April 18, 2013  

First of all I want to express my deepest condolences and heartfelt sorrow, for those who suffered & continue to mourn after the marathon bombings.  It is a despicable and cowardly act of heartless sin filled humanity.  It truly demonstrates the depth of degradation in the evil of this fallen world.   At the same time, heroic people stepped forward & ran into danger to help the injured and suffering illustrating the glory of God’s crown of creation, humanity.   “If there is a God and He is all powerful and loving, how in the world would He permit an innocent 8 year old boy to be killed by an act of terrorism at the Boston Marathon?”  

That is the question that will be put to many followers of Christ who do believe that He is an all-powerful loving God.  And most believers will not have an answer.  In fact most will cringe at the thought of having to defend God in the midst of such heinous human behavior.   Let’s clear up one thing right away.  God does not need us to defend Him.  He is quite capable of handling Himself!   However, we do need to be able to make an adequate defense of our own personal faith.  2 Timothy 2:15 is clear:

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”  

Let me suggest a couple of things today & then more next week.   

If you don’t know what to say, just admit it.

“Yes, the all-powerful loving God that I believe in let this happen. 

 But to be honest with you, I don’t know why?”  

However, don’t let the conversation end.  They asked you, so now it is your turn.  They opened the door, so walk through it and ask them why they think “such a malevolent thing happen?”  What is their explanation for evil? 

Alfred Lord Tennyson’s In Memoriam A. H. H., 1850.

The quotation comes in Canto 56 (it is a very long poem) and refers to man:

Who trusted God was love indeed
And love Creation’s final law
Tho’ Nature, red in tooth and claw
With ravine, shriek’d against his creed

This line poses the question about the apparent conflict between love as the basis of the Christian religion and the callousness of nature.  If nature is purposeless and heartless, how can we believe in creation’s final law?  If you understand the Biblical concept of evil and the fall of man, it makes perfect sense. But folks like Darwinist Richard Dawkins used ‘red in tooth and claw’ to summarize the behavior of all living things which arises out of the survival of the fittest doctrine.

For people who do not believe in God, evil is a much tougher question to answer in a rational way, and still allow for some kind of morality to exist in society.   But if they cop to not believing in God, then ask them why they are raising questions about morality in the 1^st place.  Do they have a basis for their own moral beliefs other than their feelings or what they think is right?   What makes their feelings about terrorism correct & the terrorist wrong?   What is the basis for their claim on the morality of this incident?   If there is no God to define it for us, then why is “this act” evil or wrong?   The result of their thinking comes down to this: they decide what is right and wrong.  “Evil is what they say it is”.  Welcome them to the throne.   They have just taken God’s place.  They have become their own god, defining right and wrong.  This is the kind of prideful thinking that went through the heads of Adam and Eve.  It didn’t turn out so well for them.

Everyone who seeks to replace God’s laws and morals with their own, make themselves out to be god, choosing for themselves what is good & evil. 

 Bangladesh, is one of the poorest countries in which I have ever been.  

It is one of the most terror plagued countries of the world.  Each year 1000’s upon 1000’s die due to typhoons, flooding, and fires in overcrowded garment factories where the conditions are deplorable.  Muslim terrorism, political fighting, overcrowded ferries filled with 100’s capsizing, malaria, and no medical help for the vast majority of people all make life expectancy rather brief.  Babies die there all the time because they don’t have the proper nutrition, mosquito netting, or medicine.  

But I have never heard one person there ask the question, “Why did God allow this?”  This is true throughout the world where people suffer UN-imaginable things on a regular basis.  They know and accept that we live in a broken world where bad things happen, and a lot of it comes right to their own doorstep.  But you won’t find them judging their gods.  They put it back to themselves with their concept of Karma, “I must have done something very wrong in this life or a previous one to deserve this.” 

(Not a Biblical concept). 

Americans are the ones who have this moral complaint against God. 

So why is it that in a country of 350 million (a drop in the bucket when you consider the billions of people in the world) where we have the power, technology and ability to protect ourselves from so many catastrophes, do we question the morality and even the existence of God when something bad happens.  It is like we are the spoiled kids on the block who are used to having everything our way.  When it doesn’t go according to our plan and we are the ones who have to suffer, we throw our tantrum. “It’s not fair!”  “This is not right!” “I deserve better than this!”  Tell it to a Christian in India or better yet, the Sudan.  I doubt you will get much sympathy. 

 Next week, I will give you some very practical answers as to why God allows bad things to happen.  In the mean-time, no matter how bad life gets, be thankful to God for all that He has blessed you with.

You have more than your fair share of the abundant life. 

Veritas vos Liberabit! Pastor Mike

When talking about the weather, if anything, it is unpredictable.  Last week in Denver they had a 60 degree change in one day.  And no matter what the weather is, there is somebody who doesn’t like it.  It is too hot, it is too cold, it is too windy (that’s what I hate), it’s too muggy, too much pollen, too many allergies, and on it goes.  But why do people live in California anyway?

Isn’t it all about the weather?  Some people got stuck here, but most of us aren’t here for a better economy, cheaper homes, lower taxes, inexpensive gas or cost of living.  Nor do we stay because of Hollywood and the liberal elite who are running and ruining our state.  We stay here because this is our home.  We stay here because where else in the USA do you get better weather than we enjoy here?  We have our rough patches, but all in all, the weather here is superb!

A couple of years ago I was in “outer” Mongolia in the spring.  Talk about cold, even their motorbikes have plastic shielding all around them.  But the weather never closed the outdoor markets, the people working their farms,  enjoying the sunshine, and playing soccer.

There is a saying that goes something like this,  “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.”  If you have the right clothes you can do well almost anywhere.  (I guess that is why some people still live in North Dakota).  When you are in Cambodia in the summer, you better have some light clothes that breathe and dry fast.  When you are in Bangladesh during the monsoons, you ought to be prepared to get wet.  If you are in Kazakhstan I recommend some very warm clothing.

But it’s not the weather that I’m concerned about so much, it’s our culture.  It is easy for us as believers in Christ to get discouraged with the way things seem to be headed.  From a Biblical & moral perspective, the prognosis is not good for our country.  Those who didn’t believe we were on a slippery slope with the liberal agenda have had their feet slip right out from under them, and now they are desperately trying to find something to hold on to so that we could stop the slide and reverse our course.  How do you stop an avalanche?  How do you keep the flood waters out?  How do you end the wild fire?  Only at great cost and great sacrifice to those changes happen.

Here is what you hold on to, Jesus Christ!  He will help us get our feet back on solid ground.  He is the Rock.  Just as we prepare for weather, so we as believers, the true followers of Christ, must clothe ourselves for the environment in which we live. It is too easy to join the Christians lament and think poor us as we hold hands and sing “Kum-by-yah”.  Jesus wants us to clothe ourselves with His Love & His light and then get out there and let it shine in the darkness.  Remember, this world is not our home!  We are missionaries here.  What did you expect from a world that is ruled by the prince of darkness?

Our task is not to change our culture or to save America.  Our task is simple: take the good news of Jesus Christ’s love and forgiveness to this very needy and hurting world. Remember, we know how it all ends.

We have read the final chapter.  The Lamb wins!   America (just like the world) needs Christ’s emissaries more than ever.  So let’s huddle together in our church’s and life groups.  Let us prepare and help clothe one another in His Love and righteousness.  And then get out there into that dark, cold, icy culture and let His love and warmth shine. You will be amazed at who all will gather to warm themselves in the Light of His Love.

Veritas vos Liberabit!  Pastor Mike

That was the mantra of the circuit riding preachers who brought Christianity across the country as it was being ssettled in the 1800s.  There is no question, they were true “Bible Thumpers” and unapologetically so.

They were determined that if the west was going to be settled, it would have to be tamed by Christians and the Christian morality.  To use a modern phrase, they knew that in order to receive the blessings of God, this country would need a Biblical “world view”.

A world view is an explanation and an interpretation of this world, how it came to be, its value or purpose, and where it is headed.  My world view determines what I value as true and how I live out that truth in this world.  You can discover what your true world view very simply.  Just look at how you act and how you talk when no one is looking. It is easy to espouse a Christian world view so that others will think that is our truth, but in reality, our actions speak to their true beliefs.  John 14:21.

A couple of weeks ago, Starbucks announced its “world view” concerning homosexual behavior and gay marriage.  I was interested in how they had come to this conclusion.  I received a programed letter to my e-mail stating how they embraced “diversity of all kinds.”  They claimed to be looking through “the lens of humanity and our commitment to embracing diversity.”

They also used terms like “marriage equality”.

I wanted to discover their “authority” for making such claims. So I asked:   “How do you decide what is moral behavior and what is not?   What is your guide in making such moral decisions? Is it popular opinion?   Is it your own feelings?  Certainly there is a limit to your “inclusiveness”.   At least I hope that you would not condone all behavior.  So the question is very simple.  How do you decide what is acceptable and what is not acceptable behavior. Where do you get your moral values?  Who gets to decide?”

Needless to say, my missive received no other response than a form letter, and when I pressed for more specifics, all I got in return was silence.   Moral authority is quite hard to come by…, unless you look to God.

It all sounds so nice doesn’t it?  Equality, diversity, humanity,…  How do you argue against that?  Using this kind of language they have duped generations of Americans and indoctrinated our children and youth into believing that any kind of moral boundaries in the area of sexual behavior is in itself wrong and hateful.   Those of us who follow Jesus, the Messiah of the Scriptures, rest our values and morals in the heart of God’s Word.  It might not be popular or in vogue.

It might well cost you some friends or even a job.

The founders of our country certainly put the union together through the lens of the Christian faith. It is all over their writings, public and private.   It is found throughout our Declaration of Independence and Constitution.   In a famous examination of early American culture, Alexis de Tocqueville made note of the influential role of religion. He wrote, “Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the greatness and genius of America. America is good. And if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

That “Goodness” that he was talking about comes right out of the Bible.

In this day and age it is crucial that the true followers of Jesus know His Word and can use it as the ultimate authority for life and practice.

End note:  When we are “thumpin” our Bibles, we do not use it to “pound” people over the head. The Love and forgiveness of Jesus must always be in play as we share His Word, especially when it comes to people’s lifestyles.  We are called to love homosexuals just as we are called to love all people.  They are to be treated with love and respect.  Being a homosexual is not a sin. It is the practicing of homosexuality that is the sin.

Our church is filled with adulterers and fornicators. God loves them and accepts them.  It is the practice of adultery and fornication that is the sin. We stand against the practice of sin.  You see, we are all fallen, and infected with sin down to the core of our being.  Yet God loves us.  Through His passion and forgiveness we can all be set free from our past sins and addictive behaviors, whether it be drugs, pornography, alcohol, adultery, or homosexuality. Jesus can set us free from the power of sin and death.

Veritas vos Liberabit! Pastor Mike

As the History Channel’s mini-series on the Bible finishes up this week,

there is all kinds of talk amongst Christians as to the Biblical validity of the show.  For the most part they have done a great job portraying truths, although they have taken some literary license, as when the portray angels as ninja warriors.  More can be told by what they leave out than what has become a part of their film.  Of course the most egregious politically incorrect thing they did was to cast Obama as the Devil.  The most politically correct thing they did was to leave out the topic of homosexuality as the reason for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Hollywood has always had its own message.

Soon Bill O’Reilly will chime in with his new book “Killing Jesus” which the History Channel will make into a movie as well.  He promises us some new insights into the Biblical account.  New Insights?  Really?  Since when has O’Reilly become a theologian?  It shows you what he thinks of 2000+ years of church history where followers of Jesus have come at the death and resurrection of Jesus from every conceivable angle, some heretical, others laden with the Truth.

Mr. Bill has already declared his position on Old Testament Scripture: “any miracle back then was simply a story, an allegory to explain a greater truth.”  (my loose translation) With that as a starting point, there is not much hope that he will deliver the Truth of Scripture.  If you really want to know what happened, let me suggest reading the 4 Gospels and the letters that followed in the early church.

How do you think that the Good News of the Resurrection has endured over the centuries?  Lots of theories have been put forth.

The Apostle Paul spread the Good News of forgiveness far and wide.

Sigmund Freud said that it was the ever enduring story of unfulfilled wishes.

Friedrich Nietzsche said it masks and medicates our disgust of life.

Many have claimed that the Bible is the reason, & then sought to destroy it.

Yet we all know that something must have happened, otherwise it’s hard to explain how Jesus’s story endured for so long.  It was not some clever marketing scheme of uneducated fishermen.  Something happened on Easter morning that has changed the world forever.

We live in an age where religion is examined with the goal of finding a religion, or a combination of religions, that best suits our lives and lifestyles.  It is the “designer god” mentality of our culture.  Everyone has their own truth about who they think Jesus is or was. It makes them feel better about their own lifestyle.  And then the capstone: the “educated” leaders of our “great institutions” tell us that all of these different truths are equally valid.

We are intrigued by characters in history like Jesus and Paul, Buddha and Gandhi. We look at their lives and rightly determine their influence in history—the radical life and message of Christ, the fervor with which Paul spread the story of Christianity, the passion of Buddha, the social awareness of Gandhi. But far too often, our fascination stops there, comfortably and confidently keeping the events of history at a distance or mingling them all together as one and the same.

As followers of Jesus, we must be careful to interpret the truth of Scriptures accurately & not buy into the bias of a generation who assume the earliest followers of Christ thought resurrection a reasonable phenomenon or miracles a natural occurrence. They didn’t. They could hardly believe it themselves.  It took a lot of convincing to get people like Thomas to believe.

Investigating the life of Paul, we might ask why a once fearful persecutor of Christ’s followers was suddenly willing to die for the story he carried around the world, testifying to this very event that split history.   Investigating the enduring story of Christ, we might ask why the once timid and frightened disciples were abruptly transformed into bold witnesses. What happened that led countless Jews and many others to dramatically change directions in life and in lifestyle? That something incredible happened is not a difficult conclusion at which to arrive. It takes far greater faith to conclude otherwise.

The resurrection was shocking in its realness.  But it was an event they found dependable and enduring. It is solid and it is real. The disciples and the apostle Paul were transformed by seeing Jesus alive again—  a phenomenon that would be just as unthinkable to ancient minds as it would be for us today. But they could not deny who stood in front of them.

Jesus was alive. And they went to their deaths talking about it.

The story of Christ has endured for innumerable reasons:

• in the fullness of time God indeed sent his Son
• knowingly Jesus walked to the Cross, He came to die
• something really happened after His body was laid in the tomb
• with the great power of God’s Spirit, Jesus was Resurrected
• followers continued to testify of the events they saw at their own peril
• there has been an endless line of splendor, transformed lives
• people are still dying for this message, even today
• and don’t forget, He is coming back!

The story of Christ remains today simply because it is true!

Veritas pro Christo et ecclesia,  Pastor Mike

What is so good about “Good Friday”?

The fact that we call the Friday on which Jesus died “good” is indeed quite a paradox.  A paradox, as G. K. Chesterton famously put it, is  “Truth standing on her head to get attention.”  Using that definition, then what is the “truth” that God wants us to see about that particular Friday on which Jesus died?

My wife, Jan, and I were talking about this conundrum today.  People have an aversion to referring to themselves as “sinful”.  We have no problem admitting that we make mistakes and at times even do the wrong thing.  But to say that we are “sinful”, well, that is admitting that my very nature, the core of my being is terribly bad, even evil.  And then on top of it all, there is nothing that I can do about it.  I am powerless to change myself.  It seems quite hopeless. Richard Neuhaus said that “something has gone terribly wrong with the world and with us in the world.”

Unfortunately most American’s have embraced the lie that “I can change myself”.  I can get better if I just get the right help, the right opportunity,  or the right break, the right counseling etc.  And while it is true that God has created us with this incredible ability to transform ourselves, we cannot change the core problem, the one that is at the root of our brokenness and the ultimate cause of our bad behavior.

But on that Friday in history, God made it possible for the change to happen.  He did it paradoxically by punishing the offended party.  He punished the one whom we sinned against, God Himself in the form of the 2^nd person of the Trinity, the only Son of God.  The Cross reminds us that God does not gloss over our sins, but deems us guilty and imposes the death penalty for our transgressions.  But instead of us dying, our sin & guilt was placed on Jesus.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says it very clearly.

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  NASB

Our sinful nature with all of its evil has been judged, and God Himself bore the punishment. And that is the truth, the greatest Good News the world has ever heard.  God has set us free from this body of sin and death.   This is, of course, the great scandal, one that paradoxically points to the great truth at the heart of Good Friday. We are powerless to set things right, and only God, the offended party, could undo the mess we created.  If what the Bible say about that Friday is true, then it is, quite simply, the best good news the world has heard.  We can be forgiven & cleansed.

This is the passion of God, to make us pure and clean once again.

While that Friday was literally Hell for Christ, it was incredibly Good for humanity, hence it was a very Good Friday for all of us marred by sin.

Veritas vos Liberabit!  Pastor Mike

When we were in Cambodia, we spent the day doing medical work at the village home of some followers of Jesus.  The owner of the home was a carpenter by trade.  When I saw the tools he used, and the quality of workmanship, I was amazed.  Anyone acquainted with carpentry knows that good work cannot be done unless tools are very, very sharp.  As the planes and saws are filed down on the whetstone, microscopic bits of steel fall off. But the instrument gets shinier and sharper with each passing stroke.

Only then is it ready to be used in sawing and scraping the wood, getting rid of the nicks, numbs, and flaws.

This is what God does when He starts to clean up our lives.  He wants to scrape off the stuff that is ruining our lives.  God wants you to be a tool in his hand to do his work in the world. That is your calling.

This is often referred to as the Refiners Fire as found in Malachi 3:2-3.
The process of smelting, has one purpose, to burn off the dross & leave the pure gold in all of its beauty.

Gold is extremely malleable – that means it can be worked easily.

It is one of the easiest metals to transform, and yet it is so rare that it extremely valuable.  And so is the Christian who has gone through the fiery furnace of God’s crucible. Gold is so malleable that a single ounce can be beaten out into a thin film (less than 1/282,000th of an inch thick) that it could cover a hundred square feet.  Gold can also be easily stretched out.

One ounce can be drawn into a fine wire one hundred kilometers long.
God is in the process of purifying us.  You might be wondering, why all the trials and tribulations.  Why is God allowing this to happen in your life?

I can tell you with great assurance that it is not accidental.  God never lets his children suffer for not.  Jesus took His cross & made salvation available to the whole world.   Now He tells us, take up your cross and follow me.

Matthew 10:38 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”

It is only when the purification is complete that we are able to look back and say, “Wow!”.  God has done an amazing work in my life.

Can you surrender to God and allow Him to put you through His furnace.

This is what real faith is all about.  He doesn’t just want to clean up the outside of the cup, as a carpenter might do.  He wants to do the deep cleaning that only a fiery furnace can do.  He wants us clean inside and out.

It might mean bathing your life with tears and sorrow.  The process is different for each one of us.  But if you want to stand before God in Glory someday, then don’t fight the process.  He is transforming us.  He is making us the New people that we always dreamed of being. 

Coram Deo, Pastor Mike