Ephesians 6:12-16 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;”
I performed a memorial service for a very special woman over the weekend. It was a great pleasure and I was honored to be able to be part of the ceremony. The interesting thing is that Marge asked me to perform the memorial at least two years before she passed away. I think sometimes that she must be a prophet, as I do not believe that I was ordained at the time, and really had not really thought about being ordained. I was ordained by the time she went to be with Jesus. It was a great pleasure to be able to honor her wish.
As I prepared my talk, it became very apparent what I would say. I have known Marge for all my life, and she was my Nanny’s best friend. She was part of the family, and she was the epitome of walking by faith. You may ask, what made this woman such an example? I will tell you. . . .
Marge fought MS all her life. She was a single mom for a large portion of that time. The MS made it hard for her to see and she did not have peripheral vision. This woman though would walk to the bus stop everyday and go to work to support her family. This is not even the amazing part. What is amazing is that you would never hear her complain. I cannot remember a time, even when she was in the hospital, when she complained. Sure she felt pain, and most likely went through the struggles we all have when we face such hardships, but you would not know that she was going through it. You would be able to tell by the way she walked, but not by how she acted. Marge had every right in human estimates to compain and curse God, but she did not, instead she walked by faith knowing that there is a better place yet to come. This world is not permanent. Today she is tap dancing in Heaven.
This woman walked by faith and was content in every situation God put her. If we all lived as content as this woman, and were as cheerful as her, then the world would definitely be a much better place. She was not as noticed as Mother Theresa, but she definitely impacted those around her just as much.
I will end with what I said in the closing with what I said at the memorial. “Here is what I think we all should learn from this wonderful woman’s life. We should learn to be content with what we have and where we are at in life. We should not get caught up in stuff, but focus on what truly matters in our lives, relationships. Relationship with family, friends, and most importantly Jesus. Lastly, she would want us all to learn to laugh more in life. To truly enjoy, even in our daily struggles, as we remember that this life is temporary and that death is not the end of life but in reality the true beginning. ‘Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.’”
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Visitors From India
James 2:14-17, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
This past weekend I had friends visit who are attending Dallas Theological Seminary. I met them while teaching at the Bible College they were working at in Bangalore, India. We had a wonderful time together and it was great to spend some quality time with them, as when I was in India it was very hard with schedules to get together often enough to really develop our friendship.
Why do I write about this, and what does it have to do with anything Christian? It is the impact John and Maria (yes they are Indian) had on us during the few days they were with us. They in particularly made an impression on my wife. The last night they spent with us, Maria and John shared with my Sunday night Bible study. Erin then took time to share about how they impacted her, and it was very emotional. Everything she shared was very true.
Erin talked about how you cannot be around them long and know that they are living for Christ, that their thoughts and actions are not focused on this world, but the next. They long to reach people for Christ and their life surrounds Him. They do not fit Him in to their lives through schedule as Americans seem to do so often, but include Jesus in everything they do. There is no separation from their faith, whether it be waking up in the morning or their political views.
They walk what they talk. Their actions speak what they believe, and there is no contrast between the two. They are not perfect, as no one is, but they strive to live their lives as a sacrifice for God. Maria and John are special people that God is using and their example was and is such a great example to us all.
When asked about finding purpose, as this part will fit with what we have been talking about on Friday nights, John answered in a very interesting fashion. He was talking about finding what God wants you to do in your life, and his answer was, “If it is possible for you to do alone then it is probably not from God.” This is a very powerful and interesting statement. Think about it. We go to school to learn a trade, to learn how to perform in a particular fashion, so we can earn a job that we learned in our schooling. Most of us strive to only take positions we know we can do, or at least we can learn quite quickly and falls into our comfort zone and experience level.
How does this play into what John said? He is not saying to not utilize your education, as he is in Seminary now, but not limiting what God wants you to do with it. John is suggesting and I agree that if you can do it all yourself then how is God involved? Where does faith come in if we can do it all ourselves?
The question then to ask is: What are you doing that is bigger then you, that is not possible with you, but with God it is? What is causing you to walk by faith?
This past weekend I had friends visit who are attending Dallas Theological Seminary. I met them while teaching at the Bible College they were working at in Bangalore, India. We had a wonderful time together and it was great to spend some quality time with them, as when I was in India it was very hard with schedules to get together often enough to really develop our friendship.
Why do I write about this, and what does it have to do with anything Christian? It is the impact John and Maria (yes they are Indian) had on us during the few days they were with us. They in particularly made an impression on my wife. The last night they spent with us, Maria and John shared with my Sunday night Bible study. Erin then took time to share about how they impacted her, and it was very emotional. Everything she shared was very true.
Erin talked about how you cannot be around them long and know that they are living for Christ, that their thoughts and actions are not focused on this world, but the next. They long to reach people for Christ and their life surrounds Him. They do not fit Him in to their lives through schedule as Americans seem to do so often, but include Jesus in everything they do. There is no separation from their faith, whether it be waking up in the morning or their political views.
They walk what they talk. Their actions speak what they believe, and there is no contrast between the two. They are not perfect, as no one is, but they strive to live their lives as a sacrifice for God. Maria and John are special people that God is using and their example was and is such a great example to us all.
When asked about finding purpose, as this part will fit with what we have been talking about on Friday nights, John answered in a very interesting fashion. He was talking about finding what God wants you to do in your life, and his answer was, “If it is possible for you to do alone then it is probably not from God.” This is a very powerful and interesting statement. Think about it. We go to school to learn a trade, to learn how to perform in a particular fashion, so we can earn a job that we learned in our schooling. Most of us strive to only take positions we know we can do, or at least we can learn quite quickly and falls into our comfort zone and experience level.
How does this play into what John said? He is not saying to not utilize your education, as he is in Seminary now, but not limiting what God wants you to do with it. John is suggesting and I agree that if you can do it all yourself then how is God involved? Where does faith come in if we can do it all ourselves?
The question then to ask is: What are you doing that is bigger then you, that is not possible with you, but with God it is? What is causing you to walk by faith?
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Courageous Church!
If you did not get to Graystone church last Saturday for the conference, Faithful Way Forward, then you missed a wonderful time.
I give Graystone all the credit in the world for taking the leap to confront the sexual issue in our time. It is needed and I applaud any church that will tackle it head on and not shy away from what the Bible tells us regarding sexuality, whether it is homosexuality, adultery, pornography, or any other sexual misgiving.
The speakers were wonderful and there was so much that was taken away from the conference, and I greatly benefited from all three speakers. I cannot say enough about how awesome the speakers were. They were informative and they used their own personal triumphs over sexual struggles in their lives.
One of the most interesting things I heard through the conference was from Brad Grammer. He was talking about how Jesus has gone through everything we have. Now I have heard this many times, and have said it myself many times to people, but when it comes to sexually abused people you tend not to use this phrase. It is hard to think of a time when Jesus went through sexual abuse (can be implied in the struggle in the desert), but Brad showed that He in fact did in a real way. Jesus was stripped naked in front of many people and placed on a cross naked and taunted. If that is not sexual abuse then I do not know what is.
I have never even thought of it from that point of view before and it was a great insight. It goes to show that Jesus does know every trial and issue that we have been through, and it gave me even more confidence in utilizing the phrase.
There were many, many other great lessons I learned from the conference, but Brad hit home with me on showing me another way that Christ can share in the pain of those He created. It should not amaze me, but it does.
Our Savior knows, He just knows!! Never doubt it and always remember it!!
I give Graystone all the credit in the world for taking the leap to confront the sexual issue in our time. It is needed and I applaud any church that will tackle it head on and not shy away from what the Bible tells us regarding sexuality, whether it is homosexuality, adultery, pornography, or any other sexual misgiving.
The speakers were wonderful and there was so much that was taken away from the conference, and I greatly benefited from all three speakers. I cannot say enough about how awesome the speakers were. They were informative and they used their own personal triumphs over sexual struggles in their lives.
One of the most interesting things I heard through the conference was from Brad Grammer. He was talking about how Jesus has gone through everything we have. Now I have heard this many times, and have said it myself many times to people, but when it comes to sexually abused people you tend not to use this phrase. It is hard to think of a time when Jesus went through sexual abuse (can be implied in the struggle in the desert), but Brad showed that He in fact did in a real way. Jesus was stripped naked in front of many people and placed on a cross naked and taunted. If that is not sexual abuse then I do not know what is.
I have never even thought of it from that point of view before and it was a great insight. It goes to show that Jesus does know every trial and issue that we have been through, and it gave me even more confidence in utilizing the phrase.
There were many, many other great lessons I learned from the conference, but Brad hit home with me on showing me another way that Christ can share in the pain of those He created. It should not amaze me, but it does.
Our Savior knows, He just knows!! Never doubt it and always remember it!!
Monday, March 12, 2007
Evil: What Is It Good For?
EVIL WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?“Evil is the corruption that arises when a good but potentially corruptible creature turns away from the infinite good of the Creator to the lesser good of the creatures.” – Norman Geisler.
We would like to say that evil is good for nothing, but there seems to be some good that comes out of evil when looked at critically. We also must remember that as we look at the purpose of evil that we must use these reasons only when appropriate. One should not go up to someone when tragedy strikes and try to demonstrate them that there are reasons for the evil that just struck their lives. Just be their friend, and a shoulder to cry on, as there will be time to walk through the purpose of why this happened to them. Of course, there are times we just do not know why evil happens, as we are not God and do not know His mind or thoughts. Sometimes we just have to rely on our Savior, and know that in the end evil will be destroyed.
The best book I read on this topic is by Dr. Norman Geisler, “The Roots of Evil.” There may be better ones, but I have not read any yet. In his book he gives ten different reasons why there is evil in the world. I will be giving those ten in a much shorter version. If you want to study this topic further I would encourage you to buy Dr. Geisler’s book.
Evil can be the result of our actions directly or indirectly. If one chooses to abuse their bodies with drugs, then there is the great chance you will die early from the damage it causes your body. If you choose to sit on the couch and do nothing then you are most likely going to suffer from poverty and all that comes with that situation. If your parent sits around and does nothing, it is going to be likely that as a child you are going to suffer the consequences of those actions as well. You are affected by the indirect actions of your family.
Evil can also be the product of good activities. People love to swim, ski and play professional sports, but with those activities many people have died from accidents. People drowned, were hurt by avalanches, and there are many injuries and deaths in professional sports. These are all good activities in themselves, but come with the potential of evil happening.
On the other hand some pain comes first then pleasure afterwards. When we get hunger pains it is to remind us to eat and refresh ourselves. A toothache is a sign that it is time to get a filling before the pain becomes worse and you could lose the tooth. Pain is an alarm that reminds us there is something going wrong, or something happened. When our conscience hurts (guilt, conviction), it our souls telling us we better correct the hurt we caused another or we better watch what we are about to do.
Nature after the fall also comes with the potential of evil. With rain we get floods that cause much destruction and property damage, but we need rain to survive. Tornadoes happen when cold and hot air collide causing the funnel, but we need both air currents to maintain a proper climate throughout the year. We need lightning to help keep the ground fertile, but it also causes fires and injures people. With the maintaining a fallen world there is the possibility of evil happening, but at the same time without the rain, air currents, and lightning, our planet would become inhabitable.
Mark 9:20, “So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.” There is also the spiritual warfare that is going on behind the scenes that we do not see. Satan and his little henchmen are out to cause evil in our lives, as they hate us and want our destruction. Now we do need to be careful with this one as well, since some people love to blame everything they do wrong on Satan. Trust me, we mess things up plenty without his help, but there is an evil presence out there looking to destroy the community of God. At the same time we can rest assured in what Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Evil during these times can be used to help us become more morally perfect; to become more like Christ in the end. If it takes evil at times to become more like Christ then we should accept it wholeheartedly. Joseph accepted his places in life that God placed him, and what his brothers intended for evil, God used for good. God used this “evil” to ultimately save the very brothers that tried to kill him, and not only his brothers, but an entire nation.
Even in our greatest trials God is there, and if we do not see Him it is because we are probably either not looking for it, or we are not meant to know yet why we are going through what we are. Then we may never know this side of Heaven, and we have to accept it. In this microwave age we expect everything now, but in God’s timing it never seems to happen like that. Just look at any great leader for God, ministry, education, or business and you will see they were tried and tested through out.
Evil is an unfortunate displeasure in our world, but we have a God much bigger then anything that comes into our paths. He created us, and we created evil, so it definitely goes to show that God is bigger then anything we can create since He created us.
Just remember in the end we are all guilty of evil, as we sinned against our Holy God, and Christ paid the ultimate price for the evil we have done to others, and the evil we have chosen to allow into our lives that takes us out of His relationship. At the same time God uses that evil to show us we are out of relationship with Him, and uses it to bring us back and to be more purified.
Then the question is: Why wouldn’t God then allow the good pain, or evil, but stop the bad? Why not stop the bullet used for hunting or prevention of someone hurting another, but stop the killer’s bullet or the rapist? Why allow that kind of evil?
That will be for next time. . .Stay tuned.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Warning: Do Not Read Just After Eating
The story below from World Net Daily just amazes me, and it makes my stomache churn. It proves the slippery slope of our sinful nature and when we as Christians allow the media to get away with certain activities.
What do you think would have happened if she used the name Allah or Mohammed instead? There would be trouble. I am not advocating the violence or threats that Muslims have used in the past, as with the comic that was written, but there are sure other things we can be doing. We can flood them with letters, stop buying from their advertisers and let them know you will not be watching their channel.
We should be disgusted at this, but my gut tells me most people will just fluff it off. It is because we have become accustomed to God being used in flagrant fashions. Just look how God and Jesus have been portrayed over the past five years. He has been badly portrayed on many television shows, books and movies. Christians just tend to laugh it off, or actually think some of it is funny. Where has our AWE gone for God? Where is the respect for His majesty and holiness? What about His wrath? Why are we not protective of the One who died for us; who created us?
I am at a loss and for one tired of it. I cannot tell you how sick to my stomache this makes me. I hope it does you too. What if they portrayed one of your parents like this below? You should feel 100 times more angry, upset and hurt by this vial and in my opinion hateful act.
We need to wake up and start living out our faith and taking on a Christian worldview. We need some leaders and Christians who are not afraid to demonstrate their faith bodly, and to defend when necessary.
Pray, pray hard for these people. Pray that God would bring them to brokeness that they may see the wrongfulness of their ways. Also pray that God may use you in some fashion to help with this. It is time to start taking a stand.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
MEDIA MATTERS'Naughty hottie' has sex with 'God' on TV
Comic Sarah Silverman depicted in carnal relations with Almighty
Posted: March 8, 20072:18 a.m. Eastern
By Joe Kovacs© 2000
WorldNetDaily.com-->© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Comic Sarah Silverman not happy that God is cuddling with her after sex on Comedy Central's 'Sarah Silverman Program'Comedy Central consummated its season of "the Sarah Silverman Program" last night by featuring the title character having sex with God, and then trying to brush him off after a night of lovemaking.
Silverman was shown in bed with an amorous Almighty, whom she referred to as "Black God," portrayed by actor Tucker Smallwood, a former NBC television director who also served in the Army in Vietnam.
The network, perhaps best known for its boundary-pushing "South Park" series, is offering an online clip of the episode, which is slated for rebroadcast tonight at 10:30 p.m. Eastern. (Viewer discretion of the clip and website strongly advised.)
A partial transcript of the morning after the holy sexcapade is as follows:
God: I had a really good time last night. A really, really good time.
Silverman: Thaaaanks (in a disdainful tone). Me too.
God: Come to heaven with me today.
Silverman: Today.
God: You'll see the past and the future. You can fly, and I will introduce you to Thomas Jefferson.
Silverman: Oh, awesome. I told my friend, Natalie, I'd help her move, though.
God: I can stop time!
Comic Sarah Silverman tries to give God, played by Tucker Smallwood, the brush-off after having sex with him on Comedy Central's 'Sarah Silverman Program'
Silverman: That is so sweet. Oh, your pants are over there. I mean, not like I'm asking you to leave. I just mean, like if you can't see it from this angle of still being in my bed.
God: Right, I should go.
Silverman: OK, um, all right, so, I guess I'll see you around some time.
God: Do you mean it?! Or are you just saying that?
Silverman: I don't just say things. I'm a lot of things. I'm not dishonest.
God: Can I get your cell number?
Silverman: I don't have a cell phone.
At that point, Silverman's cell phone starts ringing and the embittered God character zips up his pants. At the conclusion of the episode, Silverman knees God in the groin.After the show aired, some comments were posted at the program's online messageboard, including:
This is the absolute worst show I have ever seen on any channel, let alone Comedy Central. I watch [the network] constantly and am bewildered who thought this show is funny. Sarah Silverman is a no talent, d--- and-fart joke, manly skank. Please cancel this show! ... [T]he only way to get [Comedy Central] back is to throw this trashy bitch back to the curb!
God, what are these people thinking? And I find it frightening that there are people who actually do think these shows are in any way creative or funny. Best thing, don't support these shows and boycott any sponsors of these shows, letting them know why.
You've got a unique and really well-done program. I never do anything fan-related, but feel compelled to at least be one of the voices out there telling you to keep this show going as long as you can (hopefully that is already the plan). Sarah, you'll never read this, but you're one of my favorite comics and certainly the most cleverly subtle person on television. I've only seen a few episodes, but I guarantee I'll be buying Season One.
On its website, the network coaxes viewers by inviting them to "step into the incredible world of Sarah Silverman as she goes about her life, which on any given day, can include taking in a homeless man, exploring her sexuality or encouraging a young girl to enter a pageant in order to fulfill her own childhood dreams."
Mike Duffy, a TV critic for the Detroit Free Press says "Sarah Silverman is the twisted sister of comedy. She's sweet 'n' sour, a rambunctious, naughty hottie whose flights of rude attitude are subversively hilarious to some, aggravatingly tasteless to others."
Tad Friend of the New Yorker notes, "The brilliance of the show – the force of its argument that sitcoms turn us into loserish loners – is also its abiding flaw. We admire the purity of Silverman's scornfulness, but we don't want to hang out with her the way we did with Mary [Tyler Moore] and Rhoda. Not that she'd let us get that close anyway. 'The Sarah Silverman Program' is like a club so exclusive that only the owner can get in – not even God is on the list."
Silverman, a 36-year-old native of Bedford, N.H., is known mostly for her stand-up comedy, and has had numerous roles in TV shows and films, including the uptight girlfriend of Mike White pestering serial loser Jack Black in 2003's "The School of Rock."
Comedy Central is owned by Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of MTV Networks, whose parent company is New York-based Viacom
What do you think would have happened if she used the name Allah or Mohammed instead? There would be trouble. I am not advocating the violence or threats that Muslims have used in the past, as with the comic that was written, but there are sure other things we can be doing. We can flood them with letters, stop buying from their advertisers and let them know you will not be watching their channel.
We should be disgusted at this, but my gut tells me most people will just fluff it off. It is because we have become accustomed to God being used in flagrant fashions. Just look how God and Jesus have been portrayed over the past five years. He has been badly portrayed on many television shows, books and movies. Christians just tend to laugh it off, or actually think some of it is funny. Where has our AWE gone for God? Where is the respect for His majesty and holiness? What about His wrath? Why are we not protective of the One who died for us; who created us?
I am at a loss and for one tired of it. I cannot tell you how sick to my stomache this makes me. I hope it does you too. What if they portrayed one of your parents like this below? You should feel 100 times more angry, upset and hurt by this vial and in my opinion hateful act.
We need to wake up and start living out our faith and taking on a Christian worldview. We need some leaders and Christians who are not afraid to demonstrate their faith bodly, and to defend when necessary.
Pray, pray hard for these people. Pray that God would bring them to brokeness that they may see the wrongfulness of their ways. Also pray that God may use you in some fashion to help with this. It is time to start taking a stand.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
MEDIA MATTERS'Naughty hottie' has sex with 'God' on TV
Comic Sarah Silverman depicted in carnal relations with Almighty
Posted: March 8, 20072:18 a.m. Eastern
By Joe Kovacs© 2000
WorldNetDaily.com-->© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Comic Sarah Silverman not happy that God is cuddling with her after sex on Comedy Central's 'Sarah Silverman Program'Comedy Central consummated its season of "the Sarah Silverman Program" last night by featuring the title character having sex with God, and then trying to brush him off after a night of lovemaking.
Silverman was shown in bed with an amorous Almighty, whom she referred to as "Black God," portrayed by actor Tucker Smallwood, a former NBC television director who also served in the Army in Vietnam.
The network, perhaps best known for its boundary-pushing "South Park" series, is offering an online clip of the episode, which is slated for rebroadcast tonight at 10:30 p.m. Eastern. (Viewer discretion of the clip and website strongly advised.)
A partial transcript of the morning after the holy sexcapade is as follows:
God: I had a really good time last night. A really, really good time.
Silverman: Thaaaanks (in a disdainful tone). Me too.
God: Come to heaven with me today.
Silverman: Today.
God: You'll see the past and the future. You can fly, and I will introduce you to Thomas Jefferson.
Silverman: Oh, awesome. I told my friend, Natalie, I'd help her move, though.
God: I can stop time!
Comic Sarah Silverman tries to give God, played by Tucker Smallwood, the brush-off after having sex with him on Comedy Central's 'Sarah Silverman Program'
Silverman: That is so sweet. Oh, your pants are over there. I mean, not like I'm asking you to leave. I just mean, like if you can't see it from this angle of still being in my bed.
God: Right, I should go.
Silverman: OK, um, all right, so, I guess I'll see you around some time.
God: Do you mean it?! Or are you just saying that?
Silverman: I don't just say things. I'm a lot of things. I'm not dishonest.
God: Can I get your cell number?
Silverman: I don't have a cell phone.
At that point, Silverman's cell phone starts ringing and the embittered God character zips up his pants. At the conclusion of the episode, Silverman knees God in the groin.After the show aired, some comments were posted at the program's online messageboard, including:
This is the absolute worst show I have ever seen on any channel, let alone Comedy Central. I watch [the network] constantly and am bewildered who thought this show is funny. Sarah Silverman is a no talent, d--- and-fart joke, manly skank. Please cancel this show! ... [T]he only way to get [Comedy Central] back is to throw this trashy bitch back to the curb!
God, what are these people thinking? And I find it frightening that there are people who actually do think these shows are in any way creative or funny. Best thing, don't support these shows and boycott any sponsors of these shows, letting them know why.
You've got a unique and really well-done program. I never do anything fan-related, but feel compelled to at least be one of the voices out there telling you to keep this show going as long as you can (hopefully that is already the plan). Sarah, you'll never read this, but you're one of my favorite comics and certainly the most cleverly subtle person on television. I've only seen a few episodes, but I guarantee I'll be buying Season One.
On its website, the network coaxes viewers by inviting them to "step into the incredible world of Sarah Silverman as she goes about her life, which on any given day, can include taking in a homeless man, exploring her sexuality or encouraging a young girl to enter a pageant in order to fulfill her own childhood dreams."
Mike Duffy, a TV critic for the Detroit Free Press says "Sarah Silverman is the twisted sister of comedy. She's sweet 'n' sour, a rambunctious, naughty hottie whose flights of rude attitude are subversively hilarious to some, aggravatingly tasteless to others."
Tad Friend of the New Yorker notes, "The brilliance of the show – the force of its argument that sitcoms turn us into loserish loners – is also its abiding flaw. We admire the purity of Silverman's scornfulness, but we don't want to hang out with her the way we did with Mary [Tyler Moore] and Rhoda. Not that she'd let us get that close anyway. 'The Sarah Silverman Program' is like a club so exclusive that only the owner can get in – not even God is on the list."
Silverman, a 36-year-old native of Bedford, N.H., is known mostly for her stand-up comedy, and has had numerous roles in TV shows and films, including the uptight girlfriend of Mike White pestering serial loser Jack Black in 2003's "The School of Rock."
Comedy Central is owned by Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of MTV Networks, whose parent company is New York-based Viacom
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
EEEEVIILLLL - What Is It Good For?
Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
If you have ever seen Sponge Bob Square Pants, then you would know why I put evil the way I did. If Mermaid Man hears his side kick, Barnacle Boy say something about evil then he yells EEEVIILLL. You have to see it to completely understand, and I am guessing a lot of you do know, because who doesn’t watch Sponge Bob.
This is always a tough topic to discuss, because we have all had to deal with some sort of evil in our lives. It is a very personal experience and no one person tends to experience it the same way as another. How can there be any purpose to evil? How could an All-Loving, All-Good God allow such a thing as evil in this world? Doesn’t that demonstrate He cannot possibly exist? These are issues we are discussing at Ransomed right now, and I will try to deal with them generally here in the next two blogs.
I want to talk about what some words truly mean as we move into the discussion of evil.
Most people think of evil as a substance or having some form, but it is not either of those. Because all being is either the Creator or His creatures and He is All-Good, then things are not evil in themselves. Peter Kreeft says, “Evil is in the will, the choice, the intent, the movement of the soul, which puts a wrong order into the physical world of things and acts.” Then can we say that the devil is good? Yes there is good in the devil, as he is a being, though that is about all that is good about him.
Evil is not something that can exist in and of itself. It is a privation, or a lack of something that should be there. Dr. Norman Geisler use to use the car with us in class. A rust spot on a car is where the car should be; it is a lack. Just as evil is a lack in the human. Blindness is a privation of sight, which what should be there. For something to be 100% evil would to be nothing, as you cannot lack something 100%. 100% of nothing is nothing.
Doesn’t God want me to be happy? Evil makes me unhappy and thus there should not be evil if God really loved me and wanted my happiness. There are two meanings to happiness, and the more shallow meaning is what the questions are referring to above. The shallow meaning is subjective and is only temporary. These feelings come and go and usually happen from outside stimulus, i.e. winning the lottery, a promotion, sex, power, and whatever creates that feeling.
A deeper meaning to happiness is objective and not just feeling oriented, meaning it is not based on outside stimulus. This type of happiness is like health to the body, as it impacts our very soul. This type of happiness is eternal and not having more money or more power. This true happiness comes from wisdom and the means of suffering, as a lot of wisdom comes through the trials of suffering. Our God, the true God, is loving and good, but this does not mean He will make us happy in the shallow sense, as He is concerned more with our deeper happiness that comes out of evil. Rabbi Abraham Heschel said, “The man who has not suffered, what can he possibly know, anyway?” Teresa of Avilla said that the most miserable earthly life, seen from the perspective of heaven, looks like one night in an inconvenient hotel.
Lastly, I want to talk about goodness, since I mentioned above that God is good, and He is the perfect good. Goodness has to mean more then just being kind, because if this was the case then a God that allows evil would not be an all-good God. God let Job suffer not because He is not good, but because of it. It brought Job to the Beatific Vision, face to face with God (Job 42:5). This would be the supremacy of happiness and goodness in Job’s life. Job 42:5, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.”
God allows us to suffer and will deprive us of some lesser good in order to help us attain the greater good. The greater good would be to teach us moral and spiritual truths that draw us closer to our Savior. Our suffering will create in us a whole that will allow us to fill it with God and create in us joy and happiness. In the end suffering is turned into good. “Not all that we do is good, but all that God does is good, including not miraculously interfering to deliver us from all evil. That would be like parents doing all their children’s homework problems for them.” – Peter Kreeft
Now that we have some truer definitions to words that are used against the Christian in regards to evil, we will talk in more depth how evil could be used for any kind of purpose in our lives. In my next blog I will talk about this very thing.
Hebrews 3:12, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;”
If you have ever seen Sponge Bob Square Pants, then you would know why I put evil the way I did. If Mermaid Man hears his side kick, Barnacle Boy say something about evil then he yells EEEVIILLL. You have to see it to completely understand, and I am guessing a lot of you do know, because who doesn’t watch Sponge Bob.
This is always a tough topic to discuss, because we have all had to deal with some sort of evil in our lives. It is a very personal experience and no one person tends to experience it the same way as another. How can there be any purpose to evil? How could an All-Loving, All-Good God allow such a thing as evil in this world? Doesn’t that demonstrate He cannot possibly exist? These are issues we are discussing at Ransomed right now, and I will try to deal with them generally here in the next two blogs.
I want to talk about what some words truly mean as we move into the discussion of evil.
Most people think of evil as a substance or having some form, but it is not either of those. Because all being is either the Creator or His creatures and He is All-Good, then things are not evil in themselves. Peter Kreeft says, “Evil is in the will, the choice, the intent, the movement of the soul, which puts a wrong order into the physical world of things and acts.” Then can we say that the devil is good? Yes there is good in the devil, as he is a being, though that is about all that is good about him.
Evil is not something that can exist in and of itself. It is a privation, or a lack of something that should be there. Dr. Norman Geisler use to use the car with us in class. A rust spot on a car is where the car should be; it is a lack. Just as evil is a lack in the human. Blindness is a privation of sight, which what should be there. For something to be 100% evil would to be nothing, as you cannot lack something 100%. 100% of nothing is nothing.
Doesn’t God want me to be happy? Evil makes me unhappy and thus there should not be evil if God really loved me and wanted my happiness. There are two meanings to happiness, and the more shallow meaning is what the questions are referring to above. The shallow meaning is subjective and is only temporary. These feelings come and go and usually happen from outside stimulus, i.e. winning the lottery, a promotion, sex, power, and whatever creates that feeling.
A deeper meaning to happiness is objective and not just feeling oriented, meaning it is not based on outside stimulus. This type of happiness is like health to the body, as it impacts our very soul. This type of happiness is eternal and not having more money or more power. This true happiness comes from wisdom and the means of suffering, as a lot of wisdom comes through the trials of suffering. Our God, the true God, is loving and good, but this does not mean He will make us happy in the shallow sense, as He is concerned more with our deeper happiness that comes out of evil. Rabbi Abraham Heschel said, “The man who has not suffered, what can he possibly know, anyway?” Teresa of Avilla said that the most miserable earthly life, seen from the perspective of heaven, looks like one night in an inconvenient hotel.
Lastly, I want to talk about goodness, since I mentioned above that God is good, and He is the perfect good. Goodness has to mean more then just being kind, because if this was the case then a God that allows evil would not be an all-good God. God let Job suffer not because He is not good, but because of it. It brought Job to the Beatific Vision, face to face with God (Job 42:5). This would be the supremacy of happiness and goodness in Job’s life. Job 42:5, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.”
God allows us to suffer and will deprive us of some lesser good in order to help us attain the greater good. The greater good would be to teach us moral and spiritual truths that draw us closer to our Savior. Our suffering will create in us a whole that will allow us to fill it with God and create in us joy and happiness. In the end suffering is turned into good. “Not all that we do is good, but all that God does is good, including not miraculously interfering to deliver us from all evil. That would be like parents doing all their children’s homework problems for them.” – Peter Kreeft
Now that we have some truer definitions to words that are used against the Christian in regards to evil, we will talk in more depth how evil could be used for any kind of purpose in our lives. In my next blog I will talk about this very thing.
Hebrews 3:12, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;”
Monday, March 05, 2007
Giving God a Hand
My wife and I were doing our weekly devotion. We were talking about 1 John 3:4-10, which talks about sin, and started discussing how people today within our own Christian community have been watering down the faith and pretty much negating the work of the Holy Spirit. And as I like to say, “It got me thinking. . . .”
What would the conversation with these people look like when they come face to face with God? Maybe it would go something like this:
Hey God what’s up (as you would speak post-modern and lose the Holiness aspect of God), as He is just a down to earth God.
So, what did you do with Jesus and your faith? How did you follow the great commission? Did you keep My inerrant, infallible Word that I gave you through the Holy Spirit?
Well, you know God we had to change a few things. We found it to be too controversial and had to make a few changes to reach people for the faith. We do not want to say Jesus, or use His name too much because it can make people uncomfortable. We want to stay trendy and with the culture.
We also now talk about the Bible as more of a narrative. You know, because it was only selected by 300 old guys, and they are not perfect. We figure the Bible is more like a work of art that is not completed yet. We are not sure the Holy Spirit could handle them picking the right books, so we wanted to leave an opening just in case that we find one we want to add to it. We got your back God. We were thinking of possibly adding some Eastern Mysticism books to the Bible, as we really enjoy those.
Another thing we had to do was tone down the whole sin thing. Man, people really get upset if they believe they are going to Hell if they do not accept Jesus as Savior, and that is another thing we had to make a little simpler, for their sins. We do not try to be offensive in regards to telling people about their sin, basically what You called conviction. We figure it is Hell here now and that is what you meant, because You are just too filled with love to send someone to a literal eternal Hell. Come on, how cool is that, to send someone to Hell that they freely chose themselves when they denied You? That is not loving. We figure people did not need to know about Your wrath, jealousy, holiness or any other attribute that may take away from Your love.
Lastly, the whole salvation thing needed a little adjusting as well. We turned it into more of a process instead of having people repent of sins, because that is just too darn offensive. While we are at it, we also now allow them to utilize methods from other faiths to enhance their Christianity. We figure Your not as caught up on the whole “idol” thing anymore, as You are too filled with love for that. What is really wrong with using a dream catcher if it enhances a void that we could not find through You. I mean we figure Your to busy to take care of all our needs. We are here to help You out, fill in the gaps You left.
Basically God, we really have got it under control. We figure this is the way you truly wanted it. We call it the secrets of Jesus, or that we are emerging the Christian faith, because what you told our forefathers just does not cut if for us. Though we like some of the rituals, candles and incense, we do not have time for absolute truth or anyone telling us what the Bible means, and we especially refuse to sit under authority.
What do you think God? I bet You cannot even think of what to say. I bet there is a special place for us, though we would not say that out loud on earth, because we were too humble for that. And we told them many times how humble we were. Like I said, the whole sin thing was way over done, and Your love would take care of that anyway.
God replied by using the absolute truth of His Word,
John 1:1-5, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
Matt. 7:20-24, “Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. ‘Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' ‘Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.’”
In the end we will have to answer to God for how we are as Christians today. I would not want to be the one trying to tell Him that His Word was infallible. That some how the All powerful Creator could not write an inerrant book, even with man, who He created in the first place.
I certainly would not want to be the person who tries to tell Him that you down played the importance of Salvation through Christ, and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Not to mention that the sin He died for is not really as bad as the Bible makes it in the first place.
It is making yourself above God, and is absolute rebellion and sin. We can rest assured that the Bible is true in all it teaches and that we can rely on it today just as they did yesterday. The Word of God transcends modern, post-modern, and any other time frame. Just as God transcends all eras. It just continues to amaze me that we think we can change what our Omniscient God commanded us in Bible, the very Word of God.
What would the conversation with these people look like when they come face to face with God? Maybe it would go something like this:
Hey God what’s up (as you would speak post-modern and lose the Holiness aspect of God), as He is just a down to earth God.
So, what did you do with Jesus and your faith? How did you follow the great commission? Did you keep My inerrant, infallible Word that I gave you through the Holy Spirit?
Well, you know God we had to change a few things. We found it to be too controversial and had to make a few changes to reach people for the faith. We do not want to say Jesus, or use His name too much because it can make people uncomfortable. We want to stay trendy and with the culture.
We also now talk about the Bible as more of a narrative. You know, because it was only selected by 300 old guys, and they are not perfect. We figure the Bible is more like a work of art that is not completed yet. We are not sure the Holy Spirit could handle them picking the right books, so we wanted to leave an opening just in case that we find one we want to add to it. We got your back God. We were thinking of possibly adding some Eastern Mysticism books to the Bible, as we really enjoy those.
Another thing we had to do was tone down the whole sin thing. Man, people really get upset if they believe they are going to Hell if they do not accept Jesus as Savior, and that is another thing we had to make a little simpler, for their sins. We do not try to be offensive in regards to telling people about their sin, basically what You called conviction. We figure it is Hell here now and that is what you meant, because You are just too filled with love to send someone to a literal eternal Hell. Come on, how cool is that, to send someone to Hell that they freely chose themselves when they denied You? That is not loving. We figure people did not need to know about Your wrath, jealousy, holiness or any other attribute that may take away from Your love.
Lastly, the whole salvation thing needed a little adjusting as well. We turned it into more of a process instead of having people repent of sins, because that is just too darn offensive. While we are at it, we also now allow them to utilize methods from other faiths to enhance their Christianity. We figure Your not as caught up on the whole “idol” thing anymore, as You are too filled with love for that. What is really wrong with using a dream catcher if it enhances a void that we could not find through You. I mean we figure Your to busy to take care of all our needs. We are here to help You out, fill in the gaps You left.
Basically God, we really have got it under control. We figure this is the way you truly wanted it. We call it the secrets of Jesus, or that we are emerging the Christian faith, because what you told our forefathers just does not cut if for us. Though we like some of the rituals, candles and incense, we do not have time for absolute truth or anyone telling us what the Bible means, and we especially refuse to sit under authority.
What do you think God? I bet You cannot even think of what to say. I bet there is a special place for us, though we would not say that out loud on earth, because we were too humble for that. And we told them many times how humble we were. Like I said, the whole sin thing was way over done, and Your love would take care of that anyway.
God replied by using the absolute truth of His Word,
John 1:1-5, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
Matt. 7:20-24, “Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. ‘Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' ‘Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.’”
In the end we will have to answer to God for how we are as Christians today. I would not want to be the one trying to tell Him that His Word was infallible. That some how the All powerful Creator could not write an inerrant book, even with man, who He created in the first place.
I certainly would not want to be the person who tries to tell Him that you down played the importance of Salvation through Christ, and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Not to mention that the sin He died for is not really as bad as the Bible makes it in the first place.
It is making yourself above God, and is absolute rebellion and sin. We can rest assured that the Bible is true in all it teaches and that we can rely on it today just as they did yesterday. The Word of God transcends modern, post-modern, and any other time frame. Just as God transcends all eras. It just continues to amaze me that we think we can change what our Omniscient God commanded us in Bible, the very Word of God.
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