Posts Tagged ‘Christ’

28 Mar

Relevance and Anti-Relevance

Posted by tyrellh in Christianity, Religion, Worship. Tagged: , , , .

ImageI recently read an article addressing the apparent exodus of young people from churches. Of the ten reasons the author gave one of them stood out as an ironic danger. “The church is ‘Relevant’”. The author rightly ridiculed the attempts of churches to package things as ‘cool’. Truth be told when churches try to be cool they often come across as cheesy instead. Skinny jeans and lattes are not going trick people into thinking the gospel is cool. On that note that article made an obvious point. On the other hand if you say ‘a pastor must not wear skinny jeans’ or ‘must wear a tie’ you have lost me completely. The externals are not the issue, the principles are.

There is danger that runs next to this ‘Relevance’; I’d like to call it ‘Post-relevance’. That is adopting a ‘means’ or ‘way’ that was relevant during the 1700-1800′s and assuming that it Imageis the right way to communicate truth today. We could say this  is the mindset of the traditionalist  over and against that of the progressivist. One is trying to be ‘grand’  (old word for cool) to an audience that  is no longer around, the other wants to be cool to the audience  that is around, but they just can’t hack it.

As far as I can see traditionalists are motivated by two things. One being fear, fear that others in my conservative and traditional circles will judge and reject me; I mean surly if they see me doing something beneath my ‘class’ to communicate with the riff-raff. This fear of man is renamed ‘fear of God’, because we all know God only likes 19th century British and Dutch culture right? Flip the coin over and we see not fear but cultural superiority. He doesn’t wear a tie, how can anyone take him seriously. It’s the assumption that a single moment in a single cultures history is the most excellent expression of Christian values for the whole world in every time. Now I am not saying that they were not expressing those values well, nor am I saying that we cannot learn from them. I am saying that Scripture and not that previous momentary expression of the truths of Scripture should be our rule.

 Image

As for the ‘progressivists’, we see a similar thing. There is a fear of becoming ‘unliked’ and thought of as regressive that drives much of the cheese. A fear of what people in the culture will think about us; which is cleverly renamed as ‘care’. Oh  we only  care about the  lost and so we want them to see how fun and  cool it  is to be a Christian; how in  touch with them we are- maybe if they see that we are cool, they will think Christianity is cool. This also manifests in a certain pride,  that looks  down on the traditionalists as regressive- it breaks unity in many churches and often caters only to one generation, because its only twenty and thirty something’s that need the gospel right. The whole idea of Christ breaking down  boundaries is foreign here, unless it means doing a short term missions trip… to the beach…  where we spend some time with  another generation, culture and class so they can  have one week  of hip and happening Christians among them. In churches it means that we don’t care about communicating  the gospel to anyone but western, middle to upper class, yuppies.

What do we see when we look at Christ? One who though He was rich, for our sake became poor. Who did not consider equality with God as something to be held onto but humbled himself and took the form of a servant. One who apparently had children and adults come to hear him speak, in the same setting. One who spoke to an agrarian society using pictures from the agrarian world,  or to students of the law using texts from the law. One Who had to be with people and bear with people that they might understand the truth; that the truth is a person.

The answer is not ‘wear skinny jeans when you  preach’, nor is it wear a tie when you preach. The answer is ‘how can I preach is such a way that I remove as many obstacles as I can from these people seeing Christ’. How can we sing in such a way that pressures the traditionalists to not  make an idol out of  an  era or  the progressivists not to make an idol out of a niche subculture. How are they missing Christ by not seeing Him as a Christ that offends every culture and yet is the deepest answer to every culture’s aspiration?

Perhaps a safer word that relevant is contextualize. Because unless you embark on some kind of generation colonialism (that works for both sides by the way) the only other alternative is to relate the solid unchangeable truth of Scripture in a way that the entire spectrum of the contemporary audience will be able to clearly see Christ. It will be loving people too much to care what they think about you and loving Christ so much that you will share Him in the clearest way possible.

20 Jun

Reducing the ‘If I Coulds’

Posted by tyrellh in Christianity, Reflections. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

Harriet Beecher Sowe said, “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.[i]” And what a bitter yet true saying that is. The idea of ‘if I coulds’ came up in conversation the other night with a group of newly marrieds. We were all reflecting on the importance of family ‘rituals’, things that make your family unique, like where people sit round a table, having family dinners, dad making special breakfasts on Saturdays, special family devotions… the ideas are endless. The conversation moved from there to the importance of maintaining family ties, good relationships with parents and siblings etc. The older one gets, the harder it is to maintain these kinds of things.

When my second oldest brother past away, this idea of showing affection while our family is still alive really came home to the three of us that remain, I remember the conversations we had till this day. With my mother’s going to be with the Lord, the ideas were fresh in my mind once again.

There are some regrets that are easy to get over, like regretting that you brought a Britney Spear’s cd when she first got famous, or telling all your friends how Miley Cyrus is an evangelical, or thinking that mullets were cool. But other regrets can stick and have bigger consequences. I think it was these thoughts that moved Jonathan Edwards to add to his list of resolutions, “I frequently hear persons in old age, say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age. July 8, 1723.” The 5th commandment tells us to honour our parents, in this command there is intrinsically built in a net that would prevent bad regret. No one in their old age regrets that they did not watch more TV, or had seen more plays, or had watched more sport, or new more world news. What is it we hear people say in their old age, “Ah, if I could have spent more time with my wife/husband/kids” we don’t hear old women say, “If only I could have been a more successful career women” But we do hear them lament not raising their children more faithfully.

People often on the death bed regret not knowing their Bibles better, and yet that can’t express it that way. There is a rightful terror that can come on a person if while they were healthy they were not too concerned about the things of God, then suddenly, they have few Scriptures that can come to mind to comfort them, few hymns that hold precious truths, all they hear is what others repeat and reassure them with, but even those are weak, because they do not always know if God hears them anymore, since they know so little of His character.

It is interesting how the gospel should comfort you if you feel that you have much to regret, if you have many ‘if I coulds’ Paul writes is 1 Corinthians, “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.” So where we have not honoured, where we have not expressed gratitude,  where we have been weak, turn to the Lord in repentance, with a godly sorrow, He is the perfect restorer and equaliser. The things that have happened thus far are for our learning and training.

But if you don’t know Christ, all there is in the end is regret, like the rich man and Lazarus, how the rich man must have regretted not listening to the call of God. So friend don’t delay, there is no need for an eternity of regret. How much you will regret if you gain the whole world, yet lose your soul.

Christian, consider these truths, what family must you try to connect with more? In our day and age of internet there is no excuse for not doing what we can to express love for those God has put into our family, no matter how far away they are. Husband, what things can you do to love your wife as Christ loved the church, wife how can you honour and respect your husband, parents how can you be more faithful in raising your children in the ways of God, how can we all not be more fastidious to pray for each other, to read things that benefit us, to use time wisely. By God’s grace we will redeem the time.

 

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[i]Merriam-Webster, Inc: The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Quotations. Springfield, Mass. : Merriam-Webster, 1992, S. 355

22 May

Malawi, Human Rights and Peer-Pressure

Posted by tyrellh in Apologetics, Christianity, Religion, Social Issues. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , .

Recently Malawi has been highlighted in the media for placing two homosexual in prison for 14 years for “gross indecency and unnatural acts”. My point in this article is not to discuss the ‘gay issue’- I love people who label themselves ‘gay’, because they are made in the image of God, and as humans have dignity based on their being made in that image, I also believe that there is hope in the gospel to liberate people from anything which enslaves them.

My concern here is to analyze what seems to be general augment against such a law in a country, and against the idea that homosexuality is wrong. Please understand, I am not so much writing about human rights, homosexuality or politics… I am concerned with how (the method I will explain) people in general have been arguing against the aspect of the Malawian constitution that resulted in this sentencing.

The argument typically goes like this

A: Malawi is wrong to condemn homosexual acts

B: Why?

A: Because the rest of the world has progressed beyond this silly backward thinking that it is wrong. Furthermore that UN condemns it, and our constitution (South African) has been hailed as the best constitution, and we permit any expression of sexuality (Although there are certainly certain parameters- which ironically we have no basis for in a secular state)

My issue with this argument that, the majority, the whole world, everyone, most places etc, think that something is okay, therefore it is okay, is that it commits the fallacy of “Argumentum Ad Populum” The fallacy threatens an individual with exclusion or ostracizing based on the desires of the majority, the possible anger or fury of the majority, the traditions, beliefs, ideology, or any other attribute of a group of people. We can also call it the ‘appeal to the mob’ fallacy.

But the heart of this argument rests on the “1,000,000 people” claim: peer pressure at its best. Can you argue with “a million people”? Well, actually, yes. Consider that 1.22 Billion people worldwide smoke cigarettes daily, millions use illegal drugs resulting in thousands of deaths and over a million emergency room trips, tens of millions of people bought adjustable-rate mortgages with millions later forced into foreclosure, and millions upon millions each day contract a computer virus by clicking through spam emails. So I would say the “1,000,000 people” argument does not guarantee what’s “RIGHT FOR YOU TOO.” It may, in fact, have something terribly wrong waiting ahead for you.

This argument has the effect of Appealing to the emotions and desires of a particular group, and urging them to act as a group to achieve the agenda. All of this pushes aside reasoning and logical connections, and ignores any possible logical conclusions to the contrary.

The satirist and cynic Ambrose Bierce stumbled upon the roots of this fallacy in his The Devil’s Dictionary. Defining the word “multitude,” he wrote:

A crowd; the source of political wisdom and virtue. In a republic, the object of the statesman’s adoration.… If any men of equal wisdom are wiser than any one of them, it must be that they acquire the excess of wisdom by the mere act of getting together. Whence comes it? Obviously from nowhere—as well say that a range of mountains is higher than the single mountains composing it. A multitude is as wise as its wisest member if it obey him; if not, it is no wiser than its most foolish.

Human wisdom does not increase because several people, or millions, agree. In fact, human vices and avarice tend to amplify when compounded as mob lust. The greatness of “democracy” is a myth, and the old saying vox populi, vox dei (the voice of the people is the voice of God) makes a political idol out of fallacious reasoning. Oddly enough, the first person to record this Latin proverb was the British cleric and scholar Alcuin of York (AD 735–804), who also subsequently refuted it. He wrote to Charlemagne, “Nor are those to be listened to who are accustomed to say, ‘The voice of the people is the voice of God.’ For the clamor of the crowd is very close to madness.[i]”

Wisdom does not arise from mere societal consent or “group-think,” which could sooner plunge society into rebellion than enlighten us. We need wisdom from outside the darkened mind of the human race in order to enlighten the human race. This comes from the wisest member of the human race, Jesus Christ. If “a multitude is as wise as its wisest member if it obey him,” then let us not give into Peer Pressure, but follow Christ.

[i] See George Boas, Vox populi; Essays in the History of an Idea (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Press, 1969), 9; also quoted at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vox_populi, accessed May 22, 2010.

5 Apr

Where Moses Failed, Christ Prevailed! ~An Easter Meditation

Posted by tyrellh in Christianity, Devotional. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

I was meditating today about the whole point and message of the death and resurrection of Christ. Have you ever thought about what it means? Or why Christ died for sinners? How can the whole idea of atonement (two parties being brought together) be so linked to sacrifice?

My mind went back to a passage I was reading in Exodus 32 last week when I was super early for a bible study and hungrily wanting to see something precious in the Word. I read about how the Israelites made the Golden calf while Moses and Joshua were away from the camp.

God had called Moses up to Mount Sinai to hear from Him and to receive the commandments and instructions for the people. Moses was gone for a whole 40 days! The people started getting anxious… I think we do that as well, when we don’t here from God, or at least don’t hear what we want to or when we want to. Verse 1 records, “Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain…” That’s the start; in this situation the people were not keen on the timing. So they come up with the master plan; since God is taking so long let’s sought it out ourselves, “the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” This is a rather interesting statement, ‘Moses brought us out of Egypt, but wow, we are not sure if this guy survived being on a mountain (notice they say Moses brought them, not God, interesting change of main character in their mind, perhaps it makes there forming of an idol easier on the conscience).

Anyway Aaron makes the idol, the infamous golden calf, and when Moses comes down, as if to detach himself from guilt says, ““Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil.  “For they said to me, ‘Make a god for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf (v22-24)”. Shame poor Aaron, this calf just came out the fire (maybe he was the first guy to postulate some kind of spontaneous generation).

Anyway, the story is really interesting and I encourage you to read it, but I want to point out what happens at the end. God decides to destroy the Israelites for this sin, and this is too much for Moses to bear, he says to the children of Israel, “, “You yourselves have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the Lord, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” A frightening word to put with the word ‘atonement’ is perhaps… Moses is going to go see if perhaps he can make atonement for the people. Off He goes… I can’t imagine what he must have been thinking; I mean what do you say to a holy God? Well, in his foolishness and human wisdom he kind of tries to black mail God and says,” “Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. But now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!” Basically he says, ‘God if you don’t keep these people, then don’t keep me.’ Praise God for His mercy, he ignores Moses statement (praise God for unanswered prayer right!) and replies, ““Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. But go now, lead the people where I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you; nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin. Then the Lord smote the people, because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.”

Moses could not make atonement for the people! He failed in this sense, and again how could he? By threatening God? Or trying some blackmail, ‘God if you don’t save the people, than I don’t wanna be part of this thing anymore either!’

I see this happening on good Friday again. Christ goes up the mount of Golgotha to see if perhaps He can make Atonement for His people, only difference, is the word ‘perhaps’ is gone. As Jesus cries, “Father, Father, why have you forsaken me” the one who knew no sin, the ‘Son of man’ was blotted out of God’s book so to speak. How can it be? It can be because Jesus became the substitute for the people, He made actual real living atonement… If I may have the liberty to try bring this across by rephrasing the last verse of Exodus 32 in light of the crucifixion, “Then the LORD smote Christ, because of what sinners did with idols which their hearts had made”

2 Corinthians 5:21 tells the story, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Guilty vile and helpless we.

Spotless lamb of God was He.

Full atonement can it be?!

Hallelujah! What a Saviour.

13 Jun

Calling Christians to Glorify God

Posted by tyrellh in Christianity, Devotional, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

I was reading through the Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards this week, and I must say I found them inspirational to say the least, and also very very convicting. Hard to believe he began writing them when he was only 19. I guess we live in a far less profound and thoughtful time.

I want to consider one of them today, specifically number 4 which reads:

“Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.”

How can anyone read that and not be moved in some way? How much progress would there be in our Christian walks?The Heavens Declare His glory How much less needless suffering for doing unrighteousness would there be? But we trifle with silly things most of the time.

While I am writing this and thinking it through, I hear the echoes of my college training, the emphasis on balance, I remember sitting in classes and hearing things which would imply that men like William Carey, who gave up his life to minister in India, were wrong, and foolish. We live in an age which looks down upon fanaticism; we live in such a time of the church where radical sacrifice and effort is unexpected.

It’s like we have forgotten Christ’ words, “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. (Matthew 10:38-39).  Or the similar words in Luke, “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it (9:23-24).

The first thing which springs to mind is sin. Sin is that which does not ‘tend to the glory of God’, this includes, laziness, slothfulness, indiscipline, not taking responsibility, not forgiving etc… But more then that it includes our idols, this is perhaps why John ends his first epistle with the warning to keep away from idols. What are our idols? Safety, comfort, entertainment, constant frivolousness, no desire to speak or even think about lofty things? Could these perhaps be why the church is so weak in is impact in the world for the sake of Christ and His Cross?

Ask yourself the question, when last did you deny yourself anything? Or like Cain do we give of what we can spare, just inclivpart of our time we have to offer, just a bit of our money we don’t need, just a little here and a little there, instead of having our lives soaked with the Glory of God as the whole theme, so that while we study, we do it to this end, that He may be glorified. While we work, to this end, that others might see our Christian witness  and demeanor and glorify God, oh I could go on and use every example of all the conditions of life you may find yourself in.

Friends listen to the words of Paul and be resolved to do it and repent when you see yourself slacking, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.(1 Corinthians 10:31)” Remind yourself weekly, daily if need be, but don’t forget, this is our purpose on earth, and this is the most satisfying thing to be doing. To quote John Piper, “God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him”

7 May

The Olivet Discourse – Matthew 24

Posted by tyrellh in Christianity, Doctrine. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , .

It has been on my mind for awhile to deal with the whole issue of eschatology, and to be honest, as I approached the issue, I began to realize how little I understand. The more I read various views (which initially seemed rather convincing) the more I began to realize that none really answers all the questions satisfyingly. So although I have gained a greater appreciation of the various view’s attempts to harmonize the Scriptures and their theology, I believe Can't get across so easyI have been plunged into an ocean to vast to traverse. So without going into the idea that Eschatology’s seemingly illusive nature might have something to teach us (perhaps God did not intent the issue to be clear), allow me to begin my public processing of the issue.

I intent to, over the next bit of time, go over these issues, starting as far away and moving inwards with relevant source material, today starting a commentary of Matthew 24, which I believe to be the furtherest yet still specific point from which to broach the subject at hand. I must say, some of my thoughts have been provoked by a good friend’s honest and earnest approach to this subject.

So without further chit-chat: My introduction to the Olivet discourse (Matthew 24)

This is one of the last major teachings Christ gives His disciples, and deals mostly with judgment and the behavior expected of a Christian during this time of judgment. The problem in this text (which we will face) is that some of what Jesus says refers to the destruction of Jerusalem, and some of what He says refers to His coming at the end of the age (or so I will argue). As one commentator points out, the first coming of the Messiah to suffer was hard to conceive, thus we should not doubt that since He came literally to suffer, He will also literally come in person as well, to reign.

Jerusalem A.D 70We may also say that there is a unity between the two judgements in mind (of Jerusalem and at the end of the age) in a theological sense, and thus some of what Jesus says may apply to both. The first of these judgements, which involves the destruction of Jerusalem, is a result of the rejection of His earthly ministry by the Jewish people. The second judgement is about what will follow the preaching of the gospel to the world. However I am cautious to approach these chapters with the assumption that everything in it applies to only one of these judgements (scholars seem to vary vastly on which part applies to which).

The mixing of prophecies leading up to the events of A.D. 70 and those which apply to the end of the age make this a difficult passage to interpret. Matthew also shares much in this passage with Mark and Luke, yet also has large variations.

Some commentators (and dear friends I have) understand the entire discourse to refer to a single event. They would End of the agesay that Jesus is excepting His return within a few years, and that the judgment of Jerusalem is but a part of the judgment on the whole world. However, the language used appears against this: As opposed to teaching that He would be coming soon in glory, Christ appears to be discouraging this idea (v6, 8, 14 and 23-28). Furthermore we should not forget the fact that He said He did not know the date of His return (v36). If He did not know it, how could he affirm so confidently that it would happen within a few years?

2 Dec

When mere wonder (how we feel about God) becomes idolatry.

Posted by tyrellh in Christianity, post-modernism, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , .


It has come to my attention lately that this whole issue of theology and doctrine being bad is again an issue, Post-moderns who seem to only read a bit of early Christian writing and have not followed the historical debate in the 19th century regarding the idea of doctrine, have made the same mistakes as passed liberals and critiqued theology instead of bad theology.

Ironically, whenever some wishes to critique theology (or ideology) they knowingly, or unknowingly, slip in their own theology (or ideology). Theology my friends in inescapable, the only question is, do you have good theology or bad theology.

chastepI read one ‘emergent’ writer lately who says, “However, our form of following Jesus (even within Christianity) differs largely.” His entire article went on to try and dichotomize theology (propositional truth about God) from God Himself, appealing to the supposed good of deconstructionism as well as the fact that there is such a plurality of beliefs within Christianity, thus implying that we can be sure of nothing .

Consider the following story:

“That guy sure is taking long to come back to us, I wonder what he is going to say?”… “I’m not sure Yougerosh Christoneth, but all I know is he could be dead, and we are stuck here, we can’t know for sure if he is coming back, and if he even has anything worthwhile to say when he does” grumbled Emerilech Deconstrucarach, “Come let us make our own idea of G-D, after all its about the wonder right, it’s about the experience” Emerilech continued.

So Relatinobeth then told all the people to take off their gold rings (and assorted other jewelry) and to join him in forging ahead, in trying what is new, its adventure, its extreme, watch and learn.

Relationobeth formed it into a huge ‘Golden Calf’ and said, “here, this is your god which brought you out of Egypt”

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.

“They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’ ”

aThe Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are 1ban obstinate people.[i]

Forgive my attempt at bringing an ancient story into modern times. But the questions it raises are important. Why couldn’t the Israelites decide how they would worship God? What made their way wrong? After all it isn’t about creeds but deeds right (translated: It isn’t about faith but works right)? They were just caught in the blissful rapture of what they thought god was to them, they didn’t care about the theology of it all! Who cares what the second commandment says, there are plenty nations around us who do it this way, why can’t we!

‘Concepts create idols; only wonder comprehends anything.’ – St. Gregory of Nyssa. Really? Well Gregory is old and it does say saint before his name.

An Idol is “an object (not necessarily three dimensional) which has been formed to resemble a person, god, animal, etc.—‘likeness, image’[1]” When one abandons doctrine and Theology as it is given in the Holy Scriptures and attempts to worship just a thing that’s out there, and its so wondrous, one forms a idol, a picture inbelief ones mind of what God is, or righty it should be written of what g-d is (since in this persons mind he has not been revealed).

When you say to your loved one, “I love you but I don’t know why” you are not being complimentary, this is not a good thing to say. You say I love you since you have won my love, because of who you are…. (followed by a list of propositional truth about the person”

Maybe the apostle John highlighted this aspect the best, “We love, because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19). What do you mean God loved us? Well the doctrine of election tells us what John means, the doctrine of reprobation, atonement, the incarnation, the hypo-static union, all of soteriology and hamartiology and and and…. It all expounds to us the Love of God, and thus once I grasp these things my love grows more full, my wonder more rich as God allows me to see glimpses of His glory in a language I understand.

Friends remember:    “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.

[1]Louw, Johannes P. ; Nida, Eugene Albert: Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament : Based on Semantic Domains. electronic ed. of the 2nd edition. New York : United Bible societies, 1996, c1989, S. 1:64

a Acts 1:7

b John 5:39; Acts 17:11; 2 Tim 3:16

[2] New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, S. Dt 29:29

1 Lit go down

a Ex 32:4, 11; Deut 9:12

b Gen 6:11f

a Ex 20:3, 4, 23

b Ex 22:20; 34:15; Deut 32:17

1 Or These are your gods

c 1 Kin 12:28

a Num 14:11–20

1 Or a stiff-necked

b Ex 33:3, 5; 34:9; Is 48:4; Acts 7:51

[i] New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, S. Ex 32:7-9

17 Oct

Meditations on James 1:18

Posted by tyrellh in Christianity, Devotional. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

Although salvation is all God’s work, God  in His wisdom integrated us Christians in the process. The way the gospel is heard is through men and women you you and I. Roman 10:13-15 says, “`Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” (NASB). Our responsibility is not to save others; it is to proclaim the gospel and let the Spirit of God do His saving work as He sovereignly chooses.

Ask God daily for opportunities to share the Word of truth with relatives, friends, neighbors, or co- workers, there are so many excellent resources available, WayoftheMaster is one such great resource. Meditate on 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, and follow Paul’s example by doing all you can to lead others to Christ.

Don't sleep, some people are on thin ice!!!

Don

Think about the incredible privilege we have as believers, in being the firstfruits of God’s new creation, and thank God for it. Pray that you might shine in the world as a light of truth and hope. Make sure that others see your attitude of gratefulness to God so that they might desire to have the new life and joy that you have been given. If you have blamed God for your sin, confess that to Him, seeking to live a life of holiness in the power of His Spirit. Meditate on Paul’s words: “Prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life” (Phil. 2:15-16, NASB).

9 Oct

Emergents, Reform and Band-aids on Bear Bites: What is this Gospel?

Posted by tyrellh in Christianity, post-modernism, Religion, Social Issues. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

It’s been a while since I have written, but alas I have been busy, however, the time off has allowed me to think and get a better grip on some issues facing the Church and relating to the Church. One of the major problems of our time is that people no longer understand what the gospel is. This has manifested itself in so many ways, but perhaps one of the most telling is how the so called ‘emerging church” explains it. As old liberalism (founded in modernism) focused on social justice and needs, so does this new kind of liberal.

I am not suggesting that acts of mercy are not important anymore then Christ was in John 6:26 when He rebuked the poor crowds that were following Him only for food. Did Jesus miss God’s mission for social justice? No. But Jesus did go on to explain the He is the Bread of life, those that believe in Him will never hunger, those who come to Him will never thirst (v35). Towards then end of this entire dialogue with Pharisees who were getting pretty upset with Jesus, Jesus asked Peter if he would also desert Him, like many other disciples just had, notice what peter says in verse 68, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Words of eternal life”. I find it so fascinating, Hindu’s, Muslims, New-Agers, mother Teresa, emergents, even atheists all agree that we need tolerance (which was really re-discovered by conservative Baptists in the 1600’s as they grasped the Biblical truth again), does this mean that we all ‘adhere to Jesus’? Is that really what Jesus was about? In John 6 as well? When someone stands up today and talks to a group of poor people about justice and liberty and about ending social injustice do they get full of rage and try though the guy off a cliff (Luke 4)? No, the world loves that kinda talk. Does the Gospel involve helping the poor and freeing the oppressed? Yes, I think it does, James makes it so clear is his epistle, the kind of faith that has no works is dead. But in 1st John, the person who does not believe certain prepositional truths about Christ has no fellowship with the Father.

I plan on writing a lot more on this, but just for now I need to approach this issue of Isaiah, Emergents often appeal to Isaiah, and the number of social ills that God condemned (and still does today, so watch out!) And for all their talk about narrative and reading the story, they appear (at least to me) to not have read the story in Isaiah. For example Isaiah 59:2 shows that the issue is that the individual is not right with God, people are not right with God and are thus in trouble (verse 18). Chapter 66 tells us Christ will come and bring justice; Christ will come and repay each man for his deeds. Unless we as the body of Christ are supposed to be paying people back for their deeds? No, there is a suffering Messiah and then a conquering Messiah. Activism won’t change peoples hearts, petitions wont draw people away from selfishness, giving food and skills to the poor wont give them contentment, taking riches away from the rich wont give them peace. But when the gospel genuinely touches a life their will be fruit, the person who understand the gospel, understands their sin and the grace of God towards them will see their brother in need and give (1 John 3:17), they will not show partiality to the rich (James 2), they will not beat their wife, despise their husband, cheat their employer, oppress their employee, these people energized by the Spirit will live lives of contentment till Christ returns to take His bride the Church.

Christianity is about real change, not superficial social reform.

29 Jul

The Knowledge of God- Implanted in Every Person

Posted by tyrellh in Apologetics, Christianity, Religion. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

I have been considering lately the idea of knowing God. And I would love to just throw out three things about knowing God, (1) Everybody has the knowledge that God exists, (2) Arguments given against God that claim the idea of God was just made up to control people actually gives proof to the fact that God exists, (3) That people who try to deny God’s existence or change who God is, as a way of removing all fear of God, only prove God’s existence and their knowledge of it.

(1) The first thing I noticed, is no matter where one goes, to whatever culture, tribe or people, everyone has the knowledge of God. All around the world from the hardened atheists to the farming natives, there is everywhere a fear of God. There are few people so backwards in thinking, and religiously anti-logical that they would deny His existence, even the man in an isolated tribe feels the desire to need and worship, so much so, that he will worship an idol made with his hands rather then not worship anything. In our western ‘civilized’ society, we worship ourselves, our dreams, our aspirations, we think man is the end of all things… Even then there is the invisible line that people will not cross, the line of human dignity, which for the atheist there is no basis, even though the Humanistic manifesto has this is its first point. Romans 1:18-20 tells us that everyone knows there is a God, but man became backwards in thinking, and mans heart was darkened.

(2) Some people in an attempt to disprove God say that the idea of religion was just made up to control people. I agree, that often people have added their own laws and made up rules, using religion to control masses (much like the Catholic Church in the ‘Dark Ages’ or Mohammed when he was preparing his attack on Mecca). However, this merely proves that everyone has the inherent knowledge and fear of God. Here in Africa, sometimes rebel warlords will use food to control people, they capture UN food supplies and force the people to starve or submit, no one has yet said that hunger was a tool made to control people… However, the fact the warlords can use food to control shows that the need for food and the very existence of food exists. In the same way, the fact that people have at times abused Christianity and religion to control others, only proves that the desire and fear of God exists universally.

(3) The contemporary move to post-modernism, and this your-truth-is-truth-to-you theory also proves this all the more, whether people make up gods that they are comfortable with, or all together try to deny His existence, it all the more proves He is there. You see, it is the universal fear of God, the fact that people know in their conscience that God will judge them, and that He is just, that forces them to either deny His existence, or to make up a god to suit themselves. Now, the skeptic may say, “Ah, but I can disprove your God”, the moment he does that he proves it… Tell me, how many papers have you read which argue against the existence of fairies and unicorns? None, well that is because it makes no difference to the atheist, but God, the One they know will judge them, although they don’t always feel this equally as strong, He, the need to rationalize away, they need to calm their conscience, so that when they live their life of selfishness, lust, lying, hate and blasphemy they can be at peace for a little while, Nietzsche and Dawkins are the opium of the atheist. This is why when so much as a leaf falls they fear that it may be the end.

God be gracious to those who do not know Him is a saving way, praise Him for Jesus Christ who brings freedom, freedom from sin and bondage, and not onkly a true fear but a love of God.

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