fascinated by manifestations but they have a fear of doctrine? Todd Bentley had a healing ministry in Florida that drew thousands of Christians but he could not stay married to his wife. He failed the moral test but Christians were still fascinated. They love the manifestations of the Spirit but they shy away from doctrine. The Toronto blessing; healings; tongues; barking like dogs; slaying in the Spirit. Now I don't want to down play the Spirit's ministry. After all He is a wild fire but He also does not draw attention to Himself but rather points to Christ. When we seek the manifestations for their own sake we are not bringing glory to Christ.
Christians should know the basic doctrines. Let us look at a few of those of the next few days.

What does the Bible say Joel?

Chinese Church

Before we went to the Philippines with OMF we had to go to an orientation course in Toronto. One of the things that we had to do was visit a Chinese church where the service was in Mandarin. When we arrived we were about 8 white people in a church of 400 - 500 Chinese. We were warmly welcomed and every one wanted to make us as comfortable as possible. When they read the scripture the lady in front of us turned around with a Chinese Bible and pointed to the Scripture as she gave us the Bible. It was in Chinese, we couldn't understand a thing.
But it made me think again about walls. The Chinese were meeting as a separate group but the walls were not there. They were most welcoming and accommodating to us. We were treated as celebrities but truly they were the ones that should have been honoured. Walls aren't about having separate churches for different racial groups but it is when the people in those churches turn you away because you do not belong to their racial groups. This Chinese church truly understood the gospel.

Condemning Heart

When we draw near to God I don't believe that we get the warm fuzzies as much as we get a heart that feels condemning. Isaiah went into the temple and the unexpected happened, he met God. Immediately he saw his sinfulness. The closer you draw to the light the more you see the dirt on our hands. If we truly encountered the living God in our worship we would not be standing there waving our hands in the air but we would be on the floor weeping.
But there is an important thing for us to realize as well. We may feel dirty before God but we are also aware of the Gospel. We know that there is no condemnation. Our hearts may condemn us but God has forgiven us.
We must not feel that though God has forgiven us but we cannot forgive ourselves. When we do that we are making ourselves more righteous than God and that is idolatry. The Gospel says you are forgiven. You are forgiven.

Walls

Yesterday I posted about how Christianity removed the walls. Walls were torn down between all classes of people: rich and poor; old and young; educated and uneducated; adults and children; male and female; and so much more. However, are our churches today building walls where Christianity destroyed them. We have segregated congregations; we divide our church into various age groups. Now there is a place for some division but that should only be to reach out to invite others into the larger group.
When we were at candidate school before we went to the Philippines we were ask to attend a Chinese church. That church welcomed us with open arms even though we were the only non-Chinese people there. We could not understand the language but we understood the worship. This is not the division I am talking about. These people divided along common language so that they could minister to the larger population.

Antioch

Antioch was one of the most cultural and ethnic diverse cities of its days. In Antioch there were walls that separated the different groups from one another. There was the Syrian section, the Jewish section, the African section and the Greek section. Then along came some believers. "Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord." Acts 11:19 - 21
What was happening here? People were coming to Christ across the walls and that is why they called them Christians. They had no other name to call them but ones like Christ. The people had never seen anything like this before. When the church was in Jerusalem made up of only Jews it was thought to be a Jewish sect but now there were Syrians, Greeks, Jews, Africans and more coming to Christ. The church was no longer for the rich or the male or the Jew, it was for everyone.
That is why love is the characteristic of a Christian. It is the unique teaching of the person of Jesus that explains this. Christianity brought down all the barriers because of a unique truth that Christ was the Son of God. People may not have agreed with that truth but when they saw the love that brought down the walls then they had to take a second look and ask, "Maybe He is the Son of God."

Obedience, Love and Doctrine

Why did John choose these three? He first talks about knowing God, having fellowship with God and he says that the tests for knowing God are obedience, love and doctrine. He then talks about being a child of God and again the tests are obedience, love and doctrine.
We need to remember that obedience grows out of fellowship with God and being a child of God. We are not a child because we are obedient but rather we are obedient because we are a child. Next Sunday we will look at the concept of love as a child of God.

Cain

Cain is the only Biblical person mentioned in the book of 1 John. Cain had his sacrifice rejected and because of that rejection he murdered his brother. Now some have speculated that it was because he did not bring a blood offering but there was nothing to indicate that he should bring a blood offering. There were grain offerings as well as animal offerings. I don't believe it was because he brought a grain offering but it was because of his heart. God looks upon the heart and what was in his heart was shown when he had his offering rejected.
Some people may say that they have given God their best but it was not accepted. God doesn't want your best, He wants you. When the world offers God its best and it is rejected and the world sees the Christian have his offering accepted then the world despises the Christian.

Yes I am!

When John says that anyone born of God does not sin it is much the same as what Calvin is saying to his mother. Christians do sin but that is not what is the rule. A teacher may say that there is no gum chewing in his class and a student may argue saying that is wrong because he is chewing gum does not make the teacher's statement incorrect.

Access

Who has access to the president of the United States at any time in the night? His child. No one else can wake up the president and say, "I need a drink of water." and he will get up and get it for him or her.
We have the same access and yes, even greater, with our Father. We can come boldly to Him for any help in our time of need.

Children

My wife and I have five children.

Four of them became my children the moment they were born but one became my child when the judge said so. They are all my children and they all have equal rights as my children. Because they are my children I will do almost anything for them. When they are in need I am willing to go where they are to help them. If they have a need I want to help meet that need. I do that because they are my children. There are other people who I would do things for but my children have a very special place in my heart.
We are God's children. Not just because He created us but because He has redeemed us. He bought us with the blood of His Son. So in once sense everyone is God's children but not everyone has the rights of children because they were born again and adopted into His family. We are called children of God but more than that we are the children of God.

Behold

1 John 3 begins in the KJV with the word "Behold". All the other translations use a less forceful statement though the NIV adds and exclamation point to the end of the sentence. Non of the other translations gives us the wonder of the word "behold" and it is too bad as John is filled with wonder when he stops to consider the fact that we are called the sons of God.
When do we use the word "behold"? We don't open our pay envelope and look at the cheque and say, "Behold, they paid me." Behold speaks of wonder. It is similar to what the disciples said then Jesus calmed the sea, they were astonished and wondered what kind of man this was.
Have we lost the wonder? Do we think that it is an ordinary thing to be called "children of God"? We need to renew the excitement of that statement. We are the children of God and it is because of His great love not because of anything we have done. Remember what Moses said to the Israelites, "The Lord called you because He loved you not because you were special."

Unrighteous Conduct

Unrighteous conduct should never be part of the Christian's life but today we had to deal with a case of alleged sexual harassment. The problem was that the perpetrator would not admit that he had done anything wrong while the accuser said that she had told him to stop on a number of occasions. Now maybe in his mind he thinks that he did nothing wrong but someone else thought differently. So how should a Christian act in those situations? Though we are often tempted to defend our reputation we are often more inclined to be concerned about our reputation than doing what is right. Let us suppose that this man thinks he did nothing wrong shouldn't he still be concerned about making the situation right instead of defending his reputation?
John says, "If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him." 1 John 2:29 What is right in this situation? The right thing is to make things right with those who have accused you. Isn't it better to suffer wrong accusations than to damage the Gospel?

Five words

"Jesus only and only Jesus."
With so many voices out there telling us about diversity, pluralism, tolerance it seems so narrow to say "Jesus only and only Jesus." This morning Pastor Gord preached on that and it was a powerful message. Someone asked me afterwards if Gord and I talked about what we were going to do as my lesson from 1 John was along exactly the same lines as Pastor Gord's sermon. Of course we didn't but I trust that we both listened to the Holy Spirit who is truly the author of both my lesson and Pastor Gord's sermon.
Here are two quotes from Pastor Gord's sermon: "To believe Him 95% is to be 100% lost." "To be almost right about Jesus is to be totaly wrong."
Jesus only, let me see,
Jesus only, none save He,
Then my song shall ever be
Jesus! Jesus only!
A. B. Simpson

If we could just prove it

Sometimes Christians think that nonchristians would become Christians if we could prove to them some miracle from the Bible. We think that evangelism is reduced to apologetics. From the time of Paul before Agrippa to the present apologetics is not an effective means of evangelism. Why isn't it? People can be convinced that they are wrong but will not change because it is more than an intellectual problem, it is a heart problem. So what value is apologetics? For one thing it reinforces in the heart and mind of the believer that what they believe is right. That Christians have not committed intellectual suicide when they were born again.

What does it say to you?

Can you imagine that when the Rabbi was teaching the Law he turned to one of his students and said, "Judah, what does this passage say to you?" And then he turned to another and said the same thing. You know that would never happen in a Jewish classroom but so many evangelicals ignore their teachers and scholars and seek out a personal meaning. There are times when the Scripture may speak directly to us in a way that is non traditional but we cannot take that approach to all Scripture. Scripture isn't fuzzy but very definite. When people choose to use Scripture that way there can be millions of different interpretations. And if we don't like what it says in one version we can always turn to another until we find one that says what we want it to say. Remember the cults use their own Scriptures so that they can have it say what they want it to say.
People attend an evangelical church and say that they have a high view of Scripture but take an experiential interpretation of it instead of a proper scholarly view. Let us first find out what Scripture says before we ask what it says to us. We may find that it does speak to us but not in the way we wanted it to.

Doctrine or Experience

How should you determine truth? Should it come from experience or from doctrine? Now experience is important and it should not be ignored but it is not the foundation for truth, doctrine is. However, there are many people who form their opinions of truth on experience so they read books such as Don Piper's book, Ninety Minutes in Heaven, or whatever it is called and they believe that is truth but when you read Scriptures you see that Paul was very reluctant to talk about his experience of heaven. If he lived today he could have written a best seller and made the TV talk circuit.
Let us remember that Christianity is not right brained or left brained but it involves both doctrinal truth and experience. Let us make sure that we base our doctrine on the truth of Scripture and not on experience.

Build it and they will come

I live in a town that loves new restaurants. As soon as a new one opens the people will come but after awhile when another new one comes along then where are the people that first came?
It is the devil's lie that if we build it the people will come. That is what he has been telling the church growth people for years. Just build it, change a few core spiritual practices while holding to the core spiritual values and then they will come. The problem is that when you change the way we do church then it is very easy to down play the core spiritual values. It is not that they are not believed or that they are not part of the statement of faith but they are not stressed. So out goes sin, the cross, and eventually Bible based sermons. The fact is that some may come but when you try to teach them the core spiritual values they are not interested, they see the deception and they won't fall for it.
Now I am going to step on a few toes. A number of years ago it was decided that there would be an evangelistic service in the evenings and a teaching service in the morning. People would come because it was the best show in town but something happened and the unsaved, unchurched stopped coming but the Sunday evening service remained unchanged. One day someone woke up and said it isn't working so lets get rid of it but the problem was that it was there for the wrong reason in the first place. Sunday evenings are a great teaching time if used properly.

Truth and Falsehood

John reminds his readers that they know the truth which the antichrists do not know. The reason is that John knows that truth is a person rather than just a body of knowledge. He then goes on to use one of his favourite words, "abide". To have a knowledge of truth we must abide in the Son.
Interesting how truth is used in society.
Over the door of a library are the words, "You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free." It is as if the knowledge found in the library is the truth that will set you free. Only the Son, who is the Truth, can do that.
In the American constitution it says, "We hold that these truths are self evident". Again, is truth self evident or is it revealed through the word of God? What may be self evident to me may not be the same as it is to you unless there is an external source of truth.
Then again there is the definition of truth by Wikipedia and by Google. Wikipedia says that truth is by consensus while Google says truth is by relevance. Consensus does not change truth or make truth as does relevance. Again, Truth is a person.
Pilate asked Jesus, "What is truth?" not knowing that Truth was standing in front of him.

Mom and Dad

I am so grateful for my mom and dad who loved the Lord and taught us to love Him as well. They both had a great love for the Scriptures and particularly the Psalms.

As I was reading in the Psalms I came to Psalm 95 and I thought about my mom. This was one of her favourite Psalms and now whenever I read it I think of her. The central aim of her life was to glorify God and she desired that would be the central aim in the lives of her children. When mom was dying I often visited her and she never said anything. However, you knew that if she could she would be extolling Him with songs of praise and thanksgiving.

One incident sticks in my mind. It was in the early stages of her disease but she had an attack and ended up in the hospital. Our pastor and I went to visit her and she told us about two young children who had come to see her. They had sat in the chair and never said a word. However, they brought her comfort. At first we were confused as to who these children were as children were not allowed in that part of the hospital. Suddenly we realized that they had been ministering angels that had come to give her comfort.

My dad's favourite Psalm was the ninety first Psalm. That Psalm speaks about trust and other than being thankful I think that trust was the mark of my dad.

This Thanksgiving I have much to be thankful for and I am so thankful for my godly parents.

Pascal

"When everything is moving at once, nothing appears to be moving, as on board ship. When everyone is moving towards depravity, no one seems to be moving but if someone stops, he shows up the others who are rushing on by acting as a fixed point."

Falling Star

B. H. Carrol once said that if you saw a falling star you could be sure that it wasn't a star. That is similar to what John was saying when he said, "They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us." 1 John 2:19

Antichrists

Don't miss it, John is not talking about the Antichrist but Antichrists. Who are antichrists? Those who deny the deity of Christ. However, those who preach Christ plus anything (good works, Ten Commandments, sacraments) to be a Christian are really antichrists. It is only by Christ Jesus that we are saved. It is also against Christ if we take away from either His humanity or His deity. Paul tells us in Colossians that In Him is the fullness of God.

Last days

How can this be the last days when we live two thousand years after the Biblical writers told us that it was the last time? When John says that it is the last time he is telling us that this church age and when this age ends there will be no other.

GPS

Global positioning system has become very popular over the past few years. We use one contantly in our truck at BfM and I use my personal one whenever we travel. They can save you time and make traveling so much easier. However, you probably heard the horror stories of people following their GPS and getting hopelessly lost. When I read those stories I usually think of two problems that may have occurred. The first is wrong settings. The unit may have been set for the shortest route but not necessarily the fastest or the most travelled. The other problem is some people put too much trust in their GPS. Instead of following their instincts they blindly follow the instructions given to them by a voice in the unit. I want to say to those people, "stay on the main route. The GPS will recalculate."
So what does this have to do with 1 John? John warns his readers to follow what is True. You may read many books but there is only one Book that you can always count on to be true. An author may be 95% true but is wrong 5%. You need to know when to stop following the GPS and look at the map.

Influenced by the World

There are so many areas that the world influences our thinking. Here is a partial list. Feel free to add to the list.
Education
Finances
Investments
Employment
Training
Recreation
Leisure
News
Television
Entertainment
Books
Sports
Psychology
Philosophy
Social media
Worship
Family values
Music
Sexuality
Culture
"Don't let the world squeeze you into it's mold.". Romans 12:2. Phillips.

Work and Leisure

How should a Christian's view of work and leisure be different from the world's? The leisure industry has grown in the past few years. The world takes two differing views of work. Either they get their identity from their work so they become work-alcoholics or they find their work unfulfilling so their work is a means to get funds for their leisure, their leisure becomes where they turn to for fulfillment.
A Christian should never get their identity from their work even there ministry. A Christian gets his/her identity from their position in Christ. Their work should be fulfilling their calling in Christ whether it be in ministry or in service to mankind. Leisure should not be in an end in itself but a means to refresh us.
So what about the Lord's Day? The World has come to realize that a person does need one day different from the other six. A Christian needs to change their routine. They should come apart to worship, take time to rest and take time for recreation. The recreation should not exhaust you but to refresh your mind.

Education

One area of differing world views is in the area of education. Let us first look at the purpose of education. the world's view is to prepare people to live in society while the Biblical view is to prepare people for eternity. I say eternity rather than heaven because eternity begins now. So from the world's view education is to make responsible citizens while the Biblical view is to make a godly people. Second, consider the starting point. The world believes that people are basically good and by educating them they will be made better. The Christian knows that people are born in sin and they first need to be redeemed, have their view point changed, then they can be taught in the things of God.
I taught mathematics and some may wonder what could be the difference between world views. To me mathematics showed the order and precision of a universe designed by a Creator.

Moving into Sodom

When Abraham and Lot separated Lot moved into the plains of Sodom. It wasn't long before he had moved right into the city. He may have thought that the needed to be nearer the better schools for his children. What opportunities did they have if they lived in the rural areas. He looked at the opportunities for his family and he may even have thought that his family could influence Sodom for God. He certainly was the last to think this. The church has been doing this from the beginning. However, when the church of God becomes like the world to show the world that it shouldn't be the world, the world sees through that hypocrisy.
When judgment came upon Sodom Lot learned that he had absolutely no influence over his neighbors. I am afraid that when judgment comes upon the world the church will find it has no influence over the world. If the church is to have influence it must remain separate. Not separated but distinct in it's view.
Lot lost it all. What did he gain? What shall it profit if you gain the world and lose your soul?

Pretzels

What are the purpose of pretzels?  The problem of eating pretzels is that it creates a desire to satisfy a thirst and a hunger for more.  How does this relate to loving the world?  Do we eat to live or live to eat?  All eating disorders relate to the later rather than the former.  When we have any sort of an eating disorder the we have moved food to a self-fulfilling function.  This is worldly.

Egypt and Canaan

The Israelites needed to be delivered from Egypt but overcome the Canaanites.  Egypt is often looked upon as a picture of the world while Canaan is the redeemed life.  Though Egypt is a picture of the world it held Israel in bondage.  They needed to be redeemed. Egypt then is the picture of the life held in the bondage of sin.
However, in Canaan the world was always trying to influence the people of God.  The world had been defeated but its influence still persisted.  The people of God wanted to be like the Canaanites.
Today the unredeemed need deliverance but the church needs to overcome.  The world wants to hold the unredeemed in bondage but when it loses that grip then it attempts to influence.

Retirement

There are many areas in which the world influences the Christian's way of thinking and one is in the area of retirement. We hear about freedom 55 and that you deserve the time etc. but what does the Bible say? Now before I get too high and mighty I did retire at 55 and I have been busy ever since. Much of my time today is taken with teaching an adult Bible class and working for Bibles for Missions. Before that I did spend a year in the Philippines with my wife and daughter.
My thinking was changed about 11 years ago when I attended Missions Fest 2000 in Winnipeg Manitoba. Two speakers made an impact on my thinking about retirement. One was John Piper who with the Bible in one hand he read an article from Readers Digest that talked about a couple who took early retirement so they could travel around the world in their RV and play softball and gather sea shells. He compared that to the Apostle Paul who burned with passion for the Gospel even up to the time of his death. He showed us clearly that retirement is not in the Bible.
The other speaker was Ron Pearce who I later got to know and he visited us in our home in Chatham. He had a passion for missions that drove him every waking moment.
So what should be the Christian's attitude toward retirement? Should we view it as a time when we can rest on the fruits of our labours or is it a time when we can use the time in an uninhibited way to serve our God? At the moment God has blessed my wife and I with health that we can serve Him.
We need to view retirement as a time that we can serve our God without the hindrances of making a living. I know that God blessed me that way and it is my desire to continue to serve Him.

View from here

When you view the world from the world you will only see the world. Too many times that is what happens to us as Christians. No wonder we are confused about the world and how we should react to it. The first thing we need to do is change our perspective. We need to have heaven's view of the world. How do we get that? First, we must know for certain that heaven is our home even though we reside in the world right now. The old spiritual says it right, "this world is not my home, I'm just apassin thru." Second, to get a proper perspective we must be students of the word. David said it well when he said, "Your word have I hidden in my heart so that I might not sin against you." Third, we must resist the world. We are never called to be delivered from the world but to overcome the world. Remember, the world and its attractions will pass away.

Facebook and the social media

In reading some of the comments about what is happening on facebook it would seem that it is more serious than having pages torn from your Bible. Christians are getting all upset because of the changes that are being made. All I can say about that is "get your perspective right".
So what should be a Christian's attitude to facebook. We have all seen the data. One out of five couples met on facebook; 3 out of 5 gay couples met on facebook and 2 out five divorces are linked to facebook. It sure seems that facebook has an impact in the social realm. Anyone can falsely promote themselves on facebook and as a Christian we know that is wrong. However there is a much more subtle way that Christians fall victim to the world through facebook. It is not that they are blatantly falsely promoting themselves but by the things that they post they are promoting an image, an image that they want. To me this is where the problem lies. We have to be careful that we do not use social media to give people the wrong impression. It is not about style but about communication. Christians watch yourselves. Do your postings promote you or the Lord?

Spurgeon

“Put your finger on any prosperous page in the Church’s history, and I will find a little marginal note reading thus: ‘In this age men could readily see where the Church began and where the world ended.’ Never were there good times when the Church and the world were joined in marriage with one another.” I believe that one reason why the Church of God at this present moment has so little influence over the world is because the world has so much influence over the Church.”

Hallelujah

A quick quiz. When is the only time the word Hallelujah is used in the New Testament?
Answer: it is in the Hallelujah chorus of Revelation 19 where it is used four times.

Quiz #2. What is the occasion of the outburst of praise?
Answer: The fall of Babylon which represents the world system.

Demas

Who is Demas and how is he related to 1 John? We first meet Demas in Philemon 24 where he is described by Paul as a fellow worker. The next time we meet Demas is in Colossians 4:14 where Paul just refers to him by name. Then in 2 Timothy 4:10 Paul says that Demas has deserted him having loved the present world.
Demas is a lesson for all of us. He represents those who see the world as an attraction whether it be in philosophy, finance, entertainment, values. Now don't misunderstand me, those things are not wrong in themselves but it depends upon how you view them. Satan doesn't even care if you have a Biblical worldview is your ultimate goal is to view the world.
We need to guard ourselves that we do not become like Demas.

Deliverance and Overcoming

For years I got this wrong and I think that most evangelicals get it wrong. We want deliverance from the world and we are told to overcome sin. However, that is backwards. We are told to overcome the world but to seek deliverance from sin. We are powerless to conquer sin alone, we need to bring our sins to the cross. John tells us that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Again, notice the little word "just". It would be unjust to pay the penalty for sin again since it has been paid for on the cross. Let us stop trying to overcome sin in our strength and bring our sins to the cross.
But how do we overcome the world? I believe it is the same way that we are to overcome Satan. Revelation tells us that he was overcome by the blood of the lamb, the word of our testimony and not to love our lives so much that we would shrink from death. The problem we have is that we love our lives and the lives we live in the world.

Cosmos and Cosmetics

I heard of a preacher who knew enough Greek to know that the Greek word for world was cosmos. He read 1 John 2 that we shouldn't love the world and by making the leap from cosmos to cosmetics he quickly condemned those who wore makeup.
But are we any different? If we do not realize that John was speaking of the worldly system and a worldly view of life we can quickly fall into thinking that the love of the world is externals. But the love of the world is much more than externals. Some have used world methods to overcome the world. They withdraw from the world rather than overcome the world. Running away is a worldly method. So the question remains. How do we overcome the world? To overcome the world we need to have a heaven view point. It is not "what would Jesus do" but having the mind of Christ. We need renewed minds.

Marks of a Christian

What are the marks of a Christian?  Some people would say it is defined by what we don't do while others would say it is what we do. Both views are right and both are wrong.  What do I mean?  John says that one mark of a Christian is obedience to God's commands.  Remember we are not saved by obedience but if we are saved we will be obedient.  We cannot say we love God and not do what He commands.  We obey not out of a sense of duty but from love.
That leads to the second mark of a Christian, love of one another.  John tells us that if we say we love God and then not love another believer we are lying.  He says that we cannot have fellowship with God and not have fellowship with one another.  Yes there will be times that the relationship may be strained but it should be our desire to see that relationship restored.
We used to ding a song that said that they would know we are Christians by our love.  Let us remember that it is our love for one another and our love for the Father.

Something old, something new.

The bride is to wear something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. The bride is leaving life to begin a new life. John says that he writes a new commandment which really isn't really new but an old commandment. The commandment is that we are to love one another. When Jesus was asked which was the greatest commandment he said we were to love God and the second was similar in that we are to love one another.

Prayer Phone App

I was listening to the Christian radio station the other day and I heard a comment about a prayer app for the iPhone. The person said that their son became ill or injured, I cannot remember which, and they immediately used the phone app to contact everyone to pray for him. He got better so they were praising the phone app.
Now that got me thinking. First of all why praise the phone app and not the God who heals? Now that may be incidental to what I think is the real issue. We have emails and prayer lines and print prayer requests in churches newsletters but why do we do it? I know we want to have as many people as possible pray for that request but is our prayer more likely to be answered by the number of people who are praying? The simple answer is no but is that true? We need to remember first of all that the basis of answered prayer is not on numbers or length of prayers but on the redemptive work of Christ. However, it is important that we involve as many as possible in praying together. We are commanded to bear one another's burdens. I do want others to join me in praying for requests because many times I feel inadequate. There are those who really can intercede before the Father on behalf of my request. But again I need to remember that it is not the number but the Saviour Who answers the prayer.

That you may know that you know.

There are many people who have doubts about their salvation. One of the key words in John's epistle is "know". In the four verses from 2:3 - 6 John uses the word "know" four times. He says that we know that we have come to know Him if we keep His commands. Does that mean that we are trusting in our obedience for our salvation? If that were the case then we would not know that we know. It is not our obedience that we are trusting in but rather it is our obedience shows that we do trust in His finished work.
The problem of trusting in our work is that we will never know until our work is completed whether or not we are saved. However, we trust in Christ's finished work. It is done. We know that it is complete and we can have that assurance because of Him. Yes, we can know that we know.

What is sin

1 John 1 talks about sin. Here is Don Carson of the Gospel Coalition as he talks about sin.

Faithful and Just

How many of us have read 1 John 1:9 and saw that it said that God was faithful and just to forgive us our sins and thought, "Well that is His job", He forgives sins. We may not say it so glibly but we do think that if we sin then God in His mercy will forgive us.
But did you notice that it didn't say that He was faithful and merciful but rather faithful and just? Why justice instead of mercy? Mercy implies that we will be forgiven because God is "a softy" when it comes to our sin. So we don't take our sin to seriously. However, the word is just. Justice means that the debt has been dealt with. God will forgive our sins because it would be unjust to have two punishments for the same sin. Jesus paid the price. He paid the debt. He now stands as our advocate saying that the debt has been paid.
To me it means that we look at our sins differently. We are not playing fast and loose with God's mercy but we see that the debt for our sins was the cross. There was a debt to be paid. It could not be ignored.

Propitiation

The NIV translates the word propitiation as atoning sacrifice and really that is what is meant but I am not sure that most people understand this any better.
You have probably heard the cliche that God hates the sin but loves the sinner but if you have read the Psalms you will have read that God hates the sinner. We don't like that today as we don't really understand God. God tells us in Scripture that we are under judgment because of our sin but He has supplied an atoning sacrifice.
The word propitiation means that the gods have been appeased. But we do nothing to appease God. We do not propitiate God by offering Him a sacrifice. That is a pagan thought yet our God had to be appeased. It was not because our God has a bad temper but that we are or were enemies of God. We don't offer a sacrifice but God propitiated Himself. He is the atoning sacrifice. Christ died the death we should have died so that we can live the life we shouldn't live.

Talk Radio

The other day I tuned in a Christian radio station (not the local station) and it was a phone in talk back style. I was thinking that Christians are called to be lights but even though this station called itself the light it sounded more like judgment radio. It is not our job to judge the world, God will do that. Our job is to be a light. Maybe the world is in such a mess because there is no light. What would happen if we were lights and not judges?
John tells us to walk in the light as He (God) is light.

Headlights

Pastor Gord mentioned headlights this morning and that got me thinking about 1 John. John tells to walk in the light. David said that God's Word is a light unto our path. As Pastor said, headlights may show the path (or road) in front of us but it doesn't show all the way to our destination. We have to walk in the light given us.

The Beatitudes

Have you noticed what the beatitudes don't say? They don't say blessed are those that seek blessedness. Why is that? Like joy you are not blessed by seeking blessing but rather being a blessing. You don't become joyful by seeking joy but by having fellowship. That is why John ties fellowship and joy together. Fellowship with the Father and the Son will lead to fellowship with other believers. Fellowship with the Father, Son and others will lead to joy that nothing can take away. Being joyful is not pretending that everything is good but knowing that your relationships are good.

By-Product

When I was a kid in Sunday School we used to sing a chorus that went

Jesus and others and you
What a wonderful way to spell joy
J is for Jesus Who must have first place
O is for others you met face to face
Y is for you and whatever you do
Put your self last and spell joy.

Now there is truth in that chorus.
If you seek joy you will not find it but if you seek to love the Lord and to serve others you will have joy. Joy is not a product you can produce but it comes as a by product.

Koinonia

The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia. Koinonia is more than friendship it is having something in common. It amazes me how you can meet Christians from another culture and event though you don't speak their language you know that there is a common bond and that is our Saviour. The first man you see is Kuya Rudy from Manila. He is a man I got to know in the squatter area near where we lived. Kuya Rudy loved the Lord and wanted to give Him his best so he used his talents to build a squatter church.

The couple in the second picture I met last year in Ecuador. They are church planters from Chile, the opposite side of the world from Manila. Again they didn't speak any English and I didn't speak any Spanish but we both loved the Lord and there was koinonia. That is what is meant by fellowship.

The amazing thing about being a Christian is that fellowship crosses age, race, financial and any other barriers that the world wishes to establish. Where else but in Christian fellowship can a fifteen year old Native Canadian boy have something to share with an 80 year old Russian woman.

Rub-a-dub-dub

Rub-a-dub-dub,
Three men in a tub.
So starts the English nursery rhyme.
John tells his readers that he proclaims what he has seen and heard so that they may have fellowship with him and the other apostles and ultimately with the Father and the Son. The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia and it means to "have in common".
The butcher, baker and candlestick maker had the tub in common.
The question we should ask is why did John say that the result he wanted from proclaiming the truth about what they had seen and heard would be fellowship? Why not salvation or holiness or something else? John knew that to have fellowship would mean to be in a right relationship.

The Word of Life

If you take time to read the prologue to John's Gospel and the the prologue to his first epistle you will see many similarities. However there are some differences as well. We are told that in the beginning was the Word and we know that the beginning was the beginning of time and the Word was definitely the second person of the Trinity. He was there at creation and He was the creator.
But when you read John's epistle you are not so sure as to what beginning he is referring to. Is it the beginning of time as in John's Gospel or is it the beginning of Jesus' ministry. I believe that John is referring to the same beginning in both his gospel and his epistle.
The second difference is in John's Gospel there is no doubt that when he refers to the Word he is referring to the Living Word but that is not so obvious in the epistle. On this point the commentators are split. Again I think John is writing about the living Word. He does refer to the Word of Life and the emphasis is definitely on life. Some say that he is writing about the Gospel but remember that the good news, the gospel, is about a person.
Read both prologues and see the similarities and the differences.
Do you agree or disagree about the beginning referring to the same time? Do you believe that John's reference to the Word and the Word of Life are the same?

Obsessed

Have you ever talked to someone who has just lost 10 pounds on a diet, or quit smoking, or had a major operation? Have you noticed that they don't want to talk about anything else? When a man I worked with had a heart attack I overheard one person say "Here we go again. All we are going to talk about is George's heart attack."
It is only natural to want to share with others what you find life changing. That was the Apostle John. As you read through the first four verses of his epistle you get the feeling that he cannot quit talking about what he has seen, heard and handled. It was more than an obsession, it was life changing.
Take time as you read through these verses to notice the number of times that the pronoun we, us, our is used. Do you think he is using the royal we or is he referring to others as well as himself? Is he only referring to himself or is he referring to the apostles? What about us, are we included?

Knowing where we stand.

Next Sunday we will begin our study in the book of 1 John. John begins by telling us that our faith is firmly grounded in history. The Word of Life (which some believe may be a reference to the Gospel while others a reference to Jesus Christ - this is my understanding as what would be the Gospel except for Jesus Christ) was something that he had experienced. He saw, he heard, he handled. Next Sunday we will look at the prologue which consists of the first four verses. If you can be present next Sunday take time this week to read the entire letter at one sitting. Take time to notice the contrasts that he uses, light and darkness, truth and falsehood, etc.

Contemporary Questions

John writes this letter to address some concerns which sound very much like contemporary questions.
Does doctrine matter?
Is Jesus the only way to God?
Is Jesus sufficient?
Interesting that people who say that they have no creed but Christ, or Jesus not doctrine are in reality expressing a creed or a doctrine. Doctrine does matter because it expresses what we really do believe. What they really should be concerned about is not whether or not doctrine matters but are they pointing to a set of laws or rules rather than to Christ?

So why did he write this letter?

John wrote his letter to protect his readers but there were other reasons as well. He wrote to produce joy, holiness and assurance among his readers. Joy cannot be artificially produced but it comes as a byproduct of our service for the Lord. Phillip Yancey says that he has interviewed many stars and servants but it is the servants that have the joy. Holiness had been under attack by the teachers of John's day. Since the body wasn't important then why worry about holiness? Finally, his readers felt that they had come short because they did not have the experience of the superchristians of his day. John reminds his readers that our assurance is not based upon our experience or our works but upon the finished work of Christ.

1 John

On Sunday September 11 we are going to begin a new study, Lord willing, on 1 John. I do intend to do a study in 1 Corinthians but I felt that we should begin with the little letter of John.
So why did John write this letter? The first reason was to protect his readers and we need that protection today. There is so much material that sounds Christian but it can lead people into error. For example, there is much teaching that focuses on man but this is just humanism. We need to get back to focusing on the Gospel.
Now I need a title for the series. I am open to suggestions.

The furnace did it!

I was reading in Exodus about the time that Moses confronted Aaron regarding the golden calf. Aaron made the excuse that all he did was throw in the gold and out came the calf. Basically he said that the furnace did it.
Since that time people have basically been using the same excuse. If you were born into my family, if you lived where I lived, if you had my job, if you had my ... and the excuses go on. People are willing to blame anyone or anything but refuse to take responsibility for themselves.
I remember hearing a native pastor say that for years he had blamed his father for what had happened to him until one day the Holy Spirit said that he was not responsible for his father but he was responsible for himself. At that point he took responsibility for his own actions and found forgiveness and release. Stop blaming the furnace.

I have decided

We use to sing a song called "I have decided to follow Jesus.". At church we were asked to decide for Jesus, to make a decision for Christ. Some how we make it sound like it is like choosing whether to have cereal or toast for breakfast. Maybe we should remind people that it is about yielding rather than deciding. Yielding is total commitment.

Is God Poltical?

One definition of political is: "relating to your views about social relationships involving authority or power." If that is the definition of political then the answer would be "yes, God is political." God is concerned about social relationship that involve authority and power. However, we often associate being political with being liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat. God is not liberal or conservative; He is neither Republican or a Democrat but He cares about social relationships. God is less concerned about our views as they align with a political party as He is with our views in how we care for one another.
Now this is my opinion and I would love to have other opinions to think about. You may think I am baying at the moon or you may think I am being naive. Maybe I am but help me think this through.

Is God Religious?

What kind of a question is that? Isn't religion about God? While my answer to the question is "no". We divide life into the secular and the spiritual but with God all is spiritual. Religion refers to the external but God deals with the heart. If we say that God is religious then we can regulate Him to that compartment of our life which is religious. He isn't interested in being regulated to any part of our life, He wants all of us.

A Biblical World View

There has been quite a bit of talk about having a Biblical worldview but some people who talk about it don't know what a Biblical worldview is. First of all to have a Biblical worldview one has to know the Bible. You need to read it, study it, meditate upon it and know that it is truth not just contains truth. Second you shouldn't ask the wrong question. Instead of asking how does the one view this situation Biblically you should ask how does the Gospel speak to this situation. So what is the difference in these two questions? To me there is a big difference. The difference is the starting point. In the first you start with the situation and then apply the Bible while in the second you start with the Gospel knowing that the Gospel speaks to all areas of life.

Does Prayer Work?

Now what kind of a question is that? Is prayer a tool to make our life more comfortable? God does answer prayer but is that the reason we should pray? I am only asking the question but shouldn't we be thinking in terms of fellowship and communication? Why do I talk to a friend? Yes there will be times I will ask him for something but if the only time I ever talked to my friend was to get something I wonder how long that friendship would last?

The Greek Debt

There has been a lot of talk lately about the Greek debt but maybe we should remember our debt as the church to Greece. Greece gave us some of the earliest teachers and writers, Luke and Timothy as well as others. Greece also gave us the language for the New Testament.
Should we be concerned about the Greek debt? Absolutely! But let us not forget our debt to Greece.

When He says "Go!"

When God tells us to go and we stay we are not only hurting ourselves but we are also hurting those for whom we wished to stay. Often you have heard it said that why should we go when there is so much need at home? The issue isn't the need but obedience. Do we think we have a right to tell God what is best?

Now is the time

I have been thinking and praying about what to teach in the fall. The following are the options that have been going through my mind. I have not yet decided so if you have any ideas I would appreciate any comments. These are not in any particular order.

1. Exodus
2. Prayer life of Elijah
3. Luke
4. 1 Corinthians
5. 1 John

Those of you who know me know that I have a real love for teaching the Old Testament but we do need to have a proper balance.

John Stott

I first heard John Stott at Urbana 67 while I was a student at the University of Waterloo. Every morning we listened to him teach for an hour from John's Gospel. Since that time I have read many of his books and commentaries and I heard him again at Urbana 70. He will be greatly missed. He died at the age of 90.

There was nothing random about Jesus.

For the past few years it has been popular to do random acts of kindness but we should remember that there was nothing random about Jesus. His acts of kindness were deliberate not random. So should we do random acts of kindness? I believe that most actions that we call random are anything but random. We plan, we decide, we do. It may seem random to others but to us it is a deliberate act of kindness.

Whose faith heals?

Last Sunday I heard Bob Craft of the Bible League of Canada preach from Luke 5 and yesterday I heard via audio book Joni Ericksen Tada refer to the same passage. Often people point out to Joni that either there is secret sin in her life that she hasn't confessed or that she does not have the faith to be healed. Joni took the passage that her accusers were using against her and showed that it says, "that when Jesus saw their faith". She then told the accuser that maybe she wasn't healed because he didn't have faith. In a society that honours individuality it does not occur to us that we are together responsible for each others lives and that includes healing. I want to say more about healing but I also wanted people to be aware that it is wrong to accuse others of secret or unconfessed sin or lack of faith when the problem may be us.

Deconstructionism

So what is deconstructionism? Deconstructionism is a way of interpreting a text by trying to dig into what the original author was experiencing at the time of writing. If that is all that it meant then I would say that would be a good thing but it doesn't stop there. It also means that there is no one way of interpreting it today. Now this is where the problem lies. Scripture is not by private interpretation according to 2 Peter who tells us plainly that holy men of God were moved by the Holy Spirit and not to the whims of culture of the day. Though they wrote in the culture of the day it was not the culture but the Spirit that influenced Scripture. It is a must that we do look into the culture of the time but we must not forget that it is the Holy Spirit who moved men to write what they did.

Freedom and Liberty

What is the difference between freedom and liberty? A. W. Tozer says that freedom is liberty with bounds. As a Christian we must curtail certain liberties so that everyone can be free.

Google and Wikipedia

I typed "truth" into google and the first entry that came up was Wikipedia. Now it is interesting how google and wikipedia define truth. Truth according to google is what is relevant and according to wikipedia it is what is the consensus. Now if truth is defined by relevance then there is no absolute truth. If truth is defined by consensus then again there is no absolute truth. However, Jesus said that He is the truth. There is an absolute truth and that means that there is an absolute authority.

Dust

I was reading in Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest from the June 18 entry and I couldn't help contrast with the Dust video I saw this past week by Rob Bell. Oswald Chambers tells us that Peter was to self confident but Rob Bell tells us that he didn't have enough confidence in himself. This new age teaching is what you might expect from Oprah or Dr. Phil but from a Bible teacher it is unbelievable. We are told over and over again in scripture not to put our trust in ourselves or in our flesh but rather to depend upon God. Peter couldn't walk on the water because he had too much confidence in himself and not in the Lord. The Lord can use a person who has all his or her confidence in Him (Jesus) and not in self.
Is Peter his own saviour or is Jesus the Saviour? Sorry Rob Bell I believe that Oswald Chambers understands salvation and Scripture.

The enemy of my enemy

Is the enemy of my enemy my friend? This is an Arabian proverb, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Sometimes we form partnership based upon a common enemy, like abortion or gay marriage. However, is it enough that we have a common enemy and not agree on the essentials of the Gospel? Sometimes I think it is important that we partner with those who have a common enemy but we must be careful that we do not call them friends in other areas as well. Just thinking.

Call to Worship

What has happened to the call to worship in our churches today? The other Sunday instead of a call to worship I saw a video on how we can have our needs met. Now that is true and it is important that people are aware of that but we must be careful not to have our focus on ourselves when we come to worship. A call to worship should turn our thoughts to our Creator and off of our needs.

The New Liberals

I have read a number of books lately that I can only describe as being written by what I have termed, the new liberals. I must say that after hearing a sermon by Paris Reidhead I cannot help but filter my thinking through the sermon called, "Ten shekels and a shirt." (see May 6 or July 5, 2009). The new liberals sound good in that they have a strong desire to reach the non-believers but their focus is on the humanistic reason for reaching them rather than upon God. Some may say, "What is wrong with that?" Listen again to Paris Reidhead and I am sure you will understand where I am coming from.

Embrace Doubt

Thank you Sacred Sandwich for this:

Thank you Rob and Harold

I would like to say thank you to both Rob Bell and Harold Camping. Now I don't agree with them but I still would like to thank them. Rob Bell wrote a book about heaven which I believe, but I haven't read it, that I think is heresy from all the reports that I have read. However, he did bring about a discussion on the reality of hell and why it is an important doctrine. Without the doctrine of justice how could love win?
Harold Camping promoted the Lord's return for May 21, 2011. May 21 has come and gone but the Lord has not returned. Why I would like to thank Harold is that he too raised the issue and many people stopped to think about the second coming. Now I know he was wrong even before that date as Scripture is clear about making such predictions but at least it got people talking. Too bad people have to have false teaching to make them aware of the truth.