A few days ago I was studying in the library, and I saw a little two year old girl skipping in the library with her father. Near the middle of the library is a huge set of cement stairs that descends probably 75 steps. When the little girl saw the stairs, she immediately began running for them, and would have fallen down every step with her momentum. Instead, her father quickly jumped in front of her, picked her up, and placed her back on the path they were walking together. Rather than seeing what the father was doing, she immediately ran straight back toward the stairs, attempting to run over the edge. Again, the father lovingly picked her up, placed her back on the path they were walking, and encouraged her to follow him. I smiled and thought, "She has no idea what would happen if her father allowed her to get what she wanted." Then I stopped and was taken aback by its striking parallel. I am so often like that little girl, pushing again and again and again to get what I think I want, while my heavenly Father is lovingly protecting me and placing me back on His path.
How often do we pursue things that God lovingly forbids in His Word? I often think about why some of my friends who grew up in the church with me walked away from the faith of their parents--somehow never making it their own. I cannot help but think it's partly because God is seen primarily as the "fun-killer," the one who forbids the "joy of the stairs." Like our little girl running for the edge, we get angry at God because we see Him as keeping us from the joy we think is in the stairs. When in reality, who knows better what we need and what will truly fulfill us than the One who created those desires!? A question often asked in youth groups at church is, "How far is too far?", with regard to sexual purity in relationships. This question is like the little girl trying to get closer and closer to the stairs, while completely missing the love that is behind the father's boundaries, and the joy in the path he wants for her. When God forbids something, it is because He has something better for us. In reality, it's never about rules but about a relationship! When we learn to trust the Father, knowing He has our best in mind, then we know the love in His path. And to be honest, there is nothing better than what He has. I have taken my life and placed it upon that promise--What God has for me is greater than anything the world can offer. I pray that instead of being the little girl pushing for the stairs, I will ask the Father what He desires and faithfully walk in His path--the only path that leads to an abundant life. (John 10:10).
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Anybody Remember This!?
This past week, one of my friends from high school asked me how she would be able to listen to the boyband music we recorded while we were at Xavier High School. I laughed because I had all but forgotten about the fun times the four of us had in choir and through various events singing with "4 Hott Guyz," a nickname that ended up sticking as our name! Have fun checking out the link, and remember that the comments about singing for 'the ladies' were written when we were in high school! Enjoy! :)
http://www.purevolume.com/4hottguyz
http://www.purevolume.com/4hottguyz
Saturday, October 3, 2009
With All Your Mind
A common phrase that I hear Christians say is, "I'm no theologian, but..." and they give their opinion on something Biblical or spiritual. To this I say, "Actually, you are a theologian!" If you're a follower of Jesus Christ, you're by definition a theologian--a student of God/studying God. Why do I make this point? Isn't it just a misunderstanding of the word? On the contrary, I think it subtly underscores a tension that has seeped into our mindset.
There is a pervasive tension in the American church with studying theology or even the Bible itself, in a deep way. At the outset, I must admit that I'm biased (though you probably already know this). I absolutely love theology, studying the Bible and the Biblical languages--mostly because the most important thing in my life is my relationship with Jesus Christ, and I see amazing importance in loving God with my mind. The Church needs you to know theology. The Church needs people to recognize heresy and to guard the truth--that is our job! When a smiling face on the tv says that to be victorious in Christ is to be rich, we must know, first of all, that that is wrong, and secondly, why it is wrong! When a Jehovah's Witness tells you that Jesus is a created being, we must know how to passionately and lovingly refute this challenge to God's character.
Often in my philosophy classes at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, students loved to pick on Christians because they were used to the American Christian cowering at questions to their faith and responding, "Well, that's just what I believe...I have faith." Yes, faith is a huge part of our relationship with Christ (the most important part!) but we cannot forget to clarify that we believe what we believe because it is TRUE! The criteria for valid faith is the truthfulness of the object of faith! My professor, Dr. Carson, had some great things to say about this prior stated attitude. Last week in lecture he said this:
"One of the criteria for valid faith is the truthfulness of the object of faith. The Bible does not ever encourage you to believe something that is not true. You cannot access everything through history but there are many things bound up with the very heart of Christianity that are bound up in history. If you believe these things when they are false, your faith is futile (1 Corinthians 15:16-18). When there is access to such true information, yet you believe something that is untrue, it doesn't make your faith good. Such people are to be most pitied, as Paul says." Here Dr. Carson makes the clearest statement that I want to emphasize. He says, "If the Bible wants to increase our faith, it tells us to increase the truth! It doesn't say 'well I believe what I believe, leave me alone to believe my private faith." For too long, we have had this attitude. We think, 'Well, those things sure look like truth but I'm going to hide and believe what I want to.' We must fight this attitude like the plague! Frankly, it is comfortable and easy, but it is not Christlike. When our faith is questioned (and it inevitably will be), we must passionately pursue the truth. All truth is God's truth, if it is actually true. Jesus says, "Sanctify them by your truth; your Word is truth!" The automatic question we receive is, "What is truth?" like Pilate asked Jesus while he was on trial, which is recorded in John 18. The statement that elicits this response is when Jesus says to Pilate "For this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." Everyone on the side of truth listens to Jesus. How much more should be study what this truth is, if all truth is His?
Very briefly, this brings me to another pervasive attitude that has crept into our culture--a dislike of seminaries and an oft negative attitude that denies their necessity! Without spending much time on this, I ask this question. Where was the battle lost in the ELCA, in their recent denial of Biblical truth in favor of embracing the homosexual lifestyle. I argue that this battle was lost in the seminary! Who voted? Pastors! Where were they trained? Seminaries. And I could cite hundreds of examples of the front lines of the battle for the mind of the church being the seminary. Many, many, many denominations have left Biblical truth...but their seminaries left it first. Thus, contrary to the common thought of seminaries being far removed from the battle for the hearts of people, it is actually a key, strategic fortress. The battle is often won and lost on the soil of the seminary. Thus I believe this is true: Win the seminary, win the pastors, win the Church, win the people.
Back to my main point: The Truth has nothing to fear from investigation. Thus, to learn more about Christ is to increase your faith, as you increase the truth! In this, we must be diligent to guard our hearts against making our relationship with God too academic, however.
While my faith has increased tremendously here at Trinity while learning more about God, I also have had to fight to keep my relationship with God from becoming boxed up and dusty. We must not lose our missional focus by studying theology. We only study things about God to KNOW God better--personally. To be honest, some of the doctrinal and theological conversations I have with people here are draining, and distracting, and sometimes cannibalistic. I have made a conscious decision in my heart to say, "I will not allow others to force me to box up God, or to allow others to unintentionally steal my excitement for living passionately for the Gospel." It's certain doctrinal traditions and those removed from the real battle who can ruin the picture of what a theologian is for most of us. Let us not allow the sourness of certain people to ruin what God desires for us to pursue. Do you desire your faith to increase? Increase the truth! Do you desire to follow Jesus but think some truth gets in the way? Search it out! God says in Jeremiah 29, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart!" Cults discourage questions, the truth welcomes them. Jesus calls you to lovingly pursue Him with your whole heart, your whole soul, your whole strength, and yes, also your whole mind! He is worthy of all of this. To neglect one is to miss out on the fullness of knowing God.
There is a pervasive tension in the American church with studying theology or even the Bible itself, in a deep way. At the outset, I must admit that I'm biased (though you probably already know this). I absolutely love theology, studying the Bible and the Biblical languages--mostly because the most important thing in my life is my relationship with Jesus Christ, and I see amazing importance in loving God with my mind. The Church needs you to know theology. The Church needs people to recognize heresy and to guard the truth--that is our job! When a smiling face on the tv says that to be victorious in Christ is to be rich, we must know, first of all, that that is wrong, and secondly, why it is wrong! When a Jehovah's Witness tells you that Jesus is a created being, we must know how to passionately and lovingly refute this challenge to God's character.
Often in my philosophy classes at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, students loved to pick on Christians because they were used to the American Christian cowering at questions to their faith and responding, "Well, that's just what I believe...I have faith." Yes, faith is a huge part of our relationship with Christ (the most important part!) but we cannot forget to clarify that we believe what we believe because it is TRUE! The criteria for valid faith is the truthfulness of the object of faith! My professor, Dr. Carson, had some great things to say about this prior stated attitude. Last week in lecture he said this:
"One of the criteria for valid faith is the truthfulness of the object of faith. The Bible does not ever encourage you to believe something that is not true. You cannot access everything through history but there are many things bound up with the very heart of Christianity that are bound up in history. If you believe these things when they are false, your faith is futile (1 Corinthians 15:16-18). When there is access to such true information, yet you believe something that is untrue, it doesn't make your faith good. Such people are to be most pitied, as Paul says." Here Dr. Carson makes the clearest statement that I want to emphasize. He says, "If the Bible wants to increase our faith, it tells us to increase the truth! It doesn't say 'well I believe what I believe, leave me alone to believe my private faith." For too long, we have had this attitude. We think, 'Well, those things sure look like truth but I'm going to hide and believe what I want to.' We must fight this attitude like the plague! Frankly, it is comfortable and easy, but it is not Christlike. When our faith is questioned (and it inevitably will be), we must passionately pursue the truth. All truth is God's truth, if it is actually true. Jesus says, "Sanctify them by your truth; your Word is truth!" The automatic question we receive is, "What is truth?" like Pilate asked Jesus while he was on trial, which is recorded in John 18. The statement that elicits this response is when Jesus says to Pilate "For this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." Everyone on the side of truth listens to Jesus. How much more should be study what this truth is, if all truth is His?
Very briefly, this brings me to another pervasive attitude that has crept into our culture--a dislike of seminaries and an oft negative attitude that denies their necessity! Without spending much time on this, I ask this question. Where was the battle lost in the ELCA, in their recent denial of Biblical truth in favor of embracing the homosexual lifestyle. I argue that this battle was lost in the seminary! Who voted? Pastors! Where were they trained? Seminaries. And I could cite hundreds of examples of the front lines of the battle for the mind of the church being the seminary. Many, many, many denominations have left Biblical truth...but their seminaries left it first. Thus, contrary to the common thought of seminaries being far removed from the battle for the hearts of people, it is actually a key, strategic fortress. The battle is often won and lost on the soil of the seminary. Thus I believe this is true: Win the seminary, win the pastors, win the Church, win the people.
Back to my main point: The Truth has nothing to fear from investigation. Thus, to learn more about Christ is to increase your faith, as you increase the truth! In this, we must be diligent to guard our hearts against making our relationship with God too academic, however.
While my faith has increased tremendously here at Trinity while learning more about God, I also have had to fight to keep my relationship with God from becoming boxed up and dusty. We must not lose our missional focus by studying theology. We only study things about God to KNOW God better--personally. To be honest, some of the doctrinal and theological conversations I have with people here are draining, and distracting, and sometimes cannibalistic. I have made a conscious decision in my heart to say, "I will not allow others to force me to box up God, or to allow others to unintentionally steal my excitement for living passionately for the Gospel." It's certain doctrinal traditions and those removed from the real battle who can ruin the picture of what a theologian is for most of us. Let us not allow the sourness of certain people to ruin what God desires for us to pursue. Do you desire your faith to increase? Increase the truth! Do you desire to follow Jesus but think some truth gets in the way? Search it out! God says in Jeremiah 29, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart!" Cults discourage questions, the truth welcomes them. Jesus calls you to lovingly pursue Him with your whole heart, your whole soul, your whole strength, and yes, also your whole mind! He is worthy of all of this. To neglect one is to miss out on the fullness of knowing God.
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