Theological Thursday --- Baseball

In honor of the start of the 2009 season --- THE LORD'S BASEBALL GAME

Freddy and the Lord stood by to observe a baseball game. The Lord's team was playing Satan's team. The Lord's team was at bat, the score was tied zero to zero, and it was the bottom of the 9th inning with two outs. They continued to watch as a batter stepped up to the plate named 'Love.' Love swung at the first pitch and hit a single, because " Love never fails."

The next batter was named Faith , who also got a single because Faith works with Love .

The next batter up was named Godly Wisdom . Satan wound up and threw the first pitch. Godly Wisdom looked it over and let it pass: Ball one. Three more pitches and Godly Wisdom walked because he never swings at what Satan throws .

The bases were now loaded. The Lord then turned to Freddy and told him He was now going to bring in His star player. Up to the plate stepped Grace. Freddy said, "He sure doesn't look like much!" Satan's whole team relaxed when they saw Grace. Thinking he had won the game, Satan wound up and fired his first pitch. To the shock of everyone, Grace hit the ball harder than anyone had ever seen! But Satan was not worried; his center fielder let very few get by.

He went up for the ball, but it went right through his glove, hit him on the head and sent him crashing on the ground; the roaring crowds went wild as the ball continued over the fence . . . for a home run! The Lord's team won!

The Lord then asked Freddy if he knew why Love, Faith and Godly Wisdom could get on base but couldn't win the game. Freddy answered that he didn't know why. The Lord explained, "If your love, faith, and wisdom had won the game, you would think you had done it by yourself. Love, Faith, and Wisdom will get you on base but only My Grace can get you Home.

For by Grace are you saved, it is a gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast. ---Ephesians 2:8-9

Theological Thursday --- Desires of the Heart

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. --- Psalm 37:4

Prior to going to seminary, my Bible study group in Pittsburgh did a study on King Solomon, and I reflected on the story of God promising anything to Solomon that he wanted --- and of all the riches, possessions, etc Solomon could have asked for, he instead asked (and received) wisdom. I knew if I were to go into ministry, I would need far more wisdom and problem solving skills than I possessed, so I began to pray daily (and still do to this day) for wisdom.

When I was in elementary school, we took an IQ test. I got a 116. For all people, 100 is considered "average" and 132 is considered "genius" --- so I was pretty far above average, but far from the top of the scale. In a room of 100 people, I would be above 75 of them, but below 25...just a face in the crowd as far as wisdom and intelligence are concerned.

As I began to pray for wisdom 5 years ago, as the days have gone by, I have noticeably seen God making things much clearer and my wisdom grow by leaps and bounds. IQ is supposed to be a "static" thing (meaning it doesn't change over your lifetime). It may fluctuate plus or minus 5 points, but for the most part should never change. During my counseling classes 2 years ago, we took and IQ test and I scored a 138. There is no explanation of how it could jump by 22 points, and I thought maybe it was a fluke and maybe I had just guessed some of the answers right.

Many of you may remember that I said I was taking the MENSA test --- which requires the 132 score or above and accepts only the top 2% of the population in IQ. I received a letter before vacation that I had passed the test! They didn't provide an exact score, only that it was above the 132 mark. I think it is an incredible testament to the power of God and how He works through our prayers and wants to give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 34:7) when they align with His will. Wisdom and IQ are not exactly the same, but they both have the components of discernment and knowledge. I have no doubt that God will use this to further His Kingdom in some way, and I am excited to see how it will all play out. God has used my life to take something that is supposedly statistically very unlikely (jumping by 22+ IQ points) and has made it happen for His Glory in mine (and Jen's) ministry for Him.

What are you praying for? What are your desires? Do they align with His? Most importantly...Jerry (Jen's dad), you better listen from now on when I say during the football game whether it is best to go for it, punt, go for 2, kick the FG, etc --- cause it will be the wise choice!

Theological Thursday --- The Ugliness of Sin

I know I have made comments on here several times that we are all sinners and from a spiritual standpoint they all point us to our need for a Savior no matter how big or how small. So if we commit murder or tell a little white lie, even though from society's view one is far worse than the other, from God's view it just shows us that we need Him.

I never knew how to illustrate that well as many unbelievers have a hard time understanding that their sin is "bad" as people love to compare themselves to other "worse sinners". But these last 2 months I have been reading a lot of books that I've never had time to, and although I love to give my own thoughts and perspectives on things, I have to quote 2 paragraphs from Jerry Bridges book, Respectable Sins. He spells out the ugliness of sin (no matter how "big" or "small") with the best illustration I've ever heard:

If I spill black indelible ink on a rug you bought at the local discount store, that's bad. But if I spill the same ink on your very expensive Persian rug, that's really bad. Why? My act is the same and the ink is the same, but the value of the two rugs are vastly different. The extent of the damage is determined not by the size of the ink blobs on the two rugs but by the respective value of each of them.

This is how we should think of our sin against God. Every sin we commit, regardless of how insignificant it seems to us, is an assault on His infinite glory. And the value of an expensive rug, even if it is millions of dollars, is nothing compared to the value of God's glory.

So society views our sins from the perspective of the size of the ink blob. Did we make a big spill (murder) or a little spill (white lie)? But the Christian should view their sin in respect to what their spill (sin) is falling on --- God's infinite glory. And as we mature in the Christian faith, hopefully our spills get smaller and smaller, but our recognition of what we are spilling onto never ceases to grow.

It makes it so much clearer Paul's view of himself as a sinner. In 1 Corinthians (55 AD) he saw himself as the "worst of the Apostles" (15:9). Five years later (60 AD) when he wrote Ephesians, he called himself the "very least of the saints" (3:8). Finally, 3 years later (63 AD) when writing 2 Timothy, Paul called himself the "worst of all sinners" (1:15). So as Paul matured in his Christian walk, his view of his sin got worse and worse. It is not because his spills were getting bigger and bigger, but because his view of his awesome, perfect, and powerful God to which his spills were falling upon were getting clearer and clearer. May we do the same.

Theological Thursday --- Christians and Democrats

I recently saw a bumper sticker similar to the one above that said, "You can be Christian AND Democrat". I have also heard people make the argument that based on moral issues (abortion, same sex marriage, stem cells, etc) that you cannot be a dedicated Christian and a democrat. So what's the answer? Is it one of the extremes or somewhere in between?

Well the short answer is this --- of course you can be a democrat and a Christian. Neither party is perfect because both are full of sinners. There are some very strong Christians I know that work in inner-city ministries that are desperate for help as they see people hungry, in need of medical attention, in need of a home, in need of money, etc, etc, etc and believe that more help will come by way of the democratic party. They wish they didn't have to choose between abortion and watching their neighbors die due to lack of proper food an care.

From a Christian perspective, Jesus tells us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome a stranger, help the poor, etc...with the final comment of, "Whenever you failed to help any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do it for me" (Matthew 25:45). I think the key here in discussing Christianity/Democrats is how Jesus addresses this issue. In the Greek, Jesus continually uses the 2nd person singular when talking about feeding, helping, visiting, etc --- which means Jesus asks YOU (singular) to do these things. He is not asking us to expect the government to do them for us. It is our personal responsibility as followers of Christ. How dare we pass off to the government what Christ has called us (personally) to do!

So the big shame in the entire discussion is that Christians have neglected Christ's call to help those in need...and an even bigger shame that other Christians have gone as far as expecting the government to take care of the personal responsibility that Jesus left for us. If we were truly being the church and following the commands of Jesus, and we were all playing our part, this wouldn't even have to be discussed. So please do not choose a political party based on wanting the government to take our Christian responsibility from us. Instead exhort other believers as well as the church to take this need back where it belongs and where Jesus put it --- directly in the hands of each of His followers.

Theological Thursday --- Homosexuality and the Church (Part 4)

Well, just this week, homosexuality was in the news again with the liberal crowd screaming "intolerance" (though no mention of their intolerance toward anyone who thinks differently than they do). Now we should be "shamed" to stand up for what God's Word says. This is why I have spent the last 4 weeks on this topic...it is hot in the news and will only get hotter in the coming months/years. So to recap what the Bible says about homosexuality:

1) It is a sin

2) It is not wrong to call it a sin

3) We are all sinners and born with a sinful nature

So that brings us to the final point...how should the church react to this issue? Should homosexuals be treated differently within the church since we are all sinners? Well, the answer is yes...but it has nothing to do with "homosexuality", it has to do with "unrepentant sin". Consider Matthew 18...

If one of my followers sins, go and point out what was wrong. But do it in private, just between the two of you. If that person listens, you have won back a follower. But if that one refuses to listen, take along one or two others. The Scriptures teach that every complaint must be proven true by two or more witnesses. If the follower refuses to listen to them, report the matter to the church. Anyone who refuses to listen to the church must be treated like an unbeliever.

So there you have it...from the mouth of Christ, speaking to those who call themselves believers. (if someone is an unbeliever, they really have no motivation not to sin...believers do out of profound gratitude for what He has done for us). So if a homosexual walks into the church and they call himself a believer, the sin should be confronted 1-on-1...and if they refuse to listen it should be taken to the church leadership, and if they still refuse to repent, they should be treated like an unbeliever.

This is where a lot of churches go wrong..."treating someone like an unbeliever". It does not mean we push them out the doors or throw them on the street. We see them as someone in need of God's love and forgiveness. Embrace them...pray for them...ask God to change their hearts. Based on Paul's letter to Timothy, they should not hold leadership positions nor membership until they are willing to repent.

Again, I said this is an "unrepentant sinner" issue because this isn't just limited to homosexuality (although unfortunately many churches make it that way). If someone is living in sin (premarital sex) it should be handled in the same way. If someone is known to be cheating people in their business...same thing. If someone is in any sin that they will not repent and give to God...same thing.

Yes, we all sin. But those who call themselves "believers" should be seeking after God and repenting of their sins. Those in the church that don't seem to want to acknowledge they are a sinner...as Jesus says...you must assume that they haven't truly come into a personal relationship with Him.

Theological Thursday --- Homosexuality and the Church (Part 3)

As I have been doing my weekly posts on this topic, a story about all this came out in California. If you haven't heard about it, a student at Los Angeles City College was giving a speech (for speech class) about his opposition to gay marriage. He cited a few Biblical verses during his speech and was interrupted by the professor who called him some very inappropriate names, canceled the rest of the class and told all the students to go home, and when the student later asked what his grade was, the professor sarcastically said to him, "Why don't you go ask God what your grade is" and threatened to have him kicked out of school. The professors defense for doing these things to the student is that he believes speaking out against homosexuality in any way should be considered "hate speech" and should not be tolerated. I am pretty certain that the courts will side with the student in this case (as the school is already looking into disciplining the professor), but what a sad day when/if it ever comes to the point that God's Word is considered "hate speech".
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In any case, this weeks post was to be a quick comment on "nature vs. nurture". Do people choose to be homosexual, or are they born that way? Do a quick internet search on the topic, and you'll find some valid arguments and studies on both sides. I think there is a good reason for that...the question, "Is it nature (born that way) or nurture (choice)" is answered this way --- YES. Both may be valid as there are people who make the choice to lead that type of lifestyle for various reasons (tired of the opposite sex, fear of the opposite sex, rebellion, etc)...and others who have no control over which sex they are attracted to.
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But (although this might not be the popular opinion), I think more often it is nature. I think of myself and can honestly say that I don't think I "chose" to be attracted to women. There was never a time that I was attracted to males, nor do I think I ever could be or could have been no matter how hard I tried. I would say it is an innate part of my core being (having an attraction to the opposite sex) rather than a choice I made.
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So how does this reconcile with Scripture? Well, the biggest mistake is to confuse nature with saying, "God made them that way". No...God creates perfectly...it is because we chose sin over God that we come into this world full of sin and imperfections. Consider:
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Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me (Psalm 51:5).
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So although we all don't have the same predisposition toward the same sin...make no doubt about it, we are all born in this sinful and fallen world with a sinful nature. You may have been born with a predisposition toward drunkenness, gambling addiction, anger, malice, gluttony, etc (and each of these may have a component of nurture and choice as well). So God creates perfect, but this sinful and fallen world causes us to be imperfect and in need of His Grace.
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So what should be done (if anything) about all this? How should the church respond to homosexuals? How should a Christian respond to homosexuals?

Theological Thursday --- Homosexuality and the Church (Part 2)

Judge not, lest ye be judged (Matthew 7:1)


The "judge not" verse is thrown out pretty often in our country when it comes to "politically correct" issues (in the book True for You, Not for Me...the author claims the "judge not" verse is quoted more often today than any other verse including John 3:16!). Most people stop at verse 1, and miss the fact that just a few verses later Jesus calls people "pigs", "dogs", and "wolves in sheep's clothing" (5, 16). The people who love to use Matthew 7:1 out of context, would no doubt be willing to call murder a sin, stealing a sin, abuse a sin, etc...but when it gets to the "political correctness" stuff, they hide behind their misinterpretation of God's Word.


What Jesus condemns in Matthew 7:1 is a critical and judgmental spirit, an unholy sense of superiority. Jesus commanded us to examine ourselves first for the problems we so easily see in others. Only then can we help remove the speck in another's eye – which, incidentally, assumes that a problem exists and must be confronted. It is interesting that the people who usually use the "judge not" verse out of context are many times and ironically the most judgmental and mean-spirited people.


The Bible tells us that one of its purposes is to help us teach, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness (II Timothy 3:16). So it is not judging to call something a sin, that God in His Word tells us is a sin when we use it to teach, rebuke, correct, and/or train others and ourselves on living a life pleasing to Him (and who wouldn't want that???). Making a Biblical judgments on issues is a good thing (and we are instructed to do so), but making judgments for the wrong reasons is not (see the above picture of Westboro Baptist Church who use soldier's funerals to protest homosexual sin...very wrong motives behind them).


As a disclaimer (because this is such a hot-headed topic to some), I want to point out that because homosexuality is a sin (according to God's Word), and we are instructed to be bold (Romans 1:16) in calling it what God does, homosexuality makes someone a sinner. Guess what...I am a sinner too. I may not struggle with the same sin as someone else, but make no doubt about it...I struggle with my own stuff. To call homosexuality a sin in no way puts me above them...it just puts us in the same boat --- Sinners. And that gives us all the same need...the need for a Savior, Jesus Christ.

Continued next week...

Theological Thursday --- Homosexuality and the Church (Part 1)

Homosexuality and the Church seems to be a very hot topic right now with the acceptance of the lifestyle on the rise, the push for legalization of marriage, some Christian denominations proclaiming it as acceptable, and the possibility of making it a hate crime to speak out against it. Over the next few Thursdays, we'll look at some of the claims and objections in this battle, and what God's Word says about it. Here are some of the questions (because they are always the objections thrown at the church) I would like to attempt to answer in a Biblical way:
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1) Is homosexuality a sin?
2) Are we judging people (in the way Jesus tells us not to) if we call it a sin?
3) Are people born this way or is it a choice?
4) How should the church treat and respond to homosexuals that walk through the doors?
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This week, I will answer question one (the easiest one!) and answer each one in order over the next few weeks. The answer to the first question...is homosexuality a sin...is yes. How do we know when something is sin? By using God's Word (the standard and basis for all sin --- II Timothy 3:16). Many people use the verse Leviticus 18:22 that calls a man being with another man an "abomination". The book of Leviticus contains a lot of purity laws for the priests and God's chosen people (Israelites) as they look forward to and prepare for the coming of a Messiah (Jesus). So I am not 100% comfortable using a verse from the priestly laws, or you have to also say that women would need to avoid touching anything for 6 weeks after having a child (12:4), we shouldn't be eating some of the things we eat (11:2), etc, etc....and we should all still be waiting for Jesus to come (but He's already come!!!). Although you could still make a good argument from Leviticus that it is a sin because God calls homosexuality an "abomination"...He is pretty serious about this one (after all, this was a major sin in the whole Sodom and Gomorrah destruction).
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But in any case, thankfully Paul also makes it clear in the New Testament that homosexuality is in fact a sin (1 Corinthians 6:9). So if you give your Bible and God's Word any weight, you can clearly see that homosexuality is a sin. Even if it wasn't as clearly spelled out in Scripture as it is...just for the fact that you cannot be legally married, living the homosexual lifestyle would put you in sin anyway because of pre-marital sex and lust (Matthew 5:27-28).
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OK...so homosexuality is a sin (according to Scripture). But aren't we all sinners? Are heterosexuals seen as more holy in God's eyes even though they sin too? Should they be treated any differently than any one else inside and outside the church? How would Jesus have treated them? Well, to find out the Biblical answers to those questions and more, come back next Thursday!

Theological Thursday --- Can Satan Heal?

The other night, Jen asked me an interesting question..."Can Satan heal people"? The more I thought about the question, the more I realized there are several things that need to be considered before the question can be answered. Here are a few:

1) Satan can do nothing outside the Sovereignty of God. The only power that Satan has is the power that God has allowed Him to have. So if Satan can heal people, it would have to include the understanding that God has allowed it. Satan's limited power (because of God's ultimate power and sovereignty) is clearly seen in Job 1:6-12 and the story of the demons begging Jesus to send them into the herd of pigs.

2) Satan is known only for evil and his main agenda is to destroy (John 10:10). However, if a temporary healing would ultimately cause more destruction and deception, he would certainly do it! Jesus warns us of false prophets and their deceptions in Matthew 24.

3) In Revelation 13 we find the "beast" (some interpret that to be Satan, the Anti-Christ, the Roman Empire, Obama...but that's not the point!)...this beast receives a fatal wound (13:3) and is able to heal.

So putting these facts together, I come to the conclusion that yes, Satan could heal people (only under the sovereign control of God) and does not and would not do it for good, but for ultimately increasing evil and the deception of many. The healing of the beast in Revelation 13 and its final demise shows the authority and awesomeness of the power of God. All things are under His control...including Satan.

Anyone have other thoughts or disagree?

Theological Thursday --- What Child Is This?

Merry Christmas! Today we celebrate the birth of our Savior...the day that God sent His only son into the world to die for our sins (John 3:16). Why is that so important? Heaven is a perfect place, and none of us are perfect (Romans 3:23), so none of us deserve to go there (Romans 6:23a). This child's future death on the cross is our only hope for salvation (John 14:6). We can't do it by our good works (Ephesians 2:8), it is a gift from our loving God (Romans 6:23b). So as you reflect on the birth of Christ this year, remember that His birth was followed by His death so that you might have eternal life through a personal relationship with Him. A far better gift than those discussed on Tuesday's post! So what child was this...a child that would not only change lives but change eternity!

And as I have been reflecting on the Christmas story this year, I've noticed how backwards we are in our culture today. The Magi traveled many miles (possibly 1,000's) and responded to the Christ Child with joy, worship, and gifts. Today, people expect God to look for them, explain Himself, prove who He is, and give us gifts. He has already given us the greatest gift of all --- shouldn't our response be more like that of the Magi?

Enjoy your celebration of the birth of our Savior!

Theological Thursday --- Mistakes in the Nativity

This time of year, many people put up a nativity scene like the one above to reflect the birth of Christ...but there are several things that may not be theologically accurate in the way we think about Christ's birth and the events and time-line surrounding it. Consider:

1) The Season --- Although we celebrate Christ's birth on December 25th, the day was only selected to give Christians a reason to worship the true God back in the 4th century while Pagans had celebrations for theirs (which was around 12/25). We know that shepherds would not have been out at night during the winter, and since Luke 2:8 says they were the night Christ was born, we know He wasn't born in the winter. Many scholars place the month as either April, or more likely, September. So there would not have been snow as indicated by the nativity in the above picture!

2) The Wise Men Part A --- Nowhere does the Bible say that the visitors bringing gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh where men. It only calls them "Magi" which is probably a sect of priests (which would make them men), but Magi could also refer to "Medes" so we can't be sure none of them were women. So if your nativity scene has all men surrounding the birth, it may be theologically inaccurate.

3) The Wise Men Part B --- Nowhere does the Bible say that there were 3. Church tradition named the Magi as Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, but that is nowhere in the Bible, and even if those names are accurate, there is no telling if they were the only 3 Magi there. We know they brought the 3 gifts, but those gifts could have been brought by 2 Magi, 50 Magi, 17 Magi, etc, etc...we really don't know. So if your nativity scene has exactly 3 Magi, it may be theologically inaccurate.

4) The Wise Men Part C --- Nowhere does the Bible say that the Magi were even at the birth of Christ (it actually says the opposite). Matthew chapter 2 starts out by saying, "After Jesus was born" the Magi went to King Herod in Jerusalem. King Herod then decrees that all infants under the age of 2 should be killed (Matthew 2:16) which indicates that Jesus was no longer a newborn and at least several months have past. So if you have the Magi in your nativity scene at all, it is most likely theologically inaccurate as they didn't come until several months later.

5) The Wise Men Part D --- Nowhere does the Bible say how much of each gift was brought to Jesus by the Magi. Although each gift does have theological significance (which maybe Jen will talk about on her blog), they are also very valuable. But why is that important? Well, in Matthew 2:13-18 we find Joseph, Mary, and the infant Jesus running to Egypt to avoid Herod's child killing decree (which lasted until Herod died about 2 years later). How in the world could a poor family like Mary and Joseph afford to hide in Egypt for 2 years? Those gifts were important!!! Though very valuable, to survive on them for 2 years would require a lot. So if your nativity scene has the Magi holding only "tiny" gifts, it may be theologically inaccurate.

6) The Outdoor Manger --- Nowhere does the Bible say what the "manger" was like. The phrase, "There was no room for them in the Inn" (Luke 2:7), is very much misunderstood. The Greek word used in this verse is κατάλυμα and the only other place in the Bible it is used is Luke 22:11 and is the "guestroom" being prepared for Jesus and His Apostles for the Last Supper. An "Inn" is used in the story of the Good Samaritan (who put the injured man up with his own money) and that story uses a different Greek word --- πανδοχεῖον. So most likely Joseph and Mary were denied a stay in a guestroom (not an Inn like the Super 8) and had to stay in a separate part of the house with the animals (hence the manger) --- which Mary would have been required to be separated from the others due to her "uncleanliness" from bleeding from childbirth (Leviticus 12:1). In any case, if your Nativity has a shabby log shack like the one above, although they were still a far cry from deluxe accommodations, your nativity may be theologically inaccurate.

So just some thoughts about what we traditionally think about the birth of Christ vs. what the Bible says. But one thing is clear in both the Nativity Scenes we use today and what the Bible says...there was a baby born that day that would change the world (and that's what is really important to this story!!!). Come back next Thursday (Christmas) and find out who was born and why He was so special.

Anything I missed? Disagreements? This is my longest post...anyone actually read this far?

Theological Thursday --- Ten Minas

Well, I was going to begin a series on Christmas for my Theological Thursday, but something else happened this week that was very encouraging that I wanted to share:

Back in the beginning of August, I was teaching in a class at church about the treasures that God has blessed us with. It was tied into the story of the 10 minas (about 3 months wages) out of Luke 19. The main point of Jesus' parable is that we are to not squander what God has given to us (money, talent, gifts, etc) and all of them should be used for His glory. In a parallel parable in Matthew 25, Jesus gives out different amounts to each person, but the one who only has 1 mina has just as much of an opportunity to invest it for God's glory as the person with ten.

I ended the class that day with a challenge...what can you do with "a little mina". I gave everyone in the class $5.00 and instructed that this was to be prayed about and used in a way that would impact the Kingdom of God (I know, I know...all our money should be used in this way, but this was more of a symbolic "what can you do with only $5.00 if you are completely focused on God with it" kind of thing). So class ended that day and we all went about seeking direction for the maximum impact we could make with such a small amount.

So one day a "pop-up" came on my computer screen at work...this was very strange since all our computers block pop-ups. It was a site for "prison pen pals". It had a database of 1,000's of prisoners from across the nation and their address in prison. I knew that this was what God wanted me to do, but how would I pick which one(s) and what exactly would I send?

After several weeks of praying, I settled on two people from the site that God led me to. Several years ago I purchased a case of "More Than a Carpenter" books by Josh McDowell and still had several copies left over (I had already handed out the majority of them). In any case, this book very clearly presents the Gospel message...and best of all I got them for only $1.50 each so it fit within my tiny budget. Along with the book, I sent a long letter giving my own testimony and that I was dedicating myself to pray for them every single day for a month (which I did).

On Monday I received a card from one of the prisoners I sent the book to in California named Chena. In it she talked about how she was going through a "dark valley" at the time she received my package and how much she needed it. She said she had accepted Christ and was Baptized (though not real clear if that was before or after the book). The best part is many of the other prisoners saw the book and letter and are anxious to read it as well!

That brings me to the point of my post (which I haven't completely processed yet)...what if I treated all my money this way? What if I treated all the gifts and talents God has given me this way? What if all Christians did the same? Who knows...Chena may be a prison chaplain someday and impact 1,000's of lives --- maybe somebody who borrows the book from someone who borrowed the book will be the mother of the next Billy Graham...with the power of God, there is really no boundaries and as I felt very led to these particular prisoners, I have no doubt amazing things will come as a result.

If all this can stem from just $5.00, what could happen with $50.00? 500.00? 5000.00? Isn't it worth giving it all to God for His glory?

Theological Thursday --- Advent

This week began Advent --- The anticipatory waiting for the birth of the Messiah. Waiting is very difficult in our culture. We have E-Z Pass toll booths that you don't even need to slow down for on the highways, extra windows at the fast food drive thru to get you on your way faster, self check-out lines at the grocery store (as if we can do it better and faster), "Jiffy" Lube, "Quik" fill, online shopping, faster internet, 7-minute abs workout (now condensed to 2-minute abs), my personal favorite from Pensacola, FL...the drive-thru funeral home (pictured above), etc, etc, etc. Point is, our culture hates to wait!

I wish our churches would put more value into Advent as we eagerly wait and look forward to the day of Christ's birth. It is a much needed slow-motion in a fast-forward culture! Nobody understood this better than 2 people in the Christmas story --- Simon and Anna (Luke 2:21-40). Both were very old and had waited many years for the day that Messiah would be born. As Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple, Simon immediate grabbed Him and began praising God (vs. 28-32). This also shows amazing patience in Mary and Joseph...after all, what would you do if some guy grabbed your newborn and starting swinging him around?

So this Advent season, don't be afraid to slow down and wait. As the culture wants us to be busier than ever over the next 20+ days, keep in mind the charge of the Psalmist to wait for the Lord above all else (Pslam 27:14). Here at the seminary, many of our foreign students laugh at our Nativity Sets...little baby Jesus is in the manger even though it isn't Christmas and He "hasn't been born yet". One of their many cool traditions is to set up the Nativity, and keep baby Jesus out until Christmas morning --- and that is something they wait for in anticipation every year. Shouldn't we do the same?

Theological Thursday --- Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his people,

the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Theological Thursday --- Let There Be...(Part 2)

Last Thursday we looked at the method God chose to create the world...Speaking! He could have done it any way He desired, but I believe God chose this method to show the power of words. Consider, with words alone you can make somebody laugh, cry, angry, happy, upset, excited, etc, etc, etc. You can also with words alone curse God, praise God, use His name in vein, or worship Him. You can also lie, gossip, slander or honor, encourage, and build up. Our words have power! And what an awesome illustration of that power in the Creation Story! The Biblical writer James (Jesus' brother) captures the power of our words in chapter 3:

By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell. This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can't tame a tongue—it's never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!

One word of caution...although our words have power, they must also be followed by our actions. If we profess to be a follower of Christ, our character should be moving in a direction that reflects Him more and more as we mature in our faith. And as powerful as our words are, our actions can many times override them. I leave you with 2 quotes showing the necessity of actions to accompany our words. The first is from Saint Francis and the second one is a little saying from Ralph Emmerson I see sitting on Jill's desk everyday:

Preach the Gospel at all times and, only if necessary, use words.

Your actions speak so loudly, I can't hear a word you are saying!

Theological Thursday --- Let There Be... (Part 1)

The creation story in Gensis 1 is an amazing example of God's order in this Universe. Consider the "6-day creation" and how days 4-6 correspond perfectly with days 1-3.

Day/Creation

(1) Light ---------------> (4) Sun, Moon, Stars

(2) Water and Sky ---> (5) Fish and Birds

(3) Land ---------------> (6) Animals and Man

Some theologians believe that the sole purpose of Genesis 1 is to show both God's power and His order over chaos (it is to be taken completely figuratively). Prior to God giving Moses the Creation account, the belief back in that day was the Egyptian Creation Myth called Enuma Elish. It has several "gods" fighting and ultimately 1 being sliced into two pieces that divided and created the heavens and the earth. It's very chaotic and God's truth (as contained in the Biblical Creation Account) shows order, power, and control.

Other theologians believe in a literal 6-day creation (the 7th day was for rest). It took exactly six, 24-hour days for the Earth to come into existence. Fossils, carbon dating, etc can be attributed for by either God creating the Earth slightly aged (which they say would make sense as the Garden of Eden wouldn't have started out with nothing but seeds), or the impact of Noah's flood which would have caused extreme damage and ageing to the Earth.

Some theologians also believe that each day of creation does not represent 24 hours (as the sun and stars weren't even created until day 4 they will argue), but rather each day represents thousands of years. As Moses says in his only Psalm, "For a thousand years in your sight is like a day" (90:4).

I'll let people way smarter than I am determine which one of these are true, and although I have a belief on which one it is, that is not the point of today's post. All this was to lead into the one thing we can know about how God created the world (what method He used). As God, He could have waved a magic wand, spit, breathed, or even just thought the world into existence. But let's look at how he decided to do it...

And God said (וַיֹּאמֶר --- my Hebrew coming in handy!), "Let there be"...

Out of all the ways God could have created the world, He chose to create it by speaking! Why is that important? Well, come back next week and we'll take a closer look...

Theological Thursday --- A New President

Well, the elections are over and we have a new president. I am sure many of you are happy and many of you are very upset with the new choice of leaders. But as we discussed in my blog post Tuesday, leaders are only in place and only have power because God in His perfect sovereignty has allowed it (John 19:11, Romans 13:1). So it is ok to disagree with policies, ideas, etc from our new president, but to complain about the president is to complain about God. I tend to believe that God knows what He is doing and doesn't need my help! So what should we do as Christians? What we should ALWAYS do --- PRAY! (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)

Can you imagine the difference we could make if we would spend as much time praying as we do complaining? And now, more than ever, we need to pray! So what should we pray for? Well, 3 things stick out in my mind:

1) President Obama --- In his heart, man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps (Proverbs 16:9). Pray for the Lord's hand to be very evident in his life. We know (based on past voting records) that he has supported things that go directly against God's Word. But we also know that God can use him in any way that pleases Him...so pray that God's glory would be known throughout our nation because of God working through Obama. Remember what God did with Saul (who later became Paul)? If not, read Acts 9 --- don't you think God could do the same to Obama if He chooses?

2) Obama's Decisions --- The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision comes from the Lord (Proverbs 16:33). Obama is currently putting together his cabinet and the men and women who will have a huge influence on him as president. Pray that he (under the sovereignty of God) would make wise godly decisions and surround himself with believers who fear the Lord. Also pray for God's truth to win out on moral issues of abortion, marriage, etc.

3) Our Decisions --- Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Pray that Christians everywhere would get there house and life in order (from an e-mail from Jen's dad yesterday!). Pray that we would choose to trust God in all things. Pray that we would stand firm like Joshua who chose to trust in God when things got tough and the easy thing to do would be giving in with the others (Numbers 13). Pray that we would always stand for truth and not compromise.

So again, I think it is very safe to say that Obama is not the end of the world (unless that is God's plan), nor is he the perfect man. He's got a very tough road ahead of him so instead of complaining about God's choice let's unite in prayer, get our own lives in order, and be living sacrifices for Him (Romans 12:1).

Theological Thursday --- Ghosts (Part 2)

Last week we looked at what the Bible says about ghosts. We saw that the disciples believed in ghosts, that Jesus affirms the existence of the spirit/ghost world, that ghosts cannot be dead people (as they immediately go to heaven or hell), and that they cannot be angels (in the "haunting" sense). If you didn't read last week's post, click HERE to get caught up.

So if ghosts are not dead people and they are not angels, what are they? Well, there is good news and bad news. The bad news first --- they are most likely demons! The good news --- they are most likely demons! How can it be both good news and bad news? Well, the only bad news is the fear and uncertainty that comes to many people's minds when they hear the word demon but the good news is (for those who have accepted Christ as their Savior) we really have nothing to fear!

Before going into why we shouldn't be afraid, what exactly are demons? Demons are angels that fell with Satan. How many? Well, we see in Revelation (5:11) that God created billions of angels. One of them (Satan) rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven. Along with Satan, 1/3 of all angels rebelled with him (Revelation 12:4). So the Spirit world is teaming with life!

Throughout Scripture, Satan and his team have had 2 main functions --- to deceive (through temptation, etc) and to cause fear and doubt. But should believers be afraid? Absolutely not! Scripture teaches us that Christ has already triumphed over them (Colossians 2:15) and that He is now seated at the right hand of the Father ruling all (Ephesians 1:19-20).

What does that mean for us? Well, we can have confidence that God rules over the Spirit world and is seated high above it. Paul takes it one step further and tells us in Ephesians 2:4-6:

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

So for those of us who have accepted Christ as our personal Savior, we are seated with Him and have power over the demonic world. There is nothing to fear. So if you ever see a ghost, do not let it deceive you nor cause you fear...you have power over it as a believer in Christ! So what about Tommy (the little imaginary friend from last week's story)...was he really a demon? Well, it would line up perfectly with what Satan loves to do...make something look good before he attacks (isn't that the way sin works too?). He would love to make friends with a little boy and then start feeding him lies. My friend (the boy's father) took the power he had as a believer in Jesus Christ and demanded that the spirit stay away from his son --- no mention of Tommy since.

MAKE SURE YOU GIVE OUT LOTS OF CANDY!!!

Theological Thursday --- Ghosts

A friend of mine moved to Ashland with his wife and 4-year-old boy. The new house they moved into had the back yard opening up into Ashland Cemetery. It wasn't long before their son made an imaginary friend named "Tommy". One day when the son came in for dinner they jokingly asked if he had invited Tommy for dinner as well to which he responded, "Tommy went home". They asked where Tommy lived and he pointed out into the cemetery and said, "In the ground". They followed him to where Tommy "lived" and he took them directly to a plot where the tombstone read, "Thomas --- 1973-1978".

So who was Tommy? Was it the "Spirit of Thomas"? Was it a ghost? Was it an angel? Do these things even exist? Well, as with everything to get an answer for these questions, we need to dig into Scripture. Here are a few things we can gather about ghosts from God's Word:

1) The Disciples believed in ghosts --- In Matthew 14 (the story of Jesus walking on water), the disciples took one look at Jesus and they cried out in fear, "It is a ghost" (vs. 26). In Jesus' response, He did not rebuke them for believing He was a ghost, but rather simply said, "Do not be afraid, for it is I" (vs. 27).

2) Jesus appears to affirm that their are ghosts --- In Luke 24 (after the resurrection) Jesus appears to His disciples and again, they think it is a ghost (vs. 37). This time, Jesus' response is, "Touch me, and see. For a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." (vs. 39).

So if ghosts exist, what are they? Let's first look at what they aren't:

1) Ghosts are not dead people --- Most people who believe in ghosts think that they are people who have died coming back from the dead. But Scripture is clear that the moment we pass from this life, we go directly to heaven or hell (remember the old Monopoly card "Go to Jail, Go Directly to Jail, Do not pass Go, Do not Collect $200). We see this in Hebrews 9:27 where the Greek word "meta" is an immediate action in which we go directly before his throne. Paul uses an aorist verb (indicating immediate action) in 2 Corinthians 5:8 when he says, "T0 be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord". And in the story of Lazarus and the rich ruler (Luke 23), the rich ruler (who is in hell) begs God to send one of them back to earth to warn his family...a request that is denied.

2) Ghosts are not angels --- In Hebrews 13:2, we read, "Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels". So angels can absolutely appear to us today, but one form they may be in is human form. The "bum" sitting on the street could really be an angel. The verse isn't clear how many angels are walking the Earth in human form, but we do know that with some angels we won't be able to tell a difference. Also, when we see angels in Scripture coming in a more of what we would call "angelic form" (with wings, soothing voice, etc) they start off with the introduction of, "Do not be afraid" or "Fear not" (Genesis 21:17, Luke 2:10, etc) and there is never indications of "haunting" or "uncertainty" with angels that we have when we think of ghosts.

OK, so there are ghosts out there and they are not dead people and they are not angels...so what are they? Well, next week we will continue from Scripture and look for an answer to that, and what it all means. What a perfect lead-up to Halloween! Feel free to share any stories of your own or any thoughts on ghosts in the comment box --- I'd love to hear from you!

Theological Thursday --- The Me Church (Part 2)

When evaluating a church, priorities should be broken down into 3 categories:

1) Absolutes - These are the things that there should be no give and take on and are completely necessary in a church (Divinity of Christ, Authority of Scripture, Trinity, etc).

2) Convictions - These are the things that help guide people in selecting a church that are not 100% clear in Scripture but may create a personal conviction of right and wrong (How often to have communion, How to Baptize, Having a glass of wine with dinner, etc).

3) Preferences - These are the things that people like in a church but are not necessary (Drums in worship, Version of the Bible, Time of Service, etc).

The easiest way to turn a church into a "Me Church" (a church that is all about you and others rather than God) is to make your personal convictions absolutes --- and unfortunately many people today are even turning their preferences into absolutes. Phrases like, "You have to sing hymns", "You have to use the King James", "The Service runs too long", etc are permeating the church. The mindset of the church should be coming to serve the King, not coming so I can be served.

So admonish, teach, train, etc those who focus on personal preferences. It's not all about you...it's all about Him! Above all else make sure His name is glorified. And if that doesn't work...you may want to attempt to direct them to this church...