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Thursday, April 3, 2014
Many are Called. Few are Chosen
This past week, I was asked to share my thoughts on Matthew 22:14.
"For many are called, but few are chosen". Matthew 22:14
On the surface, it sounds as if God runs an elitist social club. Or better yet, He's looked at, as the head coach for an Olympic hockey team, choosing only the best of the best, snubbing everyone who just doesn't make the cut.
As I look at this verse, I am going to view it in light of three things. I am going to begin by looking at two words: Call, and Choose. I am also going to look at the statement in the context in which it is presented. So, there will be three C's to this. Call, Choose and Context.
Call
Marriage is the theme of this passage found in Matthew 22:1-14, so it is wise to look at the language of the verse in that light. In the English Standard Version, the word "call" is actually used in verse 3 of the text. So what does it mean to 'call' anyway? It's kind of an old word in many respects.
There was a day when young men used to 'come calling'. They don't do that much anymore. If you want to get an idea of what it means to call on someone, watching old black and white movies or westerns would be a good place to start.
When a young man had a fancy for a young lady, it was common for him to go to her house. Imagine it if you can. The calling, was a way to formally express your interest, both to the young lady, as well as her parents. It was also a time for a young couple to safely "check each other out", so to speak.
Calling is a seeking out, and this seeking out, is precisely what we see in this passage. We see a King, sending his servants to "call those who were invited" Matt 22:3. That is the word in it's proper context. Many are called, or sought out. How did the King respond when the people he called, refused to come? He responded by calling more. He told his servants to "go to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you can find." Matthew 22:9
That is the picture of God, inviting as many people as can be found. That's what God does, and His people do their best to do just that. They do what they can to invite as many as can be found. As for me, I do everything I can to invite as many as I can, to know Jesus. I write books. I write blogs. I invite people to church. I preach. I am not alone. There are many like me, doing what they can, to call as many as they can.
Choose
How else can it work? Unfortunately (it is unfortunate in my mind), few are chosen, and the reason so few are chosen, is because so few respond to the call. Again, by calling, I mean that few respond to the invitation - the seeking. Their reasons vary, but essentially, they have other things in mind to do with their lives than to respond to the invitation. They just don't want to go to the wedding feast.
Christians do what they can to invite all they can. Tell me you haven't heard this complaint, "People shouldn't try to force their religion on other people?" As for force, there is some truth in it. Faith in Christ isn't a thing to be forced. Most of the time however, people actually resent even being invited. The complaint itself, is normally verbalized by someone who does not want to follow Jesus.
Few are chosen, because few choose. How does our world respond to hearing what God has to say about issues? Suppose we are talking about a kind of sexual activity that God is not fine with. When Christians tell the world, "God is not fine with you using your body like that", what is the response? Have you EVER heard the world respond, "Gee. Thank you very much. We didn't know what God thought about that!"? There is a very clear resistance to God Himself.
Even in a country that is supposedly predominantly Christian, it is so painfully obvious that God is the last person we are interested in following. We don't mind being ethical or humanitarian, but we aren't all that fond of responding to the call. We just don't want to go to the wedding feast.
Context
I have touched on the context already, but feel it is necessary to expand. The context, is set with the backdrop of a king, inviting his people to a wedding feast. The people he invited initially never responded. So he sent his servants again, letting them know that he has a great feast prepared for them, and he really wants them there. At this, many of the invitees just went their own way. Others actually seized the messengers,treated them shamefully, even killing some. Seeing his servants mistreated and killed, he rightfully punishes them, and sends other servants to invite all who can be found.
This is the backdrop to the very story of the world. Many of God's servants are mistreated. Many are even killed.
Many were called. Many were sought out. Many were invited. Few responded.
When we read, "Many are called, few are chosen", on the surface, it sounds as if God runs an elitist social club. Or better yet, He's looked at as the head coach for an Olympic hockey team, choosing only the best of the best, snubbing everyone who just doesn't make the cut. The reality of the situation lies in stark contrast to this, God being a King, who almost seems to be begging His subjects to enjoy His delicacies.
Part of the reason we see God as an elite hockey coach, is because we have lost the sense of language itself. Our loss of language is perhaps the greatest obstacle facing our world, because without it's understanding, we are unable to process truth. Gay, used to mean happy. Calling used to be synonymous with seeking. Tolerance has now become confused with approval. Our language is so messed, to the point where we are no longer able to have reasonable dialogue.
To call, is to seek out. God is not an Olympic hockey coach, looking for the best of the best. He has set an amazing feast and is sending his servants out to call all who can be found. He chooses those who choose to respond. Few respond. They have other things going on.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
The Church Does Nothing
This past week, I was having lunch with a believing friend of mine. Overall, our time together was a time of encouragement. He said something however, that at the time, I didn't quite know how to respond to.
As I was sipping on my coffee, he looked at me rather directly and said, "The church is doing absolutely nothing in the community or the world."
My immediate response was to simply agree with him. I have mulled over and wrestled with his statement every day since. Depending on the audience this reaches, many of you have had similar thoughts. "The church needs to do something!"
As I have continued to reflect, I found myself thinking of the lady from our church who administers the local food bank. Then I thought of the guy who helps homeless teens find a place to live. And there is the lady who spends her life caring for new moms.
This morning, our pastor told us about a group of ladies in our church who made approximately 700 articles of clothing for aids victims in Africa. You might not value the work done by Compassion, but they do their best to help children escape poverty, and a few people from our church work there. I also know Christians who try to help hurricane victims.
No matter what her people do, somehow, the accusation still seems to stand. The church doesn't do anything to help anyone. Why does it stand? And why don't I have a decent response when I face those indictments?
"you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:5 ESV)
Peter tells us in his first letter, that we, as believers are to be a holy priesthood.
Yet in most minds, if the pastor or leadership are not the ones who are doing something, then it doesn't reflect on the church. How come?
I don't expect the world to recognize that our individual actions are the very actions of the church. It is disappointing when believers do the same, and I disappoint myself when, in the moment, I am personally unable to verbalize how beautiful the bride of Christ can be.
I want you to know, that what you do matters, even if nobody recognizes it. I also hope that you recognize, that the leadership in your church doesn't have to try and do the things that you are passionate about. That's why they have you. (Assuming that you are in fact part of the holy priesthood, and not on the other team)
Are you the church?
Friday, February 7, 2014
Theories
Theories are a very odd creature. In our minds, we know they don't necessarily represent reality, but we cling to them as if they do. If you have lived for any length of time, no doubt you have found that some of your personal theories about how life works just didn't prove to be true. Of course, it is much easier to recognize when the theories of other people fail.
When my wife and I decided to homeschool our first born, we met a great deal of opposition. The opposition rarely had anything whatsoever to do with what we were actually doing. The objections always came out of the personal theories held by others. Here are a few such theories....
1. Your child won't known how to socialize.
2. If your child doesn't go to public school, they might get along fine in "the church", but they will have a difficult time relating to unbelievers.
3. Being homeschooled, they will experience culture shock when they enter the real world.
Even though these were little more than theories, many held on to them adamantly, as if they were a kind of universally accepted law.
I'm not here to defend homeschooling. In fact, I don't much care how you school your children. I'm quite at ease either watching you stand or fall as you live by your own theories. That might sound mean. Would you rather me be a tyrant?
What I can say looking back, is that the kinds of theories voiced against us really didn't turn out to be true. If anything, our first born has had a much easier time finding her way in the world as a believer, than she has at finding her place in the church.
We stand or fall as we take on the consequences of the theories we have chosen to live by. I may fall just yet over some that I have chosen.
This morning I woke up reading about two men trying to defend their theories. You may have heard of them; Bill Nye and Ken Ham. What I read reminded me of how we eventually come to face the reality of the theories we have lived by, and how ultimately, we are without excuse.
Reality tends to be a rather tough taskmaster, but only insofar as it's resisted. I think it tends to be that way, because we spend so much time trying to prove our point and defend our theories instead of embracing that whatever is - is.
Here is what I know for sure. We're all going to die. I also know for sure that we are going to spend a lot more time after we die than what we spent here alive on earth. You can bank on that.
I also know this: If there is a God, Bill Nye is without excuse when he meets Him. He has clearly thought things through, and made his conclusions. Maybe Ken Ham didn't do that best job in the world, but he did everything he possibly could to tell him that there is a God who made this place we call home.
The "church" is often criticized for not doing enough in the world. You might have all the answers. For me, I don't know what else we're expected to do. I don't know what else you would expect Ken Ham to do. As for me, I write books (not many people want them). I write blogs, and they are available around the world, in different translations (not many people read them). I preach (christians seem to be the only ones who want to listen). I'm doing everything I know to do in order to try and reach the world, as I trust you are if you belong to Christ. (Are you doing all you can?)
As for being without excuse, I don't think I've heard of anyone being otherwise. As I follow the Nye/Ham debate, everyone who comments on the articles I've read already have their stand. It is extremely rare to hear someone say, "Gee. I really don't have any pre-formulated thoughts or opinions about God. Tell me more." If you ever meet such a creature, let me know. I'll try to sell them one of my books.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Sound Doctrine
Sound Doctrine
"But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine." (Titus 2:1 ESV)
This past Wednesday morning, I had breakfast at McDonalds with a pastor from a church in the Aylmer area. We began our time together arguing over who was going to pay for breakfast. (An argument that I won by the way. I'm not sure whether it was my pride or my generosity that compelled me to pay.)
We talked about many different things, from family, to the goings on in our respective churches. We eventually got on to the topic of doctrine, and his words continue to remain with me.
"Sound doctrine....What is sound doctrine anyway? Sound doctrine is doctrine which is sound."
Miriam-Webster defines sound as follows,
"Free from mistakes, demonstrating good judgment, solid and strong."
Imagine we are speaking of a foundation. A foundation with cracks in it wouldn't be sound enough to build a house on. When we take solid stands on teachings that are not sound, it opens us up for unnecessary criticism. We often take enough criticism without providing an opportunity.
If you understand this passage of scripture, you'll be able to understand why I take my stands the way I do, and why I don't always adopt other people's pet doctrines. You should also be able to understand why I have to tell you at times, that I simply do not know for sure. What makes a teaching sound anyway? For me, the answer is simple. Scripture is the bedrock by which we evaluate whether or not a teaching is sound. I'm not going to intentionally take a doctrinal stand on something I do not see clearly spelled out in The Bible. Sorry. (Actually. I'm really not sorry)
I can confidently tell you that Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. Do you know why I can authoritatively say such a thing? Because scripture says so. If you don't believe me, check out Colossians 1:15.
I can also say emphatically, that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. I can build on that as a foundation, because it is sound, and the reason it is so reliable, is because scripture speaks the very same words. I can also say that Jesus was born of a virgin. Know why I say that? You're catching on.
What I find really strange in my role as an elder, is when Christians get upset with me because I don't agree with them on things that aren't completely sound. If I'm going to say that God is "this or that"' I need to be quite certain He is "this or that" by what is revealed in scripture.
How about your doctrines? How sound are they? Is it clearly spelled out in scripture, or do you need to read your favourite blog, preacher or author in order to make you feel secure in your stand? Is it well within what is written, or do you have to develop a case?
Examples of Sound Doctrine
This coming Sunday, I will be speaking at my church, and to be forthcoming, I've been apprehensive about the message that has been laid on my heart. The reason why I'm apprehensive, is because the sermon I have in store , isn't the kind of sermon I like to listen to.
I like to listen to sermons that really walk through scripture word, by word; sermons that harp on sin and point to the cross of Christ. Those ones light my spiritual fire (so to speak). The message I have in mind is one mostly for moms and dads, encouraging them to be faithful to each other and to their families.
As I consider what it really means to be sound, it gives me a sense of peace. The message I am about to give is sound. I might not be spot on for absolutely every application I touch on, but believers really should be faithful. Faithfulness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Moms and dads really should be faithful, and if they aren't, they need to repent. That IS sound, even if it doesn't have the flavour of old time religion.
As I leave for the night, I will leave you with the context of this passage in Titus, to look at what Paul was speaking on when he spoke about "sound doctrine". As you read his words, ask yourself whether or not these are the things you think of when you think of sound doctrine. This is what sound doctrine looks like;
"Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled." (Titus 2:2-6 ESV)
PS I feel rather secure in thinking that for the believer, to be absent from the body is to be present with The Lord, but I've been challenged on that as of late. I'm prepared to be wrong.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Catching The Christmas Spirit
I have long had a difficult time with Christmas, but that has been changing.
Three short years ago, I considered writing a letter of surrender, addressing it to pagans. Christians have been accused of hijacking their holiday, trying to claim Christmas as a day to celebrate Christ's birth. I wanted to tell them that I was sorry. We have been unable to make it our own holiday anyway and they might as we'll take it back and celebrate winter solstice. Christmas, by and large had remained an overtly materialistic and pagan holiday, even in our modern day, resembling very little a holiday to celebrate the light of the world.
In the last couple of years, that has been changing. And strangely enough, the very reasons why many are beginning to question Christmas' validity in our culture, are the same reasons my own fondness grows.
More and more, Christmas is being recognized as a Christian holiday. It's less politically correct to wish Merry Christmas than it was even three years ago. Can't you see? We won! It's taken about 2013 years, but Christmas is finally ours! For so long, it has been a mixed slurry of commercial hedonism and idolatry, but at long last, it's being recognized as a Christian thing.
I'm also hearing much more about how Christmas is hard for a lot of people. This too I find to be tremendously encouraging. That is precisely what light is meant to do; to expose injustice for what it is. Christmas might be harder for you because you lost your dad last year, your parents split up or your wife walked out on you. (If I sound insensitive, please know that my family is not beyond those hardships.) Christmas didn't kill your dad, run away with your wife or break up your parents. It's not Christmas' fault. Consider this - The reason it hurts more at Christmas, is because Christmas is good. May two-four doesn't bring on the same feelings, because it isn't really a time for anything authentically good.
If it gets any better, I might even wear a Santa hat. If you don't like Christmas, I'm okay with that. God sent His Son, because He wants the whole world to be saved. You might not want the same. Strangely enough, I am quite fine with it.
PS. And to the pagans, I wasn't there when Christmas began, but if we really did take it from you, I truly am sorry. If that is the case, were it in my power, I would gladly give it back.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Ulvin - The Infected Planet
Deep in the heart of outer space, hangs a planet named Ulvin. It is not too unlike many of the planets we have seen in our stories of science fiction. Her people are appropriately known as the Ulvinites. Depending on your definition of what it means to be advanced, you might call them an advanced race, or you might not. They have yet to discover time travel, or make the Star Wars jump to light speed. They do however have a complex social system of government, law and order.
The Ulvinites are a rather complex creature. They are neither warlike, nor peaceful. Many would call them a violent and savage race, but they also exhibit a strong desire for peace. For all of her diversity, culture and governance, a great tragedy has befallen this solitary globe: It has been infected by a great disease.
There is great debate among Ulvin’s people as to how the sickness came to be, when it came and what to call it. Since I have the great privilege of observing them from the outside, I will name the disease, as I am above that particular debate. I have named it Ofraxia. After hearing of their plight, I have rather strong convictions about when it came to be, although, I don’t believe it’s worthwhile at this time to be dragged into that conversation. I am quite certain of how they contracted the disorder, and if time allows, I might go there.
For all that is arguable about Ofraxia, much is known for certain. Ofraxia is a virus which is contracted at birth, and as such, is carried by absolutely every citizen on the planet. Research has not yet shown whether it attacks their young since conception, but once the child is born, there is no hope for escape. The symptoms vary from patient to patient, but the prognosis is always the same - Death.
Some of them are taken rather quickly. Others live long enough to live semi-productive lives, finding work, recreation and even having families of their own. Death itself takes on different forms. Many die from horrible fleshly mutations, which can develop slowly over time, but bring them to the grave quite painfully. A great number of them die suddenly as some component of their body fails to perform its respective function.
Knowing about Ofraxia helps us to understand Ulvin’s commitment to medical care and research. Out of their distress, their political institutions are known to spend as much as 50% of their budget on fighting it. They have made great strides in medical knowledge over the past 1,000 years, even eliminating a few death strains, but have yet to find a cure. It is my understanding that the disease is completely incurable, but I am more than happy to see them try.
It is one thing to look upon Ulvin’s plight as an outsider. It is quite another to walk among them. I am certain that the very first people who were infected knew quite well that they had received a horror. No one remembers the time when it came to be, although there are stories still circulating of that fateful day. There are some who claim to have a written account of the original infestation, but those accounts are so old, that very few trust the source, and believing has become a matter of faith.
In the thousands of years since, living with the disease has become a regular part of life for them, since there is not a single soul who remembers otherwise. They have surrendered to the thought, that this is just the way life was meant to be. They have had no other experience, neither their fathers, not their forefathers before them.
The most peculiar thing about the Ulvinites, is that a great many (in fact, it might accurately be said of all of them) have developed a particular fondness for many of Ofraxia’s symptoms. It is true, that many of its manifestations can be quite pleasurable, if only for a short time. What most of them fail to realize, is how these symptoms work towards their very death. The normalcy of the virus has fooled them into thinking that it isn’t a problem at all.
A small sect among the Ulvinites has been circulating a rumor that a cure has been found. From our perspective, we would think the remedy would be received with open arms. Still, there are three great obstacles which hinder the development of the cure. It’s not a matter of funding, as I have mentioned how they use much of their financial resources in battling the death which awaits them. The established drug companies have little interest in opposing the cure, and government health care bureaucracy has not impeded its promotion either. The greatest opposition to the cure has been the cost of the cure, the normalcy of the disease and the pleasure of some of the symptoms. I will briefly discuss each of these obstacles.
The first hurdle for the cure is the cost. The cure is both free, and costly at the same time. It is an interesting side note that the one who originally gave them the cure, gave up his own life in its discovery. (A cost which few other researchers are willing to pay) This original researcher was very adamant however that the cure be given at no cost to those who are willing to receive it. The cure is thereby dispensed at no charge, other than the patient living a life of thankfulness to the one who gave them the cure. So it is costly in that the patient is required to place their trust in the cure, which is much more expensive than it would initially appear.
The cure isn’t the kind of cure the people of Ulvin are looking for. I have mentioned Ofraxia to be incurable, and it really is, in the sense that death still awaits those who have accepted treatment. The cure merely cancels the disease. It does not negate the consequence of death. Its victims still die, which leads Ulvinites to seriously question whether the cure is any kind of cure at all. It certainly isn’t the kind of medicine their own researchers have been looking for. They would much rather find a pill.
The second hurdle for the cure, is the normalcy of Ofraxia itself. Since everyone in Ulvin has it, they live their lives, not only thinking that it is acceptable, but everything is as it should be. Not one Ulvinite has ever known anyone without the disease. How then could they know any different? Never having known or seen life without the sickness, it has become offensive even to speak of Ofraxia as an ailment. Because of this, many proponents of the cure have been killed, simply for claiming to have found the solution.
Finally, not only have the Ulvinites grown accustomed to the sickness, many have developed a strange fondness for it. The original cure giver says that the symptoms are vile and disgraceful, where many patients have even grown to be proud of the virus they carry. They brag to their friends and enjoy telling heroic stories about the way Ofraxia has shown up in their lives. Their interests are therefore in direct conflict with the cure itself.
When such people are informed with the diagnosis, they respond as one would expect. They may naturally become very agitated and angry. Others grow to be very sad, even depressed. Some have been known to take their own lives. How would you respond if you were informed that the thing you love so much, were in fact a terminal disorder?
If you were an Ulvinite, would you want the cure?
I haven’t told you a story of a civilization who lived a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. This isn’t a made up world likened to Lewis’ Narnia or Tolkien’s Middle Earth. The tale I tell is true. To understand the story I have spun, you may want to read this again, and before you do, here is the key;
Ulvin is earth
Ofraxia is our separation from God
Sin is the symptom
Jesus is both the cure, and the original researcher.
The Ulvinites are a rather complex creature. They are neither warlike, nor peaceful. Many would call them a violent and savage race, but they also exhibit a strong desire for peace. For all of her diversity, culture and governance, a great tragedy has befallen this solitary globe: It has been infected by a great disease.
There is great debate among Ulvin’s people as to how the sickness came to be, when it came and what to call it. Since I have the great privilege of observing them from the outside, I will name the disease, as I am above that particular debate. I have named it Ofraxia. After hearing of their plight, I have rather strong convictions about when it came to be, although, I don’t believe it’s worthwhile at this time to be dragged into that conversation. I am quite certain of how they contracted the disorder, and if time allows, I might go there.
For all that is arguable about Ofraxia, much is known for certain. Ofraxia is a virus which is contracted at birth, and as such, is carried by absolutely every citizen on the planet. Research has not yet shown whether it attacks their young since conception, but once the child is born, there is no hope for escape. The symptoms vary from patient to patient, but the prognosis is always the same - Death.
Some of them are taken rather quickly. Others live long enough to live semi-productive lives, finding work, recreation and even having families of their own. Death itself takes on different forms. Many die from horrible fleshly mutations, which can develop slowly over time, but bring them to the grave quite painfully. A great number of them die suddenly as some component of their body fails to perform its respective function.
Knowing about Ofraxia helps us to understand Ulvin’s commitment to medical care and research. Out of their distress, their political institutions are known to spend as much as 50% of their budget on fighting it. They have made great strides in medical knowledge over the past 1,000 years, even eliminating a few death strains, but have yet to find a cure. It is my understanding that the disease is completely incurable, but I am more than happy to see them try.
It is one thing to look upon Ulvin’s plight as an outsider. It is quite another to walk among them. I am certain that the very first people who were infected knew quite well that they had received a horror. No one remembers the time when it came to be, although there are stories still circulating of that fateful day. There are some who claim to have a written account of the original infestation, but those accounts are so old, that very few trust the source, and believing has become a matter of faith.
In the thousands of years since, living with the disease has become a regular part of life for them, since there is not a single soul who remembers otherwise. They have surrendered to the thought, that this is just the way life was meant to be. They have had no other experience, neither their fathers, not their forefathers before them.
The most peculiar thing about the Ulvinites, is that a great many (in fact, it might accurately be said of all of them) have developed a particular fondness for many of Ofraxia’s symptoms. It is true, that many of its manifestations can be quite pleasurable, if only for a short time. What most of them fail to realize, is how these symptoms work towards their very death. The normalcy of the virus has fooled them into thinking that it isn’t a problem at all.
A small sect among the Ulvinites has been circulating a rumor that a cure has been found. From our perspective, we would think the remedy would be received with open arms. Still, there are three great obstacles which hinder the development of the cure. It’s not a matter of funding, as I have mentioned how they use much of their financial resources in battling the death which awaits them. The established drug companies have little interest in opposing the cure, and government health care bureaucracy has not impeded its promotion either. The greatest opposition to the cure has been the cost of the cure, the normalcy of the disease and the pleasure of some of the symptoms. I will briefly discuss each of these obstacles.
The first hurdle for the cure is the cost. The cure is both free, and costly at the same time. It is an interesting side note that the one who originally gave them the cure, gave up his own life in its discovery. (A cost which few other researchers are willing to pay) This original researcher was very adamant however that the cure be given at no cost to those who are willing to receive it. The cure is thereby dispensed at no charge, other than the patient living a life of thankfulness to the one who gave them the cure. So it is costly in that the patient is required to place their trust in the cure, which is much more expensive than it would initially appear.
The cure isn’t the kind of cure the people of Ulvin are looking for. I have mentioned Ofraxia to be incurable, and it really is, in the sense that death still awaits those who have accepted treatment. The cure merely cancels the disease. It does not negate the consequence of death. Its victims still die, which leads Ulvinites to seriously question whether the cure is any kind of cure at all. It certainly isn’t the kind of medicine their own researchers have been looking for. They would much rather find a pill.
The second hurdle for the cure, is the normalcy of Ofraxia itself. Since everyone in Ulvin has it, they live their lives, not only thinking that it is acceptable, but everything is as it should be. Not one Ulvinite has ever known anyone without the disease. How then could they know any different? Never having known or seen life without the sickness, it has become offensive even to speak of Ofraxia as an ailment. Because of this, many proponents of the cure have been killed, simply for claiming to have found the solution.
Finally, not only have the Ulvinites grown accustomed to the sickness, many have developed a strange fondness for it. The original cure giver says that the symptoms are vile and disgraceful, where many patients have even grown to be proud of the virus they carry. They brag to their friends and enjoy telling heroic stories about the way Ofraxia has shown up in their lives. Their interests are therefore in direct conflict with the cure itself.
When such people are informed with the diagnosis, they respond as one would expect. They may naturally become very agitated and angry. Others grow to be very sad, even depressed. Some have been known to take their own lives. How would you respond if you were informed that the thing you love so much, were in fact a terminal disorder?
If you were an Ulvinite, would you want the cure?
I haven’t told you a story of a civilization who lived a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. This isn’t a made up world likened to Lewis’ Narnia or Tolkien’s Middle Earth. The tale I tell is true. To understand the story I have spun, you may want to read this again, and before you do, here is the key;
Ulvin is earth
Ofraxia is our separation from God
Sin is the symptom
Jesus is both the cure, and the original researcher.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Is This What You Were Looking For?
Several years ago, my wife and I had the privilege of being invited to the baptism of a young man who had been mildly involved in our youth group. He had since moved on to be a part of a different church in the area. It was a blessed day, with a blessed service, a blessed guest speaker and a blessed message. We gave him a personalized New Living Translation Bible, letting him know what a privilege it was to know him.
In that blessed hour, there was one thing I found to be rather odd. During his testimony, he shared how thankful he was for his new church, how there he had found the answers he was looking for to life’s big questions. It seemed like a wonderful thing to say on such a grand day. I don’t believe it was jealousy which thought his statement to be odd. I was overjoyed to see him follow Christ’s example in baptism, and if someone else was better able to get the job done, I wanted to commend my superior.
What I found strange was that in my time with him, he never asked any questions. If real answers were what he was really looking for, why did he never ask? As best I knew, the things I had given him were the very things found in scripture. I really was happy though. So I shook his hand, gave him a hug, told him how pleased I was with his decision to follow Christ, and that I loved him.
There is a problem with looking for answers. We generally discover what we set out to find. Obviously, the answers he had found didn’t quite do the trick. Within a couple of years, he had become a hardcore, conspiracy chasing atheist. So much for the new church with the better answers.
Looking for answers isn’t such a horror. Searching for answers is a good thing. I get this uncomfortable chill when I hear the phrase, ‘the answers I was looking for’.
Just because an answer satisfies you, does NOT make it true. In my career, (and maybe quite unfortunately in my calling) I have grown to be rather proficient at giving people ‘the answers they are looking for’. You may well know that I am the assistant manager at an automotive repair shop. I do everything I can to be forthcoming about what we are really doing to the vehicles our customers bring to us. The greatest challenge to maintaining that trust, comes with our provinces drive clean program.
If you live in southern Ontario, and follow the program in the media, you’ll know it has proven to be a terribly unpopular program. As a front counter person, I receive the brunt of the general public’s dissatisfaction. I have learned (unfortunately) to be very adept at giving people the kind of ‘answers they are looking for’.
Call me a coward. I deserve it. I’ve just given up. I tried giving the straight truth, but when I do, they complain to my boss that I’m short with them or insensitive. When my customer has an answer they are looking for, I have NEVER been able win the conversation. If I’m going to fight, lose absolutely every battle , and then be called short and insensitive, I just can’t see the hope of giving perfectly true answers. If there was a glimmer of hope, either of conveying truth, or living without fear of being labeled insensitive, I might be able to reclaim some of my personal integrity.
I’ll give you a plain example. Customer B’s car failed its emission test because its transmission isn’t shifting properly. Mr. B gets angry with me saying, “It’s a transmission code. That has nothing to do with my vehicle’s emissions.” If one in my position were to be upfront with Mr. B, he would say, “Actually sir. If the transmission isn’t shifting right, it will burn more fuel, thereby increasing CO2 emissions, and all other pollutants your vehicle produces.” There have been several occasions where I have explained it as such. Never has such a response been the kind of answer they were looking for. They walk away angry, thinking that I’m mean, and just want to take their money.
I have given up the fight. Please pray someday I will take up the fight again. The question I now normally ask myself is, “What kind of answer is Mr. B ‘looking for?’” I then tell him, “I don’t know why the government counts that as a problem in their emission testing program.” Then the strangest of things happens: It’s almost a miracle. Having found the answer he was looking for, he lets me fix his car, pays me, shakes my hand and walks out of the garage thinking I am such a swell guy. He walks away thinking I’m his friend, and the government is the devil.
What I’m sharing with you isn’t isolated to auto repair. Looking for answers that satisfy us is, in all likelihood, just as prevalent, and even more dangerous for our spiritual well being. We are a species who tend to accept what sounds agreeable to us, and reject what does not. The research we perform generally reflects the answers we were hoping to find from the onset. I was reading an interview of a well known Christian author who had just written his latest work. His claim for the book, was that it used scripture to develop a strong case for his thesis. Is that respectable? Should scripture be used as a thing to develop a case? I’m not about to expose the man. He is in fact among the more sound theologians of our day, and neither am I above using scripture for such a purpose.
God warned us in His word, through Paul speaking to Timothy, “a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.” 2Timothy 4:3 I don’t know exactly what time Paul was referring to, but it certainly does describe our era.
Paul described a day when people would do what they want to do, and in order to feel okay about their lives, would gather teachers to themselves who would tell them what they want to hear. The internet has provided for us unprecedented wealth to accomplish just that. Before the printing press, we were limited to whoever was within earshot. We are now able, not only to buy our favorite books, but from the privacy of our own homes, download messages or sermons from whoever best suits our preference.
Are you an atheist? There is a plethora of information available that will help you to find encouragement in your course. Do you like muscle cars? Lots of stuff there too. Yet, car enthusiasts and atheists do not make up a significant segment of my readership. How about Christians type people?
I have confessed to you, that I have become proficient at giving the answers people ‘are looking for’ in my workplace. I’m wondering if I have subconsciously learned to do the same in my calling. This is a confession, not justification.
Whenever I hear 2Timothy 4:3 being quoted, it is normally in reference to individuals who want to indulge in good old fashioned wine women and song. The very thing that does the ear tickling varies completely from ear to ear, on person to person. If I want to tickle your ears, I will tell you very different things than if I am speaking with your neighbor. If I want to tickle the ears of a charismatic Christian, I will say other things to a cessationist Christian. (And yes. I believe Christ-ians might be found in both camps. May it also be said that neither have embraced me.)
As with my career, there are fears to be faced if we are to be forthcoming about where we truly stand. If I tell the charismatic that I have not been blessed with the gift of tongues, depending on the kind of charismatic I’m speaking with, they might make me feel I am either immature in my faith, or even that I have not yet been baptized in the Holy Spirit. If I tell the cessationist that I see no biblical account where the works of the Holy Spirit died with the 12 apostles, I fear being called a heretic. Which do you think I fear more? I am secure enough in my walk and have witnessed the work of the Holy Spirit changing me. Being labeled a heretic by those who think like me is tougher.
Beyond our fears, there are very real consequences to be faced if we fail to give others the ‘answers they are looking for’. If you accuse someone of immorality, very different things will happen than if you challenge the Pharisee.
If you challenge the immoral, they could fall into depression, or even suicide. Or they could take it out on you. You could be charged with violating their human rights. They might rally their likeminded counterparts in an attempt to bring your business to financial ruin. I’m not sure why this happens. I have yet to intentionally rally behind such a cause. My hunch is that they just want to ruin you, but maybe they are thinking it could change your mind. I’m not sure.
If you challenge the Pharisee, you run the risk of being blackballed. You will carry the mark of Cain for the remainder of your days. You will be called ungodly, irreverent, a heretic, hellbound, and unless you repent (and by repent, I do not mean a turning from sin. I mean, you submit to them) your name will be smeared across the internet. And even though our Lord never seemed to sanction widespread public defamation, you will publicly carry the title of a wolf, and imposter.
Which is worse for you? At least if I were to be sued by the immoral person, I’d have the comfort of doing what I thought to be right. Contrasting to the backdrop of the Pharisees, there is something about their ways which have the outward appearance of being the higher ground. A Godly conscience has a more difficult time bearing up under the name of a heretic, than poverty.
I haven’t written you an essay. I am selling you nothing. As usual, I am challenging us to ask a question. Are you looking for truth, or when you open the book or the browser, is there an answer you are looking for?
In that blessed hour, there was one thing I found to be rather odd. During his testimony, he shared how thankful he was for his new church, how there he had found the answers he was looking for to life’s big questions. It seemed like a wonderful thing to say on such a grand day. I don’t believe it was jealousy which thought his statement to be odd. I was overjoyed to see him follow Christ’s example in baptism, and if someone else was better able to get the job done, I wanted to commend my superior.
What I found strange was that in my time with him, he never asked any questions. If real answers were what he was really looking for, why did he never ask? As best I knew, the things I had given him were the very things found in scripture. I really was happy though. So I shook his hand, gave him a hug, told him how pleased I was with his decision to follow Christ, and that I loved him.
There is a problem with looking for answers. We generally discover what we set out to find. Obviously, the answers he had found didn’t quite do the trick. Within a couple of years, he had become a hardcore, conspiracy chasing atheist. So much for the new church with the better answers.
Looking for answers isn’t such a horror. Searching for answers is a good thing. I get this uncomfortable chill when I hear the phrase, ‘the answers I was looking for’.
Just because an answer satisfies you, does NOT make it true. In my career, (and maybe quite unfortunately in my calling) I have grown to be rather proficient at giving people ‘the answers they are looking for’. You may well know that I am the assistant manager at an automotive repair shop. I do everything I can to be forthcoming about what we are really doing to the vehicles our customers bring to us. The greatest challenge to maintaining that trust, comes with our provinces drive clean program.
If you live in southern Ontario, and follow the program in the media, you’ll know it has proven to be a terribly unpopular program. As a front counter person, I receive the brunt of the general public’s dissatisfaction. I have learned (unfortunately) to be very adept at giving people the kind of ‘answers they are looking for’.
Call me a coward. I deserve it. I’ve just given up. I tried giving the straight truth, but when I do, they complain to my boss that I’m short with them or insensitive. When my customer has an answer they are looking for, I have NEVER been able win the conversation. If I’m going to fight, lose absolutely every battle , and then be called short and insensitive, I just can’t see the hope of giving perfectly true answers. If there was a glimmer of hope, either of conveying truth, or living without fear of being labeled insensitive, I might be able to reclaim some of my personal integrity.
I’ll give you a plain example. Customer B’s car failed its emission test because its transmission isn’t shifting properly. Mr. B gets angry with me saying, “It’s a transmission code. That has nothing to do with my vehicle’s emissions.” If one in my position were to be upfront with Mr. B, he would say, “Actually sir. If the transmission isn’t shifting right, it will burn more fuel, thereby increasing CO2 emissions, and all other pollutants your vehicle produces.” There have been several occasions where I have explained it as such. Never has such a response been the kind of answer they were looking for. They walk away angry, thinking that I’m mean, and just want to take their money.
I have given up the fight. Please pray someday I will take up the fight again. The question I now normally ask myself is, “What kind of answer is Mr. B ‘looking for?’” I then tell him, “I don’t know why the government counts that as a problem in their emission testing program.” Then the strangest of things happens: It’s almost a miracle. Having found the answer he was looking for, he lets me fix his car, pays me, shakes my hand and walks out of the garage thinking I am such a swell guy. He walks away thinking I’m his friend, and the government is the devil.
What I’m sharing with you isn’t isolated to auto repair. Looking for answers that satisfy us is, in all likelihood, just as prevalent, and even more dangerous for our spiritual well being. We are a species who tend to accept what sounds agreeable to us, and reject what does not. The research we perform generally reflects the answers we were hoping to find from the onset. I was reading an interview of a well known Christian author who had just written his latest work. His claim for the book, was that it used scripture to develop a strong case for his thesis. Is that respectable? Should scripture be used as a thing to develop a case? I’m not about to expose the man. He is in fact among the more sound theologians of our day, and neither am I above using scripture for such a purpose.
God warned us in His word, through Paul speaking to Timothy, “a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.” 2Timothy 4:3 I don’t know exactly what time Paul was referring to, but it certainly does describe our era.
Paul described a day when people would do what they want to do, and in order to feel okay about their lives, would gather teachers to themselves who would tell them what they want to hear. The internet has provided for us unprecedented wealth to accomplish just that. Before the printing press, we were limited to whoever was within earshot. We are now able, not only to buy our favorite books, but from the privacy of our own homes, download messages or sermons from whoever best suits our preference.
Are you an atheist? There is a plethora of information available that will help you to find encouragement in your course. Do you like muscle cars? Lots of stuff there too. Yet, car enthusiasts and atheists do not make up a significant segment of my readership. How about Christians type people?
I have confessed to you, that I have become proficient at giving the answers people ‘are looking for’ in my workplace. I’m wondering if I have subconsciously learned to do the same in my calling. This is a confession, not justification.
Whenever I hear 2Timothy 4:3 being quoted, it is normally in reference to individuals who want to indulge in good old fashioned wine women and song. The very thing that does the ear tickling varies completely from ear to ear, on person to person. If I want to tickle your ears, I will tell you very different things than if I am speaking with your neighbor. If I want to tickle the ears of a charismatic Christian, I will say other things to a cessationist Christian. (And yes. I believe Christ-ians might be found in both camps. May it also be said that neither have embraced me.)
As with my career, there are fears to be faced if we are to be forthcoming about where we truly stand. If I tell the charismatic that I have not been blessed with the gift of tongues, depending on the kind of charismatic I’m speaking with, they might make me feel I am either immature in my faith, or even that I have not yet been baptized in the Holy Spirit. If I tell the cessationist that I see no biblical account where the works of the Holy Spirit died with the 12 apostles, I fear being called a heretic. Which do you think I fear more? I am secure enough in my walk and have witnessed the work of the Holy Spirit changing me. Being labeled a heretic by those who think like me is tougher.
Beyond our fears, there are very real consequences to be faced if we fail to give others the ‘answers they are looking for’. If you accuse someone of immorality, very different things will happen than if you challenge the Pharisee.
If you challenge the immoral, they could fall into depression, or even suicide. Or they could take it out on you. You could be charged with violating their human rights. They might rally their likeminded counterparts in an attempt to bring your business to financial ruin. I’m not sure why this happens. I have yet to intentionally rally behind such a cause. My hunch is that they just want to ruin you, but maybe they are thinking it could change your mind. I’m not sure.
If you challenge the Pharisee, you run the risk of being blackballed. You will carry the mark of Cain for the remainder of your days. You will be called ungodly, irreverent, a heretic, hellbound, and unless you repent (and by repent, I do not mean a turning from sin. I mean, you submit to them) your name will be smeared across the internet. And even though our Lord never seemed to sanction widespread public defamation, you will publicly carry the title of a wolf, and imposter.
Which is worse for you? At least if I were to be sued by the immoral person, I’d have the comfort of doing what I thought to be right. Contrasting to the backdrop of the Pharisees, there is something about their ways which have the outward appearance of being the higher ground. A Godly conscience has a more difficult time bearing up under the name of a heretic, than poverty.
I haven’t written you an essay. I am selling you nothing. As usual, I am challenging us to ask a question. Are you looking for truth, or when you open the book or the browser, is there an answer you are looking for?
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