Somebody ruined Christmass for me

I grew up in a home that celebrated Christmas. The presents. The tree. The ornaments. The cookies for Santa. The whole bit. Our gifts were piled up under the tree complete with ribbons and nametags - as is customary in every house. The tags told us who the gifts were for and who they were from. Dad. Mom. Grandmother. Santa. We opened one present on the Eve and the others in the morning after. Sleep was always light. Bing Crosby sang in the background.

We drank eggnog, watched Miracle on 34th Street, nibbled on sausage balls and sipped apple cider.

Of course, in our house Christmas was not really Jesus' birthday. It was just a day that the world celebrated Jesus' birthday. (The irony of the "world" celebrating anything about Jesus did not strike me until long after I realized that it was actually my father who ate Santa's cookies.)

So here I am:

I don't like Christmas trees. Not even the real ones. There is something weird about traipsing around the city to some empty car lot, buying a tree for 10x its actual value in cut wood, strapping it to the top of your Buick, hauling it home in the dead of winter, digging in the basement for a rusty tree stand, setting up the rootless tree in the tree stand, and then covering the rusty tree stand with an old sheet which serves a dual purpose as it hides the rust and catches dead pine needles. After the tree has "fallen out" we promptly decorate it with ornaments that would be considered gawd-awful gaudy in any other context. Glass eggs, plastic stars and hard Playdough moldings; Las Vegas neon, fiberglass and Gabriel cover the tree.

Speaking of ornaments, I don't like ornaments either. Ornaments are overly sentimental and overly fragile. Which means that the emotions tied to those sentiments are also overly fragile. If you've ever broken someone else's ornament, you know what I mean. And with the ornaments, we hang socks on our walls. Worse still, we put edible stuff in the socks.

I don't much care for Christmas songs either. Most of them. OK, I do like "O Holy Night" and "Breath of Heaven." But Jingle Bells, Away in a Manger, Bethlehem O Bethlehem and Frosty just don't do it for me.

Christmas is all warm and cozy, glittery and glitzy, scented and potpourried. But to me, it smells of tradition. And not that sweet smell of tradition that I associate with other sweet-smelling traditional things.

Admittedly, I have a tree this year. Plastic.

Bah. Humbug.

Yesterday I woke early, had a encouraging talk on Skype with my Negro friend, busted out the guitar and praised God and sauntered into the Assembly on a nice high.

Then the worship leader burst my bubble. She said, "I thought we would just sing some of our favorite Carols this morning. Now who has a favorite Carol?"

Descent.

We sang for 1/2 an hour or so. We had no songbooks handy so we muttered through the "famous" songs, remembering two-thirds of the first verses and most of the choruses. Does anyone know "Angels We Have Heard On High?" Sure! But only one out of the dozen did. Mumble. Hum. Mumble. "An oldie but goodie," I thought.

Today I am thinking, "Who ruined Christmas for me?"

I am torn.

I have a hard time calling it "Jesus' birthday." But I relish the opportunity to discuss the Incarnation.

I have a hard time with the god-like anti-burglar Santa Claus. But I have an easy time saying that the Father is a giver of good gifts.

I have a hard time with trees and ornaments and carols. But I love gifts and children's smiles and hot cocoa.

I have a hard time with the commercial Christmas. But long for the fellowship that the season brings.

I like sleigh bells and snowmen and chestnuts. Yep, they have those in China. Chestnuts, that is. But I find that I am embarrassed to gather around the piano to sing Jingle Bells and Come All Ye Faithful in the same medley.

And yet, year after year I do.

However, in my mind, somehow the religious has infringed on the fun.

Christmas has been washed away in the cynicism. All that is left is a bit of gratefulness.

Thanks to my brother and parents who gave gifts this year. Thanks to my wife and children for their smiles and joy and Bible stories and pecan pie. Thanks to my employer who gave me 3 weeks off for this holiday. Thanks to my co-workers for their kind words and chocolate.

If I push the tinsel out of my eyes, tip back my Santa cap and table my champagne, there is one thing that I am truly grateful for above all things. As is common in the Church:

But thanks be most of all to the Word of God who became flesh in the baby Jesus; who did not see equality with God something to be grasped but emptied Himself and took the form of a bond-servant. Who was born to lowly Jewish parents, in a dirty barn, in disreputable circumstances. Who grew in statue and in favor with God and man. Who lived sinlessly before the Father. Who fulfilled the law in a life of obedience and a bloody death. Who rose in the flesh again after 3 days in the ground and in Hades. Who reigns as the saviour of sinners.

Yes, thank God for Christ's mass.

The Gay Monkey

A brother brought an interesting idea to light the other day in conversation:

One of the agendas of the gay community is to wrest the responsiblity for being gay from the individual and let Mother Nature take the fall. They are not so bold as to use the "Product of the Environment" argument since too much would be made of their perverse, unstructured and ungodly homelives. The patently secular homosexual will unashamedly admit that he/she is "gay by choice." However, the pat answer for those in contact with the religous world is the tried-and-true "I was born that way. I didn't have a choice." And nowadays there is much scientific "evidence" to support this statement.

But can a gay man be athiest? Surely. Can a gay man believe in evolution and hold to the natural occurance of homosexuality? Not so easily. Two problems arise for the modern homosexual scientist, the gay evolutionist.

One. If homosexuality is a natural trait that has existed for 1000's of years, it is difficult to imagine a trait such as homosexuality surviving among evolving creatures. It has been shown repeatedly that even minor deformities or (to put it nicely) irregularities in animals can lead to isolation and ultimately pre-mature death. If evolving man did not isolate the homosexual Neanderthal, certainly that trait would have receded since it is inferior. Inferior? Homosexuality has lacked the ability to transmit the Gay Gene to even one generation. It just can't propogate.

Two. If evolution is continuing, it seems that it is necessary to exterminate the inferior trait. Thus homosexuality falls prey to the Machine. Survival of the Fittest.

Wrestling in the Baptistry...sounds fun.

The Sneaky Question

There is an underhanded question in the Christian community. (This is my Kierkegaadian definition of "underhanded": the purpose of the question is not to be answered so as to remove ignorance, but to solicit an answer that the Questioner might easily categorize the Answerer based on the response given.) This multi-purposed, underhanded question is "Is Baptism Necessary For Salvation?" This question has been proposed to me on more than one occasion; more than two. And based on my "Yes" or "No," the one asking would know whether I believed I was saved by works or saved by grace. No is for grace. Yes is for works.

Take from my experience. Don't answer the question. Just don't. If someone asks you this question, just look at them with a blank stare and then with a subtle misdirection, hide their forehead labels from them.

(I do think there are better questions, like: What must I do to be saved? Or the theological question: What is "salvation?" Or if one is inclined toward the doctrinal, he might ask: Is baptism necessary?)

A New Slant on Urgency

Growing up among scribes and lawyers, the "Baptism passages" had a place of honor. All of these scriptures were irrefutable, self-explanatory and useful for reproof. One of my favorite teachings was the "Do it now!" exposition. According to the Scripture, those with faith in Christ were baptized immediately. That very day. That very hour. That very moment. In keeping with the Necessary Inference law, every person of Faith, should engage in baptism that very hour! (While I have stripped my theology of much of its CoC vestige, I still teach that baptism is important enough to do quickly.)

The baptism passage that struck me recently was the eunuch story in Acts 8. The eunuch had to have been affluent seeing that he served in Queen Candace's court, he was being chauffeured in a chariot and he had a working copy of the scroll of Isaiah. Hollywood dresses all of ancient African nobility in embroidered, white linen and so I can hardly imagine a court official in lesser clothes. Yet here is a wealthy man, a court official, dressed in white, who goes down into a road-side pond for baptism. I hold out no hope that this was a cement-lined, chlorinated, 88-degree baptistry.

Why were people wanting this rite so urgently? There seems to be no "push" by the Preacher to "do it now." Yet, the people wanted to. This is seen in Acts 2 when 3000 were baptized in one day. Couldn't a few have waited until the next day? Or with the jailer in Acts 16. It was midnight when the earthquake hit, couldn't he have waited until the next day? Well, it was the next day... technically. But he and his entire family were baptized that very hour after hearing the gospel and believing.

There is much ado nowadays about baptism being a sign. Among evangelicals (with whom I fellowship), I hear that baptism is an "outward sign of an inward grace" or some variation thereof. Outward symbol. Recently one brother said an "outward expression of an inward condition."

I certainly have no problems with symbols. Take communion for instance. However, Christianity by-and-large is not "symbolic." We do have symbols, signs and certainly outward expressions. However, the signs and symbols are very few. Interestingly enough, baptism is not one of those signs.

In the New Testament, and in cases in the OT (Naaman), baptism is done for a reason. There is a purpose behind it. In other words, baptism is practical. In baptism, something happens. It is never referred to as a symbol or sign of something else. So while, "outward sign of an inward grace" sounds nice, it is just not biblical. Paul teaches that if you have the Spirit, or if you have salvation or if you have an inward grace, you will walk according to that Spirit, live in obedience and sin no more. These are the outward expressions. Confession is an outward expression. Praise is an outward expression. Yet they are not signs, per se. They are not symbolic of salvation.

Those who call baptism a sign (not all) often do so because biblical baptism has been emptied of its purpose and function. It is no longer a place (as the Catholics teach) where righteousness is imparted, where salvation is granted, where the Spirit comes. It is no longer necessary for salvation. It serves no function except to (among many other things) indicate a condition. It is done simply at the command and example of Christ and the apostles. Since we have to do it, it is said, it must have some reason. And so the reason must be...baptism is a sign of greater things.

But as I consider the "urgency model" I am convinced that the early church had a higher expectation in baptism.

Before I continue, I want to make three disclaimers (which are also open to discussion):

I do not believe baptism (the act or the water) has any inherent power to save or administer or produce anything. Baptism is not the source of our salvation; it has no saving power.

I do not believe that a person is made righteous in the waters of baptism. I believe that baptism is for the righteous not to be made righteous.

I do not believe that baptism is the mode of our salvation.

Whew! Glad to have that off my chest. Back to the higher expectation.

What exactly did the church expect to happen in baptism? I believe they expected the gift of the Holy Spirit. This gift is not a gift given by the Holy Spirit but the Holy Spirit himself. Why did the 3000 cram impatiently into the baptismal pools and fonts? Why did the noble eunuch seek baptism in a street pool? Why did the jailer gather his family for baptism at 3 in the morning? For a sign? Not at all. It was for the Gift. The very Spirit of God.

Look at Acts 19. Paul comes across some believers teaching the baptism of John. Paul makes a connection between baptism and the Spirit and asks them, "Do you have the Spirit?" They respond, "No, we didn't even know there was a Spirit." (One of the key differences between the baptism of John and the baptism in Christ, is the Spirit.) Paul baptizes them. Indwelling.

God is not giving the Spirit because you are baptized. Rather, He gives the Spirit at the occasion of baptism. S.K. offered this word to me: occasion. It is the occasion when God give his Gift. Baptism is not the mode, or the God-arm-twisting rite. It is the time and place when God gives his Gift to those made righteous through His given faith and grace.

Someone may ask, "Is baptism a sign of our righteousness?" because Paul said "You who have been baptized have been clothed with Christ." He also said, "Or don't you know that those who have been baptized have been baptized into His death?" These two passages are probably not much different in meaning, though the picture is different. However, in these passages Paul is not saying that baptism is symbolic of our entry into death or a sign of Christ-clothing. Christ-clothes are real. His death is real. In Ephesians 1, Paul uses "in Christ." This is a real location. A real place. Likewise baptism is not a sign of all the behind-the-scenes realities, it is an occasion where some of these realities come into play.

My Stoning

A couple of weeks ago, I offered these thoughts to our fellowship and I faced more than a bit of opposition to this teaching. So, as a result I am still mulling over some things and I am not hard-and-fast sold on everything.

One man said, "You might say that baptism is a place where one receives the Spirit, but you cannot say its the only place." I can concede this.
Another sister said, "Baptism is not when you receive the Spirit, you receive Him by asking him into your heart." This statement received a lot of nodded heads. Hear. Hear.

There are two problems with this that I see (and then I will be done for today.):

One, people often use verses that Jesus said (as a description of God) to dictate church doctrine and practice. Like any biblical text, this is good...when done properly. We all agree that God will give the Spirit to those who ask of Him. Yes, it is true, that if you open the door, He will come in. However, as you look at church practice in the first century, what you see (hopefully) is how they understood the teachings of Christ and how they put them into practice. So when people in the NT ask about salvation, the apostolic teaching is not "open the door" and "ask" but believe and be baptized.

The second problem I have is the with this prevailing idea of works. If the Spirit comes into the heart of all those "ask in faith" and does not go into the heart of those who do not ask, does that not mean that the Indwelling is dependent on our asking? Let us not assume that asking and confessing is any more or less of a "work" than baptism. In an effort to avoid one work, many have fallen headlong for another.

The Sum of All Things

At this time, I am seeing everything this way:

We were sick and depraved and far from God. We were separated from God by God because of our sins. While we were yet sinners and enemies of God and the Cross, Christ died us. God, through Christ, the Spirit and the gospel of Christ, brought about in us faith and repentance. Apart from these things there would be no faith. Through the God-given faith we were counted as righteous through the sacrifice of Christ. As righteous people, we entered the waters of baptism. At that occasion, we were baptized into the death of Christ, clothed with Him and given His Spirit to dwell in Us. We have the Seal, the Comforter, the Eye-Opener, the Heart-Opener and the Gift-giver inside us. He will bring us home to glory, our inheritance and our salvation before the throne of God on That Day.

Calling All Brethren

You be iron.

Blocking Pattern

Dear Readers,

The Big Red One has put up the firewall again.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Before I begin my story, there are two things you should know about lions, in case you meet one face-to-face:

One, the flow of lion urine is positively counter-intuitive. Seriously. It shoots straight out the back. I'm talking male lions, not just Mrs. Lion.

Two, when it flows... it puts racehorses to shame.

Yesterday, my wife decided to take the girls to Peace Park, a large park very near to our home. Its a beautiful place. Green, with a man-made lake, a real WWII ammo bunker and lions. While the park itself is well-maintained, I cannot boast the same lot for the animals. They live in cages that resemble medieval jail-cells. Their food is little more than the banana-peels and stale bread that on-lookers toss through the bars. Peace Park is one of the last great bastions of anti-PETA. Despite the torrid conditions and the skinny lions, this scene garners hundreds of gawkers a day. Yesterday my family was among them.

Baby D had already had enough of the lion action and was wondering elsewhere. The two girls were still standing in a stare-down with the King of Beasts. After he'd had enough, he let out a lazy yawn, pirohuetted and let loose a stream of pee such as the world has never seen. The stream caught the two beauties right in the face. No body part was left unaffected. Hair, arms and legs. Unfortunately for the my two little ladies, they were standing with mouths agape at the time. They can now say with some authority, "Lion pee tastes nasty!" And even after a bath and brushing teeth and eating fruit and gum, the wild flavor lingered.

This is a story I will keep locked away until they begin dating.

Gross. Blaaaagh!

Lawful

Cigarettes.
Cigars.
Wine.
Public School.
UFC.
Church Buildings.
Medicine.
Birth Control.
Professionals Gifts.
Radio Programs.
Beer.
Pulp Fiction.
Periodic Communion.
Television.
Movies.
Wealth.
Second Car.
Mission Agencies.
Instrumental Praise.
Friday Fellowship.
Secular Secondary Education.
Fundraising.
Working Mothers.

A Common Thread

Several years into the Babylonian captivity, after God has made His name known and revered in the whole Babylonian and Medo-Persian empire, Daniel recalls the prophecies of Jeremiah and is moved to tears, confession and repentance. Daniel gave long days to fasting, sack-cloth and ashes and heart-wrenching prayer. And he said, "Give ear, O God, and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your Name. We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy. [9:18 NIV]"

Amidst judgment and punishment, Daniel was aroused to say that Jehovah is merciful. With the city and the holy temple in ashes, with his people scattered to the four winds and he himself a eunuch in the court of heathens, Daniel calls God a God of great mercy. Daniel knew that his people were brought low by the hand of God. Conversely, they would be rescued and made to stand by the that same Hand.

God's grace is a consistent theme in Scripture. As is our salvation on the basis of that grace alone.

Daniel says, "We make requests of you, not because we are righteous but because of Your great mercy." Not because we are righteous. Not because we consent to our punishment. Not because we have confessed our sins in total. Not because we have repented. Not because we are withered from fasting and shamed in sackcloth. But because You are merciful.

While Daniel decried the evils of Israel and committed to godliness through repentance, he knew that those things had no inherent saving power. He knew that in the end, all men must declare their filthy rags to be filthy and acknowledge that their rescue and forgiveness came solely on the basis of God's mercy.

Blessed are the Peacemakers

Since I have been meditating lately on the Beattitudes, perhaps God decided to test me on a point or two.

Last night, I was returning home from B&Q with the family. I was in the front seat of the taxi, the family safely tucked away in the rear. As we stopped at a red light, the driver of the taxi in front of ours, got out of his car and began to yell at two men in an adjacent black car. After a few seconds, the occupants had had enough jawing and they jumped out of their car and began to pound the 50-year old taxi driver.

The sight of this prompted my dear wife to exclaim, "Honey!" Which in our marriage, means "Do something!" I exited the taxi and ran to pull the biggest beater-downer away from the taxi-driver. I put myself in the middle of the fracas and fore-armed the biggie and pushed the taxi driver back.

In my best adrenaline-induced, loud, broken Chinese I repeatedly screamed "That's enough!" The main aggressor cooled it and his passenger backed away, content just to offer obscenities. Alas, the taxi driver was not as smart. He held his grip on the big guy's shirt sleeve. As much as I tried to coax him to let go, he wouldn't. Apparently the shirt was made out of Lycra or something similar because (just like in the movies) the entire shirt ripped right off the other man's body! The taxi driver stumbled backward, regained his balance and stood there holding the shirt. The finger popped right out of the hole in the dike. There was no holding back the tides at that point. The two men went right after the driver again!

But almost out of the sky, two policeman appeared and wrestled the men apart. Unfortunately, not before each got in a few parting shots on the hapless driver. When the Calvary arrived, I returned to my taxi and had quite a lively conversation with my own driver on the way home.

After I got home, I thought about the situation long and hard.

We are called to be peacemakers. I think it was good to make peace. Or try.

On the other hand, I have seen in my lifetime a couple dozen fights and have even been in a little scrap or two myself. (Not in 14 years though.) I have watched my share of UFC and other combat-oriented events. Most fights - in fact a huge percentage - end with just a little blood, sore knuckles, a black eye or a cracked rib. Few end in death or dismemberment. Especially in China.

So I was also considering this notion. Is it right for a man to get out of his car, go over to another car and scream and yell? Isn't there part of us, that says, "You know, that's not right."? If I had just let him get wailed on, (as it was, the guys got in a good 8-10 licks), would he ever yell and scream again? I would hope not. Maybe he needed to learn a lesson. 50 is not too old to learn how to behave.

Hopefully, both ends were served. The older taxi driver learned not to confront two men in their thirties by himself and I saved him from a more serious butt-whooping.

In the future (as this type of thing seems more common), I will probably just let the men go at it. However, where there seems to be some gross injustice (like man versus child or woman or old man), I would have to step in. That also is more and more common.

Anyway....interesting night.

I think there is a lot of peacemaking on the horizon.

My Legalist Mind Pt. 1

I was reading Matthew 5. Jesus sat down. He opened His mouth,

"The poor in spirit are blessed because the kingdom of heaven is theirs."

Stop.*

Hmmm.

I kept reading. I saw Jesus say:

You have heard it said, "The rich get richer and the poor get nothing" but I say, "The kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor."

You have heard it said, "Pursue pleasure, reject sorrow, turn sorrow into gladness and be happy" but I say, "Do not be afraid to mourn, there is comfort for the mourner."

You have heard it said, "Survival of the fittest, Dog eat Dog, Might makes right" but I say , "The gentle will inherit the earth."

You have heard it said, "You are good enough; Love you for you" but I say, "Hunger for righteousness and you will be filled."

You have heard it said, "Truth, Justice and the American Way" but I say, "The merciful will find mercy."

You have heard it said, "You need to experience the world and you can't be blind to sin" but I say, "Pure hearts clearly see God."

You have heard said every slanderous, gossiping, back-biting, murderous comment, but I say, "God's sons are peacemakers."

You have heard it said, "Watch your rep, watch your back, get yours and stay true to your colors" but I say unto you, "Take the Big One for Me and you'll get a big reward."

---------------

* For some reason, I have always read this passage this way: Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. My mind has said to me, "You are blessed and will be blessed because you are poor in spirit." Something is inherently wrong with that. Are we blessed due to an intrinsic value or characteristic? Or are we blessed because we receive a blessing? In other words, are we in a state of "blessedness" when we are persecuted or when we a rewarded?

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

Can

I just stumbled across this. It touched me. I watched it again and it moved me more. Cody...this is for you.

This is a music video about a father and his son. Over twenty years ago Dick Hoyt ran a 5k while pushing his disabled son, Rick, in a wheelchair. They have since competed in over a hundred triathlons and marathons together.

Visit Team Hoyt

No Time Like the Future

Thought for the day. Something that's been on my mind.

Is it possible to organize and arrange your life, work and religion in such a manner as to remove any and all opportunity to demonstrate "love of neighbor?"

I will testify that it is.

The Ragamuffin Man

Sometimes I feel "led by the Spirit" to the bookshelf. A couple of months ago, my boy Matt left me a copy of Ragamuffin Gospel on the way out. I finally picked it up last night and read well into the night. Its an excellent challenge so far. Brennan Manning is prone to quote the heavy hitters, so his thoughts are strong. I felt like someone grabbed me by the shirt-collar, lifted me up and slapped me a few times. "Grace!" Slap. "Mercy!" Slap.

Has anyone else read RG?

"Because," the man said, "when I look at that God, the God of Abraham, I feel I am near a real God not the sort of dignified, business-like, Rotary Club god we chatter about here on Sunday mornings. Abraham's God could blow a man to bits, give and then take a child, ask for everything from a person, and then want more. I want to know that God."

Awe, Shock & Wonder

Marq posted this on his site from theResurgence:

These numbers are astounding to me. Awe. Shock. Wonder.

- Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their churches. (Another way to look at this is 18,000 a year.)

- Fifty percent of pastors' marriages will end in divorce.

- Eighty percent of pastors and eighty-four percent of their spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastors.

- Fifty percent of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.

- Eighty percent of seminary and Bible school graduates who enter the ministry will leave the ministry within the first five years.

- Seventy percent of pastors constantly fight depression.

- Almost forty percent polled said they have had an extra-marital affair since beginning their ministry.

- Seventy percent said the only time they spend studying the Word is when they are preparing their sermons.

- Eighty percent of pastors' spouses feel their spouse is overworked.

- Eighty percent of pastors' spouses wish their spouse would choose another profession.

- The majority of pastor's wives surveyed said that the most destructive event that has occurred in their marriage and family was the day they entered the ministry.

Don't laugh but I went to a seminary (of sorts) for a few months. Not once did I glance out knowingly to my classmates (wink) and believe that 80% would throw up their hands within 5 years. Of the ones that hang around and survive into their 6th, 7th or 8th years, 80% of their wives would wish they would work in another "field." Of the 20% that do remain, over 1/2 would quit if they could do something else. Who knew that of my class of 50, 20 would have affairs? Or that 35 would have Depression? Or 25 would get a divorce? Or with all the training 8/10 would still feel grossly inadequate to minister?

Yet, I sit here, reading my Bible only in preparation for my studies, struggling with endurance, not knowing the language, failing morally, battling contention and my family torn between ministry and secular work.

And I am not even a pastor.

Typhoon

As you think of them, please pray for the people on the coast of China who were just nailed with yet another typhoon. This season has caused around 800 deaths and nearly 200 are still missing. Especially pray for the city of Wen Zhou (pronounced roughly One Joe), which has more believers per capita than just about any city in China.

You can read a little bit here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14284650/

It's All Greek to Me

I was Skypin' with my friend, Mark and he related to me a humorous experience with his family.

Wanna hear it? Here it go:

Mark and his two brothers would often congregate at the farm of their late father and the four of them would invariably become engaged in some good ol' Bible conversations. The "Iron sharpening iron" variety. As you would expect among 4 preachers, one of the brothers would hasten to use his knowledge of the original Greek and Hebrew languages to support his hermeneutic and other theological positions. One day this became particularly annoying to the father who found his own arguments utterly untenable in the light of his "ignorance" of Greek. At one point in their discussion, he rose from his chair, went into the adjacent room and returned with a Big Chief tablet and a pencil. Extending the writing pad to his son, he said "Please write for me, 'The rabbit ran down the road'... in Greek." Of course, this son was unable to write the sentence. The wise old man quickly reasoned, "Since you are unable to write even such a simple sentence in Greek, let's just use English."

As Mark would tell it, apparently this method of leveling the playing field worked on more than one Greek "scholar."

Freedom of the Will

After 5 years of Big Red Firewallin,' Blogspot is no longer blocked in C-h-i-n-a. May it continue in peace.

Google on.

Selah

Yeah, buddy!

Brandon and Rena gotta a newbie. Her name is Selah Naomi. She was born on the 7th.

So cute.

The Second Coming of Clark

[high above the city]
Superman: Listen. What do you hear?
Lois Lane: Nothing.
Superman: I hear everything. You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior but everyday I hear people crying for one.

More on Personal Testimonies*

When it comes to presenting the gospel, the number of methodologies is innumerable. There is no shortage of ways to preach, teach and tell the gospel story. The modern methodology is experience. We want to relate "what God has done for me." We tell how "God has changed me." We preach about how we were fanning the flames of hell and then God rescued us. We relate in incredible detail the feelings, the changes, the experience, the blindness, then the light, the personal transformation, the rescue, the voices, the tears and the salvation experience. It is rare to find a gospel presentation (to a non-believer) that does not include an overwhelming personal testimony.

This is for two reasons.

Firstly, the contemporary church suspects that because this is a quote-quote postmodern society, the personal experience serves to validate the gospel message.

Secondly, the contemporary church suspects that the postmodern listener is asking the question, "What will the gospel do for me?" and that this question is inherently personal and experiential.

I believe both to be inadequate. The first assumes that experience lends credibility. The second is based on the assumption that experience lends credibility and then falsely assumes that each believer must have and even demands a certain experience. The inadequacy lies not in the presence of a salvation experience but in the priority given to this experience. Everyone has a testimony. But every testimony must be subordinated to the gospel message; it must not become the gospel nor outshine it.

Consider Paul's personal testimony.

Tribe of Benjamin. Top-dog Pharisee. Gung-ho in Judaism. A man's man (as Jews go.) He hated the Christ, hated the church and hated the message. On his way to Damascus he was knocked off his horse by Jesus himself. Paul came face to face with the resurrected Lord. Other than Paul, only John the Apostle would stand mano y mano with the resurrected Jesus. One was blinded for 3 days, the other was so overtaken by fear that he fell down like a dead man. Paul was caught up to the 3rd heaven. He heard things. After his blindness he was healed and baptized.

I don't know about you, but Paul's story is one boot-rattlin', hardcore testimony. Beats the pants off anything I have heard in recent times.

But notice what Paul does in Acts 9:20, 22, 28.

He runs right out and he....he.... preaches Jesus.

He does not preach Paul's experience. He does not relate his testimony (though Barnabus does.) He preaches Jesus. This is amazing! He has arguably the most awe-inspiring conversion experience ever (though Nebuchadnezzar's ranks up there), and he just preaches Jesus! This puts personal testimonies in perspective. Jesus first. The Gospel first. My story a distant second.

Admittedly, Paul did give his testimony at a later date. Once before the Jewish government and once before Agrippa. Ironically, no one believed his message those days.

Miracles. Signs. Wonders. Experience. They all have their place. But people are saved, not by belief in any such experience, but by belief in the Lord Jesus.

*This is my own conviction. If your experience has been "perpindicular" to mine, then let me know. :) I welcome any thoughts.

Nebuchadnezzar's New Groove

Forgive me, father. I have sinned. It has been 13 days since my last post.

As of late, I have had my nose in Daniel. This week - chapter four. Here are couple of thoughts.
-----

I'll be the first to admit it...I get tired of testimonies. When sitting with some of the bruddas and sistas, my skin gets less than goosey at the "personal testimony" time. I've spent a few years (past) in environments where testimonies were the mainstay of encouragement; where faith was strengthened on the word of one who has been "saved." In theory, the personal testimony is a story of salvation. Of divine provision. Divine rescue. In practice, many personal testimonies are pools of self-pity, ungodly sorrow, and moments of glory in the flesh. It is not uncommon to hear testimonials as long as 30 minutes or more. Full-blown sermons. Sermons, which recount in haunting detail, sinful lifestyles, practices and abuses. And after this cake is baked, you get that sweet icing - "But God rescued me." That's it. I've heard it time and again. 30 minutes of Satan's kingdom and 3 seconds of God's rescue.

I am all for personal testimonies. They have their place...so long as they are just the seasoning on the steak. So long as they give more time to the salvation, provision and love of God. So long as they remember that it is disgraceful to "discuss the deeds done in darkness." The church should be infinitely more encouraged by the testimony of the Christ and His apostles and prophets.

Now that I am done ranting - I love 'Nezzar's testimony in Daniel 4.

King 'Nezzar was a great king. According to Daniel - a king of kings. One of whom all power and dominion had been given. He was a clever man, a great leader and a brilliant king. He was the head of gold in God's vision. But he was proud. Unimpressed (at least for too long) by Daniel's interpretations and Shadrach and co.'s escape from fire, he was driven to insanity. 7 years of alienation. 7 years of embarassment and grazing and dew-dampened clothing.

His testimony is one of the most moving and powerful testimonies in the Writings.

He begins with what should be the beginning of every man's testimony:

King Nebuchadnezzar, To the peoples, nations and men of every language, who live in all the world: It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation.

He ends with what should be the ending to every man's testimony:

At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?" At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Go back and read the whole chapter. Its a good one. The salvation of this great Babylonian undoubtedly had profound affect on the conquered world.
-----

If marching through Daniel is too much of a chore for you, :) check out "The Emporer's New Groove."

Hymn Lock

Well, as I am the designated "song leader" in my neck of the woods - I know, don't giggle - I am bustin' out with an all-hymn "song service" this Sunday. This is a great hymn. I love the picture in verse 4. This was written by John Wesley's brother, Charles. He wrote literally thousands. My songbook says Thomas Campbell wrote the tune in 1825. Is this the Thomas Campbell? Anyone know?

And Can It Be That I Should Gain?
Charles Wesley / Thomas Campbell

1. And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior's blood!
Died he for me who caused his pain!
For me who him to death pursued?

Amazing love! How can it be
That thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be
That thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

2. 'Tis mystery all: th' Immortal dies!
Who can explore his strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more.
'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more.

3. He left his Father's throne above
(So free, so infinite his grace!),
Emptied himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam's helpless race.
'Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
'Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!

4. Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.

5. No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in him, is mine;
Alive in him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th' eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th' eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Powerless Church, Powerful Christ

Week after week I stream. Day after day I download. I love to listen to our online church. Its open 24-7. I am thankful for all the self-named ministries that offer free MP3s or a hi-quality wma stream. I am grateful for all the preachers who remind me week after week that last year they had over a million downloads. Yep, I was one or two of those downloaders. There is good preaching out there. Ravi Z. RC Sproul. Mark Driscoll (sometimes). John McArthur. Papa Chuck. John Piper. Rob Bell. Others. All free. Amen to that.

Yet, as we consider the office of the modern Pulpit, we can't help but notice the $. The shiny black cars. The big brass plaques. The well-tailored suits. (Most of the men listed above do not have this personna.) Undoubtedly, some do pursue the Pulpit out of selfish ambition. Some preach because their names are in neon. Others preach because of the second home and the third car. Some preach for the applause of the nation. Some preach because they want to do nothing else.

As Paul said in his letter to the Phillipians, "Some, to be sure, preach out of envy and strife...and selfish ambition rather than pure motives."

But then Paul said something shocking.

"What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed and in this I rejoice. Yes..I will rejoice."

Paul was imprisoned. In more than one way, his hands were tied. Surely he must have had a strong rebuke for those selfish ministers. Surely he had the apostolic rod ready for the back of the envious preacher. But his hands were tied. It was enough for him to get this letter out. And this letter said, "I will rejoice."

Shocking.

Paul's statement teaches two concepts.

One. We know the local body needs to be pure. Selfish ambition and greed are not the qualities of its leaders. 1 Timothy 3. However, the local body is not going to put a stop to all greed. Its not going to put the brakes on all selfish ambition - especially outside of its own fellowship. Where the church can judge itself it should. But where it cannot, it must rejoice. Week after week, weak men proclaim a strong gospel. Week after week, the redeemed flow into the city of God on the powerless preaching of a powerful gospel. Let us rejoice. If we have the power to get the sin out of the camp, then let us do so. If not, then let us trust God.

Two. The power to save is really in the Gospel. Not the man. Not the perfect church. Not the clever message. Its the Gospel. The selfish man may be "talking to the Hand" on the Day of Judgment even while his message has saved hundreds. Amen to that. Praise be to the God who saves people when I talk. Praise be to the Christ who rescues souls even when the kerux-er is steeped in sin. Paul is not rejoicing in what is wrong but what is right. The saving message of Jesus.

Compare Phillipians 1 with Galatians 1.

In Galatians, then so-called brothers were preaching a different "gospel." A non-gospel. Paul said to let them burn. They came with ill-motives and a poor gospel. Let them burn. I dare say, Paul was pissed.

In Phillipians, the gospel of salvation in Christ is intact. Some of the preachers are envious, selfish and greedy but the gospel is the real deal. This is not a Maalox moment for Paul. He rejoices. He doesnt rejoice in the sin but in the salvation of souls. Hey man, at least Christ is being preached.

Some of the blatant self-promotion on the internet is enough to make you lose yesterday's meatloaf. But you know what? I am often encouraged by the messages and apparently (so says one preacher) so are millions of others.

I can't condone a limo and a neon sign but I will stand and say "Praise God" at the preaching of the Gospel of our Savior.

Done rambling.

A Puritan Prayer

I am sorry. I have nothing original to contribute to the blog-pool. And, like Cody, lately I have been down with O.P.P. A couple of days ago I was listening to RC Sproul on the internet. At the end of his lesson a very serious fellow began to read in a most serious fashion ... a Puritan prayer. I was so touched by the prayer that I sat in silence long after the broadcast ended. The next day I Googled "puritan prayers." Take some time to do this yourself.

Here is one.

Holy Lord, I have sinned times without number, and been guilty of pride and unbelief, of failure to find Thy mind in Thy Word, of neglect to seek Thee in my daily life.

My transgressions and short-comings present me with a list of accusations, but I bless Thee that they will not stand against me, for all have been laid on Christ. Go on to subdue my corruptions, and grant me grace to live above them.

Let not the passions of the flesh nor lustings of the mind bring my spirit into subjection, but do Thou rule over me in liberty and power.

I thank Thee that many of my prayers have been refused. I have asked amiss and do not have, I have prayed from lusts and been rejected, I have longed for Egypt and been given a wilderness.

Go on with Thy patient work, answering 'no' to my wrongful prayers, and fitting me to accept it.

Purge me from every false desire, every base aspiration, everything contrary to Thy rule.

I thank Thee for Thy wisdom and Thy love, for all the acts of discipline to which I am subject, for sometimes putting me into the furnace to refine my gold and remove my dross.

No trial is so hard to bear as a sense of sin. If Thou shouldst give me choice to live in pleasure and keep my sins, or to have them burnt away with trial, give me sanctified affliction.

Deliver me from every evil habit, every accretion of former sins, everything that dims the brightness of Thy grace in me, everything that prevents me taking delight in Thee.

Then I shall bless Thee, God, for helping me to be upright.

Enslaved

This old hymn struck me this morning.

Oh! To grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be.
Let that Grace now like a fetter
Bind my wondering heart to Thee!
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.
Prone to leave the God I love.
Take my heart now. Take and seal it.
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Mean John Thompson

The year was 1996.* And these few words would be the words that would lead to my Humiliation. I still hear their hollow ring in my dreams...

"Sure, I'll take you rock-climbing," John said.

The fact that John's concession was followed by a deep-throated evil laugh, should have warned me. Nonetheless, I was going rock-climbing. My first time. A true virgin. The hills were alive!

Little did we know, on the other side of the two pieces of sheetrock, was a sister with (as I suppose) her ear pressed to the wall. She came around the corner, empty glass in hand, and asked, "Can I go too?"

"Of course," John giggled.

We had company.

So the three of us made a date with our destiny. Caprock.

On the day of my Humiliation, Rochelle, Mean John Thompson and I, all packed inside his less-than-spacious Ford Ranger. "The Silver Bullet," he called it. Aparently John was not a teetotaler. He threw the hundreds of feet of rope, pulleys, 'beaners and harnesses that would be necessary into the bed of the truck and off we went. The sun was high, the wind was low and three of us were about to demonstrate our authority over the Fallen Earth.

Conversation was good on the 6 hour trip to Caprock. We talked of life outside of drugs, alcohol, marriage, Sunset, Slovakia and the U.S. Air Force. Laughter flowed like cheap beer at Happy Hour. All the while, Rochelle sat shotgun, smiling contentedly; no doubt happy just to be in the midst of such godly and yet manly men.

As we approached the actual cliff faces, Mean John Thompson explained that Caprock came from the Old English, meaning: "breaks away at the slightest touch."

"Yet do not fear!," he said under his breath as he unloaded the black, plastic garbage bags and the camping shovel. "I've survived every time," he added.

As John, scouted the first cliff, the other two pack mules carried everything to the base of said cliff. The cliff was high. It was 400 feet up if it was 45.

Now in those days, Mean John Thompson was a physical anomaly. He was not a muscular man, as some count muscular. But his forearms contained a near superhuman strength. I remember as if it were yesterday, how John laughed mockingly at Popeye as he "struggled" to squeeze open the the cans of spinach. John began each day with 10 sets of 20 finger-tip pull-ups. In the university weight room, baseball players would stand with mouths agape as John would wrist-curl the whole stack. He had become a rock-climbing machine.

As my Humiliation neared, John donned one of the harnesses, threw the rope over his right shoulder and started to free climb the Cliff of Insanity. No rope. No safety net. A true free climb. It took him minutes to reach the top, if only because he stopped to comment on the route to his disciples below.

"This is a good spot to shoot for!," he shouted down.

With that, he disappeared over the top. After tying one end of the rope to a tree or rock or small plant, Mean John Thompson threw the other end of the rope over the cliff. He appeared at the edge in what appeared to be a small, red cape and he descended in an instant.

John then gave me the other harness. I was to be first. Not Ladies First. Me. I was first.

Then began my humiliation.

Mean John Thompson explained that the other harness was a gift from his father when he was a small boy. But he told me even though it said "X-Small" on the tag, it should fit me fine. (Now if John is built similar to a stick-man, you might say that my body type is...oh....T-REX. Big legs, little bitty arms.) I struggled for what seemed hours to get even one leg into the child's harness. Meanwhile, Mean John Thompson laughed uproariously. Sometimes he gave encouragement by saying things like, "You look like a balloon animal!" Even Rochelle joined the mockery. However, I could see in her eyes the haunting question, "Will it fit me????"After lunch sometime, I was finally able to get the harness on. I was having some trouble breathing but John said not to worry. After some time, I was also able to pull my shorts through the holes and was not forced to do my first ascent looking like a European sunbather.

Mean John Thompson hooked in and hooked me to the other end of the rope. He told stories of how his Slovakian friends let him almost fall to his death only to tighten the rope at the last second. When he told this story, he had a look in his eye. That evil gleam. At this point, I understood why he brought the trashbags and shovel. I was beginning to have questions about John as the Anchor of my Lifeline.

My humiliation continued.

"Let's test the harness. Stand up straight and lean back on the rope," he said with a smirk. In my ignorance, I complied. When I was leaning all the way back, so that there was no hope for recovery, Mean John Thompson let go of his end. I fell hard. I awoke into consciousness to see John rolling on the ground laughing. Rochelle laughed harder. A tear came to my eye.

After the laughter subsided, Mean John Thompson gave me a few pointers. I started up the sheer face of the cliff. I made good time to the middle. Made a couple of nice transfers and then I stopped. 300 feet. I could go no further. I tried to block out the sounds of John mocking my legs which looked to him like two German sausages attached at one end with a rubberband. I tried. I concentrated. However, with the harness, I was beginning to feel like Lt. Dan.

"I, I, I can't feeeeel my legs, Gump."

Then my legs filled with lactic acid. They began to dance. Uncontrollably - like a the arm of a sewing machine. I couldn't support my weight. I couldn't hang on. I dropped off the cliff. After climbing several hundred feet, I just couldn't make the top.

Humiliation.

With only slightly less trouble than putting it on, I took off the harness. More than once, my comrades got a glimpse of my whitey-tighties. The female finally had to turn around in embarassment.

Humiliation.

But then Rochelle slipped easily into the harness and strapped in. I rebuked Mean John Thompson for pulling that same dirty fall-on-your-butt trick on Rochelle. I rebuked Rochelle for falling for it.

Rochelle started up the hill. She became for me what Larry was to Magic. What Lex was to Clark. What Communist Russia was to Reagan. Competition. Outwardly, I cheered her on. Inwardly, I wished she would fall off the mountain. Alas, she didn't. She finally got to the point where I had stopped. She paused. She was stuck. I cheered inwardly. Outwardly I said, "You can do it Gorbachev...err...um.. Rochelle." And she did. She climbed to the top. I still remember her little smile of victory. I decided at that moment, I would slice her leg open with a knife at Anthony's house.

Humiliation.

All because of Mean John Thompson.

*These events are all true. Not the slightest change has been made in the details. Names have not been changed so as to incriminate the guilty.

Velvet Elvis

A good friend of mine recommended this book to me. Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith. I, in turn, recommend it. Its the kind of book that reads easy. A little too easy in fact. When I was done, I felt like, "That's it?" On the other hand, he deals very well with some of the misconceptions of biblical interpretation and inspiration, church life, discipleship and 1st century Judaism and Christianity. He has a number of excellent points that are simply taught and therefore easily learned. There are times when I felt that his points were not developed enough. He makes few efforts to deal with the obvious counter-arguments. Click on the picture to go to Amazon. Others have posted more in-depth reviews there.

Here are a couple of points he made, among many...

"Somebody asked me the other day why our church doesn't support the arts because we don't have dramas and short-act plays in the services. I realized the question, as with almost every question, goes back to Creation. I don't believe something has to be in a church service to be "for God." As if the only acting that is "for God" is acting in a church service. A church is a community of people who are learning how to be certain kinds of people wherever they find themselves, so they can do whatever is is they do "in the name of the Lord Jesus." The goal isn't to bring everyone's work into the church; the goal is for the chruch to be these unique kinds of people who are transforming the places they live and work and play because they understand the whole earth is filled with the kavod of God. God isn't in one building only. Doing things for God happens all the time, everywhere. If you are an actor, the goal isn't for you to do your work in a church building, in a church service. Please, go wherever it is in the world that people act and do it well. Really well. Throw yourself into it and give it everything you have."
.....

"Missions then is less about the transportation of God from one place to another and more about the identification of a God who is already there."

Arriving

I was at a little market the other day and found this Chris Tomlin CD for the outrageous price of 60 cents. I don't know how it arrived at the market, or why it was being sold so cheap. (Shopping here is like the Homosexual Policy in the U.S. Military - Don't Ask, Don't Tell.) At any rate, I snatched it up like free money and took it home. I'd say its a good listen. Nice praise and worship music. I recommend it for your listening and praising enjoyment. Of course, you will have to pay the truly exhorbitant price of $12.98, but that's not my problem now is it?

Who did Jesus die for?

Let's play Calvinism for awhile.

First read 1 John 2:1-2. Afterwards, I have a few questions.

1. Who/What is Jesus a propitiation for?
2. What does propitiation mean?

Before you listen to my babbling (or as Cody calls it, "pontification"), please answer these questions in your own mind according to the Text or the dictionary...as needs be.

Let's start with question number 2. What is propitiation? According to Easton's:

"...in 1 John 2:2...Christ is called the “propitiation for our sins.” Here a different Greek word is used (hilasmos). Christ is “the propitiation,” because by his becoming our substitute and assuming our obligations he expiated our guilt, covered it, by the vicarious punishment which he endured...."

I'm not sure I want to use the entire Easton definition as yet, simply because it uses the exclusive language "our." Our substitute. Our obligations. Our guilt. So with this information, let's use the more common definition of "atoning sacrifice."

Redemption 101

Jesus is the atoning sacrifice. As was standard in Hebrew Law, a sacrifice was necessary for the expiation of the sins of the people. In those days, various animals were slaughtered. Under the New Covenant, Jesus has become the effective atoning sacrifice for the sins of the people. Jesus was sacrified on the cross. He became for us the Atonement, the Redeemer and the Propitiation. The slaughtered Lamb.

The due wage for sin is death. Beyond the physical death, each sin will be punished by God. Each person not atoned for by the Redeember receives wrath. Divine wrath. Eternal judgment.

However, Jesus Christ died to set aside that wrath. He effectively atoned for the sins of the people. Since Christ is the propitiation, the sins of the people are not taken into account.

End Redemption 101

Now, let's answer the first question. Who/What is Jesus a propitiation for? According to the 1 John 2 and other verses - "not ours only, but the sins of the whole world." Jesus' sacrifice is the propitiation of the sins of the whole world.

Yet...

The world is still going to Hell.

Why? Why are they still under judgment if their account has been settled? Why are they going to the unquenchable fire if Jesus died for their sins? Did Jesus not purchase their salvation at the cross?

We do not believe that the rejectors, unbelievers, idolotors or God-haters are saved. However, we do believe that that our sins "are nailed to the cross." We sing, "old rugged cross..." We know it was at the cross that our atoning sacrifice was made. We were purchased there on those timbers. The death of Christ was effective that Friday. It paid the price. Propitiation was once for all.

Why is the world still going to Hell? Is it their sin? Unbelief? Yes. Because they have rejected the Christ, the Holy One of God, they will face the Holy Wrath of God. They will go to eternal destruction. Were their sins accounted for? No. They were never expiated. The sin remains uncovered.

Atoning sacrifice has always been for those under the Covenant, whether Old or New. It was never meant to account for the sins of those outside of the Covenant.

Sacrifice is powerful and effective. Therefore we must read 1 John 2 in light of the effective power of the cross experience. We do not believe that God has set aside His wrath from the whole world. On the contrary, most of the world will be consumed. To believe otherwise is essentially universalism.

What does "world" mean then?

I won't pontificate too much further. But does "everyone" always mean "everyone?" In Bible class we ask, "Is everyone here?" What we mean is "Is everyone who is supposed to be here, here?" Or someone may say, "Everyone is watching the World Cup." This is common with many inclusive words. Every, everyone, all and world. Does "world" always mean the "whole of the human population?" Sometimes. Sometimes it means, "those not made righteous." Other times it means "the collective nations."

That said, better we redefine "world" rather than "propitiation." :)

Who did Jesus die for? I believe it is biblical to say that Jesus died to redeem His people. He was sacrificed for His people, not only from the Jews, but from every nation. The whole world.

We can use other more ugly words. Jesus died only for the Elect. The Foreknown.

( Now some will ask, "But if Jesus didn't die for everyone then how can everyone have a chance to be saved?" I won't answer this question here, because I don't want to labeled a "5-Pointer." However, let me just say that no person can say, "I want to be saved, I want to believe....but Jesus didn't die for me." Thanks John Piper.)

Please tell me what you think. I need to wrestle with these thoughts some more. Bring the Scripture. There are plenty.

Allow me this last blasphemy:

"To the Calvinists I have become Arminian, to the Arminians I have become Calvinist. I have become all things to all men that I may by all means save some. Just some. "

A Tree Is Known By Its Fruit

Thanks to all my fans for bearing with me through the "Fruit of the Spirit" posts. I know they were challenging reading; what, with all the 1-word sentences and stuff. :) Some of the more observant may have noticed that "Faithfulness" was left off the grocery list. I hope to get around to that Fruit at a later date.

Lately I have been contemplating the idea that "you will know a tree by its fruit." Specifically I have been considering the visible characteristics of fruit. What does the Fruit look like? What does a gentle person look like? A patient man? A peaceful woman? A joyful believer? SELF-control? Goodness?

Paul's list of Fruit in Galatians 5 is not just the cute lyrics of a Sunday School song. The list contains strong indicators of the Spirit-filled, Spirit-led experience. In contrast to the Deeds of the Flesh (which appear to be very specific), Paul uses a "loaded" language filled with extended meaning. We need to understand the Spirit's Fruit is not just the absence of the previously listed fleshly Fruit but the presence of a very real and obviously tangible Spirit Fruit. A visible kindness. A noticeable joy. Paul says "the deeds of the flesh are evident." These indicators of evil are juxtaposed with the indicators of righteousness. They seems to be polar opposites. But they share one commonality - their natures are observable.

As Spirit-indwelled believers, we expect there to be an observable Fruit. So rather than blindly assuming that Love is present, we insist that it be visible. We question the "invisible" Fruit.

We ask these kinds of questions of the Fruit (in this case, love):

What is Spirit Love except a demonstrative love? A love demonstrated in self-less commitment to seeking your neighbor's health, joy, safety and salvation? A love that requires late nights with neighbors? And early mornings with your children? A love that disciplines and cares?

What is love that does not give to the poor and needy? What is love except a Love that does not seek its own time, energy, money, status and affairs? A love that cares to save? Help?

The key question is "What does love look like?" If it is visible, demonstratable and in some way tangible, what does the Fruit look like?

2 Timothy 2.7 :)

Let us strive to live in the Spirit and pray that this Fruit is made visible in our lives. May God never say to us, "You call yourself a Spirit Tree? Where is your Fruit?"

I hope you don't see my questions as merely rhetorical. Give some answers. I'm listening.

The Fruit of the Spirit is...Self-Control

Self control.

Indulgent. Impatient. Broke.

Procrastination.

Tomorrow.

No focus. No discipline. No concentration.

Gorge. Glutton. Eat some more.

ADD. Out of control. Scream!

Dirty movies. Books. Magazines.

Lust.

Irresponsible. Undependable. You can't trust him.

Prayer? Later. Study? Tomorrow. Resolutions?. Next week.

I was made that way.

I cant quit. Can't stop. Can't start.

I am a product of my environment.

I can't control myself.

Lazy. Slothful. Sleep some more.

Let me just rest here a minute, baby.

Just a minute.

The Fruit of the Spirit is...Gentleness

Gentleness.

Combative. Angry. Rage.

Argument. Again.

Road rage. Bitch! Learn to drive.

Boastful. Prideful. Condescending.

Little boy. Little man.

Violent stance. Violent eyes. Cold.

Tantrums. Temper, temper.

Chest to chest. Stare-down. Push. Strike.

Stand up! Pick yourself up! Are you a man?

This is the end.

I am done with you. Weakling.

Rough. Hard. Cactus.

Yell. Scream. Louder.

Complain. Grumble. Grudge.

A bitter grudge.

The Fruit of the Spirit is...Goodness

Goodness.

No good.

Dirty. Secret. Lust.

Dirty, secret act.

Thief.

Liar. Gossip. Bitter woman.

Mocker. Scoffer. Laugh some more.

Filth. Porn.

Closed eyes. Ignorance.

Pervert.

Lawlessness. Once saved. Always lawless.

Cheat. Pilfer. Extort. Got it.

Coveteous. Envious. Jealous.

American Dream. Got it.

One god. Mammon.

Adulterer.

Drunkard. Wife beater.

None are good.

The Fruit of the Spirit is...Kindness

Kindness.

Cold words. Cold shoulders. Distance.

Benevolence? Charity? There is a "closet" at the Church.

Inconsiderate. Rude. Strong.

Kindness? Let's do Random Acts.

Tomorrow.

Not noticed. No nod. No thanks.

He is a mexican. He will just throw it away.

He can work.

Should have wore a condom.

Good ol' boys.

'How ya doin'?

Good, good.

You?

Good, good.'

Good intentions. Good thoughts.

Distraction. Forgetfulness. Apathy.

Hypocrisy.

Cold.

The Fruit of the Spirit is...Patience

Patience.

Impatience.

I can't endure this anymore. It should have happened already.

When?

Impetuous. Rash. Now!

Quick tempers. Intolerant minds. Irritability.

Hey you cut me off, jerk!

Nervous.

Will I ever be noticed?

Short.

I was cheated. I was elbowed. I was overlooked.

I can't just sit here. I won't. I can't wait.

Now!

Is God going to help?

Is God going to do something?

Is He going to answer?

When?

Annoyed. Bothered. Stewing.

Stop it!

You're on my last nerve.

I've had it up to here.

Leave me alone.

The Fruit of the Spirit is...Peace

Peace.

Distress.

Anxiety. Fear. Turmoil.

Tossing. Turning. Insomnia.

Anxiety attacks. Psych wards. Medication.

Pressure. Stress. Tension.

What if it does? What if it doesn't? Is my savings enough?

Worry. Dread. Doubt.

Everyone is against me.

Anguish. Alarm. Run!

Incertitude. Instability. Insecurity.

Wide eyes. Shallow breaths. Shaking hands.

It's coming.

The Fruit of the Spirit is...Joy

Joy.

Shuffled feet. Slumped shoulders. Defeat.

Trials. Failure. Despair.

Why me, Lord? Why this? Why now?

Moping. Whining. Discontent.

Depression. Prozac. Sleep.

Tired. Weary. Worn.

It thrills my soul? The joy of the Lord is my strength? Stone faces.

I wasn't encouraged this morning.

I wasn't fed this morning.

Crystalized. Systematized. Sterilized.

I didn't feel it.

Factoring Probability: A Conversation

Francis: Let's say you are a scientist.
Franky: OK, I am a scientist.
Francis: Good. Now let's say that you have 5 theories.
Franky: I have 5 theories. [Giggle]
Francis: Let's give these theories a collective identity.
Franky: A name?
Francis: Yeah. Let's call it, "The H.I.A.S. Theory."
Franky: Hias?
Francis: Bear with me. Now these 5 theories are accurate. Let's say they are accurate within 90%.
Franky: 9 out of 10 is good.
Francis: Pretty good. Now the first theory is accurate to within 90%...
Franky: I'm following you...
Francis: Each successive theory is based on the success of the theory before it. Understand?
Franky: Yes. If A succeeds then B. If B succeeds then C and so on.
Francis: Exactly. Now assuming that the 5th theory is accurate to within 90% what is the likelihood that the 5th theory will work?
Franky: 90%?
Francis: Nope. 54%. It has nearly as good a chance to fail as to succeed.
Franky: Marginally interesting.
Francis: Now if you have 10 theories with a 90% probability rate, all based on the success of the one prior, the 10th theory will have less than a 1/10 chance of working.
Franky: Not too good.
Francis: Nope.
Franky: Can't go with the hias theory then. [giggle]
Francis: But then again, that is How It All Started. And there are thousands of theories, each dependant on the one prior.
Franky: [giggle]
Francis: Let's pretend we're not scientists.

The Fruit of the Spirit is...Love

Love.

Irreconcilable differences. Divorce. Separation.

My time. My stuff. My money. My needs.

Can't stop. Can't wait. Don't have to endure this.

Undisciplined children. Despondent children. Lonesome children.

Workaholics. Alcoholics. Shopoholics.

Rising late. Quitting early. Laziness.

Hatred. Just don't like her. Its just a difference in personality.

That's my choice. That's your choice.

He got himself into it. He can can himself out.

Racism. Sexism. Nationalism. Denominationalism.

Individuality. Power. Position.

Be warmed and filled.

Deadbeat dads. Deadbeat moms.

Indifference.

I know this for certain

Today I was reading a story on MSNBC.com. With a title like "Did chimp and human ancestors interbreed?," who wouldn't want to read it? What struck me in the article was not the stupidity of their speculation, but the sheer quantity of speculation. Consider some of these sentences. How can this be considered seriously?


The earliest known ancestors of modern humans might have reproduced with early chimpanzees…

…a new genetic analysis suggests.

…the scientists believe the split between the human and chimpanzee lines occurred much more recently than previously thought

… no more than 6.3 million years ago and perhaps as recently as 5.4 million years ago.

…Human and chimpanzee ancestors began branching apart on the primate evolutionary tree about 9 million years ago, scientists say, but there are significant gaps in the fossil record.

The new analysis suggests…

…nearly 4 million years and might have occurred twice….

…Based on an estimated relative mutation rate,

… around 6.3 million years ago. From start to finish, complete speciation spanned a much longer time range than in any other modern apes.

There are regions of the genome that don't appear to be much more than 5 million years old, and there are regions that appear to be 4 million years older than that.

…This suggests that after the first speciation 6.3 million years ago,

…early human ancestors may have lived and reproduced with ancestral chimps to produce hybrid primates.

…This would help explain why divergence on X between humans and chimps is so low

…Mixing and matching genetic information from two species doesn't always work out well,

…Patterson explains one possibility for how this could have happened: The initial split occurred around 6.3 million years ago.

…Sometime after, the descendants of the earliest known human ancestor mated with ancestral chimps and created a hybrid species.

..In this scenario, the earliest known human ancestor, a biped known as "Toumai" that probably didn't look much different than chimpanzee ancestors, would have predated the hybridization. The Toumai fossil, which was unearthed in Chad, has been dated back to somewhere between 6.5 million and 7.5 million years ago.

…Scientists can't say how long the hybridization carried on, but the final speciation occurred around 5.3 million years ago, possibly because the two species' genetic codes were too different to mix, or because the animals were simply physically unappealing to each other.

…If that occurred, they might have been compatible enough on X that it would fix out to one species or another," Patterson said. "As it happened, it fixed to chimps, but it could have gone the other way.

…This is just one possible explanation for the gap in speciation time...

Where's the Beef?

J. Marq Toombs has some good, meaty proclamations gracing his blog. Look at Affirmations and Denials 1 & 2- an excerpt from an evangelical publication.

I'm givin' 'er all she's got, Captain!

What's wrong with this picture?

Who is the Judge?

I read an interesting article on historicity by C.S. Lewis. Lewis loves the Historian but does not hold the same affection for the Historicist. (You will have to read his article entitled "Historicity" to gain a better understanding on how he differentiates the two.)

One of the examples of historicism that Lewis rebukes is the notion that all natural disasters are the "judgments of God" or the "divine wrath."

I remember after the SE Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, there was no small discussion about these disasters being a type of divine judgment. People walked the streets with signs, pastors went live on television and radio and preachers everywhere decried the sinful cities and stated boldly that God was angry. To a lesser degree, I was inclined to agree.

Consider this quote from Lewis:

...we must insist that such an interpretation of history was not the characteristic of ancient Hebrew religion, not the thing which sets it apart and makes it uniquely valuable. On the contrary, this is precisely what it shares with popular Paganism. To attribute calamity to the offended gods and therefore to seek out and punish the offender, is the most natural thing in the world and therefore the world-wide method. Exampes such as the plague in Iliad A and the plague at the opening of the Oedipus Tyrannus come at once to mind... The distinctive thing, the precious peculiarity of Scripture is the divine rebuffs which this naive and spontaneous type of Historicism there receives; in the whole course of Jewish history, in the the Book of Job, In Isaiah's suffering servant, in our Lord's answers about the disaster at Siloam (Luke 13) and the man born blind (John 9). If this sort of Historicism survives, it survives in spite of Christianity...

Lewis goes on to profoundly elaborate on our role of considering history. I will neither plagurize nor comment further on those elaborations except to say that I was reminded that natural disasters may well be divine judgments. And they may not be. We learn several things from the examples mentioned above.

From Job we learn that neither righteousness nor sinfulness are the determining causes of disaster or comfort. We learn that disaster is not always brought upon mankind for judgment's sake.

From Jesus' comments on Siloam, we learn that those who suffer disaster are no more sinful than those who've survived. We learn that the survivors and onlookers need to repent.

From the blind man we learn that God does things for His glory. An apparent disaster or misfortune may be entirely for the glory of God.

From this point, as the "crazies" shout out in the streets,

"Repent! This is the judgment of God!"

we can say

"I don't know if this is the judgment of God, but I agree with the repent part. I don't know if this a demonstration of the divine wrath, but I know we will all face that wrath one day. Thank the Lord that we have one more opportunity to turn to Him. One more opportunity to repent. One more opportunity to know that He is God and to say 'to Him be the glory' whether peace or calamity."

My Sweetheart

Every once in awhile, the kids will say and do things that bring tears to your eyes. Like the time Jalen found the pepper spray. But other times are more emotional.

Yesterday, my 4 year old daughter, Zay, was reading her little children's Bible. She found a picture of Mary washing Jesus' feet. Now, she has read that story at least a dozen times, but yesterday was different. She brought the Bible over, showed me the picture and said "I want to wash your feet, Daddy."

Even as I am typing this, I'm getting a bit misty.

I pray that my children not only continue to read Scripture but also become effectual doers. As it is, I wish I was more like Azeria.

Quotes

I've uploaded a few quotes at my sister site. If you have a few minutes, have at it.

Inferiority

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, 'Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission.' This works well for motivational posters, but try that one on Judgement Day.

If John jumped off a bridge....

Well my good friend John Thompson sent me an email the other day...'I have joined the cyber community and started a blog. I am such a conformist. At any rate, I'm passing it along for someone to read besides me.' ...You can check out John's work in the Ghetto.

Then I thought, 'If John has a blog.....'