by Steve Risner
Why is the creation/evolution debate so hotly debated these days? Why does it even matter? Can you be saved if you have the wrong idea about creation? The reason I write about this topic is how critical it is for our young people to understand what the Bible actually says and how they can apply it to their lives. It's vital that we all understand that the Bible describes a faith that is not in spite of the evidence but strongly supported by it. People, young and old alike, have questions that are frequently not answered by someone they feel is competent on the subject. The trouble is, often times, this “competent” person has no idea how to answer the question or, worse yet, they make up an answer out of their ignorance that is garbage or, even worse yet, they give a confident answer that is completely wrong because they've bought into some sort of secular or humanistic philosophy and have mixed that with their faith in Christ. How should we deal with these types of questions if asked by a young person, a friend at school, or a co-worker? I'll get into that soon enough. Let's look at some information first.
According to Ken Ham and Britt Beemer in their book “Already Gone,” they found it reliable to say that at least 45% of those who once were part of a local church but no longer have fallen away because of the secular teachings of evolution and deep time. Well over 80% of those polled said they began to doubt the Bible's teachings in high school or even middle school. Some even claimed to have doubts as early as elementary school. For nearly half, the primary reason was the teachings of evolution and deep time. For most if not all the rest, these teachings at least played a role in their decision to walk away from their faith (essentially, to replace it with another). These ideas are confirmed, more or less, by the Pew Research Center. This is because, even with their weak understanding of the Bible, they understood the clear and plain message of the creation account in Genesis. This clear and plain message doesn't jive with the currently popular but ever changing opinion on our origins that the secular/humanist community wants us to believe. These young people had a choice—believe the Word of God or the word of men and they have chosen, in my opinion, very unwisely.
Why do I say it's unwise to accept the teachings of scientists when they disagree with the Bible? In many cases, these scientific ideas are not scientific at all, but rather they are speculation and nothing more than belief based on preconceived ideas. They are also ideas that very often will change over time. To hang our hat on an idea that we know will likely be scoffed at in years to come is foolish, in my opinion. This is one of the reasons I refer to the humanist origins myth (the Big Bang and Darwinism) as the “currently popular opinion” on origins. It'll change, maybe not at its core but in its details.
Here's what should not happen if there is information out there (generally we're talking about allegedly scientific information) that seems to contradict the Bible. We should not bow to the consensus and dig into the Bible to see what portions of it can be distorted to fit this new (and likely to change) scientific data. There are Christian organizations out there that teach things like the earth is not about 6000 years old but is millions or billions of years old. There are still other groups that want to incorporate evolution and the Big Bang into the Bible's creation account. This is madness, truly. It's exquisitely inconsistent and often times very irrational. The idea with many of these groups seems to have begun with one of two different starting points: 1) they were previously indoctrinated into the secularist's idea of deep time and/or other elements of the humanist origins myth and felt they needed to fit that into the Bible, or 2) they saw the major stumbling block I noted above that so many have with accepting Christianity and the Bible, so they decided to make the Bible seem more palatable. Both of these scenarios have major issues.
The first idea, that they previously accepted deep time and/or other ideas about the Big Bang and universal common descent (aka evolution) and then forced that into Scripture doesn't make sense to me. I tried that stuff when I was younger to see if it had any merit. It doesn't. This, in and of itself, is a great reason for people to lose faith in the Bible. They see people claiming it says or means something that it clearly doesn't, so the inquisitive young person decides it's all nonsense. If you can make it say whatever you want it to say, they it actually doesn't say anything. As a person who was exposed to currently popular opinions on origins, I think that it's hard to reject those ideas after you've been taught them for so long or even accepted them for so long. It's tough to see those topics as they are—not really scientific but philosophical. They are nothing more than beliefs and, in many cases—especially with the Big Bang and Darwinian evolution—in spite of the evidence.
But they're taught as though they're scientific fact or “settled science.” I was told, “Evolution is a fact. There is no question about it,” by my biology professor at Heidelberg College. I didn't accept that or believe it, but he certainly did and many in the class were likely influenced by that statement. Statements like that really bother me because a scientist must know such statements are false. They have to if they know anything about science and how it works. But the truth is this is a worldview battle and those opposed to creation and the Bible will say or do anything to defeat Christianity. So many accepted the “science” and then, believing the Bible was also correct, tried to make the two work together by changing what the Bible plainly says. That's a terrible idea, but I sort of understand the reasoning behind it. My hope is, like most other things, that once we find Christ, He'll begin to reveal things that reside in our hearts that we need to let go of. The false teachings of deep time, the Big Bang, and evolution would qualify as things we need to abandon as believers. These things are no different in their need for removal from our lives than sins in our lives we carry with us after we find Jesus. It's the continual renewing of our minds.
The other tactic or excuse—trying to make the Word of God more palatable—is actually dishonest and likely more counter productive than the person may think. We know from the Word of God that man is opposed to His Word and to the Gospel. Jesus says in John 15:18-21, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.”
James, the brother of Jesus, says in James 4:4, “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” Those are pretty harsh words for trying to ride the fence. In Matthew 6:4 Jesus states, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” This, I feel, is what old earth creationism or theistic evolution are about. It's an attempt to play both sides. Paul was clear in Colossians 2:8 when he said, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”
To think that for thousands of years, believers have been waiting for humanists who admittedly were trying to remove God from the world of science to explain the origins of the universe, earth, and life is an absurdity I cannot even begin to understand the depths of. And that humanistic philosophy accidentally happens to be exactly how God created the universe? I think most of us are smarter than that. But so many want to be accepted by the world and look “intellectual” so they shun the Biblical account of creation and exchange what is extremely clear in the book of Genesis for something that is obviously not there.
John tells us in 1 John 3:18 not to simply say we love people but actually do something about it and to share the truth with them. Sharing the truth is critical in our expressions of love. If the world hates the Gospel message, which is rooted in a literal reading of Genesis (how it was intended to be understood), it will hate the Gospel message dressed to look more in line with secular thinkers. Why? Because it's not the message they hate but the God who sent the message. I have a great deal more to say on this matter, but, unfortunately, I've run out of space. Until we meet again...
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“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.“ (Exodus 20:17a)
As we come close to wrapping up our look through the Ten Commandments, I’m again intrigued at how they’re numbered, as I brought up in my first post in the series. Many traditions put all of Exodus 20:17 into one commandment, while splitting the first commandment into two so it still make a total of ten. I can definitely see the logic in this method, since verse 17 is all about coveting, so why did the Lutheran tradition I grew up in make it into two commandments?
As it turns out, that commandment division goes all the way back to St. Augustine around the 4th century AD. Augustine is commonly viewed as one of the most important early church fathers, and his Confessions, both an autobiography and theological work, spanned 13 volumes! He followed the Talmud (the book of Jewish religious law) by putting verses 3-6 together as the first commandment, then then split up verse 17 into two. Both Romans Catholics and Lutherans continue using this tradition, although the wording of the last two commandments differs some between the two.
Now that we know that, let’s take a look at what this commandment means. First of all, what is this word “covet”? Coveting basically means a yearning, a longing, a craving, or a desire to have something. If I want that delicious looking piece of chocolate that you have, I would be coveting the chocolate. As we talked about last week, your neighbor is every person, no matter whether we have things in common with them or not.
This commandment specifically looks at coveting your neighbor’s house, so desiring the house of any other person. I enjoy TV shows about houses - remodeling them, selling them, redecorating them, etc. I also enjoy houses in general; my husband and I currently own 6 of them, 5 rental houses plus the one we live in. While I do like the house we live in, there are definitely times I covet other people’s houses, or even features of other people’s houses. I’m sure we could all find things in our own living spaces that we would like to change, where we see someone else having a better version.
But this commandment doesn’t apply to only the structure of the place where we live. According to Luther’s Small Catechism, the meaning of this commandment is: “We should fear and love God so that we do not scheme to get our neighbor’s inheritance or house, or get it in a way which only appears right, but help and be of service to him in keeping it.”
Coveting another’s house doesn’t just mean the place they live, but also their inheritance. An inheritance can be monetary, but it can also be the legacy they leave after they’re gone. We are commanded to not only not desire after his house or inheritance, but to actually help our neighbor keep his house.
I’m blessed to have pretty good neighbors where I live. Some neighbors keep to themselves while others are more outgoing and friendly, but they’re all respectful. But when a neighbor goes the extra mile to actually help us with things around the house, that really shows God’s love. One neighbor of ours will often mow our front yard for us when she does her own lawn; while that may be because they’d rather not look at our yard being long, we believe it’s because they truly want to help us out and it’s a way they can do that.
Coveting comes down to being a matter of contentment. If we are content with what we have, we will not want what someone else has. The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:11-12, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Paul was completely content while writing that, even while chained in a miserable prison. If we have place to call home, shouldn’t we be content as well with what God has given us?
Are you struggling with coveting your neighbor’s house? What can you do to change your attitude to be one of contentment toward what God has given you? Remember what Proverbs 14:30 says: “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.“
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by Logan Ames
As I sit here to write this post, the world is waking up to the news that President George H. W. Bush has passed away. That isn’t shocking news for anyone as he was 94 years old and his health has been failing for quite a while now, not to mention the fact that his dear wife passed away earlier this year. What IS surprising to me, not just right now but every time a high-profile political figure passes away, is the fast manner in which the news outlets jump right from their agenda-driven, political attacks of the opposing side to the peaceful, unifying remembrance of the individual’s service. Yesterday, every single time I turned on a certain media outlet on the TV in my home, there were negative opinions and attacks on our current president. I’m sure if I had turned on another one, it would’ve been relentless support of our leaders and negative opinions or attacks on those who oppose our president. Yet, just before I went to bed last night, all of sudden, both were doing the same thing - fondly remembering #41.
If we are Christians and seek to obey the word of God that has been inspired by the Creator himself right into the pens of his earliest followers, then we have an obligation to live for peace when and where possible. This was a common theme of the Apostle Paul’s teachings. In Romans 12:18 he writes, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Notice that he does not say to live at peace with only those who are peaceful toward you or who agree with you on important issues. Just a short time later in his same letter, Paul again writes, “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Romans 14:19). From these verses, it is clear that we are not just to TALK about peace or to desperately desire it; we are to DO whatever is necessary and within our power to attain peace.
I don’t remember much about 41’s time in office as I was just a youngster then, but I do know that he is the last president we had who did not serve two terms, as he was defeated by Bill Clinton in the 1992 election. This morning, a letter written from President Bush to President Clinton on the day of the Presidential Inauguration in January 1993 was posted to social media. You can see it on Facebook here. The letter is full of encouragement and it ends with Bush telling Clinton, “You will be our president when you read this note. I wish you well. I wish your family well. Your success now is our country’s success. I am rooting hard for you. Good luck." This is an example of doing something that leads to peace. Compare it to what we see now. Our current president still rubs his opponents’ noses in it that he won, and they still discourage him and seek his impeachment at every turn. It’s easy to look at what is happening in our country and world and wonder how we will ever achieve peace again. In reality, our Lord and Savior is both the way to peace and the reason it’s not likely anytime soon.
In the Old Testament, Isaiah prophesied that a son would be given and that he would be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). This title of Jesus as “prince of peace” is a direct contrast to the devil. John Milton referred to Satan as the “prince of darkness." Ephesians 2:2 refers to him as “the prince of the power of the air." In other words, he is the ruler over the “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). The devil has a plan to work evil, dissension, and hatred amongst believers, yet peace can be found by looking to Jesus as our authority. Satan is the authority for those who want to be disobedient and who are bent on destructive behaviors. But for those who are seeking peace, we must turn to Jesus. We cannot turn to conservative or liberal politics because while both claim to be in line with the teachings of Jesus, neither actually is. Jesus tells us how to stand for truth and still love those who oppose it by their words and actions.
At the same time, Jesus said in Matthew 10:34, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." How can this be true of the prince of peace? A look at the context of this verse reminds us that Jesus is sending out his disciples to evangelize the lost sheep of Israel. He tells them that the choice is up to each individual to either acknowledge or disown him before others, and that choice will directly impact whether or not Jesus acknowledges or disowns us before the Father in heaven (vv. 32-33). Because there are some who reject it, there has to be a difference between those who accept Jesus and those who rebel against him. The sword was used to fight, but it was also used to divide things. An example of this would be 1 Kings 3:16-28, when King Solomon asked for a sword because he was going to divide a child in two since two mothers both claimed he was theirs. The sword brought by Jesus is not used to fight or kill but to divide between those who have chosen peace through him and those who continue to live in rebellion. Since we don’t always know who is on what side, we are given the Biblical command to do everything in our power to live in peace with others, even though we know peace isn’t always possible in cases where someone has taken their stand against Christ.
This month, we celebrate the coming of our Lord and Savior. When he came 2,000 years ago, the angels appeared and sang, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). The interesting thing about this verse is that there is a qualifier to receive his peace. While it’s offered to everyone, not everyone has it. The heavenly host of angels said the peace is to those “on whom his favor rests." Does God’s peace rest, or stop, on you? Or do you live in rebellion toward him, letting that peace offered to you move on to those who are ready and willing to accept it? Jesus came to the earth not to bring peace between all humans or between political parties, but between sinful human beings and a sinless Creator. He became our sin while we became his righteousness so that we could be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
This sacrifice and the peace of God that comes with it are offered FOR the whole world, but not everyone has accepted or will accept it. Those who already have are responsible to live at peace with everyone as much as it depends on them, even those who hurt or oppose them. We need to be the ones to set the example of peaceful living in the midst of a politically-charged and hate-filled climate. For those who don’t have that peace, maybe this is the year. Maybe today is the day. Nothing can separate you from the peace that God offers you except your own rebellion and refusal to let it rest on you. It doesn’t matter how far you feel you are from God or how long you’ve been living apart from him. You’re never more than one step away. Take that step today and receive the peace that only comes through Jesus Christ.
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“Love always protects, always trusts…” (1 Corinthians 13:7, NIV)
“…bears all things, believes all things…” (1 Corinthians 13:7, NKJV)
Love is a verb. It is not a state of being. It is a willful choice and it behaves in particular ways. Paul makes clear what love is and what it is not, because there are many people, especially today, who seek to confuse what love actually is. I could not believe what I was reading when Rob Bell in Velvet Elvis suggests the Bible leaves more questions than answers and used “Love your neighbor” from Luke as his example (page 31). He asks, “What does it mean to love?”, “Who is my neighbor?”, “The Bible doesn’t say, so it’s more confusing than clear.” My literal response to that was: “Did you not read the rest of the passage where Jesus addressed a Pharisee for asking that very question and gave the parable of the Good Samaritan? Did you not read 1 Corinthians 13?” This is the same man who wrote Love Wins a few years later, which promotes the false doctrine of universalism, the idea that everyone will get to heaven even if they do not receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The Bible is clear and while I am not perfect nor a great orator, when I speak and write I seek to give a clear message so anyone who hears and reads me knows exactly what it is they embrace or reject. I hope that has been the case in this series on 1 Corinthians 13. Today, I will l look at two actions of love: protection and trust.
Love Always Protects
Ray Comfort gives an account of being an assistant pastor when a couple was getting into a very heated argument. The man was not a Christian and he was a big man. The woman was quite small and as he arrived, he pushed her to the ground. Ray raced up to stand between the aggressive man and his girlfriend and he was about to punch his lights out. Then Ray’s wife, a very tiny gal, raced in front of him and said, “Don’t you touch my husband.” The man turned and punched the wall and left the church. Both of them were left shaking in fear. He described how his wife’s love for him drove fear out of her to protect him.
Love always protects. Love acts as a shield. Shields are designed to take the hit so you don’t have to. Girls, stop looking for a knight in shining armor; shining armor is armor which has never been tested in battle. You want a man who has seen battle and when trouble comes, he will rise up and defend you. I am a fencer and coach. I teach the Epee discipline at a local club. In Epee, the target is the entire body, and the weapon hand and arm is the most sought after target because its closer to you. The weapon has a large “bell guard” which protects that hand. Most fencers have “bell guards” which are totally dinged up and beaten up because they have been hit, protecting the hand and arm. Anytime I see a brand-new bell guard when I fence, I want to hit it. Love protects and to protect means you get hit instead of someone else. This is intercession in a nutshell. Love intercedes.
You cannot protect someone unless there is a viable threat against that someone. Why do you build a shelter? To protect you from heat, cold, rain, wind, snow, wild beasts, or strangers. You lock your doors at night. Why? Because you don’t trust those outside to leave your property alone. You lock things up because you want to protect the valuables inside your house and that includes you and your family. You love them so you will protect them.
Our churches today and our generation as a whole do not love anything but ourselves because we are not protecting others from legitimate enemies. We are quick to protect ourselves but that is as far as it goes. We have a generation with no warriors who will fight for a cause greater than self and self’s interests. Pastors are not standing up to false teachings or teachers who are devouring the sheep for fear of offending the goats, let alone the wolves. Anytime someone dares to do so, said speakers of truth are mocked, insulted, accused of legalism, or simply booted out of their position so they can’t speak it. Love protects and love takes the hit. Love stands up to anything that would harm that which is loves.
Love Always Trusts
Love gives the benefit of the doubt. I have seen no better demonstration of such love than in the conversion of Nikki Cruz (story found here). Cruz was the most violent gang warlord, wore a trashcan for protection, and had a nail-riddled bat, and create all kinds of havoc. Until a tiny preacher from nowhere Pennsylvania by the name of David Wilkerson came to the streets of New York City. He held a revival meeting, inviting multiple gangs to the event, when war was always on the verge of breaking out, and took an offering. Cruz was one of the “enforcers” and Wilkerson had Cruz finish by going behind the stage where the back door was visible before brining it to him. Cruz realized right before he was about to run with the money that Wilkerson trusted him with that money. He delivered it and was saved that night.
Love always is willing to give someone another chance. It is not gullible nor it is an enabler of sin, but it always strives to see the best in people. Love does not care how many times someone has failed, but it strives to work with that person to see it through to completion. Nothing can build confidence in an athlete better than a coach being willing to play him/her in a clutch situation, especially if that athlete had failed in a similar situation before. When someone trusts you and you succeed in fulfilling that trust, there is a satisfaction which cannot be described.
Trusting love is gradually built. It is not instantly mature. You trust a child with a small task here and there and then as they prove faithful in the small tasks, they soon are given bigger tasks. But if that trust is not built, then expectations are also kept low. Jesus trusted his Church upon a band of 12 misfits who had also sorts of problems, including giving the money bag to a thief who would eventually betray him. Was that trust misplaced or naïve? Not necessarily. Jesus knew who he was and he was giving Judas every opportunity to not take the path he eventually would take. Yet when the Holy Spirit took over at Pentecost, the eleven who remained turned the world upside down because Jesus put his trust in men whom the world rejected but had what was needed to do the job.
Love protects and love trusts. Next week, we will see how love always hopes and always perseveres.
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“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16)
You know how some things from your childhood have a way of sticking with you for years? This is one of those for me. I went to a parochial school, and at my kindergarten graduation ceremony, each student had to recite one of the ten commandments, usually with a partner. This, the eighth commandment, was the one I memorized and recited with my classmate Karla. The wording of it then was “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor,” and at 5 years old I didn’t fully understand those words, but I did get the general concept: don’t tell lies or in any other way be false with what you say.
Luther’s Small Catechism gives the meaning of this commandment as, “We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.” As we’ve been seeing with the commandments, this meaning takes things further than being commanded to not do something, but rather it instructs us on what we should do instead. Don’t just not lie about or betray our neighbor, but we should speak well of him or her in all situations.
This brings up the question of who is our neighbor? Jesus answered that question very well with the story of the Good Samaritan, which you can find in Luke 10:25-37. The teacher of the law had this very same question of who exactly is one’s neighbor, though his motivation was to make himself look good. But Jesus’ answer remains true, that every person is our neighbor, whether they’re like us in certain ways or not.
We see many other places in the Bible where the idea this commandment is echoed. Proverbs 19:5 says, “A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will not go free.” Ephesians 4:25 says, “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” Proverbs 6:19 says, “A false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.”
The opposite of speaking falsely is, of course, speaking truthfully. We honor God and show that we love Him when we speak truthfully to others instead of lying and saying false things. For more on what the Bible says about truth, check out this blog post.
In the original Hebrew, this commandment could be literally translated as, “You shall not answer your neighbor as a witness of deception.” When you’re a witness to something, you’re sharing your experience of that event or person. We should be witnesses of truth, especially God’s truth, instead of being witnesses of falsity and deception.
It may not seem like a big deal if we tell a little while lie to someone else, and we may not experience immediate negative consequences for it. But any time we do not speak truthfully, we are sinning against God. Whenever we sin, we separate ourselves from God - and that goes for ANY sin, not just the ones we consider to be “big.” If we can’t be faithful and truthful in our speech, then it’s unlikely we’ll be faithful and truthful in the bigger things in life (Luke 16:10).
Where in your life are you struggling with being truthful? Are there particular people or situations who seem to bring out falsehood from your mouth? I encourage you to examine your speech this week to see where you can ask the Spirit to help you be more truthful and encouraging, rather than being false and bringing others down.
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by Logan Ames
One of the all-time great movies to watch during the holiday season is It’s a Wonderful Life. It wasn’t that long ago that I had never seen the movie and people wondered what my problem was. I even went to college in the town where Jimmy Stewart grew up and I was like, “Who’s Jimmy Stewart?” Now, I can honestly say that if you’ve never seen it, you’ve got a problem and you need to fix that! The movie is the story of George Bailey, who was down on his luck and down on his life. He has no hope for the future. Just as he is contemplating ending it all, an angel enters the scene, in the strangest of ways I might add, to begin to show him what the world and his town would be like if he were never born. Through this process, George sees that he has a purpose in this life and that purpose gives him hope.
What is it that gives you hope? I’ve decided this year that I will write on the four traditional themes of Advent during the weeks leading up to Christmas, which are hope, peace, joy, and love. Our faith in Jesus Christ tells us that we find each of these things in him. We may find them temporarily in other things, but Jesus is the ONLY way we find lasting hope, peace, joy, and love. So, I ask you again, what is it that gives you hope? If you’re feeling like George Bailey and questioning why you’d even want to keep going, then you need something to help you step back from the ledge, something to give you lasting hope.
Hope is more than just wanting something. Merriam-Webster defines hope as “desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment." When we are lacking hope, sometimes it’s a desire that needs to change, and other times it’s an expectation connected to that desire that needs to change. Right now, I desire to see the Pittsburgh Steelers win another Super Bowl. But if I EXPECT that to happen to the point that I will be disappointed if it doesn’t, even after I’ve seen them blow great chances over the past few years, then the problem is with my expectation that I’ve allowed to give me false hope. True hope is not defined in the Bible, but it does give us the necessary formula for it. Romans 5:3-5a tells us, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame." If you’re wondering how you’re going to regain hope, there’s your formula right there. You might not like it, but the suffering is necessary. If you’re suffering today, I’ve got great news for you - you’re one step closer to hope!
Since hope involves desires AND expectations, I want to spend a little time talking about both. Too often, we just do whatever we can to avoid pain and suffering. We might even say that we are trusting God to take it away. We place our hope in the suffering being ended or removed according to OUR timing. What if God doesn’t see it that way? What if his plan is different than yours? What if he plans to continue to allow the suffering to last as he molds you into his masterpiece? I know that some of you reading this are dealing with very intense suffering right now, but this is even true with regular inconveniences. For the past two years at my church, it has rained during our annual Trunk-or-Treat event at the end of October. We have prayed against it and even trusted God to keep OUR plans from being altered, yet the rain has still come. Last year, we were even defiant. The forecast kept saying “100% chance of rain” and we kept saying that we would trust God and believe by faith that he would keep it away. How ridiculous! God was telling us ahead of time that it was going to rain and we should be prepared for it. Instead, we acted like we could will God into doing what WE want. It was a lesson for us to learn to trust his plan no matter what. Needless to say, we approached this year humbly.
We can keep expecting God to do things our way and we can even disguise it and make it sound “Christian” by calling it faith. But what good is it to have faith in something that God hasn’t even promised? Thomas Edison said, “For faith, as well intentioned as it may be, must be built on facts, not fiction – faith in fiction is a damnable false hope." It’s kind of like when we keep doing the same thing in life and keep turning to the same answers even though we know they haven’t worked. That’s the definition of insanity, often attributed to Einstein and others.
The Jewish people who lived through times of suffering and times of prosperity in the Old Testament had the desire for a messiah, but they also had expectations. They had good reason to expect a messiah because their prophets told them one would be coming over and over again. Yet, because of their expectations of what the messiah would look like, they ultimately rejected Jesus when he came and said he was the One (John 4:25-26 and Matthew 27:11). They rejected him because he didn’t look or act like their vision of a king and warrior (Mark 6:1-6). They rejected him because he didn’t fit into their box of what the Messiah would look like.
But Jesus cannot be boxed in. I mean, if we box Jesus into OUR expectations and then say "he is our hope," well then we don't have much hope, do we? Find the box closest to you. As you can see, it’s not very big. Hope should not be that containable. Jesus did not come as a battle commander ready to kill everyone who stood in his way. He came as a baby, to a very young and poor virgin woman and her faithful husband-to-be. He was born not in a rich and mighty palace, but in the humblest of circumstances, in a manger (a dirty feeding trough for animals) in a lowly stable outside of Bethlehem. Many of the Jews would've thought, how can this be the One? How many times have we missed God's blessing, or missed the hope he was giving us, because we were too obstructed by our own expectations?
Joseph and Mary were living in dark times. The Romans ruled over them and their people, and sometimes we forget how terrible that was for them. The Romans weren't necessarily caring people. Many were losing hope, but once Joseph and Mary received the word from the Lord that was so real they couldn't possibly ignore it, they knew they had reason to hope. Did Mary want to go through an unexpected pregnancy as a teenager, deal with all the judgmental stares and words that would come her way, and have to figure out how to raise and support a child she didn't plan for? Not a chance. If Mary experienced this today, would there be no shortage of people encouraging her to "get rid of it" and move on with her life? Of course. But Mary and Joseph were unwilling to allow their plans, their expectations, or their worldly hopes to box Jesus in. They opened their hearts, their home, and their lives to the hope of the whole world that could not be contained in a box. They were both separately visited by the angel who told them that God was sending his Son to the world through them, and they would name him “Jesus," because he would save the people from their sins (Matthew 1:21 and Luke 1:31). They may not have known how it would all work out for them, but they trusted in the hope that God was providing even through their suffering.
The name “Jesus” comes from the Greek Iesous, which is translated from the Hebrew Yeshua or Joshua. No matter what language we use to say his name, it means “the Lord saves." What do you need "saved" from today? If you've never come to know Jesus as your personal Savior, then you have not yet been saved from your sins. The angel told Joseph before Jesus was even born that he'd be the one to complete this work of salvation, but if you have not accepted that for yourself, then your sins still have reign over your life. You need a Savior, and Jesus is the only One. But even if you’ve already accepted him as your Savior, maybe you haven’t been living under the hope that he is also Lord. You see what’s going on in your life or in the world and you feel like evil is winning. Today is the day to declare that no matter what, you have HOPE because Jesus is still on the throne and still in control. May your Christmas season, and the rest of your life, be filled with this hope that will never put you to shame!
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“Love does not delight in Evil; but rejoices with the Truth.” (1 Corinthians 13:6, NIV)
“…does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth.” (1 Corinthians 13:6, NKJV)
This one is much harder to truly grasp today than most would think. It is common sense, yet in our post-modern world what evil and truth are have almost completely been switched. Who in their right mind would rejoice in evil? That’s a very good question, but all it takes is to look at the news headlines to see that there is much rejoicing in evil today and much hatred of truth.
Twenty years ago, it was unfathomable that homosexuality would be embraced publicly, and to speak against it would be met with such opposition. Many are still alive today who remember when it was a crime to kill a baby in the womb, yet today more than ever before there is praise for doing it. I still remember the time that women who had an abortion were ashamed and broken because of it, and now we are seeing them boasting about how many they’ve had. And now it is considered ‘love’ to have sex with whom you want, when you want, how often you want, and don’t dare bring up the consequences for such action. In 1962, right when God was removed from the public square, there were only two known sexually-transmitted diseases. Today, there are over 60 and we have the government trying to enforce vaccines against some of them, even without parental permission for our young girls, instead of recognizing that if the girl stayed pure and the guy stayed pure through marriage there is a complete and total of ZERO percent chance of getting it. Today, there is much delight in evil.
But that’s the ever-increasing pagan world. What about us? Do we delight in evil? I would dare say many of us do far more so than we think. I know that because I see some of it in me. Where? How? The answer is easily found in our prayer life. I’ll never forget when David Wilkerson rebuked many who would rather see certain people dead than saved. While I deal with many frustrating God-haters (including some who claim to be Christians) and while I drive on our highways, many times I’d rather not deal with them than to seek and pray for their salvation. They only do what they do because they are lost and deceived.
Why do we seek the ill of those we don’t like? It is one thing to cry out for justice and ask for God to repay the evil they are doing. David frequently poured his heart out to God on those issues in the Psalms, yet David would not take any action upon himself to demand justice for himself. It is something else to want to go up to someone and slap them silly for doing something you didn’t like.
I want to make something very clear here. The kind of love we need for this task is something we cannot muster up on our own. It can only be given. It must be practiced, but it cannot nor will not be found within our own natural abilities. It’s much harder to conjure up when you know the truth and the other person does not want it. It must be given to us by God and it usually only begins to manifest in our lives when we embrace that love from God upon ourselves.
Love does not rejoice in anything evil nor does it seek the fall of those around us. It does, however, rejoice in truth. When judgment and truth prevail, that is a time to rejoice. When truth wins out, love celebrates. But even in the downfall of the wicked, love still seeks mercy. The person who best illustrates this aspect of love is Richard Wurmbrand, most famous for his book Tortured for Christ and the ministry The Voice of the Martyrs which he started.
Richard Wurmbrand spent 14 years in Communist Romanian prisons where he was repeatedly beaten and tortured. He could not wear shoes because his feet had been brutalized so much. Yet when the Communists were overthrown, Wurmbrand pleaded with the people to grant the Communist dictator mercy, despite being the one who completely destroyed the country. He rejoiced that evil had been defeated, but he did not delight in the revenge sought by the people.
Love seeks the repentant heart. Luke 15 contains three parables where Jesus describes how there will be greater rejoicing over one sinner who repents and is saved than there are those who never left or were lost. This does not diminish the reward of those who stay loyal and follow God without wavering, but we see a glimpse of God’s heart on how he longs for and seeks to save those who are lost. Quite often the greatest men God has used were once in the pit of sin, regardless of whether they were “in the gutter” or not. Love seeks after those who are lost and does not relent until they have been won.
Love does not play a role in supporting, assisting, or enjoying evil. It does not participate in coarse joking, telling them or laughing with them. It does not go “partying” with the world, take drugs, drink, nor talk or act like the world as it does its evil deeds. It does not plot ill-will towards any other, no matter how tempting it is.
Love instead draws the line between good and bad, true and falsehood, the clean and the unclean, and the holy and the unholy. It draws the line but always beckons those on the wrong side of it to come over. Love knows that judgment is going to come to that side and it constantly pleads for those in sin to repent and escape the judgment that is coming. It is not a threat in that if people do not turn from their sin God is going to wipe them out; it’s a promise. Every one of us is doomed apart from receiving the grace of God. Love is what God shows in offering us mercy because he has no obligation to give it to us.
Let us operate in true, Biblical love. So far we have seen the importance of love in all we do, that love is patient and kind; that it does not envy nor boast; that it is not rude nor self-seeking; that it is not easily angered, nor keeps records of wrong; and that it does not delight in evil, but rejoices in truth. In December, I will cover the good actions that love does. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, and then above all it never fails. Then I will wrap up 2018 with how love is to be the greatest of all the gifts of God including faith and hope. Stay tuned.
This forum is meant to foster discussion and allow for differing viewpoints to be explored with equal and respectful consideration. All comments are moderated and any foul language or threatening/abusive comments will not be approved. Users who engage in threatening or abusive comments which are physically harmful in nature will be reported to the authorities.
