tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14053652259263526992024-03-12T20:08:30.764-07:00KUPC Ask the PastorsThis is a place for those in the English Ministry of Korean United Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, or anyone else interested, to ask questions. Don't understand a passage or verse from Scripture? Trying figure out more clearly who God is? Struggling with how to live out your faith in Jesus? Whatever your question may be, this is the place to ask it. Send your questions to kupcpastors@gmail.com and Pastor Mike and/or Pastor Matt will do his/their best to answer.Pastor Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10410844927660195600noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1405365225926352699.post-83558726704020867322008-04-21T08:47:00.000-07:002008-04-21T09:37:06.597-07:00Can I ever not sin?An astute reader asks:<br /><br />"When it's said that it is impossible to never sin, does that mean that it's just physically impossible to prevent your body from doing sinful things or does it mean that temptation is just so great all people are simply bound to falter sooner or later? On a tangent, it is easier to prevent yourself from physically saying something or doing an action, but it is much more difficult if not impossible to keep thoughts of such actions from running through one's mind. Is it sin to have thoughts of wanting to commit sin acts? Why do these persist after being saved? Is it indication that one may not be saved?"<br /><br />Dear reader,<br /><br />First of all, let me just say that I really "get" your last bit! My words and actions seem pretty clean to most people. My thoughts on the other hand.....If you were to suddenly develop telepathy, I'd stay miles away from you! Actually, I'll take it back about my words too -- I can be pretty nice to people, but to just be nice isn't enough. All the time I say things that are funny, or clever, or which get me out of trouble, but they're not loving, they're not holy. God isn't saying them. I'm not saying them by His power. And, that's not right. I aim for the goal of being transformed from glory to glory into the image of Christ Jesus, who is One with God and who is God and who shows us the Father. When people see me, I want them to see the Jesus, and seeing Jesus to see the Father too. But, I'm not there yet! Perhaps that will answer your tangential question :-)<br /><br />On the other bit, I'm going to say something that may sound a bit strange. I don't think it's very helpful to think of sin and our sinning in terms of what is or is not possible. Put simply, the Christian life isn't lived in the world of possibilities, because the Christian life really is nothing less than sharing in the Life of God -- and God is so great, the words "possible" and "impossible" become virtually meaningless when talking about Him! As Jesus put it, "All things are possible with God." Elsewhere, in a different context, Jesus even said, "All things are possible <i>for those who believe</i>." (i.e. those who trust God and are walking by the Spirit.)<br /><br />Now, you'll immediately think, then, "So, I can overcome sin?" Actually, I didn't say that :-) I know! Now it seems I'm contradicting myself. What I mean, though is exactly what I said. Opposing sin, pursuing a life of holiness, isn't about what is or isn't possible, because it's not about you and what is available for you to do or not do. It's about God in Christ and what He is doing, not only in you but in the whole creation.<br /><br />How does this perspective work in practice? I'll try to describe it.<br /><br />First of all, if you think, "Hey, it's possible for me to overcome bad, anoying habit X." (Where X is mental pornography, or habitual anger, or gossip, or whatever.) Then you go try to do it. In my experience, this just doesn't work. The reason why is because sin isn't just your private bad habit. Sin is more like a wound in the universe -- a total way of being and doing that's much bigger than just you. Sin and death are dramas you are caught up in.<br /><br />Actually, sin is a much bigger matter than we normally think. Normally, we think of "sin" as bad things that we individually do. Sin, however, is much, much darker and more sinister than that. Sin is the way of doing things that is out of fellowship with God. Sin isn't just about you and God or you, your neighbor and God. Sin always occurs on a cosmic stage, whether you see it or not. Think of Adam's sin in Genesis. Now, Paul in Romans says that through that one person's sin, the whole world was plunged into death and everyone was made to be a sinner! Granted, that was Adam. If we're honest with ourselves, though, when we sin, it really isn't that different -- even when we're only sinning in our minds. When I cultivate lust in my mind, I have trouble relating to the women around me. In that way, even a teeny weeny sin tucked away in an itsy bitsy corner has a way of deranging a big chunk of the Universe. The glorious thing is, the righteousness of God is far, far more powerful than sin! Paul goes on to say that by Christ's one act of righteousness, the many were made right with God. The good things we do in gratitude to God in Christ, by the power of His Holy Spirit, participate in Christ's life and goodness and so, also, happen on a cosmic stage. Revelation 12 even says that those who suffer for Christ's sake in faith are the reason why Satan has and will lose! So, sin and righteousness are big things, not little private things. They occur on the stage of the Universe, not just of our hearts. Think big, cosmic struggle of Light and Darkness, Good and Evil, Life and Death when you think about sin and righteousness -- not just about you, your immediate neighbor, and God.<br /><br />Not just sin and death, but Life and Peace are dramas in which you are participating. Jesus Christ has played the central act by dying for our sins and rising for our justification. Right now, he's hidden behind the curtain, but he'll return to center stage at The End when He comes again for our glorification with Him. The main guy on the stage now is the Holy Spirit. The problem is, the audience out in the world can't see Him because He is spiritual and not physical. We're the supporting cast. By our living in Him, He makes himself "visible". He forms Christ in us; He unites us to God through Christ Jesus. We're not the stars of the show, though. The act isn't about us and what we can or cannot do. The act is about Him. Our role is supporting -- we help to show Him off. That's what faith and repentence are -- what taking the Lord's Supper at church is, what preaching is, what ministry in Christ's name is. In the process He, as the Savior God, does in and through us for our world what neither we nor the world can do for ourselves. What is impossible for human beings is possible for God. God overcomes sin and death. When the curtain is lifted at The End, the grand finale will show Christ (and us who trusted Him) glorified, ruling and reigning over a creation in which the power of sin and death is no more.<br /><br />When you view things this way, a lot changes. Before, when I sinned I thought things like, "Whoops. Well, I guess I'm just a sinner still. Try better next time, since right now I couldn't help myself." -- Which is a wrong way of thinking, because it isn't repentant. Alternatively, I have a break down: "*%&W&SD. I did it again! I'm so embarrased. I hate myself. How can I ever be forgiven? Am I even realy saved? I'm doomed. The Holy Spirit must have taken a vacation; God must hate me. How can I ever call God 'Father'?" (Literally, I've felt like this before. Even the *@&#&&SD part!) This isn't a right way of thinking either. Actually, it's blasphemous -- because "nothing can separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Both ways of thinking -- the way I think when I think *I* can overcome sin, and the way I think when I think I can't -- are wrong. The way to think is "The God who raised Christ from the dead can and will overcome this." Then, I confess my sin -- to a brother in Christ sometimes even -- ask for forgiveness and get up again. Through the week, then, I look for ways to join God in what He is already doing as He destroys the works of the Devil. My salvation from this point of view isn't about me or what I can or cannot do, have or have not done. In life and in death I belong to my faithful Lord Jesus, and the anchor holds.<br /><br />I hope that answers the question, at least in part! Feel free to squeek if it hasn't! Meanwhile, Pastor Mike?<br /><br />Pax Christi,<br />MattMatthew Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08462848489471431876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1405365225926352699.post-57009443884379402402008-04-19T17:42:00.000-07:002008-04-19T17:43:00.886-07:00Suicide: Forgivable but not Permissable<em>Does God forgive suicide? I have read many responses to this question (as it is asked often). There are some with a hardline approach, saying that no, he will not, supported by reasons that one is taking away God's gift of life, one cannot repent for the sin after death, and also that it falls under the commandment "thou shalt not kill". For them, those reasons over rule any reasons for suicide save perhaps mental illness. There is however another view I have read that no, a believer is not eternally damned, generally following the view "once saved, always saved". I am curious for your thoughts on the subject.</em><br /><br />Before answering this question, I think it’s good to make note of a few things. The first is that SUICIDE IS NEVER A SOLUTION TO PROBLEMS. If you feel abandoned and tempted to commit suicide, know that you are cared for and loved by your family and friends more than you think. Tell a friend or family member what you’re thinking, and be as open and honest as possible (even the people who love you and care about you the most can’t read your mind). Also, if you ever suspect that a friend or family member is considering suicide, talk to them. Just ask, “You’ve seemed really upset lately. Have you been considering suicide?” and let the conversation go from there. I know this is intimidating, because we often fear that we’ll say the wrong thing. But trust me; nothing we say is worse than remaining silent. The main point isn’t necessarily for you to say the right thing anyhow; it’s for you to listen and show love. If you feel the situation is out of your control, contact a professional counselor. (If you don’t know where to find one, ask your pastor and he/she will help you.)<br /><br />Now all that being said, the question this reader poses is not an easy one to answer, because the Bible doesn’t directly address the topic. We really don’t have any examples in Scripture of Christians committing suicide. (The closest we come to is Judas.) So, to find the answer to our question, we need to piece together things that we do know from the Bible…<br /><br />Death is not the will of God. In the gospel of John, Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Likewise, Jesus defeats death through his resurrection, implying that death is God’s enemy (and defeated enemy, at that). God is the giver of life. From the time of our birth, our life is in the hands of God. Suicide is, among other explanations, an attempt for us to take control of our lives, which are not ours to control. Even those who argue that God forgives suicide will still admit that suicide is not God’s will. If they though otherwise, they wouldn’t have to argue that God would need to forgive it.<br /><br />God is a forgiving God because of Jesus Christ. Our sins are forgiven in and because of Jesus Christ, and not on our own merit. Those who argue that God does not forgive suicide are assuming something that often goes unmentioned: that our being forgiven depends on seeking forgiveness for every last sin we commit. Hence why suicide can’t be forgiven; once we’ve committed the act, it’s too late to repent and seek God’s mercy. The problem with this assumption is that it is entirely impossible for us to confess every last sin we commit. We’re just plain too sinful to be able to identify every sin. Our forgiveness rather rests in the act of Jesus Christ. God desires us to turn to Jesus Christ and to repent of our sins, even naming those sins to him specifically, but it’s not as if God is listening to our confessions with a checklist of every sin we’ve committed making sure we’ve covered them all. Christ, as our intercessor, makes sure that to confess all of our sins on our behalf for us. So, our salvation doesn’t rest on whether or not we confess every last sin we commit. It rests in Jesus Christ.<br /><br />Given the above, we can conclude that God can, and does, forgive suicide. But, we also must be aware that this does not mean that God permits suicide. Forgiveness and permission are two very different things. Suicide is forgivable, but it is still a sin and still displeasing to God. God is the author of our life, he knows the plans he has for us, and desires to use our lives for the sake of His purposes.<br /><br />Pastor Matt, your thoughts?Pastor Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10410844927660195600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1405365225926352699.post-86482245143946908092008-03-29T11:03:00.000-07:002008-03-29T11:43:33.821-07:00"How odd of God to Choose the Jews"An inquiring reader asks: "Why did God abandon the Jews? Were they not his people before the coming of Christ? I suppose they did crucify him (and they don't believe he's the savior) but wasn't that all part of God's plan to sacrifice his son for our sins?"<br /><br />Dear reader,<br /><br />Sometimes, in order to answer a question, the question needs to be challanged. The questions we ask have presuppositions behind them. This one has several -- very common! -- presuppositions. To give your question the space it deserves requires us to examine those presuppositions.<br /><br />First presupposition: "God abandoned the Jews." Did God abandon them? I know this is a common belief among many Christians, and many Christian teachers hint that they believe this even when they don't explicitly teach it -- but is it true? To be honest, I can't think of a single passage anywhere in the Bible that teaches that it is true, even among those passages that most polemically attack "the Jews". Also, I can think of one major passage in the New Testament that teaches something stunningly different. In Romans 11 Paul writes: "I ask, then, has God rejected his people [the Jews]? Of course not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendent of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin...." Paul goes on to say quite a bit in Chapter 11 about Israel and its destiny in God's future plans, including quite a few things that leave Christian theologians stunned and questioning to this day. So, in a straightforward sense, the Bible teaches that God still has a purpose for the Old Israel, even as He has a purpose for New Israel, i.e. the Church of God.<br /><br />A second presupposition: "Old Israel was God's people before the coming of Christ." This presupposition raises a complex matter, because in one sense it is true -- God had and has, on a straightforward reading of even the New Testament, a plan for Old Israel. But, in another sense, this presupposition is not true, because as Paul puts it in Romans 9:6 "But it is not that the word of God has failed. For not all who are Israel are Israel..." He goes on to talk about how a person could be born physically in a line of blessing, yet miss out on that blessing through a hardness of heart that God nevertheless uses as part of His glorious plan. He gives the example of Jacob and Esau. Both were children of Isaac, so both were in the line of the promise. The blessing became focussed, however, in Jacob only. "Why" is mysterious: you could read the Genesis account over and over again, and always be discovering more layers, I think, in answer to the question "Why?" The key matter, however, is that God was in control, and His grace won out through human obedience and disobedience as He molded his people of promise. When we sit down and read the whole Old Testament, especially in light of the gospels, this picture grows till it becomes huge. God molds his people again and again, seemingly rejecting some and embracing others, working in the agony and the glory of their spiritual adventures and misadventures before Him. He does this slowly, painstakingly, taking hundreds of years till everything comes in to focus on one poor little adolescent Jewish maiden, Mary -- an infinitely unlikely figure who looks like a rejected nothing before the world. You know the rest of story! My point is that the question of who is / who isn't God's people / person is a more complex matter than it seems on the surface. It's not that we can't tell anything at all -- we can. We have Israel in the Old Testament, for example, and today we have (both?) the Church (and Israel?). But within the purview of the Bible "Israel" and "the Church" are not without their own elements of divine mystery.<br /><br />A third presupposition: "The Jews crucified the Lord Jesus." This presupposition is correct, I'm sad to say. However, it is correct in a way that immediately makes any person who has felt the Holy Spirit's convicting presence shudder. Perhaps you've seen this picture: the risen and ascended Jesus, clothed in brilliant white and outlined is mysterious shadow, lovingly cradles in his arms a weary and wounded modern man in modern dress. But, your vision is immediately drawn from the nail-scarred hands of the Glorified Lord to the weak, limp hands of the man he embraces, for the man's hands carry a hammer in one, nails in the other. "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John the Baptist said of Jesus at Jesus' baptism. Most every Sunday in worship I pray, "Lord Jesus Christ, holy lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on me a sinner!" Old Israel took its role in crucifying the Savior -- along with blessed Peter who denied Him, his disciples who abandoned him to death, the Romans who did the dirty deed, and even me. As you pointed out, Jesus himself had his place as well, as Great High Priest, making the ultimate sacrifice on the day the sins of us all were atoned for. In making that sacrifice, as the ultimate High Priest, Jesus cried "Father! Forgive them -- for they know not what they do." With that act, Jesus blotted out forever the guilt of those who murdered him, and the guilt of those who, however distant in time and or space, sinned against God and so required for their atonement His sacrifice.<br /><br />Now, I would write more, but I think this is enough to chew on. (And enough for Pastor Mike to process and throw his immensely valuable two cents in!) So, after questioning the question, instead of giving you an "answer", I'd like to give you a challange: go and read Romans 9 through 11. I think it will answer your original question, perhaps with the presuppositions shaken up just a bit.<br /><br />Blessings,<br />P. MattMatthew Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08462848489471431876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1405365225926352699.post-47358227400133656052008-03-29T07:36:00.000-07:002008-03-29T07:46:42.666-07:00Why Creation?<em>"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth", and I offer the question, why creation? Why was God compelled to create? He is beyond the instinct of earthly organisms to procreate. Are we comparable to a build-your-own ant farm? because we are mere ants to such a caliber of being. He is beyond needs and wants so could it all quite possibly be pointless? I am hoping there are indications of reasons in the bible and reassurances other than "have faith".<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />stray, wavering reader</em><br /><br />I find myself chuckling at the build-your-own ant farm analogy. I had an ant farm once. It lasted about a week. I grew bored with it and didn’t give it the care it deserved. The ants died, so I threw it out and moved on to playing with my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Action Figures. So is this what we are in relation to God? Are we nothing more than God’s “hobby,” completely expendable so that if something with this ant farm that we call the universe goes wrong, God can just throw us out and move on to another hobby? I’m sure we all hope not, and moreover, the Bible assures us that this is not the case.<br /><br />In the beginning of Ephesians 2:10, we are told that we are “God’s workmanship” (NIV). The word translated “workmanship” is the Greek word “poiema.” Poiema is an interesting word. In the Bible, it’s used nearly exclusively to describe the creation of God. In other Greek literature from around the same time period, though, it’s used to describe the work of an artist. (The English word “poem” is actually derived from “poiema”) I think this is a much more helpful analogy. God is artist/poet.<br /><br />Imagine, if you will, a master painter in his studio. He’s just created a masterpiece. The beauty of it is captivating, so much so that it captures the attention of anyone who catches a glimpse of it. In the painting, one can see the very personality of the painter. He’s put his emotions, his experience, his very being into the work. It’s a masterpiece not to be matched, and it has become the painter’s prize possession. Now the painting obviously is not essential to the painter’s life. He could live with out it. But he nevertheless takes great joy in his masterpiece; he will never part with it.<br /><br />I think this is a better, more biblical, analogy for thinking of creation. We are God’s masterpiece. By His very nature, God is a creative God. That’s simply who He is, it’s in His very nature to create. So, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. God made them beautiful, with just the right balance of color, light, texture, forms, variety and any other aspect of creative expression to make His masterpiece perfect. God could still be with out His creation, but He still takes joy in it and delights in it, just as the painter with his masterpiece painting.<br /><br />Pastor Matt, your thoughts?Pastor Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10410844927660195600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1405365225926352699.post-71591531923798989982008-03-21T09:18:00.000-07:002008-03-21T09:37:02.311-07:00Telling the Truth in LoveAnonymous writes:<br />"Say you and a person you don't particularly like got into an argument.Now I know that I am suppose to love my enemies so I don't want the argument to go on and start offending him/her. But how can I stop the argument without being rude or arrogant sounding. I've played over every imaginable type of way to stop an argument but none of them seem to do it. (The friend I am arguing withis an unbeliever, and Christianity is most likely the thing we will bearguing about.)"<br /><br />Dear anonymous,<br /><br />Every relationship is unique; yours is, no doubt, unique as well. The dynamics of your relationship with this person play a large roll in how you should respond to him or her. I'm going to make a few guesses as to those dynamics based on the description you've given. First, I know you "don't particularly like" this other person; second, I know that this person is argumentative, and particularly likes to argue with you (knowing you are a Christian) about Christianity. That's my profile.<br /><br />From that profile, I can guess some of the other relationship dynamics. Now, these are just guesses, but I suspect something like what I'll write below describes your relationship. Some people <em>like</em> to argue. It's a way for them to get attention or respect. Religious people care deeply about what they believe in, and <em>Christian religious people</em> care deeply about others, because they worship the Savior -- i.e. because what we believe in is Love outpoured for the sake of other people, we care about others. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that grilling a Christian is a good bet if you want to get attention by arguing. I suspect this other individual is of that type. He / she likes to argue (for whatever reason), and they've picked you as good target because your passion for God and compassion for people leaves you wide open. This doesn't make them a "bad" person completely. Who knows why they like to argue? Perhaps they have few friends. Perhaps the Holy Spirit is tugging on their heart-strings, or providentially ordering an encounter with you. What it does likely does mean is that you're not in a situation where Christian Truth is up for grabs in shutting the argument down or moving to a more productive mode of discourse. You're in a situation where the other person needs or wants a friend, and argument is their primary way to get it.<br /><br />So, what do you do? I suggest loving honesty is the best policy. Next time you're with this person, without anger and in a way firm but open, make it clear that you're happy to talk about Christ, but that you're not going to try to prove Him or put Him to the test through argument. Then follow through with it. If the other person insists on being a jerk (and, if you've in kindness refused to argue, then the other person <em>is</em> being a jerk if they insist on making things hostile!), then firmly tell him / her that you're not going to argue, invite them to church, and tell them they know where to find a <em>friend</em> if they want one. Then leave it be. Being firm like this isn't being unkind or un-Christlike -- it's simply offering to move the discussion in to more productive terms, and then letting the other person whether they'll have it on those terms or not.<br /><br />That's my opinion. Pastor Mike?Matthew Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08462848489471431876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1405365225926352699.post-3697863426506481332008-02-22T17:28:00.000-08:002008-02-22T17:30:24.760-08:00Let's Talk About SexWarning: This post discusses mature themes and is intended for a mature audience.<br /><br />Question = Is this site for real? I mean how much of it is true and how much of it is false? I ran across it when i googled "God be with us" ...<br /><br />After posing the question, the reader provided the following link: <a href="http://www.sexinchrist.com/masturbation.html">http://www.sexinchrist.com/masturbation.html</a>. This website argues that the typical Christian prohibition of masturbation, and some other pre-marital sexual practices are not necessary. It tries to make the case that more or less any sexual practice other than traditional vaginal intercourse is acceptable in any context.<br /><br />Now there are numerous problems with the site and the argument. For starters, there’s no indication as to who is making these claims. We don’t know the author’s identity, let alone his or her background. Already, this takes away any authority it may claim to have. Secondly, there are tons of errors in their interpretation of Scripture passages to which they refer. Now, the website also refers to medical and psychological studies (though they don’t make any specific citations, again diminishing the credibility of the argument) which also support their cause. I’m less learned in these areas, but I suspect that if the way they mistreat Scripture is any indication, these citations are also likely to be questionable.<br /><br />We could take the time to go through each argument and Scripture reference and see how they’re inaccurate. I suspect, though, that most reading this probably don’t have the time for such in depth analysis to be fruitful. Instead, I’m just going to make one criticism of the general claims this website makes.<br /><br />The teaching of this website in no way resembles the teaching of Jesus. In fact, it’s much more similar to the teaching and practice of the Pharisees. The Pharisees claimed to obey the Law of the Old Testament to the letter, and were very quick to point out when others failed to do so. However, the Pharisees were also what you might call “technicians,” in that while they technically obeyed the Law to the letter, they would use technicalities to completely disregard the spirit of the Law. One classic example is divorce. According to Old Testament Law, a man could divorce his wife only if he had just reason. We know from some historical evidence that some Pharisees were quite generous in defining what a just cause for divorce was. According to one rabbi, if your wife so much as overcooked dinner, that would be cause for divorce. Obviously, you can imagine how this kind of interpretation led to an abuse of the Law’s intention. The Pharisees were, by and large, seeking their own gain and doing so by creating technicalities in the Law of God.<br /><br />This is essentially what this “sex in Christ” website does. The author of it creates technicalities that allow a person to be sexually active without actually being sexually active. Just as the Pharisees created a way for men to divorce their wives more easily by redefining what a just cause for divorce is, this website tries to accomplish it’s goal by redefining what actual sex is by limiting it to vaginal intercourse. By that standard, everything else (masturbation, oral sex, etc.) is fair game.<br /><br />The problem is, this is the exact opposite way Jesus handles the Law. Jesus wasn’t interested in following the Law to the letter and then creating technicalities so that we can do most anything we desire anyhow. Jesus was interested in maintaining the spirit of the Law. In other words, Jesus saw in the Law broader principles by which we lived. For example, Jesus might say to the author of “Sex in Christ” what he said in the Sermon on the Mount: “You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28)<br /><br />Being a Christian is not about following the Law to the letter. Rather, it’s about understanding more broadly the type of lifestyle God calls us to. The Christian life is not a self-seeking life, it’s a life that lives to the glory of God, and it’s very difficult to live for God when we’re trying to create loopholes to satisfy our own desires.Pastor Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10410844927660195600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1405365225926352699.post-65441436092100519472008-01-03T14:38:00.000-08:002008-01-03T14:40:48.988-08:00What is Money's Role in Christianity?This week's questions: What is money’s role in Christianity? How much can we want it? How much should we strive to make more? Is it not right to keep some for yourself?<br /><br />Obviously, without money, there would be no church building, there would be no lunches, no bibles would get printed without the existence of money. One way or another, God’s church needs money. Where is the boundary between needing money for the good of God, and the need of money that stems out of greed?<br /><br />Is it possible to be a rich Christian?<br /><br />Answer: I’d like to begin the answer to this question with a story. Recently, I visited the home of a prominent church leader who shall remain nameless in this post. During the visit, he and his wife showed me and the other guests the addition they had just put on their house. The main feature of the addition was the bathroom, which was the fanciest bathroom I had ever seen. It was huge, roughly the size of my bedroom, had a giant walk-in closet with more pairs of men’s dress shoes than I had ever seen outside of a store, and even had heated tiles so your bare feet don’t get cold in the morning. It was incredible. A couple days later, I was with friends and this church leader’s name came up in conversation. I then said to my friends, “You should see that guys bathroom!” I was immediately disturbed by what I said, because I realized that despite all the good things this man does for the Church, what I’m going to remember about him is his bathroom.<br /><br />About a week later, I was talking to a friend who works for a church in Pittsburgh. He told me that he and others in the worship band were practicing when a homeless man entered the church. The man approached the drummer and asked him for money. The drummer replied that he doesn’t like to hand out money, but would like to help meet his need. So he asked the homeless man if he had a place to stay. The homeless man replied that there was a place he could stay, but the woman charges a modest fee per night, which he doesn’t have the money to pay. So, the drummer took the man to this woman’s place, paid for a couple nights lodging and worked out a deal with the woman where the homeless man could shovel her driveway and sidewalk to stay additional nights. As he left, the drummer asked the homeless man if he had gloves. When the homeless man said “no,” he took of his own gloves and gave them to him. Now I don’t know this particular Christian personally; I don’t even know his name, and have only seen him a few times. But, whenever I think of him, the first thing I’m going to think of is this, selfless, Christ-like act he did.<br /><br />I think these stories provide a negative and positive example for how Christians are called to handle their money. A few weeks ago during Advent, we looked at the ministry of John the Baptist on Sunday mornings. John the Baptist lived his life in such a way that everything he did, down to the clothes he wore and the food he ate, pointed to the Kingdom of God. We’re called to the same type of witness. Everything we do is to point to Jesus Christ, down to the clothes we wear and the food we eat, and the way we handle our money.<br /><br />As far as how much we should desire money, you’re right that we do need some just to live and function. The distinction between the “needing money for the good of God” and “the need for money that stems out of greed” is the same on both the personal and church level. The distinction is: for what purpose do we desire the money? I know of many churches and individuals who have a lot of money and do a lot in the world for the sake of Christ with that money. (Consequently, yes, it is possible to be a rich Christian.) I also know a lot of churches and individuals who have a lot of money and use it all for their own good, with no concern for using it to bear witness to Christ in the world. (Consequently, being a rich Christian is a very difficult thing.) That’s the difference between need for money and greed, whether or not the money is used to honor Christ.Pastor Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10410844927660195600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1405365225926352699.post-484843823387098452007-12-12T02:08:00.000-08:002007-12-12T08:48:54.660-08:00The Gospel and the Glory of GodA reader asks: "I have learned that God is glorious and perfect and so much so that even God must love and bring glory to himself as doing otherwise would be blasphemous...I learned that we are created, sin, then are saved to demonstrate God's glory and to glorify Him. And, finally, I've always been taught that God loves us, unconditionally in fact. But are we instruments for God to bring glory to himself? How does he love something that he creates and uses to ultimately love himself?"<br /><br />Dear reader,<br /><br />This is an enormous question, and the answer lies at the heart of the Gospel -- but, the Gospel thought through in a way that involves the whole Bible and a lifetime of thinking on it! I'm very encouraged that you are thinking in that way; the answer I give here, I hope, will point you in a direction you can continue to travel as you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The answer won't, however, erase all questions. (It may very well raise more!) I've not lived a lifetime yet, and am still seeking more and more of the answer to this question.<br /><br />The first part of the answer may seem a bit odd, because it involves thinking through the entire Biblical witness into what we call the "mystery of the Trinity". These days, I find that many people have thought so little about the Trinity that they don't know how the Trinity is Biblical, or even what it means that God is triune. It would take us too far afield from your question to spend too much time showing the Trinity from the Bible, but I encourage you to really delve into this teaching, for in many respects it is God's triune nature that provides the answer to your question.<br /><br />What is the Trinity? What does it mean that God is triune? The Trinity is three persons who have been loving each other forever. There never was a time when the Father was not delighting in His Son, and never a time when the Son was not looking up to and honoring His Father. The Father and the Son have always been loving each other by the power of the Holy Spirit, and it has been the sheer joy and delight of the Holy Spirit to do this. So deep is the joy and intimacy of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that you can say that they go from being "intimate" to being "in" each other -- actually one. What it's like to love that deeply -- and forever, as part of who you are and not as something that happened to you! -- is beyond my imagination. I can't even begin to comprehend love that deep.<br /><br />Now, I bring this up because you raised the subject of God's loving and glorifying Himself. I wanted to point you deeper into God's love than perhaps you saw before. When God loves God, it isn't God sitting there thinking to Himself, "Wow! Ain't I SOMETHING. I am *so* awesome. I've gotta find someone to show off to. Hmmmn.....there isn't anybody. I know! I'll create someone!" That's not the sort of thing that's going on. The love of God is deeper then that. The love of God is God the Father thinking, "Wow! Just look at my strong, strapping Son. I am so proud of Him! How can secure His happiness? I know! I'll create a bride for him." The love of God is also God the Son saying, "My Father is so powerful -- greater than any other, greater than any king. I'm in awe of Him. He inspires me. What can I do to honor Him? To make Him proud? Imitate Him?" Of course, this is just a metaphor -- but metaphors are less real than the reality they point to, not more so. I use human examples to point to a love so deep, no mere human can even begin to fathom it.<br /><br />Now, introduce another factor into the equation. Out of the depths of God's love for God, God created a world. But, that world went wrong -- horribly, horribly wrong. The rulers God appointed to steward that world rejected God's love and chose selfishness, unbelief, suspicion and ingratitude. Those rulers were us and those angels that fell -- the Devil and his hordes. Now, what does it mean for God to continue doing what God has always been doing with a fallen, broken creation now part of the equation? We hear the conversation take on surprising shades and new depths. The Father says something like, "My Son's beloved is in danger -- the One chosen to be His bride and Queen. I can't let that happen to them. I must secure their happiness!" The Son thinks something like, "My Father's glory is unseen because of this *%&@&D&*S usurper, Satan. I'll kill him!" Of course, I'm using a human story to point to a truth larger than any human story can ever exhaust or prove. God's anger is not like human anger. God's passion is not like human passion. Yet, you can use the lesser to point to the greater. That's what we're doing here.<br /><br />Now, I think I'll stop here to let Pastor Mike reply according to the wisdom given him. I'll only give one small hint how the above translates into an answer to your final question: how does God's loving God and us being "used" to do that figure into God's loving us. I'm not sure, but I think there might be a better word than "use". The idea usually in the Bible is "koinonia" -- partnership, or participation. You can find it used in 2 Peter 1:4. God makes us participants in His love. God rescues not an inert creation, like some kind of toy, for His Son; He rescues a bride, Israel / the Church. God the Son doesn't honor His Father by "using" the fallen creation, but by rescuing a people from the clutches of the Enemy, sacrificing Himself to do so.<br /><br />Pastor Mike?Matthew Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08462848489471431876noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1405365225926352699.post-15485154351682815682007-12-10T21:23:00.000-08:002007-12-10T21:24:54.116-08:00Jesus, drinking, and partiesThis week’s question(s): What is the deal with partying? Is it hypocritical to go party Saturday night and then show up to church the next day all tired? How about drinking? Is it sinful to get drunk at parties and act a little crazy? Does it matter how drunk you get?<br /><br />For most people reading this (college students), this is an important question to consider. As Christians, we’re called to be counter-cultural. We know that the world should not define who we are, what we value, or what we do. We have a higher, more fulfilling, calling to live lives of obedience and service to Jesus Christ. At KUPC several weeks ago, we finished up looking at Christ’s proclamations to the churches in Revelation 2-3, and we saw there how the churches struggled to remain faithful in the midst of a culture whose values did not line up w/ the values of Christ. In any context, Christians always need to evaluate the culture they live in, and determine which parts of it they ought not participate in, and even speak out against. On most any campus, partying and drinking are, to one degree or another, a part of the culture. So, we need to ask ourselves, “Does this part of the culture I live in line up with my calling to live as a follower of Jesus Christ?”<br /><br />The drinking question is the easier of the two to answer, so we’ll start there. First off, if you’re not of legal age, then drinking alcohol, regardless of how much, is in disagreement with your call to follow Christ. Paul reminds us in Romans 13 that we’re to respect the authority of our governments, so long as they don’t interfere with our call to be faithful to Christ. Our government has set a law that you can’t drink until you’re 21, and as Christians, we ought to honor that.<br /><br />Now, for those of us of legal age, the question gets more complicated. There’s nothing wrong with drinking socially and in moderation. Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana, and served and drank wine at the Last Supper with his disciples. Also, Paul, in his letter to Timothy, advises his disciple to drink a little wine for medicinal purposes. That being said, there is such a thing as too much. The basic principle of Scripture is summed up well in Ephesians 5:18: “do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” Throughout all of Scripture, there’s a contrast made between being filled with the Spirit and drunkenness. For example, in Luke’s account of John the Baptist’s birth, the angel Gabriel explains to John’s parents that he is not to drink any wine, or even eat fruit of the vine, because he’s going to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The connection between alcohol and the Holy Spirit has to do with controlling influence. As Christians, we’re to allow the Holy Spirit to direct our living. If we drink too much alcohol, we allow something other than the Holy Spirit to control us. So, to the question, “how much can a Christian drink?” we’re given the answer: however much we can take in before it has influence over our decision making.<br /><br />The question about going to parties is a little more complicated. There’s nothing inherently wrong with going to parties. In fact, it seems from reading the gospels that Jesus went to parties from time to time. There is good reason for Christians to go to a party. Firstly, Christians are allowed to have fun. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Christians might have the opportunity to bear witness to Christ at such parties.<br /><br />That being said, there are reasons not to go to parties. Our inquirer brings one of them up. What if we party late on Saturday night and then come to church tired? I don’t know if I’d call it hypocritical, but I would call it irresponsible. When we worship, we’re to do so with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. Furthermore, in our worship, Jesus Christ desires to encounter us and speak to us, and we ought to seek Him out. All of us have, at some point, gone to church tired, and we all know how difficult it is to do give our all in worship when we’re tired. There’s nothing wrong with going to parties, but there is something wrong with being so undisciplined that we don’t prioritize our life in Christ.<br /><br /> Another reason for possibly skipping out on a party goes back to the concept of being countercultural. Sometimes, not going to a party may provide more powerful of a Christian witness than going to the party. By not going, we demonstrate that we don’t consider partying an essential aspect to our life, as some might. By abstaining, we can show that we live our life by different standards, and that we refuse to look like the rest of the world.<br /><br /> All that being said, there’s no universal rule for Christians and parties. It’s best taken on a case by case basis. Pastor Matt, your thoughts?Pastor Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10410844927660195600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1405365225926352699.post-11884617797971098322007-11-19T07:55:00.000-08:002007-11-19T08:50:15.743-08:00How much can / should you ask from God?A reader asks:<br /><br />"Pastor Paul came from New Jersey the past weekend for the refuge praise night. He said to pray and trust the Lord, to sort of expect things of Him.<br /><br />How much can we expect from God? I know that He is all powerful and can do anything, but when we ask Him for things, is it our little faith in Him that limits His response? For example, I know it is possible for God to bring everyone on campus to the refuge praise night, but I would not ask for that nor expect that, mainly out of fear of it not happening."<br /><br />I remember meeting Pastor Paul a couple years back and enjoying interacting with him. He says many valuable things, some of them also very thought provoking, and I can only guess that he said many such things at your Praise Night! :-)<br /><br />When I read this one quesiton, I see a whole lot of other questions, like a load of tadpoles all under the surface of a pond! I'll try to answer the ones that jump out at me, but don't think I'll manage to hit all the issues. Maybe this is a good time to have a good long talk among all of you on prayer, so that the Holy Spirit would encourage all of you through your adventures with Him in prayer.<br /><br />First, there is a group of people out there who teach that if you pray and you believe strongly enough that God will grant your prayer that God has to automatically give you whatever you request. This same group of people teach that if you don't get what you ask for, that is a sign that you "didn't have enough faith." The people who teach this are false teachers! They are blaspheming God and hurting God's people. They don't know the gospels, or if they do know the gospels, they are ignoring them. In the Garden of Gethsemene, Jesus Christ our Lord asked three times that the cup of suffering be taken from him, and three times God the Father refused. You don't get holier and more full of true faith than the Lord Jesus! Paul the Apostle asked three times that a "thorn in the flesh" be removed from Him; God in Christ responded "My grace is sufficient for you; no, I won't remove the thorn." I dearsay, Paul had more faith than I, more faith than any person I've ever met. Paul had so much faith, frankly, I'd be afraid of His prayers -- afraid of the influence they wielded in the heavenly realms. Still, God said "No." At the end of the book of Daniel, Daniel the Prophet has a bizarre vision and asks God to show him more. God says, "No, Daniel." Daniel had an incredible relationship with God. In the intimacy of that relationship, God still said, "No."<br /><br />So, greatness of faith doesn't make things "easy" in prayer. In fact, the real heroines and heros of faith often get put in the thick of the most frightful spiritual battles. Read Hebrews 11. The chapter ends saying that there are some people who are so holy that "the world is not worthy of them", and that those people <i>die</i> because they are so faithful to God -- and yet not only do they not get what they asked for, <i>they have to wait for what God promised to them!</i> God calls on them to wait for the resurrection from the dead to receive what He promised to them. If your faith is great, watch out! -- You'll be called to serve the Lord with bigger, bolder, more dangerous prayers, pitted in the thick of battle with the very powers of darkness, and before powers who blaspheme and hate God you'll be slandered and made to look silly too. The promise to you is this: the victory God owns at the last day will be your victory also. Those who mocked Him, and therefore mocked you saying "Where is your God?", will not only bow before God, but they will have to admit, "Truly, God loves you!"<br /><br />Now, I've answered the main question through the back door. The original, main question was <i>How much should I ask for?</i> The answer is: Get to know God's character, familiarize yourself with God's goals, then apply yourself and your prayers to those goals with gusto. I wouldn't be ashamed to make very concrete requests. As you wait on the Lord, planning and praying for an evangelistic outreach, if a friend of yours who doesn't know Christ is heavy on your heart, pray with everything you have that that person would come and be saved! If you see obstacles to your being able to have a successful outreach, and your ministry team has discerned that the outreach is in the Father's will, pray He would deal with the obstacles creatively and give your team wisdom. <br /><br />Pray <i>with faith!</i> What is prayer with faith? Praying with faith is relating to God your heavenly Father with confidence that you are standing in heavenly places with Christ Jesus, your Lord and brother by adoption, at the right hand of the Father praying for you. Praying with faith is partnership in the Holy Spirit with Jesus our God. But what does that mean? When Jesus ascended (read the book of Acts, chapter 1), he was told, "Sit at my [God the Father's] right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool." (Psalm 110:1) So our Lord Jesus is waiting for God the Father's wise plan to reach completion, for the last enemies to be put down. If our praying is partnership with Jesus, then our praying should share in the conditions of His ascended rule, even as at the same time our prayers are also tainted and limited by our mortal, sinful condition. Sometimes, because we aren't perfect, we ask for imperfect things, and then God the Father simply says, "No." Other times, mysteriously, our prayers are the right prayers -- but in the thick of a spiritual battle with enemies who aren't yet put down in God's wise plan, and so the "Yes!" we get might seem for the moment to be a "No" or even pure silence as we wonder, "Why? How long?" Faith is spiritual stubbornness in the thick of war. When clear answers come in the midst of that battle, they taste all the sweeter.<br /><br />Where does it all end? Paul says, "Be excellent at what is good. Be innocent of evil -- and the God of Peace will soon crush Satan underneath your feet." (Romans 16:19) So learn to be bold, "excellent" at the good of prayer. Be innocent of evil -- learn how to turn your prayers away from selfish, measly ends, and be more like the intercessory prayers of our ascended Lord Jesus. The process will sometimes be dissapointing, painful, and likely confusing. At the end, though, we'll all see that the God of Peace put every enemy under the feet of the Prince of Peace, and that we ruling and reigning with Christ our Lord and Brother by adoption, Satan himself has been put under our feet.<br /><br />Now, of all the answers I've ever published, this one I think needs the most careful consideration and response. Pastor Mike?Matthew Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08462848489471431876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1405365225926352699.post-88832147465632475932007-11-17T15:03:00.000-08:002007-11-17T15:04:55.718-08:00The Voice of God or Another Voice?Question: Pastor Mike, when I listened to your sermons a few weeks back, you told us that we should not always consider what we think as a word of God, because it could be what Satan is telling us OR what our "instincts" or something is telling us. So, my question is this: "How is this 'instincts' different from word of God or that of Satan and how can we differentiate between those three?" Come to think of it, I think the second part is covered in the sermon (that those thoughts should be compared with the Bible), but refreshers won't hurt.<br /><br />I think there are few things that give a pastor more joy than when someone asks a follow up question to a sermon. It shows you’re paying attention. Thank you!<br /><br />To lay out a bit of context, we’ve been looking at Revelation chapters 1-3 over the past several Sundays. In chapters 2 and 3, Christ addresses 7 specific churches. The overall story of Revelation is the story of Christ winning the battle over evil, and of how the Church, as God’s people, shares in that victory. In Chapter 21, we see a picture of the triumphant Church, the New Jerusalem. This city is perfect; there is not trace of evil or suffering or struggle in it. God’s people and God are living in perfect, harmonious fellowship. In chapters 2 and 3, however, Christ is addressing the struggling Church on earth. This Church is still fighting in the battle between good and evil. In our day, we still live in the Church of Revelation 2 and 3, and so the struggles they faced then are still prevalent today. Even as God speaks to the Church, there are other, evil, voices also trying to tell us what to do and believe. Looking at these chapters, and the rest of Scripture, we can identify four voices that speak to us today. One is good, and the other three are evil.<br /><br />The good voice, as you might expect, is the voice of God. We might break down how God speaks to us in two ways, and our inquirer who asked this question hinted at both of them. Firstly, God communicates to us by Scripture. Scripture provides us with God’s own self-revelation, and reveals to us the type of life we are called to live. God gave us Scripture by means of the Holy Spirit inspiring human authors, namely the prophets and apostles. The second way in which God speaks to us today is by this same Holy Spirit. It’s tempting when we speak of this to think in terms of supernatural phenomena, but most often the Holy Spirit speaks in much more subtle ways. The phrase many like to use to describe this is “the still small voice.” Sometimes when we pray, for example, we might later get this “hunch” (for want of a better term) that God answered us. It’s not that we necessarily hear a voice speak to us out of a burning bush, but we simply come to a peace that we didn’t have before regarding our concern, or we simply feel prompted to take a certain course of action. In both cases, when God speaks in Scripture and to us directly, it is in both cases by the power of the Holy Spirit, and in both cases for the sake of pointing us to Jesus Christ and His will for us.<br /><br />The three evil voices are commonly referred to as the world, the flesh (what our questioner and I in my sermon referred to as “instincts), and the Devil. We’ll consider each of these briefly. We see in Revelation 2-3 how the Church struggled with the world around them. The world tried to tell them to worships idols and Caesar, and to indulge in sexual immorality. Even today, the world tries to tell us what to do, what we should look like, how we should dress, act, believe and so on. We also see in Revelation 2-3 how the Church struggled with it’s own flesh or instinct. Some of the churches we read of had people within them who taught that it was ok to be sexually promiscuous, other churches had, even as they opposed the “world,” still on their own forgotten their first love, Jesus Christ. Even today, we still struggle with our own sinful desires and actions, even as people saved by Christ. Our own natural instincts are sinful, and tempt us turn away from Jesus Christ. Lastly, we see in Revelation 2-3 the Church attacked by the Devil. Again, it’s tempting to think about the Devil and demons and such in terms of supernatural things. While I don’t want to discount such phenomena, the Devil most often works and speaks to us in more subtle manners. Anything that takes our attention away from Jesus Christ, the Devil uses. (If you have a chance, I recommend reading C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters. Even if you only read a chapter or two, it will give you a good idea of what I’m talking about.) Frankly, these three “voices” are often very difficult to distinguish from one another, and what’s more frustrating is that they’re all very good at sounding like the voice of the Holy Spirit. This is why we need to be careful when we’re discerning God’s will for our lives, or when others in the church claim to have had a “special revelation from God.” The Devil, and even the world and our own flesh, are capable of producing such revelations.<br /><br />So, the next question is: How do we tell the difference? How do we know if our decisions and actions are God’s will, or the will of one of the three “other voices?” As the questioner reminded us, we first need to know Scripture, God’s Word to us. The Holy Spirit is not a schizophrenic, anything the Holy Spirit calls us to will be in conformity the principles of God’s working in Scripture. If we think God has told us something or called us to something and it turns out to be in opposition to Scripture, then the call wasn’t from God. Secondly, the purpose of God working by the Holy Spirit in our lives is always to point us to Jesus Christ. So, when we try to determine whether a particular call or course of action is of God, we should ask ourselves, “will this course of action bring honor to Jesus Christ?” Answering that question will help us to see which voice we’re hearing from.Pastor Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10410844927660195600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1405365225926352699.post-74194846517738083232007-11-09T05:21:00.000-08:002007-11-09T05:57:49.084-08:00Using Scripture to think about the Problem of Evil"God gives all people their talents to glorify Him. He gives Christians gifts to praise God. Why does he give non-Christians, let alone sinners, great gifts that are used against Him like the very talented satanic metal bands?" -- Anonymous<br /><br />This anonymous brother / sister in Christ focusses the question on the talents given by God to people who then abuse them -- and, worse, use those talents to abuse Him and others. In passing, I want to note that my sibling is asking "Why is there evil?" in a very specific context. Rather than reflecting on the larger question, I'll try to stick to this specific one. Before doing so, though, I must point out one thing about the larger question, "Why is there evil?", that deserves mention whenever considering any problem of this type. The answer to the larger question is not an idea, not a concept, but an invitation by God to get to know Him: God responds to the question, "Why do You allow evil to exist? -- I thought you're completely good!" by saying, "I am completely Good -- but more good than you know! Come and get to know me better by worshiping me and being my partner in opposing evil." God isn't content to simply explain his ways to us (when we probably wouldn't understand the ways of an infinite Being anyway). God wants us to know Him as the answer to the problem.<br /><br />Specifically when talking about wicked people, God gives not only talent to them, but much else besides. The apostle Paul noted that "In Him we live and move and have our being." Jesus observed that the Father causes the sun to rise on the just and unjust alike, the rain to fall on just and unjust alike. The Holy Spirit is "the Lord and Giver of Life" according to the Nicene Creed. Every time you take a breath, God is there giving you that breath. Every time your heart beats, God is there giving you that heart beat. Whenever you experience love or kindness -- or even the pain that tells you "I am still alive!" when you're in a hard place -- God is there in that moment, that gift. The answer to the question, "Why do you give talents to bad people?" is something like "Come and see -- get to know me." And the God we come to know is the God who "...so loved the world that He gave..." God's goodness and love is a sacrificial goodness that spends itself on worthless, spiteful, selfish people. See how St. Paul writes in Romans 5 "God proves his love for us <em>in that while we were <strong>still sinners</strong></em> (!!) Christ died for us."<br /><br />So, part of the answer to "Why does God give talents to horrible people?" is "He loves them." We may think God a great fool for doing that and at times wonder, along with the Psalmist, how long is He going to put up with all the crap -- and make us put with it! The suffering righteous in the Book of Revelation put the question well in Chapter 6: "How long will it be, holy and true master, before you sit in judgement and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?" Here, the second part of the partial answer is given to the whole church, "Join me!" We read on in chapter 6, "Each of them [the martyrs] was given a white robe, and they were told to be patient a little while longer until the number was filled of their fellow servants and brothers who were going to be killed as they had been." God says to the martyrs, "Put up with the wicked a little longer. Suffer with me as I put up with them for just a little while longer." Now, you may object that God doesn't say exactly "suffer <strong><em>with</em></strong> me". To understand that that is what is going on, we have to read the Bible a bit more. See the book of Acts, when the Resurrected and Ascended Lord Jesus confronts Saul, "Saul, Saul! -- Why are you persecuting <strong><em>me!</em></strong> " Christ sees the suffering of His people as his own suffering. Strangely, He and us have become One, He the head, and we the body.<br /><br />Pastor Mike, your thoughts?Matthew Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08462848489471431876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1405365225926352699.post-23914750517491582792007-11-02T17:30:00.000-07:002007-11-02T17:40:14.125-07:00Is It a Sin Not to Go to Church on Sundays?Someone asked this question a while back, and I thought it would be a good question to kick off this blog with. The question is actually a lot more complicated than a simple yes or no. Technically, the answer is no. There is no place in Scripture that says “Thou shalt go to church on Sunday morning.” BUT, I would argue that not going to church on Sundays is, in most contexts, an indication of neglecting one’s faith and relationship with God, which is sin.<br /><br />A few concepts to consider from Scripture:<br /><br />1.) God calls us to Sabbath. Read the ten commandments in Exodus 5:6-21. In verses 12-15, you’ll see the command to observe the Sabbath. In those verses, the command is linked with remembering how God brought Israel out of Egypt. This is fleshed out more in Exodus 4:9-10. On the Sabbath, Israel gathered to remember what God had done for them, and to teach that to their children. The same is true of the Christian Sabbath. As the people of God, we gather to remember what God has done in the past, and to teach that history to others. That’s why we have the Sabbath on Sundays; we’re commemorating and celebrating the resurrection of our Lord, and looking forward to our future resurrection.<br /><br />2.) Spiritual growth is communal, not just individual. Time for personal devotion in prayer and Scripture reading is important, but we don’t grow primarily alone. Paul describes growth in Ephesians in terms of the Church as a temple in Eph 2:19-22: “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophet, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the LORD. And in him you (plural) are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Later in Ephesians (ch. 4) and also in Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12, Paul describes this building up in terms of Spiritual gifts. The Holy Sprit works in the midst of the community of believers. For us to grow into mature faith, we need to receive the gifts given to us and the rest of the church. We need to receive the benefit of the gift of preaching given through the pastor, and the gifts of encouragement, teaching, etc. given through the other members. On top of that, the spiritual growth of others depends on your presence; they need to receive the benefit of the gifts being given to the Church through you. Basically, Spiritual growth depends on us being in community with one another, and historically, Christians have come together on Sunday mornings.<br /><br />3.) Worship is both individual and communal. A lot of people will say that they can worship God on their own in private. They can, but that’s not a balanced, biblical model. Throughout Scripture, there are examples of people worshiping as individuals. Many of the psalms are written in the first person singular point of view, for example. However, there are also countless examples of worship being done by the whole of God’s people together and in one voice. Revelation 7 is one of the best examples of this. The point is: we need both. We need time for us as individuals to worship God, that’s why we do QT’s. We also need to time to worship as a community; that’s why we come together to worship on Sundays.<br /><br />4.) The Church will never be perfect in this lifetime. Someone brought up the point that some people choose not to go to Church because of the politics and problems that often come up in churches. It’s true that we need to be sensitive to people with this objection. A lot of them have good reasons for making this decision and have been genuinely hurt in a church experience. However, this will always be the case since the Church is composed of humans. Problems and scandals in the Church are nothing new. Just skim over I Corinthians and read some of the subheadings in the NIV version: On Divisions in the Church, Expel the Immoral Brother!, Lawsuits Among Believers, Sexual Immorality, and the list goes on. The church in Corinth had all kinds of problems, and I’m guessing a lot of people probably were jaded and hurt by what was going on. Paul, though, never denies that they are God’s people. In fact, Paul still thanks God for them in the opening chapter.<br /><br />So, while it may not be a sin explicitly to go to church on Sunday, it is a sin to neglect the community of God’s people. When we’re a part of a church, we essentially make a covenant with the other members to meet together as a Christian community. In nearly all churches, the set meeting time is Sunday morning, as a way of celebrating the resurrection of Jesus.Pastor Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10410844927660195600noreply@blogger.com1