Jesus to the Hypocrites - "OUT!"

John 2

“And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple...” John 2:15

If you’ve ever been disheartened to look at the church and think, “There are so many hypocrites in church,...”, then you’ll like this Jesus. The temple of His day wasn’t the Church as we know it now. It was a place to worship God for sure, but worship itself was different. They hadn’t received Christ as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, so they were still buying animals and sacrificing them, as a symbol of their desire to be made right with God.

In time, there were people who soon figured out they could profit from this. So they brought the market to the temple. They had found a way to profit from the failings and sorrows of others. Christ was not cool with that, and He still isn’t fine with it today.

The temple was to be, as the church is today, where honest sinners could come to be reconciled to the God of the universe. It was not to be a feeding ground for predators. You’ve seen that haven’t you? Unless you live in a cave, you have heard of people in the church taking advantage of others. You have heard of leaders sexually exploiting the people entrusted into their care. You’ve heard of swindlers siphoning off cash from the treasury. You’ve heard of others who convince the people of the church to buy into their fraudulent investment schemes. The church should be a place with open doors, but it also needs to be a safe place, and part of that infers that the wolves don’t really belong. These examples might be among the very sort that Jesus would have driven out with a whip.

The church isn’t for perfect people. It is in fact a place for people who really have done wrong, who earnestly want to be made right. Does that describe you? I was in conversation last week with a guy who likes to sleep with multiple women. He told me he thought that if he walked into church that he might spontaneously combust or something. The church may or may not be a place for such a guy. If he wanted to go to church to look for his next bed partner, there would be something horribly wrong with that. If the day comes when he really wants to walk with Christ, there is a place for him. He seemed like a pretty authentic guy, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him walk in some day, and I don’t believe he’d be there to be a wolf.

There is a place to make money. The temple just was not that place. Christ was not speaking against commercial agriculture. If getting rich is what you’re really after, then I would encourage you to seek out a qualified financial advisor. Or if you really want to pursue sin, pursue it somewhere else other than among His people. If you’re tired of the filth of life and want to walk with God, there’s room for you. Some call that good news. Others might judge you as being one of the many hypocrites and that has to be okay. They aren’t your judge anyway. Only God really knows your heart.

I hope to see you some day.

What Jesus Does

John 1:29-51

“The next day, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

If we’re going to take the time to consider Jesus, then I think it wise to understand early on what He’s really all about. I meet people who tell me, “I tried this Christianity thing, but I never really got to the place where it felt like it should.” Others experiment with Jesus hoping He’ll fix something wrong with their life, their relationships, mental health or finances.

There are sufficient stories where God has healed broken relationships, restored finances and helped drive away the mental demons in order to keep the dream alive. Still, many others walk away if or when they realize they still have problems, even after going to church for a while and reading the Bible. It is here that John declares for us what Jesus was sent to do, and it is this – To take away the sin of the world.

Sin isn’t a complicated church word. Sin is disobedience, or rebellion against the very God who created the universe. It is at the core of what is truly wrong in the world. John’s declaration of who Jesus is appears rather odd in a way. If you know what God calls sin or take the time to look into what He wants for humanity, and then take the time to look at the world we live in, you’ll notice that the sin is still here abundantly. If you’ve made such observations, I hope you might come to the conclusion that we are living in and looking at a world that really doesn’t want what Christ came to do. I gave up trying to change the world a long time ago. I hope it matters that I hold much more hope for you.

Yes. It would be absolutely beautiful if sin was abandoned in this world, and I still have such fantasies. Even if we could take away one sin, a sin like murder, just think about how much more lovely life could be for us all. Add to that human trafficking, and theft.

You might be of the mind that doesn’t think sin should be such a big deal. I would propose to you that it is the very moth that eats away at the very fabric of life. Consider if you will simply sin’s affect on relationships. Sins like lying, jealousy and slander destroy relationships every day. It’s not an ancient concept, but a very real and destructive work in us and in the world now.

Our wounds in life often find their root in some form of sin, and it’s rather odd, because God often gets the blame. If God is so great and powerful, then why is there so much pain in the world? I would present to you two things: 1. God is not a dictatorial tyrant. If tyranny is your flavour, then Jesus really isn’t for you. When we say that Christ came to take away the sin of the world, He didn’t come to do so by forcing our hand. 2. God has not wronged you. He didn’t run away with your husband or wife. He didn’t get drunk, get behind the wheel and kill anybody. He’s against those sorts of things.

Maybe you just want a happy life, spending more time on a sandy beach in the Caribbean somewhere. Jesus didn’t come to help us get wealthy or necessarily even to get our life on track. He came to take away sin. If something about that speaks to you, then let’s keep pressing on together. Shall we?

In The Beginning

John 1:1-28

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was in God”

This might be an odd way to start off, but I’m going to begin by possibly challenging everything you’ve been taught. It might be wiser to warm up to you first, but if you’re going to check out on this journey, why waste time?

We’ve been taught all along in school that billions of years ago, the universe began all on its own. Non-living matter spontaneously gave rise to life in a cosmic big bang. It took a lot of time of course, but that is in fact the story we are given. The Bible teaches something drastically different. We read here in the first part of John, that in the beginning, God already existed and that He spoke the universe into existence.

I know I’ve lost some of you, and Christians are often tagged as if they don’t believe in science, but nothing could be further from the truth. We love science. We carry iPhones and buy data plans. We go to the doctor and usually take whatever chemicals they prescribe. What you will find, is that we sometimes draw different conclusions than what is generally held by the established scientific community.

And here we are. We don’t believe that life came from non-life, not because we are morons, rather because we trust our senses. We have never observed otherwise. So I’m not asking to join our ranks at the moment, but simply that you would consider something you haven’t been fed in public school or post secondary. We don’t believe the universe was a self starter, and it is often science itself that reinforces our convictions.

I encourage you to look into the research being done by an organization called CERN, especially the work being done on what is referred to as a hadron collider. Essentially, scientists are trying to recreate a miniature ‘big bang’. What we notice quickly, is that this system is also not a self starter. The system requires input from outside itself. Specifically, it requires a massive amount of financial support, not to mention a great deal of human resources. So as believers, we see very little conflict between science and what we see in The Bible. In fact, it reinforces our faith.

It seems so glaringly obvious to many of us. For this reason, you may have found us to be immoveable when you get into a discussion about it. Maybe you are ready to jump ship and join the Christian ranks. Regardless of how you receive this, thank you for listening and giving Christ a chance. If nothing else, maybe now you have a better understanding of why these Christians hold on to their ideas about creation so strongly. It’s because we really do like science. We simply come to different conclusions on occasion.

PS uni – means single, or one
Verse can mean a sentence, part of a poem or song.
Could the universe have been a single spoken statement? Like, someone spoke it into existence?

The New Year's Jesus New Experiment

               With Christmas behind us, we now await for the New Year.  As we turn the page on the calendar year, we often give pause to reflect on life in a way we seldom do during the regular day to day.  We look back on the life we’ve lived, the relationships that have shaped us both for the better and the worse.  While we process who we are and where we’ve been, we also give thought to where we are headed in the future.  This is a time to look at reshaping who we are.

                As we evaluate the direction of our lives and who we are, our thoughts often turn to our standing with God.  If that’s you, consider following along here for the month of January.  I will be posting daily writings on the book of John as found in the Bible.  This is meant to be a way for you to test the waters, or to “taste and see” whether or not you think the God of the Bible is worth following.

If you aren’t a Christian, I encourage you to take the next month and live life as if you really were one of them.   If you’re up to the challenge, here are three things besides reading this blog to take on for the first month of the year.

1.        Read The Bible Daily.  If you are reading this blog, please read the corresponding readings in John.  (You can find it on www.biblegateway.com) It’s not homework, but I think Jesus is worth having a look for yourself.  I’m sure most of us have known some bad examples among those who follow Him.  He deserves to be seen for who He is, and you deserve to know the real thing.

2.       Attend a Bible Believing/Preaching Church.  I’m a part of Faith Church in St. Thomas and if you live in that area, I hope mine would be categorized as such.  You won’t likely be able to become an integral part of a people within 31 days, but showing up Sunday mornings for the next few weeks might give you a sense of whether or not there is a place for you.

3.       Live the life.  You might not know all that “the life” entails.  That’s okay.  Yet, as much as you understand what it should really mean to life the way God wants – do that.  Spend time talking to Him.  Talk to some church people.   As you read His word and spend time among His people, just do whatever it is you find that His people are really supposed to be doing.

 

                My blog writings will NOT be the whole Jesus experience.  These are a taste.    For a lot of people, this will be like signing up for a gym membership whereby we stop going by February.  For others, this could be the beginning of a new life.  It’s worth finding out.

 

Q & A With The Elder

Question

Just have a question to ponder 😊 if you get a chance to read hosea 2...specifically verse 10....it looks like the exact scene from the new testament with the woman caught in adultery and thrown before Jesus no? Yet there are two opposite reactions? In a way? What are your thoughts? Obviously God is the same today yesterday and forever but the oposing actions seem tricky to decipher?

        Answer

I don't believe I am able to tackle all of the dimensions to your question in one sitting, so I'll start by offering a valuable piece, my hope being the value will be significant enough to help you in some way.  What I'm going to do, is to take a decent look at what is happening in Hosea 2.

God is speaking to the nation of Israel.  In His address, God compares His nation to that of an unfaithful wife; yet, not merely unfaithful as if she had an affair, but characteristically promiscuous.  It's tough to appreciate the message without putting ourselves in God's perspective, which is why I believe God asked Hosea to marry a prostitute.   The message of Hosea is better understood when lived, rather than simply being taught.

Imagine having a wife.  You buy her fine jewelry for Christmas.  For her birthday, you purchase that red dress she looks so pretty in.  You give her $150 to get her hair done when she asks.  When she puts on her necklace, does her hair and slips into her form fitting dress, rather than going out with you, night after night she grabs the keys to the Focus (the Focus you bought for her) to meet up with a different boyfriend night after night.  

God is actually being quite rational.  

"You like your lovers so much?  Fine.  Then be with them.  See where it leads.  Go.  Live your dream!"  God's discipline, lived out in this setting looks something like this- I'm not going to keep buying jewelry, paying for a car or manicures so that she can use them as a 'turn on' for her lovers.  

The astounding thing to me isn't that this looks different than the way Jesus interacted with the woman caught in adultery.  What amazes me is that God could ever be so faithful as to even want her back, much less seek to "win" her back.

"But then I will win her back once again.  I will lead her out into the desert and speak tenderly to her there."  Hosea 2:14

  It seems to me, that the whole stripping down/desert thing was itself, not so much a method of chastisement, but part of His plan to separate Israel from her many lovers, in order to win Israel back to Himself for good.

Beyond Belief: The Legend of Jesus

   

Several months ago, my boss asked me to consider reading Bob Ripley's, "Life Beyond Belief:  A Preacher's Deconversion".  I have just finished the fourth chapter, and up until this point, it's about what I have expected.  The arguments are as old as faith itself.  If I am convinced of anything, it is this;  Bob Ripley really is an atheist. 

   That is an important point.  Within the Christian community, we often ask that very question before welcoming a new person as one of our own.  Are they truly one of us?  So for those of you within the God-less community, I want to encourage you to welcome him with open arms. I truly believe he is one of you.

  I make this assertion out of the fact that his writing reflects the same spirit and attitude I have encountered among other atheists.  So I believe it is quite safe to assume he has the same kind of spirit as the rest.  It is difficult for me to communicate clearly, but I will do my best.  Here are two aspects of his dialogue that I generally find elsewhere among those who wrestle aggressively against The Imaginary Friend.  

 1.  The Unwillingness or Inability to Stay On Topic

I still remember meeting my first atheist.  When he found out I was a Christian he told me, "I have questions you can't answer."  I noticed a look of excitement in his eye, as if this was a grand opportunity to reveal his great intelligence to this young Christian.  He proceeded to ask me a very easy question.  Before I had the chance to respond, he just kept talking, making more of what I am sure he thought were points against Christ.

I see the very same quality in Bob Ripley.  He is either incapable or unwilling to introduce  a topic and stay on it.  I have never figured out whether this is simply a tactic intended at making it difficult for the reader to actually process what he is saying, or if it just comes out of his nature.  My hunch is that it is some combination of the two.

    For example.  He rightly presents to us that each of the four Gospels have parts of them that differ from each other.  He spends very little time on that topic before switching to other supposed objections to Christ.  I think atheists have to do this.  If they were to really think on it, of course 4 different testimonies would share different details.  Anything else would indicate corroboration, not authentic testimony.

If you really want to test this out, find 4 different people to write their account of your life.  Preferably, find two people who know you personally, and two people who only know about you.  Let me know how similar those accounts turn out to be.  According to a mind like Bob's, unless each account is verbatim the same, then maybe you don't exist.  Do you exist?

2.  Unwillingness or Inability to Apply Consistent Textual Criticism

Chapter 4 takes great pains to question the legitimacy of the Gospel writings.  I respect that.  I really do.  As a Christian, I have nothing to fear from the truth.  In fact, we believe that liars burn in hell. Read Revelation. (Which is kind of odd...I mean, why would a group of Christians completely fabricate a religion, and teach that liars end up in a lake of fire?)

He has been quite thorough in his study.  What he fails to do, as I have witnessed consistently in the non believing community, is that he most notably does NOT similarly scrutinize other ancient writings.  After writing several pages sizing up the authenticity of the accounts of Christ, Bob tells us, "I looked beyond the gospels to the pagan religions before and during the life of Jesus." Pg. 58.  In fact, for all (and I mean all) other ancient writings, there fails to be even one word of question to their credibility.

 

Congratulations world.  You truly have won this guy over.  What would this discussion look like if things were different?  What would Bob discover if he demanded the same credibility from writings on Osiris, as that of Christ?  You would discover this:  If the same level of textual criticism were to be applied equally to ALL ancient texts, none compare to that of the scriptures.

I get it though.  Why would Bob want to actually think through even one of his points?  Why would he want to give the same skepticism to ancient pagan writings?  Why would he scrutinize the stories that were rejected by the people who love Christ?  At the core, Bob has looked at who God is, and just plainly doesn't like Him.  He used to like Him, or at least thought he liked Him, until he actually took the time to seriously look at who God really is.   As long as he keeps switching the topic, and as long as he doesn't demand the same level of credibility from non-biblical writings as he does of The Bible, I'm sure he will maintain his current worldview.

The Not-So-Good-Book

Hi Bob.  Me again.  You likely don't read my writings, but I just finished chapter 3 of your book, "Life Beyond Belief", and I must admit, I don't know what to do with it.  Writing to you in this way helps to give me focus.  Overall, I believe you are right in this chapter, and because I agree with most of it, I believe some apologies are in order.  Part of me wants to apologize to you on behalf of the Christian community, and the other part of me thinks that you owe the Christian community an apology for the misinformation you offered your people while in ministry.  

  The general thrust of chapter 3 is that the Old Testament scriptures don't serve very well to establish a moral code for human conduct.  You also take aim at Christianity in general, claiming that we have perpetuated the same.  I think you are right.  I think it comes across that way, just as Atheists often come across as if they feel people should be able to live life however they want.  I know it might not be meant that way, but the message can sound that way when we hear, "There is probably no God, now stop worrying and enjoy your life."

I don't know how it comes out that way, but I would like to apologize on behalf of Christians everywhere.  Following Christ isn't supposed to be about following a moral code; it's supposed to be about following the risen Christ.  Many of us do in fact make it about morality.  I don't know how to correct them, or eject them from the fellowship.  I desperately desire to do one or the other, but I feel so helpless.  I can only hope a few of them read this apology and recognize their part in it.  

Many others do know the difference, but find it difficult to articulate it as such.  I am not apologizing for these people.  We are not all master communicators and are rarely as capable of clearly articulating theology as one such as yourself.  If you were to read my writings, you will find very little about morality, but Christendom has yet to endorse me as their spokesman.  If you still have some connections, I'd be glad if you put in a good word for me with the higher ups.

I also believe you owe your past churchgoers an apology.  It seems that coming to recognize that The Bible isn't a moral guide book was an awakening moment for you.  So I presume, and I believe rightly so, for the bulk of your ministry you presented it in just such a light.  Having been illuminated, it would be appropriate to apologize to the many honest people who were misinformed under your Christian ministry.  Maybe this book is written as an apology, but it doesn't come across that way.  The words I have for you next should be of great comfort to you now.  Having believed The Bible to be a moral good book, you were probably more effective during your ministry at tarnishing the name of Christ than anything you could do now as an atheist.

At this point, I doubt you much care about my take on the Old Testament scriptures, but I'll try  anyway.  You have done well to point out the many shortcomings in the lives of people like Noah, David and Jephthah.  The Bible is a really weird book for non believers to read.  It's kind of backwards isn't it?  Everything I read from atheists spends a great deal of effort trying to prove they are right, and other people are wrong.  Again.  That may not be the intent, but it seems that way.  Christians often conduct themselves similarly, but as you have recognized, scripture itself most certainly does not.  If you or I were to write the book, we wouldn't reveal the faults from people on our respective teams.  The irony at work, is that your criticism serves to solidify my confidence in The Bible, as it wasn't written to show that God's people were good guys, and other people were  bad guys.  It doesn't hide the flaws of its people, further demonstrating its authenticity.   It shows that before a perfect God, no one is good.  I have yet to witness this kind of transparency in your writing, my writing, or anywhere else in the world for that matter.

The people of our world are consumed with a sense of self righteousness.  We desperately want to think that we're good enough, and if there is a God, He should accept us because we are such great people.  The Old Testament makes it so plainly obvious that if a person thinks they can be good enough, or obey Him, they are quite mistaken.  You can argue that His rules are dumb all you like.  Just get rid of the notion that reaching a moral standard somehow impresses this God.  It would be better to hope and pray that He isn't real, which is the option you seem to have chosen.

So how does it happen?  How can a book, a book primarily made up of stories, be received as if it were a  moral guidebook?  How did you make it through all of your schooling and not notice?  You are indeed well learned and you have your own copy of The Bible.  You did read it I hope, at least on occasion.  How did you, or how do we take a book of story - receive and present it as a means to make us into "good people"?  I'm not sure.

I'm sorry for my part in this travesty, whether by miscommunication, or buying into the lie.    I am the kind of believer who knows he isn't a good guy.  I'm one of those people God would have killed, were it to be based on how good I am, and the really odd part is that it doesn't bother me.  At one time in your career, you may have understood.  

       As for morality, I'm guessing you believe moral standards are set by the courts or the government, because they always do such a great job of everything they touch.  I am happy you enjoyed The Wizard of Oz.  It rings hollow for me, but  I'm sure it will get you where you want to go.