Well it seems as though May 21st has come and gone... and the only things raptured yesterday were Harold Camping's websites. Clearly the fallout has been... unfortunate for Christianity. Fortunately, I think that most people understand that Mr. Camping does not represent the whole of Christianity, but sadly non-Christian groups are wasting no time in speaking out against Camping, his followers, and Christianity as a whole.
While I'm sure I could join in the throngs calling for Harold's public apology and repentance (not to mention that he pay back those people that have given everything to his cause); however, I think this is a great learning opportunity for us!
If there was one thing that Harold Camping lacked in his campaign to the rapture, it was scriptural credibility. Having had the chance to look at his website and his explanation about how he managed to figure out something that no other person save God Himself knows, what I found was a miscellaneous grouping of random verses which had absolutely nothing to do with each other, and really have very little contextually to do with the end times, the rapture, or Christ's second coming.
Camping's timeline also lacked theological credibility, as it followed none of the major eschatological views of the end times either (not that we really truly know what is going to happen any more than he thought he did). But to create a brand new point of view about the end times with, again, no scriptural evidence, lays a huge blanket over his argument... not to mention the fact that we are all still here.
So... what can we learn from this? Not to listen to people that say they know these things? Well... yes... in a way... but I think there is more that we can glean from this. Rather than turning a deaf ear to people like Camping and ignoring what they say, dismissing it as the ridiculousness than it is, we need to ourselves be informed about what Scripture says in light of this!! People will undoubtedly ask questions, about Camping and others like him, and we as Christians should be prepared. This is why we NEED to be in the Word all the time.
As Christians we believe that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God, meaning that we know it is reliable and trustworthy, but it is the sole place we go for Truth. We are to test all things against scripture, so we can see it for what it is truly worth. For all that Harold Camping used scripture for in his philosophy, he failed to recognize Christ's words on the matter which really settles the question entirely: "36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Matthew 24:36. In that Truth, Jesus' own words, there really needs be no more discussion about when exactly that day will be. We would not claim ourselves to be God... therefore we do not know when Christ will return.
What we DO know... is that we are still here!! Which means there is still work to be done for the kingdom! There are people out there that are desperately seeking Christ and there is still time for us to help bring them to Him!! Paul writes in Philippians 1:21, "To live is Christ, to die is gain." He also goes on to say in verse 22, "If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me."
May this be our prayer and goal... that as long as we live, as long as we are here... that we live for Christ!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
The Home Body...
It is always a truly wonderful experience for me to be able to come home to Zion Reformed Church, a place that I would consider my home church body. Having grown up there and even gotten my first tastes of ministry experience there, I feel like I'll always have a connection with the body of Christ in that place. Perhaps you have a similar feeling about a church body, favorite place, favorite people? I don't know what it is really, but I have such fond memories of growing up in that place... from youth group to praise band to flying paper airplanes off of the balcony on Sunday afternoons when mom and dad had meetings to go to! (I probably wasn't supposed to tell anyone about that).
I am so thankful for these memories too, for the people that were involved in them, and how they helped to shape my life. These are the people like your favorite teaching, baby sitter, professor, or inspirational person. Not some actor on TV that you think is cool, but someone that has had a profound impact on you... or something that you associate with a great change in your life.
I think that these people are those who the writer of Hebrews referred to when He speaks of the "great cloud of witnesses."
Hebrews 12:1-3
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
When he writes "therefore" we know that he is saying "because of all that I just said..." The writer is referring to all those that have gone before us from that special Sunday School Teacher to Christ and all the way back to Abraham!! Are we not truly blessed to have these people in our lives?
I know that they have meant so much to me, and I was once again humbled to stand before the congregation that helped me grow in my faith and be affirmed and prayed for as God leads me down this new road in my life.
May you never forget these people in your life and may you, even now, say a prayer of thanks for them... and even let them know what a wonderful impact they have had on your life.
Grace and Peace...
I am so thankful for these memories too, for the people that were involved in them, and how they helped to shape my life. These are the people like your favorite teaching, baby sitter, professor, or inspirational person. Not some actor on TV that you think is cool, but someone that has had a profound impact on you... or something that you associate with a great change in your life.
I think that these people are those who the writer of Hebrews referred to when He speaks of the "great cloud of witnesses."
Hebrews 12:1-3
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
When he writes "therefore" we know that he is saying "because of all that I just said..." The writer is referring to all those that have gone before us from that special Sunday School Teacher to Christ and all the way back to Abraham!! Are we not truly blessed to have these people in our lives?
I know that they have meant so much to me, and I was once again humbled to stand before the congregation that helped me grow in my faith and be affirmed and prayed for as God leads me down this new road in my life.
May you never forget these people in your life and may you, even now, say a prayer of thanks for them... and even let them know what a wonderful impact they have had on your life.
Grace and Peace...
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
So I heard Osama....
Well, I'm sure by now that this isn't the first thing that you will have read about the death of Osama Bin Laden. I don't think there has been a news channel in the world that hasn't said something about it either... except perhaps maybe DIY and possible the food network... I've seen news paper headings from "He's Dead" to "Rot in Hell" with Osama's face plastered all over it...
and rightly so... right?
I mean He killed thousands and thousands of people! He designed and trained an organization that is bent on the merciless destruction of innocent people!! He clearly is true evil!!
But really... should we as Christians join in the celebrations that have taken place over the death of a man? Is it right to feel happiness over a life lost? Should we feel guilty for feeling this good about the "justice" that has been done and what is in many ways vengeance that America has taken for 9/11?
Just running a simple search in Bible Gateway... I find 3 Psalms (44, 60, 108) in which the words "victory" and "enemies" appear together. David himself rejoiced over the victories over his enemies... We can read in many different portions of the Bible in which Evil people were killed because of their works, oppression, and even killing of others... and in most of those times, God was praised for it...
So is it ok for us to be happy about Bin Laden's death or for us to celebrate over the killing of a mass murderer?
Well... I don't think that it is at all an accident that in each of these Psalms that the lines of the verses that follow "victory of my enemies" contain phrases:
" With God we will gain the victory" and
"In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever."
This is an important perspective check for us... We need to remember that it is ultimately God who brings victory in any situation...
We also read the words of Jesus who says that we should "love our enemies" which, as difficult as it is, would include Bin Laden.
But I don't think that these things really get at the heart of the matter. Whether or not it is right, we still feel good about Bin Laden's death. I know that I was pretty much all smiles when I watched the President announce that we had successfully brought him down... and I've been watching news coverage about it from CNN to Comedy Centrals' Daily Show and Cobert Report about it... feeling like we had done some good...
...and I think that is exactly it... we feel that this is a point in which good has prevailed over evil... and we want to feel good about that!! As well we should too!! In recent months we have endured Earthquakes, Floods, Fires, Radiation, Tornadoes, Political Fights, Murders, etc etc etc... and this is something good that we can latch on to!! GOOD has finally prevailed in something!! So everyone celebrates...
Yet again the reality is that Bin Laden, a sinner as far as we know him, has died without coming to the saving knowledge of the love of Jesus Christ... and it takes a truly cold person (especially a Christian) to think that Hell is ok for anyone. I think this needs to check our attitude towards this situation, and may need to serve as a wake-up once again for Christians... that people are dying without the life-changing, soul-saving love of Christ, and that too is wrong!
So what should we do about this? CELEBRATE!! The forces of good have won this day!! That, as Tolken writes in his Lord of the Rings book, "There are other forces at work in this world... besides the will of evil." This event is evidence of that in a very big way! I would encourage happiness about good advancing... and celebrate it along with the stories of people helping each other, unity, and stories like that from the tornado ravaged south, earthquake torn Japan, or flooded Australia. These too have evidences of good triumphing over the results of evil and brokenness in the world.
We ought not celebrate a death... but when good prevails we shall rejoice!!
Psalm 44:8
"In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever."
Grace and Peace...
and rightly so... right?
I mean He killed thousands and thousands of people! He designed and trained an organization that is bent on the merciless destruction of innocent people!! He clearly is true evil!!
But really... should we as Christians join in the celebrations that have taken place over the death of a man? Is it right to feel happiness over a life lost? Should we feel guilty for feeling this good about the "justice" that has been done and what is in many ways vengeance that America has taken for 9/11?
Just running a simple search in Bible Gateway... I find 3 Psalms (44, 60, 108) in which the words "victory" and "enemies" appear together. David himself rejoiced over the victories over his enemies... We can read in many different portions of the Bible in which Evil people were killed because of their works, oppression, and even killing of others... and in most of those times, God was praised for it...
So is it ok for us to be happy about Bin Laden's death or for us to celebrate over the killing of a mass murderer?
Well... I don't think that it is at all an accident that in each of these Psalms that the lines of the verses that follow "victory of my enemies" contain phrases:
" With God we will gain the victory" and
"In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever."
This is an important perspective check for us... We need to remember that it is ultimately God who brings victory in any situation...
We also read the words of Jesus who says that we should "love our enemies" which, as difficult as it is, would include Bin Laden.
But I don't think that these things really get at the heart of the matter. Whether or not it is right, we still feel good about Bin Laden's death. I know that I was pretty much all smiles when I watched the President announce that we had successfully brought him down... and I've been watching news coverage about it from CNN to Comedy Centrals' Daily Show and Cobert Report about it... feeling like we had done some good...
...and I think that is exactly it... we feel that this is a point in which good has prevailed over evil... and we want to feel good about that!! As well we should too!! In recent months we have endured Earthquakes, Floods, Fires, Radiation, Tornadoes, Political Fights, Murders, etc etc etc... and this is something good that we can latch on to!! GOOD has finally prevailed in something!! So everyone celebrates...
Yet again the reality is that Bin Laden, a sinner as far as we know him, has died without coming to the saving knowledge of the love of Jesus Christ... and it takes a truly cold person (especially a Christian) to think that Hell is ok for anyone. I think this needs to check our attitude towards this situation, and may need to serve as a wake-up once again for Christians... that people are dying without the life-changing, soul-saving love of Christ, and that too is wrong!
So what should we do about this? CELEBRATE!! The forces of good have won this day!! That, as Tolken writes in his Lord of the Rings book, "There are other forces at work in this world... besides the will of evil." This event is evidence of that in a very big way! I would encourage happiness about good advancing... and celebrate it along with the stories of people helping each other, unity, and stories like that from the tornado ravaged south, earthquake torn Japan, or flooded Australia. These too have evidences of good triumphing over the results of evil and brokenness in the world.
We ought not celebrate a death... but when good prevails we shall rejoice!!
Psalm 44:8
"In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever."
Grace and Peace...
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