Symbols...

I don’t know what it was that set me off but it sparked something inside of me that has not released it’s grip on my mind since we last debated.

It all started when we were talking about churches and their seemingly new need to “re-style”, “re-tool” even “re-shape” the gospel of Jesus. We were discussing how a church strikes a balance between delivery and content. We were the epicenter of the post-modern.

Then came the topic and the ensuing discussion. “Should a church abandon the symbols associated with Christianity so that those who come to our churches won’t be offended by them?”

And like Emeril Legace….BAM! BAM! There it was. Wiggling on the floor just waiting to be pounced upon like tigger and the unsuspecting rabbit.

My Temperature rising. My Emotion building. Words squeezing out…

NO! NO! NO! I found myself at that critical intersection where no lights govern and everyone is obeying the 4-way stop signs.

We as a church cannot abandon the symbols that represent the very organic, living body that we as followers of Christ (or in old school language – Christians), we as a church cannot abandon the symbols that represent our faith.

We believe in the cross. It was on a cross where a Palestinian jew hung beaten and bruised for our sins. It is bare because he died on it, he was buried after being taken down from that rugged cross, placed in a borrowed tomb and that tomb is empty because on the third day, God rose him from the dead.

Too many people since that blood-covered weekend have either died for it or on it. because of their allegiance to the man who was crucified as the king of the Jews. The cross represents the grace and forgiveness of a loving God while at the same time addressing the wrath and justice of a holy and sometimes angry God.

"I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18, NLT)
"God’s way seems foolish to the Jews because they want a sign from heaven to prove it is true. And it is foolish to the Greeks because they believe only what agrees with their own wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended, and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense." (1 Corinthians 1:22-23, NLT)
I love the people that come to our house each week looking to understand how this life we live as Christians makes a difference. I love it when we debate the very things that are central and deeply important. They drive me to understand and integrate at deeper levels the reasons behind a reasonable faith. They are fellow sojourners on this piece of rock that spins in perfect harmony and balance.

As for the symbols, my devotion to them is far less than my devotion to my King and Savior. But as for their value to the church…

The Mercy of God

Smooth. Sly. Shameless.
"I didn't mean to do it, she gave it to me and I had some."
Cunning. Confident. Concealing.
"I know what you said, but when I saw it, it looked so appealing and I wanted to be as wise as you, I had to have it."
Determined. Deceitful. Damned.
"You must not touch it or you will die."

"Where are you? Who told you that you are naked?"

"cursed are you above the livestock"
"I will greatly increase your pain in childbirth"
"cursed is the ground because of you"

Mercy is the motus operendi of grace. If grace is defined as getting what we don't deserve instead of what we do deserve, then mercy is the driving force behind that gift. Some have said that the attribute of mercy found in men is a weak and an undesirable trait that needs to be weeded out if men are to be strong. Mercy is for the weak. That sentence describes the whole of the message of Jesus. Mercy is not for the weak, it is for the dead.

For we are all weak. Actually, the bible says that we are all dead in our sins. Dead to the spiritual aspect of life that would bring us to Christ. " As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,"
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions...it is by grace you have been saved."
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith...and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God"
"remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world."
So if we were dead, how were we made alive? Dead people can't get out of the grave by themselves. Dead people can't will themselves back to life. How can a dead person become alive?

The patient lies in the hospital bed. All the machines and tubes have been disconnected and turned off. Doctors and nurses alike tell of how there was nothing they could do. There was nothing that the patient could do. All is lost. All is cold. All is dark.

Then a hand reaches up and gently pushes open the door. The sounds of footsteps lightly echo throughout the cold and quiet room as they come closer and closer until they are at the bedside. The same hand that opened the door reaches out and pulls back the sheet to reveal the lifeless shell on the mattress. Eyes piercing yet becoming wjudgmentears, mouth of judgement now speaks words of mercy. Live. Live! LIVE! The power of God awakens the person to the reality of Jesus and the reality of eternity. With or without the blood of the Lamb, who takes away the sins of the world.

Mercy motivating grace. God reaching out his hand to a people who have slapped him in the face with their own. He could have left us to our own fate. He could have chosen to not send his son to die. And he would have been justified in doing so. Yet we come to the cross and we see a man hanging there. Bloodied, beaten, shamed, spit on, mocked, abandoned by men. "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

Mercy is for the weak. No. God's mercy is for the dead. How's your pulse?

To Demonstrate His Justice...

Many of us have feelings and opinions regarding how the justice system in this country is exercised. Why does it seem that the innocent have little or no rights when compared to the “accused”? Why does it seem that the burden of proof seems to rest heavily upon those seeking justice instead upon those who should prove innocence? I am not trained in the discipline of being a lawyer and I think most times lawyers are misrepresented by the jokes and innuendos that accompany that discipline. But what happens when we take our presuppositions and prejudices regarding the justice system of this nation and apply them to our understanding of God?

Why is the topic of justice (when it comes to the justice of God – or, when God exercises his justice), why is it so hard to deal with? Why do most people choose to disregard or downplay this topic? Is it relative to the Christ-follower today? In an age where the attributes of love, mercy, compassion are lifted up, is there no room for the attribute of justice? Is it left to the biblical history of the Old Testament, never to be raised again?

So many questions. Too many hard answers. Maybe that’s why we would rather look the other way or change the channel or shift radio stations when the view of justice is brought up. Maybe it’s not culturally significant any more. Maybe our post-modernistic approach to authority and absolutes affects our tolerance and/or ignorance of sin. Ouch.

What do us as Christ-followers mean when we talk about God’s justice? Is it closely related to his holiness and righteousness or is it an action pouring out of his jealousy and anger? To whom or to what is it primarily directed? Will God’s justice always prevail? How can God be a judge? It is easy to understand how God could judge those whom we deem as “bad” people, but what those whom we deem as “good”. (I can think of some people who don’t follow Christ who act in a more consistent and “good” manner than those who claim to follow Christ.)

Maybe the key to understanding God’s justice lies within trying to understand who God really is? What would happen if you took the time to find out more about God’s justice? Would you even do it? Or would you be too afraid of what you might find out? Maybe we’re afraid that if we do the legwork we might find that our reasons for avoidance of this topic are real. Maybe it’s about the spot light that will shine on our own life. On our own minds, attitudes and actions.

Too many questions? I hope that this raises more questions. I hope it raises more than just questions. I hope that it raises eyebrows, concerns even tempers. Maybe then we (and I include myself) will take the time to understand more about God than trying to get more from God.

Until then…check out Romans 3:9-26 & Micah 6:1-8 & Romans 5:1-11

magnify

The doors open and people begin moving inwards. A trickle at first, then building. Steady, strong, focused. Yet if you were allowed a glimpse into the rooms of their lives you would see things contradictory to steady, strong, focused. Tired, feeble and confused. Grey rain. Yet they enter still. One by one they come and find the comfortable. The recognizable. The safe. They come – some with the hope that there is more than grey rain. Some come with the hope that strength can be regained for the next of days. Some come with desperation that screams silently for rescue. They come. Yet there stirs something deep within as they wait.

The Lord is my strength and song, He has become my salvation.

As the steady stream begins to reduce down to a trickle once more, silence moves through the mind and begins to hush the world that is theirs. Like a mother quieting her children before her guests, the mind stills the heart. Souls begin to breath deep and slow the rich oxygen of eternity.

The Lord is God, and he has given us light.

And this light begins to shine in the midst of the grey rain. It’s powerful and penetrating rays of light breakthrough to reveal souls renewed. Regenerated. Rescued. And as the clouds burn away memories grow and bloom to reveal the sweet fragrance that intimacy brings.

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever.

Hearts warm. Minds clear. Where there was rain now the brightness of the Day shines. Where there was fatigue now the soul lifts with renewed stamina the heavy stones that weighed down. Where there was once confusion now sharpness and conviction of spirit lead the anthem’s song.

The stone which the builder’s rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. For his love endures forever.

What does it mean to magnify? What does it mean to extol? Does it mean simply to “make larger, to praise highly”? How does one magnify someone who is bigger than all of creation? How does one begin to praise highly someone who does need our affirmation? Maybe the key is found in the simple act of bringing. Bringing the gray rain. Bringing the tired, the feeble, and the confusion. Maybe the key is found in being grateful for what was done, what is being done and what will be done.

Magnify. Before we lift up, look within – and give thanks. Then lift with strength renewed. With minds regenerated. With souls that breath deep of the rescue.

Magnify.

Who Can You Relate to More?

As the man reached his destination he taught his friends, his closest, about the real meaning of existence. No fluff. No candy coating. Just reality in a handbag. His ideas seemed radical and his interpretation difficult to hear let alone follow. Issues that plague our Westcoast culture seemed to, at least, have plagued the Eastern shores of their world as well. Their reality as well as ours. Anger, Lust, Divorce, Money, Revenge, Promises, the Poor, the Unloved. Nothing was taboo. Nothing left uncovered. Everything turned upside down. Or so it seemed. After the lesson in life this man turns his attention to those who have also gathered to hear. Some may have come out of curiosity, some may have come out of animosity, some may have come purely out of the phenomenon called "herding". Whatever their cause his effect would impact that mountainside like no Billy Graham Crusade has ever done. Looking back two-thousand years we see thirteen men on the verge of the incredible. Some would say the impossible. Some would dismiss as improbable. But the question rings loud and clear and penetrates any and all presuppositions. "Where can we buy bread so that these may eat?"

The question is asked of Philip. Now Phil was from the town that this mountain side towered over and if anyone knew if there was enough grub around he would know. But instead of stratigizing he turns to criticizing. "Seven months of pay would not even buy enough food for this crowd". Can you hear it? Can you sense it? "What are you thinking?" is what Phil is saying. We can't buy that amount of food! You're crazy!

Small potatoes. Small ideas. Small thinking. Small trust. Small life. Small God. Big problem.

Andrew picks up in the conversation and points out to Phil and Jesus that a little boy has some food. Couple loaves and some dry fish. "There is a boy here who has five loaves and two fish, but what are these for such a big crowd?" You can almost see Phil's eyes rolling into his head. Andrew, Andrew, were did you learn to think that this might be enough? Be realistic Andrew, this wouldn't even be enough for yourself! Phil wouldn't think of himself as pessimistic, just realistic. Andrew just might have wanted to see what happens when the impossible, the improbable, even the incredible meets the One who created the fish and gave man the ability and intellect to make the bread.

"Have the people sit down" Jesus says. Phil sits, and is probably waiting to say "I told you so! See, you've let everyone down with your pie in the sky attitude. That's just not realistic!" Andrew sits and probably wonders what he and everyone else who has gathered will see. Not only see, but taste, feel, smell and yes, even hear.

We tend to get caught up in the story with Jesus feeding more than five-thousand people. We tend to focus on the issue of God's abundant giving. We may even tend to get caught up in the trend that would say that God always gives whatever we want. But we tend to lose sight of the lesson that he was trying to teach Phil. "When a crisis comes that is too big for you, an impossible task, an improbable outcome, an incredible unforeseen event. Who are you going to trust, Phil? Are you going to trust your earning potential? Are you going to trust your ability to network? Are you going to trust in your own 'realistic' outlook or, are you going to trust in the One whom you have heard?" Tough questions. Tough answers. Sometimes tough lessons.

To whom can you relate more, Phil the realist or Andrew the opportunistic? Whomever you are, would you like to sit down and experience the unexpected? The impossible? The incredible?

Until Then...

Couldn't Wait

AFTER READING AND THINKING MORE ABOUT THE TOPIC AND SUBJECT OF HELL, I HAVE COME TO SOME CONCLUSIONS.

ONE: THAT WE AS CHRISTIANS DO NOT LIKE TALKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE THE VERY NATURE OF HELL IS SCARY AND INTIMIDATING FOR ANYONE.
TWO : THIS DOCTRINE HAS TO BE APPROACHED WITH CARE, DIGNITY AND SENSITIVITY WHILE AT THE SAME TIME REMAINING TRUE TO THE TEXTS OF SCRIPTURE.
THREE: THIS DOCTRINE HAS TO REMAIN INCORPORATED INTO OUT APOLOGETIC AND WORLDVEIW. FOR THE MEANING OF SALVATION BEGS THE QUESTION, “WHAT ARE WE SAVED FROM? OR, FROM WHOM ARE WE SAVED?” SALVATION MEANS BEING “RESCUED” AND BEING RESCUED IN THE ULTIMATE SENSE WOULD MEAN THAT WE ARE RESCUED FROM A CRISIS OR PERIL OF GREAT PROPORTIONS. GREATER THAN WE CAN EVER IMAGINE.

I AM SURE THAT AS I REFLECT AND PRAY MORE ABOUT THIS DOCTRINE I WILL COME TO UNDERSTAND THAT God’s GRACE WILL CONTINUE TO AMAZE ME. WHY WOULD God SAVE SOMEONE LIKE ME? WHY WOULD THE CREATOR OF THE UNVERSE WANT TO SEE ME IN HEAVEN WITH HIM AND HIS ANGELS WHEN I DON’T DESERVE TO BE THERE. NO MATTER WHAT I DO OR SAY. AS I SIT HERE AND WRITE I AM ALMOST OVERWHELMED WITH EMOTION AT THE FACT THAT God HAS SAVED ME. BY HIS GRACE ALONE HE HAS REACHED DOWN AND PULLED ME FROM THE GRAVE AND SET ME UPON THE LIFE THAT IS FOUND IN Jesus. AND THIS IS PART OF THE MESSAGE THAT I FEEL I NEED TO BRING TO OTHERS. SALVATION MEANS MORE THAN FINDING YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE. SALVATION MEANS MORE THAN DISCOVERING WHY YOU ARE HERE ON PLANET EARTH. God LOVES US AND HE WANTS TO SAVE US. THE QUESTION REMAINS, DO YOU WANT TO BE SAVED? DO YOU WANT TO BE RESCUED?

THERE IS SO MUCH TO LEARN, SO MUCH TO SAY AND SO MUCH TO DO. BUT THROUGH IT ALL I REMEMBER God’s WORD IN THE BOOK OF PSALMS 118:14 – “THE Lord IS MY STRENGTH AND MY SONG; HE HAS BECOME MY SALVATION” – PSALM 118:29 – “GIVE THANKS TO THE Lord, FOR HE IS GOOD; HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER”

THANKS TO ALL WHO ARE A PART OF MY SMALL GROUP ON FRIDAY NIGHTS. YOU CHALLENGE ME, ENCOURAGE ME AND MOST OF ALL LOVE ME DESPITE MY RANTS AND MY BLOGGS. THANK YOU; IT IS A PRIVELEDGE AND AN HONOR TO LEAD THIS GROUP.

UNTIL THEN…SOLA GRATIS

coming soon to a blog near you

I just want to say sorry to all my blogger friends for not remaining current with my blogg. I will however place a new blog within a couple of days. Until then...

Consecrated

As I went through this last week and reflected upon it’s culmination two thousand years ago, I was struck yet again with how fast the days went by and my seemingly feeble attempts at consecrating those days to my Lord. You must understand, my desire was noble and attainable. To take a few days and set them apart (hence the term; consecrate) not only sounded reasonable but also a welcome change to the often frantic pace that in which we all seem to be living. But alas, as each day slipped through my fingers like fine sand from a dry sea shore, I found my self looking at the clock and wondering where my “set aside” time went? It’s not like I was playing Play station or Xbox or wasting my time, I was just focusing on other things that obviously needed my attention. Sunday school, Care Group, a sermon that I will deliver at a friend’s church in two weeks, three books that need my focused attention or I’ll never finish them. And on, and on, and on it goes – where does it stop? Please God, let me know. But something else meandered it’s way into my Tyrrany of the urgent. A thought that I have had many times before, even dare I say, taught many times before. My Lord gently reminded me that although I was “busy” doing things for him (and secretly checking those things off my to-do list) I was still “consecrated” in all I did. What a concept! What freedom! Fly away guilt! Be banished depression! And it was when things seemed the darkest that this “consecrated” thought brought the light that shines on my path and makes my way straight. And wonderful things began to happen. I began to praise God for what Jesus had done on the cross. What he had done for me. For paying the debt that was due to my name. For redeeming my life. For bridging the chasm that separated me from a holy and loving God. A God of immense power and purity as well as a Deity infinite in knowledge and love. With simplicity He reminded me that I am His. And that all I do, even when it feels like I’m just completing the mundane tasks set before me, all that I do can be “consecrated”to Him and for Him. So for all of us out there this week feeling like we’re just going to break even and push our way through until Monday I want to remind you of something that a prof said to me once… “Work like everything depends on you, pray like everything depends on Him and nothing will be the same again”. We who have put our faith in Jesus Christ the risen Lord have be consecrated, we have been set apart. May all we do and say this weekend reflect that awesome reality. Gloria Deos.

What Ever Happened to Hell?

Well everyone, here is my next installment. For now I will be limiting my blog entries to once a week. There are a number of reasons as to why but for now let me say that the top reason is two fold. (1) I want to learn how to write articles and periodicals for the purpose of someday having them published. When and where is still a mystery but it is a goal. (2) I want to develop a more disciplined routine when it comes to meeting deadlines. I am pretty good in meeting dead lines that people in authority over me will set, however, I a can become a procrastinator when it comes to meeting my own deadlines. This could be a poll for a future blog! Oh, the possibilities are endless! So here is part two of what seems to be a four part series (not nesscessarily in sequential order).

After reading a little more about this issue that no one seems to want to talk about I have come to understand at a broader level some things or views that have guided and/or molded our transition in belief and understanding of this topic about Hell.

The question must be asked, “What has happened in our churches and our Denominations that caused the ‘downplay’ or ‘de-emphasizing’ of Hell”? Four short answers come to mind. I will briefly (and I mean it) explain each of my findings.

First we see a changed view of God. By this I mean that on a couple of levels we see ourselves contrasting the revelation of God in the Old Testament with the revelation of God in the New Testament and we say that they are drastically different. We see one in the Old as being harsh, cruel, brutal and uncomprimisizing in regards to the seemingly petty crimes, while in the new we see Jesus telling us that “…for God so loved the world that He gave…” (John 3:16), and as a disciple of Jesus - Peter writes, “…he (God) does not want any to perish, but everyone to come to repentance…” (2 Peter 3:9b) and many other scripture verses tell us of the mercy and love and forgiveness of God. Some would look at this and say that for God to willing send those who reject him to hell for eternity would be too cruel or vindictive for a loving God.

Second we see a changed view of the Justice of God. A cursory reading of the first three chapters of the book of Romans would reveal for us a very dark, bleak and hopeless picture for mankind. What hope do we have when we stand before a Holy and Righteous and Omnipotent Deity who demands perfection? Who demands Holiness? (1 Peter 1:13-16). What happens to the standard of holiness that God requires when we choose to ignore his words in the Bible? When we essentially choose our way over his way (for that is what sin is – choosing our way of doing things rather than choosing God’s way.) What happens to the standard of holiness when we sin? If there is no penalty for our sins then why would Jesus have to die on the cross for us? Why would Jesus have to pay our debt for sin?

Thirdly, we see a changed view on personal responsibility for wrong doing. Go ahead and read the newspaper or listen to news radio. Go ahead and read and listen and email me back the moment you hear or read of someone saying that they were wrong and that they will take full responsibility for what they have done. People will come up with every excuse under the sun to avoid taking personal responsibility for wrong decisions, wrong actions even for saying the wrong thing. The blame will be passed onto someone else, anybody else that may have had any influence on that person at all. Biological, Genetic, behavioral or subconscious influences are to blame – not the individual. Somehow, “It’s not my fault” should be incorporated into the national anthem.

Fourth, we see a changed concept of salvation. What are you saved for? What are you saved from? To whom are you saved? To what are you saved? From what are you saved? From whom are you saved? The pendulum has swung very far indeed from the original reasons that are listed in the book of Acts regarding the questions and answers of being saved. I see a pattern of people moving from a complete view and understanding about salvation to an inadequate view that cannot address the tougher issues regarding our faith in Jesus Christ. And I estimate that the shift comes directly from cultural pressure and environment. And maybe perhaps from our own churches that would abandon this doctrine only to run arms wide open into the micro-culture that surrounds them.

There is so much more to write but I feel that people will stop coming to read if these articles are too long to read. But I feel that this doctrine is too important to the gospel to see it disappear and fade away into the church closet (along with the choir robes, old pews, and overhead projector). To end let me quote the book that I am reading, “…the temptation to revise the doctrine of hell is understandable. But it is also a major test of evangelical conviction…” – to this I add that we need to say “I will not be shaken”.

Sola Fide / Sola Gratis / Sola Scriptura

Going Down in Flames

Well this might be the first of a couple of entries so keep your bloggers peeled. I've got a fire in my bones and it has to do with a particular doctrine that is very important to me. This doctrine so affected me as a sixteen year old punk kid that I made a very well informed and serious decision to abandon my life to the One who is greater than all of us, namely Jesus Christ. But abandonment does not neseccesarily mean uninvolved. For this decision about submission runs it's course almost everyday. But more on that at a later blog. The doctrine that has me so fired up is the doctrine of Hell. You will notice that I used a capital "h" in the previous sentence which would indicate that I consider it an actual place that exists beyond this physical arena we call life. But many within the Christian community are abandoning this doctrine because it seems too "harsh" for a loving God. The fundamental question seems to be, "Why would a God of love and compassion and mercy willingly and purposefully send people to hell?". To be sure this question on the surface seems logical and sensible. But if allowed to fester, this question, like it has in so many all ready, will begin to undermine and supplant the supremacy and sovereignty of God. In an effort to make the "Good News" more appealing, preachers and teachers have begun to remove this doctrine not only from their library of doctrinal thought and convictions but from their understanding and interpretation of scripture and ultimately from the understanding of what the "Good News" is really all about. We see so much focus now on the Purpose for your life, or the ability you have to choose a better life in Christ or that you deserve better from God because He is loving and you are after all one of his children. I feel that my blog is now turning into a rant. Much like a rhinoceros sensing fire and running as fast as he can in no particular direction. I am sorry. I will try to better organize my thoughts and words in the future. And like I said, I will most likely have more to input on this important doctrine at a later date. But could you my reader please inform me of your thoughts? I am curious as to whether you agree with or not. The question is this...Do you believe that there is a Hell? That there is a specific place and for a specific amount of time (eternal or temporal) that people will go after they die? If yes, please tell me why. If no, again please tell me why. I am not looking for any opportunity to enter into a deep dialogue with you, I only want to experience what so many authors are telling me today. Namely, that many people are leaving or down right dismissing any acknowledgement that there could be such a place as Hell.

Until later, or when it freezes over,

Sola Fide - Sola Gratis - Sola Scriptura

Peer pressure

Sometimes I don't understand how a group of people can influence a decision such as this as to publish world wide, thoughts that may be deemed as crazy, weird or just plain out to lunch. However the ending, I must ensure that the process is good, the goals gratifying and the day to day (sometimes minute by minute) routine ratifying. To this I plod. To this I train. To this I blog.