Lately, I have spent a considerable amount of time pouring into the Old Testament. I am loving it. In the spring I took the Pentateuch class at the Bible College, and since then I have been studying post exilic books like Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah. This was much of the basis of my solitude that I wrote about in my last post.
I am writing about it because I feel that I would be remiss if I did not spend time encouraging more people to study the Old Testament. Many people find the Old Testament to be like fried rice. Some restaurants that serve fried rice serve a delectable and moist treat with meat, eggs, vegetables, and even seafood in the rice. Some fried rice is bland and uninteresting. The best fried rice is among the best food ever, I get excited thinking about it. But when fried rice is bad, it’s uneatable.
The Old Testament however, is less hit or miss than people think. When people have a hard time being intrigued by the Old Testament it’s usually because they are too lazy to put the time in to find out what it is really saying – like people who don’t like fried rice because they are too lazy to find the restaurants that prepare it the best. I don’t care if you have to buy commentaries, create Old Testament study groups, or take classes at the Bible College; you have to pour into this spiritual goodness. The best part is – it is only through an understanding of the Old Testament that one can truly understand the New Testament and Christ himself. Without a balanced view into the whole Scripture, your picture will always be incomplete.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Solitude
Three friends of mine and I just got back from a four day trip to the middle of nowhere. We drove out Monday morning and came home last night, spending our time camping, resting in the joy of the Lord, and reading the Scriptures. On this trip, we slept on hard ground, went to the bathroom outside behind rocks and under trees, never bathed and rarely changed our clothes. Sounds awful and un-relaxing right?
While I came home with a soar back and greasy hair, I also came home rejuvenated for the next season of ministry. I came home with a new and channeled insight into the Word of God, and I think a more sanctified heart and mind. On this trip, my friends and I studied the book of Nehemiah, as well as the often debated theme of mission and evangelism in the Old Testament. Our findings were profound, but that is a topic for another post.
Solitude is a must for any Christian. The reason why we haven’t learned to connect with Yahweh or study our Bible properly is because we seldom (if ever) get alone with God and seek his face on the Scripture. I don’t mean an hour in your quiet time, I mean for hours in a day or series of days. While on our trip, we studied the word of God for 7-8 hours a day for four strait days. It was invigorating.
God showed me some amazing things on this trip. Not just about Scripture, but about creation and about my own sin. I got real with God and he got real with me, he spoke to me. Plan time to get away to be with the Savior, even if its not in the middle of nowhere like where we went, just get away. Be intentional about your time with God, and he will be intentional with you. This week was another of the many moments where God touched me in a special way and changed my life.
Thank you Father.
While I came home with a soar back and greasy hair, I also came home rejuvenated for the next season of ministry. I came home with a new and channeled insight into the Word of God, and I think a more sanctified heart and mind. On this trip, my friends and I studied the book of Nehemiah, as well as the often debated theme of mission and evangelism in the Old Testament. Our findings were profound, but that is a topic for another post.
Solitude is a must for any Christian. The reason why we haven’t learned to connect with Yahweh or study our Bible properly is because we seldom (if ever) get alone with God and seek his face on the Scripture. I don’t mean an hour in your quiet time, I mean for hours in a day or series of days. While on our trip, we studied the word of God for 7-8 hours a day for four strait days. It was invigorating.
God showed me some amazing things on this trip. Not just about Scripture, but about creation and about my own sin. I got real with God and he got real with me, he spoke to me. Plan time to get away to be with the Savior, even if its not in the middle of nowhere like where we went, just get away. Be intentional about your time with God, and he will be intentional with you. This week was another of the many moments where God touched me in a special way and changed my life.
Thank you Father.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
The demands of society
Can Morality survive in an age of consumerism?
This is a question being asked by philosophers today, and I believe it is the right question. When philosophical circles began posing this question, it quickly hit me as one of the most important questions of the last forty years. The United States and other like-minded countries are more consumer driven than ever, but as with most things, I don’t believe people ever stop to reflect on the ethical consequences of their life-styles. This is because philosophy isn’t practical enough. While the common man toils away in this life doing common things and assuming that life is in the status quo, the intellectuals who know that the rest of us are killing ourselves with our poor decisions are on high eating ambrosia while sitting on their golden toilets that sing to them as they…ya know. All the while, they are writing books on the most important challenges facing our world, but writing them in such a way that no one will read them except other intellectuals who already recognize the problem. All this serves to do is help smart and informed people affirm to one another how smart and informed they all are, while leaving out 95% of the population in the process. Even if the intellectuals put their heads together to find a consensus in the solution to this problem that only they know about, their solutions end up in the same books read by the same people. While the informed sit about, smiling and toasting themselves at dinner parties because they have solved the world’s problems, the rest of society wouldn’t (and couldn’t) be the wiser.
So then… what about our question from above? Consumers run about all day sucking in everything they can at the least possible cost or sacrifice to themselves, completely oblivious to the fact that they are compromising their character along the way. Integrity, nobility, loyalty, and honor are becoming things of the past because society has gone the way of the consumer. Reporters are trapped in an endless pit of reporting only the negative aspects of their beat, whether in sports, entertainment, or their own neighborhoods—because such reporting is lucrative. The most successful reality shows on television are the ones with the most sex and drama, and television today would be unrecognizable to anyone that has been dead 30 years or more. Why has the debauched become such a big seller, and why have formerly noble aspects of society either been corrupted or gone the way of the dodo? One word: “demand”.
Demand is that word that economists love and loathe at the same time. Demand is what makes the world go around. If the general populous wants something, enterprise will have no choice but to supply it or drown. The world can be a very sink or swim place. Because people demand the things that are generally immoral, suppliers are throwing their principles out of the window to cash in. Unfortunately, the problem is so old now that the sons and daughters of the people on the front-lines of compromise are being raised without this old code—this former sense of morality—because their fathers and mothers left it behind so long ago that it’s barely detectable anymore.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating prudishness. I watch Rated-R movies and see some great benefits in society sort of “relaxing” a bit from its former need for perfection and censorship. But at the same time, I often fantasize about the days when my parents were kids and they could turn on the television to family-oriented shows rather than MTV’s The Real World in Chattanooga (…or wherever they might go next. I think they are running out of earth for that show, so maybe we’ll see Real World: Uranus sometime soon). Why do want to watch people have sex, cheat by having sex with someone else, then hate each other with a passion while living with the pain of betrayal. The answer is simple—sin. Because we have sin, we like to watch other people have it too—and because there is a demand for sin from the consumers and because we live in a consumer driven world—morality gets the backseat or sometimes pushed out of the car entirely.
I’m not looking to be un-American here; I’m not trying to rid the world of capitalism. I’m just crazy enough to want my capitalism with a heavy dose of conscience and character. When consumers are the conscience of our nation, then morality has a hard time surviving. In the end, it can’t survive. This is why moralism doesn’t work and why the Bible rejects moralism so emphatically. Moralism is a philosophy that says that morality is the goal of human life. Intrinsic within this philosophy is that man can accomplish his own sense of morality. The reality however is that humans left to their own morals and no authority or rescue from themselves will always fail to do what is best for society. Because of this, people need the Spirit of God as their conscience and guide. This is also why we can never make the mistake of allowing consumerism into the church. So the next time you find yourself in a church service thinking, “I don’t like the way we do that”, remember one thing: the church isn’t here to meet your demands.
This is a question being asked by philosophers today, and I believe it is the right question. When philosophical circles began posing this question, it quickly hit me as one of the most important questions of the last forty years. The United States and other like-minded countries are more consumer driven than ever, but as with most things, I don’t believe people ever stop to reflect on the ethical consequences of their life-styles. This is because philosophy isn’t practical enough. While the common man toils away in this life doing common things and assuming that life is in the status quo, the intellectuals who know that the rest of us are killing ourselves with our poor decisions are on high eating ambrosia while sitting on their golden toilets that sing to them as they…ya know. All the while, they are writing books on the most important challenges facing our world, but writing them in such a way that no one will read them except other intellectuals who already recognize the problem. All this serves to do is help smart and informed people affirm to one another how smart and informed they all are, while leaving out 95% of the population in the process. Even if the intellectuals put their heads together to find a consensus in the solution to this problem that only they know about, their solutions end up in the same books read by the same people. While the informed sit about, smiling and toasting themselves at dinner parties because they have solved the world’s problems, the rest of society wouldn’t (and couldn’t) be the wiser.
So then… what about our question from above? Consumers run about all day sucking in everything they can at the least possible cost or sacrifice to themselves, completely oblivious to the fact that they are compromising their character along the way. Integrity, nobility, loyalty, and honor are becoming things of the past because society has gone the way of the consumer. Reporters are trapped in an endless pit of reporting only the negative aspects of their beat, whether in sports, entertainment, or their own neighborhoods—because such reporting is lucrative. The most successful reality shows on television are the ones with the most sex and drama, and television today would be unrecognizable to anyone that has been dead 30 years or more. Why has the debauched become such a big seller, and why have formerly noble aspects of society either been corrupted or gone the way of the dodo? One word: “demand”.
Demand is that word that economists love and loathe at the same time. Demand is what makes the world go around. If the general populous wants something, enterprise will have no choice but to supply it or drown. The world can be a very sink or swim place. Because people demand the things that are generally immoral, suppliers are throwing their principles out of the window to cash in. Unfortunately, the problem is so old now that the sons and daughters of the people on the front-lines of compromise are being raised without this old code—this former sense of morality—because their fathers and mothers left it behind so long ago that it’s barely detectable anymore.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating prudishness. I watch Rated-R movies and see some great benefits in society sort of “relaxing” a bit from its former need for perfection and censorship. But at the same time, I often fantasize about the days when my parents were kids and they could turn on the television to family-oriented shows rather than MTV’s The Real World in Chattanooga (…or wherever they might go next. I think they are running out of earth for that show, so maybe we’ll see Real World: Uranus sometime soon). Why do want to watch people have sex, cheat by having sex with someone else, then hate each other with a passion while living with the pain of betrayal. The answer is simple—sin. Because we have sin, we like to watch other people have it too—and because there is a demand for sin from the consumers and because we live in a consumer driven world—morality gets the backseat or sometimes pushed out of the car entirely.
I’m not looking to be un-American here; I’m not trying to rid the world of capitalism. I’m just crazy enough to want my capitalism with a heavy dose of conscience and character. When consumers are the conscience of our nation, then morality has a hard time surviving. In the end, it can’t survive. This is why moralism doesn’t work and why the Bible rejects moralism so emphatically. Moralism is a philosophy that says that morality is the goal of human life. Intrinsic within this philosophy is that man can accomplish his own sense of morality. The reality however is that humans left to their own morals and no authority or rescue from themselves will always fail to do what is best for society. Because of this, people need the Spirit of God as their conscience and guide. This is also why we can never make the mistake of allowing consumerism into the church. So the next time you find yourself in a church service thinking, “I don’t like the way we do that”, remember one thing: the church isn’t here to meet your demands.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Generosity
A question recently sent in at Living Stones asks, “When is it wrong to spend money on things you don’t need?”
Always.
Just kidding.
Seriously, I spend money on myself all the time and I don’t feel guilty one bit. Sometimes I take that too far though and the Holy Spirit whispers, “Hey, what are you doing?” Essentially what we see in Scripture is a call on the life of the believer to live a life characterized by consistent generosity. Enjoying life through the blessings that God provides is not wrong in and of itself, but when your enjoyment comes at the expense of helping other people when you have abundance but they have a need, then you are flat out in sin. Period.
Generosity is required of you by your God if you follow Jesus. If you are a squanderer, believe it or not but the Scripture says that God removes his blessing from your life (Malachi 3). To seek what God expects from you read passages like Matthew 25, and 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. These are great passages on generosity and how we should use our resources to further God’s Kingdom rather than hold things back out of fear or selfishness.
Always.
Just kidding.
Seriously, I spend money on myself all the time and I don’t feel guilty one bit. Sometimes I take that too far though and the Holy Spirit whispers, “Hey, what are you doing?” Essentially what we see in Scripture is a call on the life of the believer to live a life characterized by consistent generosity. Enjoying life through the blessings that God provides is not wrong in and of itself, but when your enjoyment comes at the expense of helping other people when you have abundance but they have a need, then you are flat out in sin. Period.
Generosity is required of you by your God if you follow Jesus. If you are a squanderer, believe it or not but the Scripture says that God removes his blessing from your life (Malachi 3). To seek what God expects from you read passages like Matthew 25, and 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. These are great passages on generosity and how we should use our resources to further God’s Kingdom rather than hold things back out of fear or selfishness.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The Nazarite Vow
A question recently asked at Living Stones reads, “Is there a practical reason for not eating grapes in the Nazarite Vow in the Old Testament?”
The Nazarite Vow is described by Moses in Numbers chapter 6. Essentially, the vow would be taken by an Israelite for the purpose of connecting to God during a certain period of time. During this time a person would deal with sin issues or apathy and build on their relationship with God.
During the vow, one of the things that a person would give up was wine and any other grape product. The purpose of the vow was to give up practical things that people experienced as a part of everyday life, things that were seen as normally being blessings from God. Grapes and wine were things enjoyed by Israelites daily and were considered blessings, so they were among the things given up.
The Nazarite Vow is described by Moses in Numbers chapter 6. Essentially, the vow would be taken by an Israelite for the purpose of connecting to God during a certain period of time. During this time a person would deal with sin issues or apathy and build on their relationship with God.
During the vow, one of the things that a person would give up was wine and any other grape product. The purpose of the vow was to give up practical things that people experienced as a part of everyday life, things that were seen as normally being blessings from God. Grapes and wine were things enjoyed by Israelites daily and were considered blessings, so they were among the things given up.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
So you want to be a leader?
A question we received at Living Stones reads, “What are your qualifications for a leader at Living Stones?”
That depends on the level of leadership you aspire to.
At Living Stones we have three basic levels of leaders, the highest form of leadership is the Shepherd Team, then we have a deacon team, and thirdly we have a team of small group leaders. Many small group leaders are deacons and Shepherd Team members.
We strictly follow the guidelines for leaders found in Scripture. To be a member of the Shepherd Team a person must fit the qualifications found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7. To be a deacon or small group leader a person must fit the qualifications found in 1 Timothy 3:8-13.
Essentially we follow these guidelines, test a person to see how willing they are to serve, and check to see if they are an advocate for the church which includes attendance at communions and baptisms. If a person has strong character and serves faithfully in the ministry for an extended period of time, and if that person is willing to lead and take on the burden and responsibility, then they are brought into leadership in some form.
That depends on the level of leadership you aspire to.
At Living Stones we have three basic levels of leaders, the highest form of leadership is the Shepherd Team, then we have a deacon team, and thirdly we have a team of small group leaders. Many small group leaders are deacons and Shepherd Team members.
We strictly follow the guidelines for leaders found in Scripture. To be a member of the Shepherd Team a person must fit the qualifications found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7. To be a deacon or small group leader a person must fit the qualifications found in 1 Timothy 3:8-13.
Essentially we follow these guidelines, test a person to see how willing they are to serve, and check to see if they are an advocate for the church which includes attendance at communions and baptisms. If a person has strong character and serves faithfully in the ministry for an extended period of time, and if that person is willing to lead and take on the burden and responsibility, then they are brought into leadership in some form.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Think more to love more
A question we received on a comment card at Living Stones a while back asked the following, “Do you believe it is the duty of Christians to understand the apologetics of the faith in addition to the Scriptures?”
First of all, you said duty.
And the answer is yes, absolutely, unequivocally, positively, without a doubt it is our responsibility. And not just for some, but for every Christian.
For those that are unaware of what apologetics is, allow me to define it; apologetics is essentially the art of defending the Christian faith. The question is obviously asking about apologetics in forms other than biblical ones, because some apologetics are found in the Scripture themselves. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to always be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you”. This verse is telling us to be prepared to answer the questions of the skeptics. On Mars Hill in Acts 17, Paul quoted pagan poets to prove a point about Jesus.
The only way to truly be ready to answer any question is to study in a broad range of topics. I spend almost as much time studying philosophy and science as I do theology, because my theology will only be taken seriously by the non-believer if they can see that I understand the world outside of the Scriptures enough to point people to the truth. All truth is God’s truth, not just the truth found in Scripture. Scripture is certainly the only concrete, trustworthy, authoritative, and verifiable truth, but God’s truth is everywhere. You can’t go to the Bible to learn that 2+2=4, but God designed mathematical truth.
Sometimes using the truths of science and philosophy and showing their consistency with Scripture is the only way to get a skeptic to see you as a ‘thinking person’ as opposed to a ‘closed-minded fundamentalist’. Most skeptics’ questions won’t have to do with Scripture—they will ask questions about epistemology, science, or metaphysics. If we say, “I don’t know what those are but I know God loves you”, then we lose any effectiveness in evangelism and we disobey the command in Scripture to love God with our entire mind. We are called to be wise in how we approach non-believers (Colossians 4) and engage people in any way we can with the truth without falling into sin ourselves. Anyone who tells you that studying the intellectual disciplines outside of Scripture is sin hasn’t read the Scripture.
This is a call, and we all have a responsibility to it—but most of us just ignore it because we think it’s harder than it actually is.
First of all, you said duty.
And the answer is yes, absolutely, unequivocally, positively, without a doubt it is our responsibility. And not just for some, but for every Christian.
For those that are unaware of what apologetics is, allow me to define it; apologetics is essentially the art of defending the Christian faith. The question is obviously asking about apologetics in forms other than biblical ones, because some apologetics are found in the Scripture themselves. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to always be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you”. This verse is telling us to be prepared to answer the questions of the skeptics. On Mars Hill in Acts 17, Paul quoted pagan poets to prove a point about Jesus.
The only way to truly be ready to answer any question is to study in a broad range of topics. I spend almost as much time studying philosophy and science as I do theology, because my theology will only be taken seriously by the non-believer if they can see that I understand the world outside of the Scriptures enough to point people to the truth. All truth is God’s truth, not just the truth found in Scripture. Scripture is certainly the only concrete, trustworthy, authoritative, and verifiable truth, but God’s truth is everywhere. You can’t go to the Bible to learn that 2+2=4, but God designed mathematical truth.
Sometimes using the truths of science and philosophy and showing their consistency with Scripture is the only way to get a skeptic to see you as a ‘thinking person’ as opposed to a ‘closed-minded fundamentalist’. Most skeptics’ questions won’t have to do with Scripture—they will ask questions about epistemology, science, or metaphysics. If we say, “I don’t know what those are but I know God loves you”, then we lose any effectiveness in evangelism and we disobey the command in Scripture to love God with our entire mind. We are called to be wise in how we approach non-believers (Colossians 4) and engage people in any way we can with the truth without falling into sin ourselves. Anyone who tells you that studying the intellectual disciplines outside of Scripture is sin hasn’t read the Scripture.
This is a call, and we all have a responsibility to it—but most of us just ignore it because we think it’s harder than it actually is.
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