freedom

Watching the Iraqi people vote in a democratic election for the first time in over 50 years, is just another reminder how precious freedom is to human beings. There is something about being able to make choices that inspires people to brave hardship and suffering. Creatures who live by instinct take the most convenient and efficient route. Democracy is yet another example of the uniqueness of creativity and imagination for humans.

That said, isn’t it interesting that the Christian faith works so effectively in people’s lives without a democracy? The only vote Jesus gives is “yea or nay” in our trust of him. When we come to faith, we live under an eternal monarchy. Oh, we still get to vote. We vote to not reject King Jesus every day, but instead follow the lead of his Spirit. We vote to not ignore the influence his love has on us which causes us to want to reach out and be a benefit in the lives of other people. As Moses instructed (Deuteronomy 30:19) long ago, once again this morning, we are invited to “choose life.” Life with God is lasting freedom.

how could a loving God allow natural disasters?

Looking at the devastation of the recent earthquake and resulting tsunami, how could a loving God allow this to happen?

Great question. First a practical response. Without major plate tectonics (earthquakes and such), we would not be here. We need the land mass it generates, the changes in the atmosphere it causes to protect us from the growing brightness of the sun, and the nutrients that are circulated. Without plate tectonics we would have a sterile planet. Also, when the earliest life formed on earth about 3.8 billion years ago, there were five times as many major quakes. With the God of creation, one can say he is so benevolent to wait so long before introducing humans to planet earth when the tectonic activity had settled down.

From a human perspective, two things come to mind. First, we live where we live. There are four of these major earthquakes and resulting tsunami’s every century, on average. Educating your populace is a government’s responsibility. Along this same line, God already “instituted” an early warning system with tsunamis. A full 20 minutes before a tsunami hits, the ocean’s waters recede extremely further than any tide cycle. This is why shell fish, coral, and live fish were exposed to an extent not witnessed before by the people affected. Many of the dead were simply trying to reap this “miraculous” harvest, or were overcome by their own curiosity. This is why animals, without the creativity and imagination of humans, were much less likely to die.

Natural disasters are awful tragedies, and our prayers and our aid go out to our fellow humans. God certainly knows suffering and is there with those who suffer. This is also another opportunity for us to realize how fragile and brief our lives are in this created world. We look forward to the days that will have no end in the new creation where we will live safely and joyfully with Jesus forever. Now, we reach out and invite others to trust in Jesus and experience his presence now and forever, as well.

isn't the Bible filled with contradictions?

Contradiction- “A statement cannot be both true and false at the same time and in the same respect.”

So, two statements which share the identical time and context are offered. In contradiction, one would be true and one false. Where are there contradictions in the Bible? There are certainly difficulties and challenges to our understanding to be sure, but specific contradictions?

I’m still looking…

what about the Trinity?

I find the article, “Thinking about The Trinity: One What and Three Whos,” by Kenneth Sample, helpful. Some of what is revealed concerning the Trinity is a mystery. We are trying to explain God in our dimensions when God has more dimensions available. The question is whether human beings will accept God as He actually reveals Himself to be, mystery included, or only settle for a being they think they can fully comprehend. Of course if the human mind can comprehend God, can he be much of a God? As C.S. Lewis points out, some concepts of God are easier than others: “If Christianity was something we were making up, of course we could make it easier. But it isn’t. We can’t compete, in simplicity, with people who are inventing religions. How could we? We’re dealing with fact. Of course anyone can be simple if he has no facts to bother about!”

One what and three who’s

In terms of what God is (essence), God is one; in terms of who God is (subsistence), God is three. To put it in the negative, it is not three different gods (tritheism), for that would divide the essence. Rather it is only one God (monotheism). And it is not one single solitary person (monarchianism, modalism), for that would blend or confound the persons. Rather it is three distinct and distinguishable persons (triune).

The way God is one, he is not three. And the way God is three, he is not one.

isn’t saying, “Jesus is the way” offensive?

Isn’t saying, “Jesus is the way” offensive?

Isn’t saying “Jesus isn’t the way” offensive? Either salvation is through Christ alone, or it isn’t. Someday we will find out. In the meantime, to have a point of view and support it with principled, reasoned thinking is quite appropriate. We learn to live with our disagreements. That’s called “tolerance.” Remember.

Tolerance= I respect you as a human being and I respect that you have a point of view and I think your point of view is wrong.

One thing we cannot do to try to smooth over this “Jesus is the way” challenge. We don’t have the option of saying, “There are many ways.” “Many paths.” For example consider the claims of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

The main and earliest statement of faith of Christians is, “Jesus is Lord.” “Jesus is God.” This is considered blasphemy in Islam and Judaism. To say, “Jesus is God,” in either one of these faiths is a serious violation.
On its core teaching, Christianity is totally contradictory to Islam and Judaism. Either Jesus is God or he isn’t. One day we will find out. In the meantime, we need to be tolerant.

what about “good” people of other worldviews, including atheists?

Again, God will do exactly what is right. Whenever someone says, “What about good people who don’t trust in Jesus?” Won’t they be in heaven, too?”

First, if they have never heard of Jesus or the Gospel, then that is exactly what they will be judged on. How they responded to their God-given conscience. But if you are talking about someone who has heard of Jesus and rejects him as God, then it is a different story.

Moral behavior is one thing, trust in Jesus is another. God is not asking, “Did you behave, well?” He is asking, “Did you trust in Jesus?”

Now, don’t get me wrong. Moral behavior is important for a Christian. If we don’t love our neighbor, we are showing that we don’t really trust in Jesus, and such. And people of no faith or other faiths can be very caring, compassionate, loving people. But, we are not being compared to each other. We are being compared to Jesus.

If Jesus is who he says he is, and did what the Bible says he did, then our only hope is to be connected to him. Our good works, as it were, will not cut it with God. We are being judged according to the model of the perfect Jesus. So, all people need him to live with him forever.

Also, if Jesus did what is claimed about him, if it’s true, then someone who has heard his story and been invited to follow him and rejects him, well, that is not a “good” person. If it’s true, the greatest sin of all is to not thank him or trust him.

what about people who have never heard about Jesus?

When talking about trusting Jesus and hell, it doesn’t seem much of a choice to accept or reject Jesus for the people who have never heard of him. This could be people growing up in remote areas of the world. Also, a person may never hear the true Christian viewpoint about Jesus in a strict Muslim-influenced environment like Saudi Arabia, or, as in the recent past, a strict communist government like Albania, for example.

So, if you have never heard of him, or you have never heard the true Christian message, how do you have a choice to love Jesus and trust in him?

The Bible (Romans 2) says if you have never heard of him, God will examine your life based on your response to the God-given conscience he has placed within you. The Christian claim is everyone has the ability to tell right from wrong without knowing Jesus and his ways. God judges by how you respond.

This all makes sense. It gets a little confusing when you consider someone who has been exposed to the message of Jesus, but in a false way. I wonder about children brought up to believe in a Jesus who isn’t the Jesus whose story is told in the Bible? As they grow older, if they are truly seeking they will learn the truth. You can think of a lot of possible scenarios on this topic of what about people who have never heard the gospel story, either literally, or the real story. Ultimately, I am just glad I know Jesus and it causes me to want to make sure I get the message of Jesus as recorded in the Bible to many others.

how can a loving God send people to hell?

How can a loving God send people to hell?
More than anything, hell is a choice.

Hell is separation from God forever. It is not so much God “sends” people to hell as they choose to separate from God in this life and become the kind of people who cannot want God.

I believe there is a hell. In the Bible, Jesus himself talks about it 16 times. I don’t know the population of hell. I don’t know who will be there. All I know for sure is if you love Jesus and trust in him, you get to live with him forever. If you live your life in a way that separates you from Jesus and refuse to thank him and trust in him, you get to live without him forever. In a profound way, God gives you exactly what you want.

It’s is not so much God is love and so he will automatically force people to have a change of will and want to live with him. God is love but God is also just and he will honor people’s intentions towards him, even to the point of allowing them to reject him. As to who will be in hell and who will not…

God will do exactly what is right.

innocent suffering

There are two types of questions from those who are not Christian. How can there be a God and how can you trust in the God of the Bible? Usually something along the line of, “How can there be a God when…?” Or “How can you trust in a loving God who…?”

How can you trust in a loving God when children suffer?

The answer from yesterday’s posting is a good response here. The suffering of children in war time, poverty, hunger, and abuse, are all somehow connected to human sin. Parent’s lifestyle choices, government corruption, governments that oppress their own people, and unjust business practices all come to mind.

I also like to introduce another topic when this question is asked, when it seems appropriate. I ask why it seems so much worse when children suffer. Usually it is the innocence of the suffering that is mentioned. Then I might say,

“Who is the most powerless and innocent human being in the world? What human has absolutely no voice in his/her suffering?”

The answer, of course, is the developing human being in his/her mother’s womb. The planned death of almost 1.5 million or so humans a year in the US alone. This is innocent suffering at it’s core, and it is a powerful way to address human choice in the suffering. No matter what the mother’s circumstances, no matter if it is a necessary tragic option (mother’s life is in danger, for instance), taking the life of a purely innocent and powerless human being may bring a more pertinent question from God.

“Why?”

tough questions

When you are sharing your faith in Jesus, a fruitful time to explore is when people ask tough questions of Christianity. If they are not a Christian, then you aren’t likely to have much impact by quoting the Bible. There will be plenty of time for Bible, but in the beginning you are probably going to be asking them to look at things from a different perspective than they normally would. Over the next several days, let’s look at some clear responses to these tough questions. I am assuming you have already asked the person what they think, ala the “Columbo method.” Brief review on that.

• Ask them to tell you more about their question. What do they think?
  
• Ask them how they came to that conclusion. What are the sources that influenced them to think that way?
  

In this way, you will know what they will begin to understand, and what might take some time

Then, when they say, “What do you think?” I am going to give brief discussion starters, sound bites as it were, to get them thinking from a different angle.

But first, let me give a general teaching that is going to be used repeatedly by Christians to explain the ways of God.

God creates people out of love and wants to be in relationship with them. He wants people to know they are loved and to love Him back. But God will not force himself on anyone. Forced love is not really love, it is assault. We worship no rapist God. No abuser.

God gives the means for people to discover who he is if they truly seek him. But God also allows people to reject him. We have free will. We can trust or reject. God allows us to sin against him and against each other. If we could not sin, we would not be beings created to relate to God and with each other. We would be computer software that God simply manipulates.

Tomorrow we begin with some questions.

who has influenced you?

I have been posting on influencing your friends towards Jesus and I want to pause and ask the question, who influences you in your faith? The answer to that question is going to vary during your lifetime of discipleship. You may have many influencers; you may have a few. They may be living; they may be dead. They may be prominent; they may be a grandma, an uncle, a youth worker. Probably a combination of many.

It is a good idea to know who influences whom when you are considering another’s thinking. For disciples of Jesus, it is going to be the scriptures first. But then your thinking is shaped by others. For me, Martin Luther and Dallas Willard (if you have been reading this blog you already know him) would make my key short list. Then another Christian thinker you might not be familiar with. Reinhold Niebuhr.

Niebuhr was an important Christian thinker during the 20th century, arguably the most prominent American theologian. He was a behind the scenes advisor to our government both before, during, and after WW II. It was Niebuhr, identified as a “liberal socialist,” who broke with colleagues on pacifism, and championed the necessity of going to war to stop the greater evil brought about by Nazi Germany. I learned much from his writings. Let me give two examples that have helped me over the years.

Niebuhr said that whenever you have disagreement with someone, whether between individuals, groups or nations, it is always good to remember this. You are always more wrong than you think, and your opponent is always more right than you think.

Niebuhr also was very realistic about human sin. It has always been deemed reasonable for some who deal in “peace and justice” issues to consider sinful behavior only coming from the dominant group. In other words, the oppressed cannot be considered sinful in their dealings with others. We witness this today when we hear comments like “African-Americans can not be racist.”

I commend reading Niebuhr, today, more than ever his message has great validity.

Oh, by the way. As we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day yesterday, Reinhold Niebuhr was one of the greatest influences on his life. Niebuhr and Ghandi, an interesting combination.

people are waiting

In my last posting I spoke of the receptivity of people to the message of Jesus and our efforts to be of influence. In this venture, the word “self-differentiation” comes to mind. This is the ability to work objectively in an arena where you have personal and emotional attachment. Coaching your own children in Little League or having your own children in class as a teacher comes to mind. Self-differentiation also takes place when witnessing for Jesus with your friends. An invitation is what we are talking about, not a persuasive debate. When reaching out to someone close to you, one has to be careful of undo disappointment.

The receptivity of your friend is their problem, not yours. The work of the Holy Spirit drawing them to faith is God’s problem not yours. You are responsible for the invitation. God is responsible for the results. There is one other area you are responsible for, as well.

Instead of being discouraged and depressed over the fact that people you care for deeply are not responding to the gospel, there are many people who are just waiting for an invitation to seek more. I find it fascinating that Christians will feel so much pain and discouragement over loved ones and friends who don’t trust in Jesus or who have drifted from living out their faith, and then will do nothing to reach out to those who don’t trust in Jesus but who are totally receptive to discover saving faith. They just don’t know any Christians.

When you trust in Jesus are your Lord you are entering the arena of maturity. You have to be differentiated enough to know it is not your desires that are most important, but God’s desires. And God desires that you focus your attention on those who are receptive, not just those you are attached to.

a pebble in the shoe

God has given us free will. We have the ability to reject what God has to offer. God honors and respects us so much, he allows us to trust in Jesus or not. And as the Bible makes clear, God gives life and nurtures the life of those who trust in Jesus as Lord and those who don’t (Luke 4:25-27).

These observations are important when witnessing to the love of Jesus with your friends. If they are not receptive, so be it. You still have a friend and you have patience. Another day. I like what Greg Koukl says about this.

He says when you share your faith, you are being an influence. If people don’t respond and begin to trust in Jesus that’s O.K. You have at least “put a pebble in their shoe.” What a great way to think about it! By dealing with God issues with you, your friend will not quickly stop thinking about deeper things. It’s like a pebble in your shoe. Kind of bugging you and reminding you. Consider this.

An atheist visited the great rabbi and philosopher Martin Buber and demanded that Buber prove the existence of God to him. Buber refused, and the atheist got up to leave in anger. As he left, Buber called after him, "But can you be sure there is no God?" That atheist wrote, forty years later, "I am still an atheist. But Buber's question has haunted me every day of my life."

Now, unlike this story, we will give reasonable evidence of the existence of God. But if our friends choose to not seek further, we respect that. And we remember there are receptive people just waiting to meet us.

natural friendship

I have been posting on making friends with potential Christians in order to be an influence for their trusting in Jesus. A logical question is, “Isn’t this kind of an ulterior motive for friendship?” Actually, the process is quite normal. Think about it this way.

You are going to be friends with people you connect with. You connect because of common interests, common activities, and so on. You will enjoy each other’s company. That’s what friends do. They talk, hang out together, and share in activities together. What do you talk about with friends? Things that interest you. It will be natural to talk about faith matters in an ongoing friendship. It is important to you and it will be intriguing to your friend. Friends will also naturally invite friends to something that is important and meaningful to them. Your friend might invite you to the auto show, a museum, a movie, or a sport’s event, and you are not bizarre to simply invite them to worship or small group or some other activity with other Christians that may be of interest to them. At worst they can say, “No, thank you.”

So, what do we make of all this? First, it’s not like you are going to meet someone and say, “I want to be friends and, by the way, let me tell you about Jesus.” Friendships grow. They take time. So does being an influence for the Lord.

Second, if we invite our friends to attend a Christian gathering and they say, “No,” it’s not like we turn around and say, “O.K. that’s it, I don’t want to be your friend any more.” Reaching out can take a lot of time. It requires tremendous patience on our part and lots of grace from both us and our friends.

get out more

There is common knowledge when it comes to sharing faith with friends. What if your friends are all Christian? This is a natural phenomenon when you have been part of a Christian community for many years. The rule of thumb is “The longer you are a Christian the fewer potential Christians you meet.” In a way, the joy, care, and support one receives by being with, well, joyful caring, and supportive Christians makes it more likely that one will spend most of one’s time with these people. Kind of a “Catch 22” situation. The better the fellowship I receive within a Christian community the more likely I am to want to spend time with these Christians.

So, what do you do? You need to get out more. If you work, the most likely people you will reach out to will be people at work. If you go to school it will be other kids from school. It can be neighbors. If you have children, it can be parents you meet from sport’s leagues, scouting and so forth. You have (as Ken Callahan would say) help, hope, and a home being connected to Jesus and his church and so you want to share this with others.

Making friends with people who are not Christian becomes essential and intentional for a disciple of Jesus. It is also a lot of fun. You will meet some great people and you will have your thinking expanded. When you spend time with potential Christians you can learn from Jesus because if they have been seeking at all they have been influenced by Jesus drawing them to himself. So, you are not bringing something they don’t have any connection to as much as inviting them to join you on the path to learn from the Jesus who is already there. Name the name, as it were. The story in the Bible (Acts 17:19-31) of Paul speaking of the statue of the “unknown god” is a wonderful analogy.

being a friend

According to research, when a person comes to trust in Jesus before the age of 13, it is through parent’s influence (50%) more than anything else. Between 13-21, friends and parents are equally influential, (20% each). If a person comes to trust in Jesus after 21, the highest percentage (20% again) do so as a result of the influence of friends. This is not shocking that friends would be so influential.

What energizes us, energizes our friends. I have a friend who is a latecomer to the internet. Sure enough, as soon as he is online he discovers a poker game room. He has told several friends and they are now playing. He said this to me.

“If I would make the same effort letting my friends know about Jesus as I do about internet poker…”

You get the picture. Our friend’s respect our interests. They also trust us. They feel safe with us. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t remain friends. The more transparent we are to our friends, the richer the relationship can become.

So, why is it so hard to share our faith with them? Some possible reasons:

1. We will be held to a different standard if they know we are an active Christian.

2. We are hesitant to say the wrong thing.

3. We are fearful they may be turned off by our faith emphasis and not continue the friendship.

Some observations:

1. Different standard? Meaning we don’t want to make lifestyle changes more in tune to a disciple of Jesus?

2. Wrong thing? The whole idea of friendship is wide boundaries for saying whatever one wishes. The absolute worst response from a friend in a sharing faith experience is going to be, “That’s great for you but I am not interested.” How devastating is that?

3. Turned off? It all depends on our approach. If we are respectful and caring (always a good idea in all our relationships), and don’t treat them like idiots, friends will at best want to explore more, and at worst change the subject.

considering Jesus

When we reach out to potential disciples of Jesus, there are some basics to consider. I will post on several this week. For instance…

According to research, most people have acquired their morals values and the faith they will hold by the age of 13. Afterward, learning and growing in their beliefs is primarily reinforcement. So, when you are reaching out to adults with the good news of Jesus, from a human standpoint, good luck. No amount of persuasion, argument, challenge, any other “method” is going to make much of a dent. It is not common for an adult to come to trust in the Lord for the first time.

So, what is the use? Well, let’s wait a minute. There are many possibilities that make it more likely someone is receptive. Here are a few.

We know the Holy Spirit has been drawing the other person to Jesus anyway he can. Always without forcing love, but ready for an open heart seeking. If someone is truly seeking, eventually they will come to Jesus. That’s the way he set it up.

There are times in life, especially crisis or uncertainty, where someone is less likely to accept his/her own status quo and be more willing to consider the possibility of trust in Jesus. These are the times when we may ask questions of meaning and purpose to who we are and why we are here. Soul searching time is ripe for Jesus to break through.

Friends trust friends. If you are in relationship with potential disciples of Jesus, they will have the opportunity to see him at work through you. Why would they be influenced? I’ll look at that tomorrow.

labels

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you have seen I am not a big fan of using “labels” like “left wing” or “right wing,” “Christian Right” or “Christian Left,” and so forth. I would personally fit into what would be traditionally called “conservative” by some, and I would also fit into what would be traditionally called “liberal” by some. Now, I do not find the terms, "liberal" or "conservative" offensive. But alone, they are not very accurate descriptively. It simply depends on the issue. I would hesitate to guess I am not alone in not fitting neatly into any category.

A friend of mine recently wrote an observation about this issue that was extremely helpful. She said,

The prime example of that in today's world is the reference to the Christian Right and the Left..........Yes we have Christians that have different philosophies and approaches when doing the work of Christ. Within a liberal frame of mind and a conservative frame of mind sits many common values.

Well said. I did a Google news search on the use of these terms in the public media. Here are the results:

“Christian Left”- 10 uses in the news
“Christian Right”- 345 uses in the news

Let’s be careful about our use of “labels” and let’s hope the media catches on.

American tsunami relief

The outpouring of support for the tsunami victims has been amazing. The American government, in particular military, and the private sector are responding in record numbers. If the trend continues, the contributions made by Americans will exceed all the donations of all other countries in the world combined. The two top ranked charities, according to the American Institute of Philanthropy, are the American Red Cross and Lutheran World Relief. These are the only two organizations to receive an A+ rating. Donate on-line by clicking on their name.

LA Times, I am still waiting

Well, it’s been almost a month since Antony Flew, world’s most prominent atheist, announced he was a believer in God. As has been said, the equivalent of Billy Graham announcing he has become a Buddhist. I have already posted on the lack of response by the media. As of today, my own local paper, The LA Times, has never mentioned it at all! Well, my hunch is the name Antony Flew will not go away. His “conversion” (remember, he is only talking “god” here, not God of the Bible) was based in a large part in examining the evidence of design in nature. His claim that the evidence for intelligent design is compelling will make for a huge shift in the intelligent design/ Darwinian evolution rhetoric. Every time I read or hear from a Darwinian evolutionist, they use the common litany that intelligent design is simply “creationists masking their religious views in scientific language.”

No longer will they be able to say this with much energy. I don’t doubt we will continue to hear this logical fallacy of the “straw man” variety (straw man- find the most extreme example related to your opponents view and then attack that example as if your opponent believes it). Oh, there have been many atheist and agnostist proponents of intelligent design out there. But, we are now talking about Atheist #1. Pretty difficult to spin that Flew is trying to get Christianity taught in our schools under the guise of intelligent design.

We shall see...

human tsunami's

There is an outpouring of response for the tsunami victims, and rightly so. A natural disaster where 120,000 have died and perhaps another 120,000 will die of disease in the aftermath is worthy of the world’s attention. Our prayers and support go out to these parts of the world.

And then there is the Sudan.

An Arab Islamist government has “quietly” murdered or starved a couple of million Christians and other non-Muslims in the last 20 years and we hear nary a peep. Last year the government became an “equal opportunity” demonic power and began killing fellow Muslims in the Dafur region at the pace of 70,000 in the last several months.

What is the moral of this situation? First of all, news is news. A Google news search, “Dafur,” results in 72 mentions. “Tsunami,” 120,000. Second, plate tectonics and the unleashing of such devastation on a natural level is cause of great international concern and response. But the “tsunami’s” of the human variety of religious bigotry, racism (the Muslims of Dafur just happen to be black), and bloodlust, well, this warrants some concern, meager response, and quite frankly, business as usual.
And I haven’t even mentioned the lack of international response for the AID’s crisis in sub-Sahara Africa… (6,600 dead a day in 2004!).

the choice

So, I am looking at the various statues of ganesh at the Norton Simon, and then I'm thinking about God coming to earth as Jesus. Some of these statues are formed during the same time Jesus was here in person. There is a distinct difference here. Worshipping a many limbed man with the head of an elephant or worshipping the God made man who said,

Luke 4:18-19
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim
that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors,
[19] and that the time of the Lord's favor has come."

Why did some people worship an elephant god and some Jesus? Same time, same “eastern” culture. Same intelligence, same human need, same seeking. Why?

When you think of this situation at its basic core, it is an amazing statement of God allowing human freedom of thought. The Bible addresses this issue. (Romans 1:18-22)

I am thinking about this deeply. Every one of us has a choice. Either Jesus is God or he is not.

Follow the evidence. Open yourself to the possibility.

eastern religion

I visited the Norton Simon Museum yesterday with Kristina. Daddy/daughter day choice, as it were. It has such a rich and varied collection in such a small space. I am a painting guy myself and the Rembrant’s, Degas’, Van Gogh’s, and such were fascinating, as usual. But we made a special trip downstairs to see the South Asia exhibit. One of the most extensive collections from this region anywhere in the world.

With only a couple of exceptions, it was all religious art. Hinduism, Buddhism, and a little bit of Jainism thrown in. So I am looking at a statue of Ganesh, the elephant/man from about 100 B.C. This is one of the most popular Hindu gods. Here is what I am thinking.

It always strikes me as inaccurate to call Christianity a “Western” religion. Yes, the “West” has come to dominate world culture in some ways and Christianity is the religion most practiced. But Christianity and the faith it grew out of, Judaism, are “Eastern” religions. Born in and bred in the Middle East. Our Holy Scriptures written by people of an “Eastern” mindset. So, when someone says to me, “I’m into Eastern religions,” I reply, “I’m into an Eastern religion, too. Christianity.”

More on this tomorrow.

whose side are you on

Jesus wants us to worship him. Someone once said when you worship you are declaring “whose side you are on.” Jesus desires our worship, as it makes it clear to us what team we are on. The Jesus team. This simple fact is important as a statement as well as an act of personal faith.

In the “olden” days when I was a young child, it was an advantage to be connected to a church. People were expected to “go to church” in my community. It was good for social reasons and business reasons, as well as spiritual. Many banks would even require church membership before they would give out a loan!

My, how times have changed. Oh, it’s still good for social reasons and business reasons to be involved in a church. This is because active disciples make good friends and following Jesus’ way helps business success in the long run. Not a magic blessing but Jesus’ principles are just sound truth for healthy practice. But all of this is without the cultural approval for joining a church that was available a couple of generations ago.

When you look at the faces around you today at worship, you are looking at people who may be there for a variety of reasons. But there is one reason you know why they are not there. Societies expectations.

getting excited

I was reading the story of the woman at the well from John 4. After meeting Jesus she got so excited she dropped everything she was doing and ran into town to tell everyone about Jesus.

Boniface is one of my favorite Christian missionaries. He gives up the life of a noble in 8th century England and goes to the wild woods of Germany. There he found people worshipping the Norse Gods such as Odin and Thor. Boniface stayed and brought the good news. He was so excited to tell everyone about Jesus.

Christians have the greatest mission in the galaxies. To tell of the love of Jesus for all people. This love is received purely as a gift. It is not dependant on human effort or ability. Instead of humans relying on their efforts to obtain the favor of God, Christianity teaches God is pleased with humans already and gives them his love freely. He breaks into our history as Jesus and lets us know himself.

Now, that’s something worth getting excited about.