A while back I referenced 1 Corinthians 1.17. Well I'm referencing it again. But with a different focus.
The message of Christianity is easy. The point of Christianity is easy. The message simply being that God came to earth in human form to provide a way for salvation. The point of being a Christian is, now that we're saved, to spread this message and live as if we're saved, that is, live a life worthy of being called a "Child of God."
But Christianity itself is hard. The deeper parts of it don't make any sense. It seems to be full of contradictions, misinformation, and theories that our minds can't grasp.
Lately I've been reading Mere Christianity for class, and C.S. Lewis writes that one of the reasons he believes Christianity to be true is because it's so difficult. The universe itself is difficult, and while other religions may have answers for everything, they still have holes, and come out to be simple. Christianity on the other hand does have answers to everything (though a lot of the time we don't know those answers, but someone else might even if we've never met them), there are no holes, even when it seems like different ideas contradict themselves.
For example, the idea of faith and works. Paul has an emphasis on faith, while James seems to have more of an emphasis on works. Really looking into what each are saying, they really do come out to contradict each other. But Christianity takes these two opposing views, and makes them work together. This can be called a chiasm or chiasmus. And how Christianity makes these two ideas work together is it says that because of our faith, we do works, which make our faith something real, tangible, see-able.
And Christianity is full of these. How many times have you read the Bible and went, "Well this is saying A, but if we look here we see it say B. How can this be true then?" This is where context comes in. A could just be how B happened in that particular situation. Or if you take the two and put them together in the context of all of scripture, you could pull out F, which is the mixture of A and B and possibly more ideas.
What I'm not saying is that you can twist scripture to make it fit what you want it to. What I am saying is that sometimes you need to look at the whole picture to understand how two seemingly opposing ideas or teachings actually work together. Is this hard to do? Yes. But Christianity is not easy. The message and point are, but Christianity itself is not. It calls us to think, critically, rationally, carefully about all aspects of life. What we read, what we see, what we experience. But it will always, eventually, make sense. Even if you can't understand it this side of heaven.
Monday, February 1, 2016
Monday, December 14, 2015
Birth Number One
After nine grueling months of silence from Zechariah, John is finally born.
Elizabeth, the mother, was quite old at the time, no children before, and therefore deemed barren. So when she had her first, and only, child there was obviously a good bit of fuss in the family. And what we see the family say is that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
It's interesting to me how much we relate, and yet don't relate to this passage, even these two verses. A miracle has happened, and those surrounding the one that was blessed rejoice with her! And they also acknowledge that God had great mercy on her as well, attributing the miracle to God.
Yesterday I was at church helping out with the Jr. High Sunday school and we were going around talking about gifts from God in a small group. I had each of the students go around and tell us a bit about gifts they they had received from God that they are thankful for and one student looked at me and said, "He defeated my mom's cancer."
Completely floored me.
I've known a few people with cancer, and many more that have been effected by cancer through family members, friends, etc. Yet rarely when that particular person is deemed cancer free or in remission, they are congratulated for beating cancer. Hardly ever have I heard people give the entire credit to God, but only half credit, with the majority of it going to the person that had cancer. There is much rejoicing with the person, but, from what I've seen personally, there has been a lack of recognition that God has shown mercy to them.
I could go on and on about this, but these are just my initial thoughts. Yes, rejoice with people who have been considered cancer free, but give all the glory to God for it is by his will and the knowledge that he has given the medical world that the cancer was able to be defeated.
During this holiday season, remember that the gifts that we receive, including life itself, are a gift of God, and never by our own work. And remember the greatest gift of all, Jesus, our only path to salvation, was not something at all that we could ever do.
Elizabeth, the mother, was quite old at the time, no children before, and therefore deemed barren. So when she had her first, and only, child there was obviously a good bit of fuss in the family. And what we see the family say is that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
It's interesting to me how much we relate, and yet don't relate to this passage, even these two verses. A miracle has happened, and those surrounding the one that was blessed rejoice with her! And they also acknowledge that God had great mercy on her as well, attributing the miracle to God.
Yesterday I was at church helping out with the Jr. High Sunday school and we were going around talking about gifts from God in a small group. I had each of the students go around and tell us a bit about gifts they they had received from God that they are thankful for and one student looked at me and said, "He defeated my mom's cancer."
Completely floored me.
I've known a few people with cancer, and many more that have been effected by cancer through family members, friends, etc. Yet rarely when that particular person is deemed cancer free or in remission, they are congratulated for beating cancer. Hardly ever have I heard people give the entire credit to God, but only half credit, with the majority of it going to the person that had cancer. There is much rejoicing with the person, but, from what I've seen personally, there has been a lack of recognition that God has shown mercy to them.
I could go on and on about this, but these are just my initial thoughts. Yes, rejoice with people who have been considered cancer free, but give all the glory to God for it is by his will and the knowledge that he has given the medical world that the cancer was able to be defeated.
During this holiday season, remember that the gifts that we receive, including life itself, are a gift of God, and never by our own work. And remember the greatest gift of all, Jesus, our only path to salvation, was not something at all that we could ever do.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
A Family Meeting
After Mary found out she was going to have a child, and after she's been told that her barren cousin was as well, she decided to take trip to see Elizabeth.
What we see happen is when Mary shows up, she greets Elizabeth, and John jumps for joy while in Elizabeth's womb. At this, she is filled with the Holy Spirit and knows that Mary is pregnant and with who she is pregnant with! She had no prior knowledge as far as we can see, but it was revealed to her, by God, through the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth then tells Mary just how blessed she is and how excited she is for what's coming.
But one thing that she says is, "And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." Yes, this is specifically spoken of about Mary, but that doesn't mean that we can't look at this and apply it to ourselves. We all are promised things from God, just as Mary was promised a son. And just like her, we become blessed by believing there will be a fulfillment of the promise. We see that all throughout the Old Testament. Abraham was promised an inheritance, and great nation for his offspring, and centuries later we see these events taking place with his decedents. He was promised by God, and he believed that there would be a fulfillment.
And because of that, Mary spends 10 of our verses praising God for what he has done and his magnificence. Spend time reading this passage, and reflect on it while keeping in mind the promise that was fulfilled with the coming of Jesus, and also the promises that came with him.
What we see happen is when Mary shows up, she greets Elizabeth, and John jumps for joy while in Elizabeth's womb. At this, she is filled with the Holy Spirit and knows that Mary is pregnant and with who she is pregnant with! She had no prior knowledge as far as we can see, but it was revealed to her, by God, through the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth then tells Mary just how blessed she is and how excited she is for what's coming.
But one thing that she says is, "And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." Yes, this is specifically spoken of about Mary, but that doesn't mean that we can't look at this and apply it to ourselves. We all are promised things from God, just as Mary was promised a son. And just like her, we become blessed by believing there will be a fulfillment of the promise. We see that all throughout the Old Testament. Abraham was promised an inheritance, and great nation for his offspring, and centuries later we see these events taking place with his decedents. He was promised by God, and he believed that there would be a fulfillment.
And because of that, Mary spends 10 of our verses praising God for what he has done and his magnificence. Spend time reading this passage, and reflect on it while keeping in mind the promise that was fulfilled with the coming of Jesus, and also the promises that came with him.
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scatted the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he had brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.
Monday, December 7, 2015
The Second Gift that was Promised
Interesting to me is how the Christ, the most important person in history, was promised after the one that is basically the one that introduces him. Even more interesting is looking at Revelation 13 we see the exact opposite. In Luke it's the Messenger then the Ruler, and Revelation it's the Ruler, and then the Messenger.
But while looking at Luke, I am reminded of something that Jesus has said, "The last shall be first." Jesus is promised after John, but Jesus is more important that John, and in this case, the last promised is the first in importance.
But what we see leading up to this Christmas season is that there is this young girl, promised to a man named Joseph, just going about her day as usual. She's living in a town called Nazareth, which has a pretty crappy reputation, much like Will-kill-yinz-burg in Pittsburgh. When suddenly a wild Angel appears! This being the same angel that visited Zechariah, who, oddly enough, was married to Mary's cousin Elizabeth. This family is obviously looked upon with favor by God. Mary is promised that she will bear a son. She is called favored one, and told that God is with her. She's incredibly confused by this, and probably a bit scared with this super bright being showing up and talking to her. Yet the angel, Gabriel, told her there was nothing to be scared of, because she has found favor with God. And because of that she's going to have a child, and not just a child but a son, and his name will be Jesus, the Greek for Joshua, which means, "YAHWEH is salvation." Alright, this is pretty, normal? I mean a child is given to a mother when she shouldn't be having a child, which we've seen multiple times, Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth, this isn't outside of one's imagination. The name was given by the Messenger, alright a bit strange, but not horribly so, if God's giving a child he kind of has a right to give the name as well. They still got the middle name right? But then looking at Luke 1.32-33 we see the purpose of this child, which is a lot different than what we've seen in the past.
"He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
Any Jew during this time will hear that and go, "It's about freaking time!"
Why? Because Gabriel just described what they call the Messiah, also known as the Christ to the Greeks. Properly translated we would call this person The King, or Lord. And yes, The was capitalized intentionally because this is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords that Gabriel is talking about. And he just told this young woman that she's going to give birth to him.
He's going to be called the Son of God. He's from the line of David, which is in the Tribe of Judah of which Jacob, Judah's father also known as Israel, said that the scepter will never leave Judah. He will rule over Jacob's house, which is the entire nation of Israel. And he's going to do that FOR-EV-ER. And his Kingdom will never end. All of this points to the Messiah, the Christ, The King.
This is the child that was promised to Mary. This is the birth that we are supposed to celebrate around this time. The coming of the Messiah, the promise of one who's name is YAHWEH is salvation. Who is the Son of YAHWEH, and also the bridge to him, the bridge to salvation. This child is a gift to us, and in him is hope and salvation, given to us by God so that we may be reconciled with him, adopted and brought into the New Israel, and letting his son rule over our lives.
This is what the Christmas season is all about, the anticipation and excitement of this particular child that was promised to us, and the celebration of his coming. So get excited, get hype, and prepare to celebrate the coming of our King.
But while looking at Luke, I am reminded of something that Jesus has said, "The last shall be first." Jesus is promised after John, but Jesus is more important that John, and in this case, the last promised is the first in importance.
But what we see leading up to this Christmas season is that there is this young girl, promised to a man named Joseph, just going about her day as usual. She's living in a town called Nazareth, which has a pretty crappy reputation, much like Will-kill-yinz-burg in Pittsburgh. When suddenly a wild Angel appears! This being the same angel that visited Zechariah, who, oddly enough, was married to Mary's cousin Elizabeth. This family is obviously looked upon with favor by God. Mary is promised that she will bear a son. She is called favored one, and told that God is with her. She's incredibly confused by this, and probably a bit scared with this super bright being showing up and talking to her. Yet the angel, Gabriel, told her there was nothing to be scared of, because she has found favor with God. And because of that she's going to have a child, and not just a child but a son, and his name will be Jesus, the Greek for Joshua, which means, "YAHWEH is salvation." Alright, this is pretty, normal? I mean a child is given to a mother when she shouldn't be having a child, which we've seen multiple times, Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth, this isn't outside of one's imagination. The name was given by the Messenger, alright a bit strange, but not horribly so, if God's giving a child he kind of has a right to give the name as well. They still got the middle name right? But then looking at Luke 1.32-33 we see the purpose of this child, which is a lot different than what we've seen in the past.
"He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
Any Jew during this time will hear that and go, "It's about freaking time!"
Why? Because Gabriel just described what they call the Messiah, also known as the Christ to the Greeks. Properly translated we would call this person The King, or Lord. And yes, The was capitalized intentionally because this is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords that Gabriel is talking about. And he just told this young woman that she's going to give birth to him.
He's going to be called the Son of God. He's from the line of David, which is in the Tribe of Judah of which Jacob, Judah's father also known as Israel, said that the scepter will never leave Judah. He will rule over Jacob's house, which is the entire nation of Israel. And he's going to do that FOR-EV-ER. And his Kingdom will never end. All of this points to the Messiah, the Christ, The King.
This is the child that was promised to Mary. This is the birth that we are supposed to celebrate around this time. The coming of the Messiah, the promise of one who's name is YAHWEH is salvation. Who is the Son of YAHWEH, and also the bridge to him, the bridge to salvation. This child is a gift to us, and in him is hope and salvation, given to us by God so that we may be reconciled with him, adopted and brought into the New Israel, and letting his son rule over our lives.
This is what the Christmas season is all about, the anticipation and excitement of this particular child that was promised to us, and the celebration of his coming. So get excited, get hype, and prepare to celebrate the coming of our King.
Monday, November 30, 2015
The First Gift that was Promised.
Well Thanksgiving has gone by meaning now we can start into the Christmas stuff. Never before because we have to remember to be thankful for the gift that is given at Christmas. If I could get away with punching people in the face that start celebrating Christmas after Halloween I would do it. But I don't want a bunch of assault charges against me.
But since we're in the Christmas season I figured we could start a little series leading up to the reason for Christmas! With this series we'll be looking at the beginning of Luke for a couple reasons. 1) I like the book of Luke. 2) It gives us the most information leading up to the birth of Jesus. And 3) Luke is currently the only gospel I've read through since I started my new reading schedule last year. I'm almost through everything else though so then I get to read the other 3. Anyways, let's get started!
So starting in Luke 1.5-25, we see a man named Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. They're old, they don't have any kids, and they've accepted it. They just go about their usual lives of a Priest and his wife. They were devote Jews, worshiping God and following his statues out of love and reverence for him. One day Zechariah goes into the temple to burn some incense and Lo! there's an angel standing there. Of course he's probably all majestic and formal standing there, but I like to picture him leaning against the alter, picking his fingers waiting for Zechariah to come in. When he does he looks up and goes, "Remain calm... Good news! What you want is going to happen! You're going to have a son! Here's all his stats."
Zechariah just looks at him, probably laughs a bit, then goes, "Na. My wife and I are old. Ain't gonna happen." Well the angel goes, "I'm Gabriel. The messenger for God himself. And because you're mocking God's messenger, and therefore God himself, you're not going to speak until your son is born. Laugh now!" And Zechariah can't speak. Eventually he goes home, and his wife becomes pregnant.
This is the first major event which leads to the beginning of a new age, a new religion, a new covenant between God and his people. This major event is the beginning of a man who will pave the way for Jesus and his ministry.
Looking at verses 14-17 we see the characteristics of this person, who will be named John, or as we know him, John the Baptist.
First off he's going to bring joy to people, because he will be great before the Lord, possibly meaning Jesus himself. He is going to come before Jesus, and will be a great prophet, or messenger from God to the people. He's going to be filled with the Holy Spirit and the message he will give will bring many to God. He'll have the power and spirit of Elijah, one of the greatest prophets in all of Israel's history. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill.
But then look at what Gabriel says about John, "...turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." From this I think what we can gather is that there are many people in Israel at the time who are unprepared to meet their God. They're neglecting their children, they have no care for justice or obedience to God. But John is coming to help restore these people to their proper position and calling. To care for widows and orphans, those less fortunate than themselves, to desire justice above all else, to love what God loves and hate what God hates. John is coming then to prepare people to hear the truth from God himself, taking these teachings and putting them into practice, preaching by action, not just words.
All of which will bring joy to the world, especially those that embody those very attributes because of their relationship with the one who holds salvation.
But since we're in the Christmas season I figured we could start a little series leading up to the reason for Christmas! With this series we'll be looking at the beginning of Luke for a couple reasons. 1) I like the book of Luke. 2) It gives us the most information leading up to the birth of Jesus. And 3) Luke is currently the only gospel I've read through since I started my new reading schedule last year. I'm almost through everything else though so then I get to read the other 3. Anyways, let's get started!
So starting in Luke 1.5-25, we see a man named Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. They're old, they don't have any kids, and they've accepted it. They just go about their usual lives of a Priest and his wife. They were devote Jews, worshiping God and following his statues out of love and reverence for him. One day Zechariah goes into the temple to burn some incense and Lo! there's an angel standing there. Of course he's probably all majestic and formal standing there, but I like to picture him leaning against the alter, picking his fingers waiting for Zechariah to come in. When he does he looks up and goes, "Remain calm... Good news! What you want is going to happen! You're going to have a son! Here's all his stats."
Zechariah just looks at him, probably laughs a bit, then goes, "Na. My wife and I are old. Ain't gonna happen." Well the angel goes, "I'm Gabriel. The messenger for God himself. And because you're mocking God's messenger, and therefore God himself, you're not going to speak until your son is born. Laugh now!" And Zechariah can't speak. Eventually he goes home, and his wife becomes pregnant.
This is the first major event which leads to the beginning of a new age, a new religion, a new covenant between God and his people. This major event is the beginning of a man who will pave the way for Jesus and his ministry.
Looking at verses 14-17 we see the characteristics of this person, who will be named John, or as we know him, John the Baptist.
First off he's going to bring joy to people, because he will be great before the Lord, possibly meaning Jesus himself. He is going to come before Jesus, and will be a great prophet, or messenger from God to the people. He's going to be filled with the Holy Spirit and the message he will give will bring many to God. He'll have the power and spirit of Elijah, one of the greatest prophets in all of Israel's history. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill.
But then look at what Gabriel says about John, "...turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." From this I think what we can gather is that there are many people in Israel at the time who are unprepared to meet their God. They're neglecting their children, they have no care for justice or obedience to God. But John is coming to help restore these people to their proper position and calling. To care for widows and orphans, those less fortunate than themselves, to desire justice above all else, to love what God loves and hate what God hates. John is coming then to prepare people to hear the truth from God himself, taking these teachings and putting them into practice, preaching by action, not just words.
All of which will bring joy to the world, especially those that embody those very attributes because of their relationship with the one who holds salvation.
Monday, November 16, 2015
Praying for the Wicked
Friday in Paris there were some atrocious acts of terrorism performed by a terrorist group of extremist Muslims.
When I read the headlines it felt like I got punched in the stomach. I was instantly taken back to September 11, 2001 at about 4pm when I came home from school and found out about the attacks on our own soil. I imagined that kind of fear and that insecurity being felt by another nation on the other side of the world.
Friday night I had a Lock-in with the campus ministry I'm a part of, and I was speaking on our theme for the year. Basically our study is a more practical approach to the What Would Jesus Do? movement.
As I was writing the sermon, I was asking myself, how does God feel about these attacks? Obvious he is full of anguish and grief for the loss and the indifference towards human life. I'm sure like many of us when we heard the news, God likewise had a righteous anger towards those that committed these acts of terror and wanted to see them receive the just retribution of their actions.
But at the same time, unlike God, we forget that these terrorists are human as well. I know most would say, "People that act like that aren't human, they're monsters. They don't deserve the right to be called human." I in no way am attempting to justify their actions, I gave up attempting to justify sin a while back. But what I do want to do is inform that they believe they are going to bring about the apocalypse, and they act on their faith just as we Christians should act on our faith. This could lead to an entire other lesson, but I'm not going to go that route right now. What we do know is that these men and practitioners of Radical Islam obviously worship the wrong God.
So what we get if we boil it all down, is that the Radical Muslims are worshiping the wrong god and follow a perverted form of Islam. I'm not an expert on Islam, but I'm speaking from what I do know about it. And if we can bring their actions down to them being, in our view, pagans, then they are a people that are out of a restored relationship with God, the true God, who above all else desires a restored relationship with his children/creation. His creation also includes these Radical Muslims many of us call monsters and inhuman.
So Radical Muslims are no different than those that are lost. And their actions reflect their identity of that of a person that does not worship a peaceful and loving god. Again, I am not attempting to justify their sin, or saying that they do not deserve to go unpunished for their actions.
What I am attempting to prove though, is that these terrorists deserve our prayers just as much as the victims of their attacks do. And that is where we get controversial.
Romans 12.14, 17-21: Bless those that persecute you; bless and do not curse. Repay no evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God. If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing so you will heap burning coals n his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Luke 6.27: But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
How much more clear could God be? Those that attack and murder are wicked, and their actions are wicked. But they are as in need of salvation as you or I. Even the wicked are called to repentance (Acts 17.30; 2 Peter 3.9).
So what I propose is that we begin to pray for the wicked. They are our enemies, and we are told outright that we are to pray for them. While our view of these people are that they are unworthy of salvation and grace and forgiveness, we must understand that we are too, and that just as God desired us to be reconciled with him, he also desired to be reconciled with them.
Monday, November 2, 2015
The Covenant
No. Not from Halo.
The Old Testament surrounds the Old Covenant.
The New Testament surrounds the New Covenant.
The events that fill both testaments follow the establishment of its respective covenant.
One thing I've been wanting to research recently are the two covenants, are they the same, are the different, is one a physical representation and the other the spiritual truth? These are answers currently above my pay grade. Maybe one day though.
But what I do want to focus on is that we who profess to be saved are in a covenant with God.
Covenant is one of those words that has a ton of meaning, but a simple definition. It means a promise. But it has so much more weight behind it.
When two people get married they enter into a covenant.
When parties sign a contract, they enter into a covenant.
When two friends shake hands and make a deal that loser gives up the sticks, they make a covenant.
God has initiated a covenant with us, through his son Jesus. We have an easy way into this covenant, this relationship, which is faith. And his promise is that in the end we win and we'll receive an inheritance that we didn't earn and we'll be able to be in the presence of God.
But more than that, we now have God living inside of us. Someone to help us get through anything that comes our way, be it escape, support, or sheer will power. God has made a promise to us, and he will not go back on it.
The Old Testament surrounds the Old Covenant.
The New Testament surrounds the New Covenant.
The events that fill both testaments follow the establishment of its respective covenant.
One thing I've been wanting to research recently are the two covenants, are they the same, are the different, is one a physical representation and the other the spiritual truth? These are answers currently above my pay grade. Maybe one day though.
But what I do want to focus on is that we who profess to be saved are in a covenant with God.
Covenant is one of those words that has a ton of meaning, but a simple definition. It means a promise. But it has so much more weight behind it.
When two people get married they enter into a covenant.
When parties sign a contract, they enter into a covenant.
When two friends shake hands and make a deal that loser gives up the sticks, they make a covenant.
God has initiated a covenant with us, through his son Jesus. We have an easy way into this covenant, this relationship, which is faith. And his promise is that in the end we win and we'll receive an inheritance that we didn't earn and we'll be able to be in the presence of God.
But more than that, we now have God living inside of us. Someone to help us get through anything that comes our way, be it escape, support, or sheer will power. God has made a promise to us, and he will not go back on it.
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