The Stand-up Philosopher

Naboth’s Vineyard

I haven’t written a Bible post in a while. I came across a thought this morning that seemed worth writing about.

When people tell me “the Bible is boring”, I question how much of it they’ve read. Sure, some portions can be VERY tedious to read. Genealogies, for instance, are hard to read just to read. You’ve got to have a certain mindset to plow through Leviticus, and even I dread having to read Ezra. It’s hard to read some of the prophets without learning the background of who is being written to and why. Some books, like Isaiah and Jeremiah, were written over a lifetime. It takes some homework to be able to understand either.

The New Testament has challenges too. Even Peter had trouble understanding Paul:

2 Pe 3:[15] And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, [16] as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. (ESV) (emphasis mine)

But the historical books are different. These are accounts of things that really happened. And they contain some VERY graphic descriptions of events and people. Battles. Massacres. Rebellions. Rape. Incest. It holds little back.

Naboth ’ s Vineyard

I haven’t written a Bible post in a while. I came across a thought this morning that seemed worth writing about.

When people tell me “the Bible is boring”, I question how much of it they’ve read. Sure, some portions can be VERY tedious to read. Genealogies, for instance, are hard to read just to read. You’ve got to have a certain mindset to plow through Leviticus, and even I dread having to read Ezra. It’s hard to read some of the prophets without learning the background of who is being written to and why. Some books, like Isaiah and Jeremiah, were written over a lifetime. It takes some homework to be able to understand either.

The New Testament has challenges too. Even Peter had trouble understanding Paul:

2 Pe 3:[15] And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, [16] as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. (ESV) (emphasis mine)

But the historical books are different. These are accounts of things that really happened. And they contain some VERY graphic descriptions of events and people. Battles. Massacres. Rebellions. Rape. Incest. It holds little back.

I was reading about Naboth’s Vineyard this morning. The scary thing is, it actually starts very reasonably:

I Kings [21:1] Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. (ESV)

It’s a factual statement. Naboth had a vineyard that happened to be next door to Ahab the King’s palace.

[2] And after this Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.”

This is actually very reasonable. Maybe I see it that way because I’m in Real Estate, but there’s nothing wrong with this. “Naboth, your vineyard is next to my house. I’d like to buy it from you so I can put a garden there. I can walk to that garden from my house. In exchange for your vineyard, I will give you a plot of land that is better. Or I will compensate you monetarily. In either case, I will give you an exchange in value that is greater than the value of your land, because I want the location.”

The text doesn’t say anything about whether Naboth’s house was next to the vineyard. Wherever Naboth lived, the land was apparently closer to Ahab’s palace.

Next, Naboth responds to Ahab’s offer:

[3] But Naboth said to Ahab, “The LORD forbid *that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”

Maybe it’s because I grew up in the military and moved a lot. Home is where I park my car. I’ve lived in my current house for 9 years, which is a record for my life. I’ve been in New Jersey for 11 years. Again, a record. Prior to that, my longest stretch lived in one place was in Texas for 7 years. One of the houses we lived at in Texas I’d lived in for 4 years. I can understand Naboth’s attachment to his inheritance. I won’t bore you with the Torah’s instructions for land.

I would have at least asked Ahab “What do you have?” But Naboth was well within his rights to respond the way he did. There was absolutely nothing unreasonable about Ahab’s request up to this point. But now, events go off the deep end:

[4] And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food.

Ahab was understandably disappointed, but the account paints him as crying like a baby. I wonder if he tried holding his breath before he decided to demonstrate his maturity by not eating.

Then it goes south. His wife, Jezebel, asks him why he’s crying. Then she sends out letters to the elders asking them to hold a feast with Naboth as the guest of honor, and to bring out false witnesses accusing him of speaking out against God and the king. Then to stone him.

Amazingly, they comply. Talk about corruption. Naboth is setup, falsely accused, stoned to death, and Ahab is told to take possession of his vineyard. Then Elijah shows up. No account involving Elijah could possibly be boring. I’d like to encourage you to read it for yourself.

Judging and Condemning

I’ve been wanting to write this post for a long time. I doubt it’s going to become the long essay I originally wanted to write.

We’ve all heard people make comments like “Don’t judge me” or “You shouldn’t judge people”. Why?

The ironic thing is that these statements are often followed by some very judgmental statements, like “You shouldn’t judge people, you jerk!” “Don’t judge me. You’re so intolerant.”

As an amateur philosopher (and as The Stand-Up Philosopher), I have tried to construct a world in which it is possible to live without making any judgments at all. I can’t. It’s impossible.

If it were possible to live without judging anybody, why do we have a legal profession? Why is there an entire occupation known as judges?

Chances are, it’s a total misunderstanding of a couple of verses in something known as “The Sermon on the Mount”. You can find the relevant verse in Matthew 7, verse 1:

7 “Judge  not, that you be not judged

The problem is, it doesn’t stop there. The entire point to this passage is not that you should never judge anybody at any time for any reason. That’s impossible. Jesus continues:

2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
The New King James Version. 1982 (Mt 7:2–5). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

The whole point to the passage it to make sure that you’re straightened out before you confront somebody else about a “sin” in his or her life.

My point to this post is not to “preach” at you. I get annoyed when people don’t use the right words.

I think instead of “don’t judge me”, what people mean is “don’t condemn me.” Try using that next time. It’s impossible to make it through life without making judgments about people and things. Think about it, you have to “judge” distance when you drive.

The Ugly Side of Acts 6

It’s been a while since I’ve written a Bible or church related post. I don’t count my spiritual work post because it was about general spirituality.

The church we’d been going to the last 8 years appointed deacons two or three times in that period. As the church identified the need for new deacons and ramped up into eventual nomination, topical sermons were preached. Acts 6 always came up in those sermon series. I imagine it’s the same in most churches that have to appoint new servants.

The sermons usually centered around the need to appoint deacons so that the apostles can attend to higher priorities. It’s kind of like how Moses let himself get bogged down in judging every Israelite case of “He stole my chicken!” rather than leading them through the desert like he was supposed to.

Where Do We Get The Idea That People Engaged in “Spiritual Work” Are On Another Plane?

On Saturday, Seth Godin posted an entry on his blog titled “Phoning It In.” First, I want to state that I agree with his conclusion that we need passion in our work. We shouldn’t be, as they say in show business, “Phoning our lines in”.

I want to address the start of the post:

I was talking to a religious leader, someone who runs a congregation. She made it clear to me that on many days, it's just a job. A job like any other, you show up, you go through the motions, you get paid.

I guess we find this disturbing because spiritual work should be real, not faked.

I’m curious about where the misconception came from that people engaged in “Spiritual work” exist on some higher plane. I notice that even fairly well-studied believers somehow see pastors and elders and deacons as somehow holier.

Patience: Can You Pray For It, Or Just Do It?

I was having a talk with some friends from church recently, and the subject of patience came up. The subject came up along with the old line “I’ve been praying for patience.” I’ve done that plenty of times myself.

I started to change my perspective on patience recently though. I was studying the Proverbs. I started reading one chapter each day, the chapter that corresponds to the calendar date (for instance, today would be Proverbs 20 because it’s September 20th). I stopped recently though, and have to get back to it.

I’m sure anybody who has studied Proverbs has also heard some of the Proverbs taught legalistically. For instance, Proverbs 22:6 says “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” I have heard of people being counseled by pastors or other church members that when one of their children runs astray, it’s their fault for not training up the child.

Tim Challies- Don't Take Your iPod to Church

Last Friday, Tim Challies posted "Don't Take Your iPod to Church" to his blog. (UPDATE: Today he posted a 1.5 update as he continues to develop his argument.) I normally enjoy Tim's posts, and I read through this one. I didn't agree with it, and since nobody else had commented, I left the first comment. I did my best to be reasonable, and I hope my comment came off that way. I then spent the weekend far too busy to get back to read other comments. I also spend some time thinking about the issue. The last thing I would want is for my own pride to get in the way. I've been reading the Bible on electronic devices for years. I find it much easier to carry and study the Scriptures from a handheld and from a laptop. When I teach classes in church, I've taken to bringing my laptop to church and teaching from my notes.

As I processed my thoughts on Tim's post over the weekend, I came to a realization that his arguments against reading the Bible on a mobile device, especially in church, seem to come from the same reasoning that old people might use in their "any hymn written after 1850 is from the Devil!" arguments. Simply because something is new does not make it bad, and simply because something is old does not make it good or right. Speaking of hymns, I'm about burned out on the 19th century hymns my church sings.

Sometimes, in an effort to be pious or to urge other believers to holiness, Christians make some really weird arguments. Two weeks ago, a lot of Christian blogs were repeating a post about why you shouldn't Twitter in church. I couldn't resist: I sat down in church that Sunday and Twittered that I was Twittering in church in response to a blog post I read. OK, the service hadn't started yet, but I felt like I had to. (My wife was furious with me when she saw that tweet on Facebook later). 

To this point, I'm not convinced that the possibility of misuing technology or being sidetracked by technology equals an admonition to not use technology in Bible study or corporate worship. I'm also not convinced that just because Twitter can be distracting means I shouldn't use it in church either. I know at least one person who attends our church's second service reads my first service Tweets.

Nehemiah As an Example of Male Leadership

My church is going to start a new men’s group. It’s proven to be a real challenge as we are a “freeway church”, that is, our membership is pretty well spread out. We’re not a community church where our membership generally lives nearby. My house is currently about 10 miles from the church, and if we sell and move into my in-laws’, I’ll be 20 miles out. Some people come from even farther. We’re also incredibly busy. Trying to find a date and time for a men’s group to meet has been difficult. I can’t do breakfast meetings because I get to work at 6:30 AM. We finally settled on Thursday afternoon, with our first meeting being today. We’ll see how it goes.

In preparation for our first meeting, I read the book of Nehemiah from the perspective of male leadership. For the past several weeks our pastors have been preaching from Nehemiah. Several things stood out to me during this read. For one thing, Nehemiah considered Jerusalem as a reproach with the walls down. Putting the walls back up would make the city no longer a reproach. I have to wonder if there is anything I can draw from that. Is a person, a family, a church, a group, a society, etc. a reproach with a broken wall, a lack of boundaries, or no form of defensive security and self-containment? Is there a broader application? I don’t like to over-spiritualize or allegorize parts of the Bible for which neither was intended, but in many cases there is a deeper message. I don’t have the answer now, but I do plan to study this.

2009 Goal Update: Books

I figure I’ll be transparent about this one. I set a goal to read 100 books this year. I haven’t picked them out yet. So far, according to my records in Evernote, I’ve read 8.

Why 100? No particular reason, except that it sounds ambitious. I’m hoping over the course of achieving this goal, I learn how to read faster, and I learn how to absorb more. I’m not sure if I’m going to post reviews of a certain percentage or not. I’ll of course post them for the Thomas Nelson books I review, and if anything really stands out to me, I’ll post it as well. I’ll also add books I’m reading or that have influenced my life to my Amazon A-store. Check it from time to time, and feel free to buy anything that interests you from my affiliate.

What books am I going to read? I have no idea. No doubt I’ll read some from the bookcase full of books that I haven’t read yet. I’ll probably read some public domain books that I download online. I’ll also probably buy some new books and check other books out from the library.

Children and Scripture Memorization

Starting this past September, we’ve been taking our boys to an AWANA program at the Berean Baptist Church in Magnolia, NJ. My wife grew up in AWANA and thought it would be good for the kids. As part of AWANA, they have to listen to a story and memorize a Bible verse every week. That’s been interesting at some points. The first several weeks, I had trouble finding time to work with them, but I’ve found that they do a better job if I (rather than my wife) work with them. I don’t know why this is, but it seems to work better.

The verses I can best describe as children’s adaptations from the King James. I was having trouble getting them to understand this week’s verse properly. The adaptation is from Luke 5:20 and goes “He said unto him, man, thy sins are forgiven.” Caleb kept saying “my sins are forgiven.” That’s not what the verse is saying. My wife told me that I can adapt it so they’ll understand it. I decided to give them the verse in context “Jesus said unto him, Man, your sins are forgiven.” They kept saying “ma’am” in that verse. I was looking for a quick way to explain it, and I tried a quick adaptation of the verse that is sure to draw the ire of their teachers: “Jesus said unto him, Dude, your sins are forgiven.” Unfortunately, that one took and I’ve been trying to break them of it since.

The Chronological Study Bible- Review

After starting a trial program with The Faith of Barack Obama and Through the Storm, Thomas Nelson has decided to formalize a program of allowing bloggers to receive free copies of books in exchange for a minimum 200 word review. TN does not require positive or negative; only that the book be read through and reviewed. Don't believe me? Here's a negative review of one of their books, with a comment by Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson.

When Thomas Nelson rolled out their Book Review Bloggers site, there were 8 books up for review, two of which I had already reviewed. I decided to take on the Chronological Study Bible for review. I figured if I like it, it would be an asset to me. If I didn't like it, it would prove to me that I don't like chronological Bibles. I once downloaded a piece of software called "The Bible Planner." I don't know if it's still available. I never used the calendar, tasks, or other organizer utilities, but it came with a daily Bible reading plan. The Bible was arranged roughly in order. I read it for 3 months, but didn't like it. It was in the King James, which I was using heavily at the time. For some reason, I just stopping liking the trusty old KJV for daily reading (though it's still superior for quoting and memorizing) and settled on the New King James, which is the translation used for Thomas Nelson's Chronological Study Bible.

Christian Heuristics

When I took my first Systems Analysis class, I was introduced to the word "heuristic". Wikipedia defines heuristic as a rule of thumb used to solve a problem among other things that you can read on your own.

I've been wanting to write this post for a while, but I partly haven't had time, nor have I known exactly what I wanted to say. I also realize that what I want to say could violate some principles that I'm supposed to hold to, or at the minimum could hurt some feelings.

Christians in 21st century America (at least, this is where I live, possibly it's the same in other western countries) have developed some strange heuristics, or rules of thumb. Some of them are starting to drive me nuts. I have no idea where they come from, I have no idea where the idea that they have any effectiveness came from, and I have no idea why they persist despite no evidence of any fruit whatsoever being produced by and through them. All I really want to accomplish with this post is to share some thoughts, and maybe get a productive discussion going about them. That's all I want. I don't want to hurt any feelings, attract any flames, or cause any problems.

My Comments on Fireproof

This is the post the just will not, well, post. I originally wrote it the day I saw Fireproof as a pre-screening at the NJ Firefighter’s Convention. I edited it several times, including after having a fight with my wife which caused me to re-write some parts of it. Now that Fireproof has been out for more than a week, and I have a few hours at home by myself, I’m trying to get it finished and posted in the hopes of posting before Fireproof was released, but that just didn’t happen. I have no idea why, other than I just got too busy with work and family and other interests to polish this blog post to the point where I felt comfortable putting it out for “the world”, which consists of anybody who haplessly stumbles by my blog. I’m not sure if I have any regular readers or not at this point.

Since originally writing this entry, several weeks have passed. I even read Kirk Cameron’s autobiography, “Still Growing”, which my wife pointed out to me at the library. I actually finished reading it this morning, and I can’t get the darn “Growing Pains” theme out of my head even though it’s been close to 2 decades since I last heard it. The autobiography does mention his role in Fireproof right at the end. In any case, with minor editing included today, here follows my original post, dated from Sep 13 & 14, 2008. I will make minor edits, but will not spend the time cleaning up the “today” and “yesterday” references.

_____________________________________________

STR: Are Sermons Enough?

http://str.typepad.com/weblog/2008/08/are-sermons-eno.html

Stand to Reason has a blog post this morning asking the question: Are Sermons enough? An excerpt from the post:

 

I came across this Chinese proverb recently:

"I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand."

For any of us who want to help Christians grow in knowledge, wisdom, and character, I have a question:

Can we continue to rely on sermons as the primary educational vehicle in our churches?

Lecture-type presentations are an essential piece to the puzzle, to be sure, but let's be honest about how much the average listener remembers from a typical sermon. Even more importantly, let's be honest about how much of the material we present the average listener actually uses after we are long gone.

I have to admit, many sermons, even good ones, don’t do much for me after I walk out. Some sermons leave me wondering how much time preachers ended up with for preparation at the end of the week. Our preachers are normally good, but some weeks I wonder if they didn’t just dust off an old sermon or borrow one from online. That is no joke; I’ve seen it happen. One year for Easter, our minister Dan used one of Rick Warren’s sermons. I know this for a fact because I run the computer and sound system and I had the sermon transcript and Rick Warren’s name was crossed off and replaced with Dan’s. Being Easter Sunday, the message was hardly relevant. It was along the lines of “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” I had it figured out before I saw Rick Warren’s name. I’m not complaining; I’m just saying.

I personally prefer the expositional sermon. I’m not too fond of topical sermons. I seem to get more out of a sermon that focuses on teaching the Bible. The Holy Spirit can give me the meaning and application. I’d love to sit in a church under a preacher like John MacArthur.

It’s not that I sit in the pew looking to critique, but I have caught a few gaffes. I remember one sermon not too long ago where Paul’s first and second imprisonments were confused.

In any case, back to the point of my link to STR, I think they are right. I have a bad habit of wanting to sit around studying the Bible, but I know I fall short on taking the Word out to the world. We’re in a small group this year that plans to focus on one service project a month, so we'll see where that leads. I could use some leading into real world ministry.

Technorati Tags: church,sermons,application

Bait and Switch Evangelism

This morning during my church’s Bible class hour, we had an interesting discussion. The class opened with the talk about “How many of you found that your life became more difficult after you became a Christian?” That was followed by the question of how many of us were told that “coming to Christ” would make our lives easier? I was able to answer the first question in the affirmative, but I’m not so sure about the second. I’d heard many “pitches” for the Gospel over the years. I guess it was at the right time that some friends came into our lives that I was receptive.

The question got me thinking though, and I put up my hand to talk about how sometimes, evangelism sounds like a bait and switch scam. “Oh, if you come to Jesus, everything will be easier. You won’t be sick anymore, you’ll have lots of money and friends.”

“OK, I came to Jesus, and my life is falling apart. You told me everything would get better!”

“Oh, did I say that? Well, I meant everything would get better in the next life.”

To be honest, I hate when Biblical discussions degenerate into that “well, those promises are for after this life.” I realize where people are going with that, but the entire Bible takes place over 2000 and several nations so there are some promises that are specific for Israel at specific times, others for Israel in the future, others for the church now, others for the church in the future, and yet there are others for God’s people throughout time. It is very sloppy to just slap a spiritualized interpretation on everything. There is some allegory in the Bible, but it always seemed to me that the Bible will tell you what those are during careful study.

I guess I have little room to talk though. Whether I present the Gospel like I’m on commission or not, it’s been years since I’ve tried to talk to anybody outside of the church about Jesus. My non-Christian readers should have no fear about me showing up preaching on street corners anytime soon.

Free Chuck Smith Books Online

I do enjoy writing about Bible topics, although I often don’t on my blog. Sometimes I feel the urge to, but I tend to stay away from them. Part of it has to do with my behavior, part of it has to do with I’m not sure who the audience for my blog is. People stumble across through all kinds of search terms. Recently I came across a comment about God speaking through Balaam’s ass (donkey in the King’s English) and I realized that perhaps I am qualified to occasionally speak on such topics on my blog.

When I first started studying the Bible, I had all kinds of questions and a huge Internet. I spend a lot of time on sites that today I frankly would avoid. Sometimes the site is just not well made, other times the site uses poor logic and writing or takes a strange doctrinal stance. I’ve never really enjoyed searching for a certain topic, finding a site in Google that seems to have the answer, and landing on a page promising if I spend $150 for a DVD series, I’ll get my answer. I’m not disparaging anybody’s attempts to make money from research, work, and production, but that did me little good when I didn’t have the money.

There are lots of good, free resources for studying that Bible online, but finding them is not always easy. I’ll start you with a good one. Calvary Chapel of Hope on Long Island offers several of Chuck Smith’s books for free in online format. I’ll post some of my other resources later.

Bill Hull- How The Bible Rots

Bill Hull at Bible.org has an interesting post comparing Bible knowledge to manna that the Israelites ate during their wilderness wanderings. They were to gather only what they needed each day, except for the Sabbath, when the day before they were to gather enough to include the Sabbath. If they gathered more than they needed, it would rot.
From his post:

I was taught that the more bible I could get into me, the more mature I would become. I don't believe that anymore, at least in the way it was then framed. What my teachers meant was that the mind of Christ was transmitted via knowledge, I believe as Julian Green implies, it is transmitted through obedience.

Enjoy.

Why Do We Sing In Church?

Almost as if on cue after my blog post earlier about my church’s event yesterday, when I got home and we sat down for dinner, Joshua asked “Why do we sing in church?” Fully remembering my attitude yesterday morning, my wife told him “ask your daddy.”

Now I really felt on the spot. I immediately thought of something Chuck Missler said, about “The LORD inhabits the praises of His people.” I went looking through my Bible programs, and found that verse in the King James in Psalm 22:3. I also told Joshua, and I probably lost him by this point, that any glimpse the Bible gives us into Heaven shows people singing and praising God. This includes angels. Joshua asked me why, and I replied “Because God is so great.” At this point we degenerated into a “why?” train the likes of which would cause the most trained and educated apologist would to lose his sanity.

Other bloggers would leave a long chain of Bible references. I’m just summarizing, and relaying an apparent slap in the face concerning my attitude of late toward singing in church, or at least the apparent repertoire of hymns my church seems to limit itself to. I don’t see any account in Revelation or Isaiah of people singing “Jesus is my Flashlight”, but they’re still singing away.

I guess because I’m such a geek, when I don’t like something, for whatever reason, I just really don’t like it. I often can’t fake that I like something to be polite. I guess we can all be joyful that I didn’t go into professional ministry. I wanted to at one point, but I think the world will be a much happier place with me working as an engineer. Maybe I’ll tell the story of how I dropped out of Bible college later.

Jewish Priestly Passover Sacrifice

I came across this a long time ago, but I just now got a chance to watch it. As a 21st Century American, I really have no concept of what animal sacrifice is like. I see this as somewhat of a weak point when I study the Bible, as I don’t even have a basis to imagine the animal sacrifices. When meat gets to me, it no longer bears any resemblance to the animal it once was part of, and to be honest, I’m perfectly happy that way. However, I did enjoy the chance to see this brief video, which gave me at least an inkling of what the sacrificial worship system of ancient Judaism was like. Warning, this video could be considered graphic, as a lamb is sacrificed. The language spoken is probably Hebrew. I could make out when prayers or blessings were offered, but I obviously don’t understand what’s being said. Anyway, you can watch the video, if your stomach is willing, here.

Interesting Sermon: The Mind of Christ

In regards to my post about church last week, I just want to say that this blog is about me. I am not a professional writer, pastor, theologian, or any such thing. I consider myself somewhat of an amateur Bible scholar, emphasis on the word "amateur." As I said, this blog is about me. I'm 34, and though I've picked up a few things along the way, I still (hopefully) have a long way to go and a lot more to learn. I don't believe I would be ashamed if anybody from my church did read that entry last week, but I want to clarify that I'm not attempting to use this blog to put a sugar coat on anything. The book of Proverbs discusses wisdom. The Hebrew word for wisdom is kohkmah (unsure of exact spelling), which means among other things "skill." Wisdom is about learning and acquiring the skill of living well; of living a dynamic life. I am along on that journey myself. As I learn these skills, I'm sure my blogs will all tell some form of story. I go through the entire gamut here: I get confused, frustrated, exuberant, joyful, and just plain ticked off. One thing I will promise to do as a blogger is to not break any bounds of ethics or confidentiality. I will not mention anything that could be confidential to my employer, family, church, friends, contacts, etc. I will also do my best to avoid gossip and hearsay. I will attempt to verify my facts or state that I haven't.

In any case, I said that last week's sermon (and song selection) didn't do very much for me, but this week is another story, at least in regards to the sermon. Our other pastor, Steve, preached this week. Dan has been with the church for about 30 years. Steve just joined the church last year. We used to have a youth minister, so at the time I would refer to Dan as the "senior pastor," but Dan and Steve are very well matched in experience and maturity, and they don't seem to be differentiating whether one is senior or not, so I'll try not to.

Today's sermon was about the Mind of Christ. I forget the exact title, but it was centered around I Cor 2:

[16]  For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” * But we have the mind of Christ.

There was also a healthy dose of Philipians thrown in for good measure. Steve discussed as one of his points Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy. Cognitive Therapy, as we may know, goes like this:

Thoughts->Feelings->Actions (or Behaviors)

Behavioral Therapy goes like this:

Behavior (actions)->Feelings->Thoughts

The point was that feelings are in the middle. Our thoughts and actions do not change by changing our feelings. This would be a good post for some kind of self-help topic, but this isn't about self-help; it's about obeying Scripture. I'm sure if Steve came across this post, he'd think I'm ruining the entire point, but that's not my intent. I'm just discussing one aspect of it. I'm also not saying that I learned anything "new" today, but this was a great summary and refresher on things I'd heard before.

I can't speak for everybody else, but far too many details in my life have gotten lost because I didn't "feel" like it. That is entirely the wrong way to go about life. Rabbi Daniel Lapin, a man I really love to listen to, covered this point in one of his many materials that have crossed my monitor or iPod lately. He said something to the effect of "if you don't feel like doing something, just get up and start doing it. Your feelings will come inline with your actions later." Since hearing that, I have tried to take it to heart. In both of the models listed about, feelings are in the middle. You can change your thoughts, and you can change your actions, but it's apparently hard to change your feelings. When my wife asks me to go grocery shopping with her (which means taking both kids to a crowded Acme), I NEVER, EVER, under ANY circumstances, FEEL like doing it, but occasionally I will load the kids in the car and do it for her.

Steve also pointed out that nowhere in the Bible are we commanded (or even suggested) to feel anything. We are told to think on some things, and do other things. Some people come back with "Well, we're told to love" but the Greek agape implies a choice more than a feeling. True love is a choice. I was once infatuated with my wife, when my hormones and other assorted body chemicals gave me great feelings around her trying to trick me into getting married, but several years and two kids later, love is not a feeling, it is a choice.

This was a great sermon that engaged my mind and gave me something to think about, and write about, later on.

Technorati Tags: Sermons,church,feelings,actions

Interesting Post: How To Waste Your Seminary Education

http://fromthestudy.wordpress.com/2008/05/14/how-to-waste-your-theological-education/

I came across that link yesterday in my Google Reader feeds.

A.W. Tozer- Troubling Book Review

I recently came across this book review about a biography of A. W. Tozer. I didn't know very much about Tozer. I know he  was a preacher and evangelist and wrote many books. I've read a lot of quotes from him in other writings. Apparently he was some kind of spiritual giant. I've heard a lot of recommendations for his books, but I've also heard comments that his books can make you feel like he's beating you up for failing to live up to a very high standard.
The book review pointed out something interesting. He did not have much at all if any relationship with his wife and many of his children. He apparently had enough of a relationship to have several children, but his devotional and travel schedule left little room for his family. That troubles me. I obviously would love to be some kind of "super saint", walking hand in hand with God. I would love to spend the time reading and learning. I do the best I can, but what kind of testimony would I have if I neglected my job and my family?
I've heard that Martin Luther took to family life with a passion after a life as a monk. He truly enjoyed domestic life, and I've heard a quote from him that "a housewife washing diapers is more pleasing to God than a monk going through his prayers." On one level, devotion and worship to God are highly important, but on another, should they eclipse everything? No doubt, I should probably choose reading the Bible or a worthy book over watching Grey's Anatomy, but should I choose spending 4 hours in my closet praying over spending time with my boys, building a relationship and trying to demonstrate to them how to relate to the world as a Christian? I honestly never understood how people can pray that long. Should I spend my evenings reading theological works rather than try to take some of the load of raising the children off of my wife?
No doubt, these questions may seem easy on the surface, while they may go deep in exploration. We can find extremes in both directions. For a Christian, isn't living out faith in the day to day actions of our lives at least as important as outward demonstrations of piety?

Weird Dreams

I had some really strange dream last night. I normally have strange dreams, but this one came at a weird time. I dreamed that planes kept crashing right in front of me. One of them crashed into the Delaware River as I was driving across the Walt Whitman Bridge, presumably on my way to work (or to Philly International.) I don't buy into luck and omens (although I see some evidence, however circumstantial, for signs), but to put this in context, I have an early flight on Thursday.
I'm not too concerned. I did a Bible study on dreams, and came to the conclusion that when God sends a message in a dream to one of His people, they know the message when they wake up. It's only Pharaohs and kings of Babylon who need an interpreter.

Luke 8:55- Why Did Jesus Command the Girl Be Given Something to Eat?

Since I'm an IT geek, I tend to keep my blogs secular, but since I don't have the readership I've been hoping for, I decided I'll just write about whatever I want. One of my interests is the Bible. I decided a while ago, thanks to Dr. Chuck Missler, not to claim to take the Bible literally. Instead, I claim to take the Bible seriously. I've probably read through the whole thing a good five times, and other sections even more. I have no idea how much study it will take to actually learn the Bible. It seems that the more I study, the more I come to realize how little I know. At one point, I felt ready to teach the Bible. At another, I was ready to tell my church I can't teach; I don't feel like I know anything.

As I was doing my "daily" reading the other day (daily as in I attempt to read a certain amount of the Bible each day, but I don't always succeed), I came across the passage in Luke 8 where Jesus healed Jairus' daughter as well as the woman with the issue of blood. Jairus' daughter was 12, and the woman with the issue of blood had suffered that issue for 12 years. Interesting, ain't it? Apparently, the woman could not have been Jewish (like Jairus' daughter) as a Jewish woman with a bleeding problem would have to stay outside the camp.

I've read this passage many, many times. I've heard plenty of sermons and Bible podcasts on it, I've read books and blog entries on this passage, and the other day when I read it, something just jumped out at me in such as way that I don't feel like I can sleep until I settle it (yes, I have slept.) Watch this:

[55] Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat.

For whatever reason, I can't stop wondering why Luke felt it was important to record this information. I honestly can't. I'm a firm believer in inspiration and infallibility, but of course that is within the bonds of the individual writers. These people put words on scrolls, possibly with full knowledge that God was working through them and possibly without. Luke was an accomplice of Paul's, and it's possible that Luke and Acts were trial documents sent ahead of Paul's plea to Ceaser (Nero, of all people). Scrolls were not cheap, which is why the codices (early books) became popular with the early church. Why did Luke feel compelled to include the statement that Jesus commanded the girl be given something to eat?

I started to wonder if her death had something to do with not eating. I admit; I need to spend a lot more time in study of the culture at the time, but I have a hard time imagining that a ruler of a synagogue, even in a poor, crappy town (and there's no real indication that this fits) would have trouble feeding his family. I still wonder, why? Was the girl anorexic, or have I spent more time in 21st century America than I've spent studying the Bible and ancient Jewish culture? Did this guy have problems ruling his home? Or was there no point? I don't exactly buy the possibility that there there is no point. I've found that the most obscure comments in the Bible have the most reward or scholarly yield when chased down.

If you have any ideas, please feel free to post in the comments. If I come across anything, I'll let you know. I did think to check Matthew Henry, who often does yield amazing insights. In this case, he was no help.

Technorati Tags: Bible,Luke 8,Jairus' daughter,Bible study,Ancient Jewish Culture

Palm Sunday Remarks

I have the head table in church today, and this is what I plan to say. I need to prepare my remarks somewhere. By "head table", I am officiating the Lord's Supper. In my church, we take the Lord's Supper every Sunday. One layperson takes the podium (pulpit) and shares some thoughts to prepare the congregation's hearts and minds for the Lord's Supper. Four men take the bread (Matzo crackers) then fruit of the vine (Welch's Grape Juice) and serve them to the congregation. Then out of convenience the collection is taken up. Then the ministers get up to do the sermon. It's simply the way the church I attend handles things. I believe most Churches of Christ do it the same way. Though many churches have traditions and other ways of taking the Lord's Supper, I can't find any specific chapter on how often or or exactly how to go about it. We simply try to "this do in remembrance of me" as best we can. A thought did occur to me as I was processing my thoughts for my remarks that Jesus possibly meant this to be done as part of the Passover celebration, which the church normally doesn't observe. I was thinking of the anti-Semitism that developed in the early church and how the church parted ways with the Judaism it was born of. There is a lot of interesting reading on that subject; more than I have time to go into here.

As a side note, although many Christians believe that the wine is to be non-alcoholic and as such serve grape juice instead, I do personally believe that it was alcoholic wine served at the Last Supper based on a simple fact of agriculture. The grape harvest was in October in ancient Israel. Until I see a special on the History Channel showing some ancient refrigeration system used to keep grape juice fresh all year, I'll have to assume that the only way to keep grapes until March or April is to ferment them. It would have to have been wine that was used in the cup at the Last Supper based on that. However, I am aware that many Christians prefer the non-alcoholic grape juice. I have better things to do than fight about it. I'm also sure that Jesus passed more than a little plastic thimble-cup around, but again, we do the best we can with what we have on a Sunday morning in between the opening songs and the sermon.

Remarks:

Good morning. Many of you know that I love history, and so I love to get up here and officiate the Lord's Supper on a day that has some historical or prophetic significance. It's much easier for me to come up with something to say on days like this. I was talking with my wife yesterday asking for her input on what I'm going to say today, and I brought up that we're approaching the holiest day of the year for Christians. She said "No, it's the holiest week." I honestly never thought of it that way. We all know that next Sunday is Easter, the day that we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus the Messiah. The Jews were given a set of days to observe in the Torah, the Law of Moses, the first five books of the Bible. They had seventy days in all, counting the Sabbaths and all of the holy days such as Passover, the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) the Feast of Trumpets, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Under ancient Judaism, only on Yom Kippur could the High Priest enter the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle and later the temple after an extensive ritual of cleansing, sacrifice, and preparation. The High Priest entered with a rope tied to him in case he did something wrong and God struck him dead. With the rope, the other priests could drag him out. I have no idea what was done for the rest of Yom Kippur in those cases, which I'm sure were rare.

Our faith was born out of Judaism. Our Lord is a Jew. The first Christians were Jews. Somewhere along the early path, however, the two split. We can see from the Acts of the Apostles and Paul's early writings that many Jews were hostile to the early Christians. The first persecutions came from Jews, including the very writer of some of our favorite books in the Bible, Saul of Tarsus. The church, for a variety of reasons, parted ways with Judaism. For Jews, the holiest day of the year is still Yom Kippur, for us, it's Easter, which I call Resurrection Day at times.

I've heard somewhere that you can tell what is most important to someone by how much time, money, or energy he or she devotes to it. How much of the Bible is devoted to the Creation? A couple of chapters in Genesis, some spattering of verses in the Psalms, a little bit in Isaiah... How much of the Bible is devoted to the redemption? Pretty much the rest of it. What did the creation cost God? Seven days. How much did the redemption cost Him? His son.

Before I continue, I thought it would be interesting to see how much each of the Gospel writers devoted just to this week.

Out of 28 Chapters, 8 of Matthew's are about this very week we're celebrating. That is 28%. Mark spent 6 of 16 chapters, or 38%. Luke wrote about this week for 5 1/2 out of 24 chapters, or 23%. John must have really wanted to make a point because 8 1/2 of his 21 chapters or roughly 40% were devoted just to this week. I don't even count Chapter 21 as it talks about events that happened AFTER the resurrection. Perhaps whoever is up here next week, if you haven't thought of anything else yet, could figure out the percentage of text devoted just to the resurrection.

Now for the point. Many of you know that I like rabbit trails and it can take me a while to make a point.  Today is the day on our Christian calendar known as Palm Sunday. This is the day we celebrate Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem as He came knowing that He would be put to death and raised three days later. Jesus did not enter Jerusalem in a vacuum. Though we know and believe that He will return, we know not the day nor the hour. Many waste a lot of time and credibility speculating when Jesus will come back. Many have done foolish things expecting the return of Jesus. In about 1847 or 1848, one movement believed that Jesus would return that year. I am probably oversimplifying when I say that most of them sold their houses and sat on a hill waiting for Jesus' return. I'm not sure what part of "occupy till I return" that they missed. His return may be a mystery for very good reasons, but his entry into Jerusalem on a donkey on a specific day was not, and He held them accountable to know that. Many of the people seemed to know, and the religious leaders seemed to understand but rather than joy they acted angrily. Let's read this account:

Please turn to Luke 19. You can also find accounts of the triumphal entry in Matt 21, Mark 11, and John 12, but I think Luke captures the Pharisees' reaction the best. Dan and Steve, I know you're both working very hard on a sermon series from Luke about the road to Jerusalem, and I pray that I don't take anything you had planned to say this morning.

[28] When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.[29] And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage* and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples,[30] saying, “Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here.[31] “And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing it?’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’”[32] So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them.[33] But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you loosing the colt?”[34] And they said, “The Lord has need of him.”[35] Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him.[36] And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.[37] Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen,[38] saying:

“‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!’*

Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

[39] And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”[40] But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

I think the other Gospel writers capture the quote from Psalm 118 better, but Luke's account is worth the read for verses 39 and 40. We sing Psalm 118 verse 24 often enough. "This is the day that the Lord has made." The people were singing from verse 26. I think the triumphal entry was the day that the Lord has made, which is the point Jesus is making in verse 40. This day has been so appointed on God's calendar that the stones would have sung Jesus in if the people didn't. The Pharisees understood this, but rather than welcome Jesus as Messiah, they saw Him as a blasphemer.

This is what we're observing today as we prepare to follow Jesus' instruction to "this do in remembrance of me." As Matthew quotes the people in Matt 21:9 "

[9] Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!

‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’*

Hosanna in the highest!”

Hosanna to the Son of David. Let us pray.

Technorati Tags: Palm Sunday,Lord's Supper,Triumphal Entry

Labels: Bible

There Were No Choo-Choos in Ancient Israel...

I just thought I'd stop for a moment to recount one of the more amusing episodes of my week. Somewhere after 9 or 10 PM tonight, my wife put on The Santa Clause 3 for my kids to watch. I considered myself done with that franchise after the second movie, so I decided to sit and read Josephus. I'm not reading the complete, five or so volume set. A friend loaned me an edition called "Josephus, the Essential Works". It's a modern translation that attempts to convey the most relevant parts of Josephus. The translator omitted some extraneous material and duplicated writings, and the book is probably written on a sixth-grade level. In any case, it's enough to get me off the ground with this essential historian.

 

My kids decided to climb up on the chair with me. Caleb, my two-year old, was about ready to fall asleep so he curled up on my right side where he did eventually succumb to sleepiness rather than stay up until midnight. Joshua, my three-year old, took the book from my hands and started flipping through it. He saw some pictures and started asking questions. I would answer "Oh, that's the Cave of Machpelah", or "That's Herod's Palace" or "That's Herod's Temple". Suddenly, while looking at a picture of Jerusalem, he asked where the choo-choos were. I tried to explain that Josephus wrote a good 1800 years before the choo-choo was invented, with the minor exception of some early steam engine technology by engineers in ancient Alexandria. He became obsessed with finding Thomas the Tank Engine within the confines of Josephus.

 

I found that highly amusing and thought I would share it. Forgive the sloppy editing, but I'm up way past my bedtime, and I have partaken of some New Year's Eve refreshments.

 

Happy New Year!

 

Technorati Tags: Josephus,History,Thomas the Tank Engine

 

Labels: Bible, Family

6/6/06- Is This Being Blown Just A Little Out Of Proportion?

I still have about 16 hours in the day to be wrong about this, as I'm writing at 0754 EST, but I think a lot of the excitement over today is a little silly.

I've read through the Bible 3 complete times in the last 4 years. I've spent a good amount of time studying Bible prophesy, specifically end times prophesy. I'd like to think that I have at least a little qualification to discuss this issue.

The number 666 is referenced in the book of Revelation (note that it is not Revelation(s) as some people call it; it is one complete revelation not a plural amount of revelations. I can always tell how familiar somebody is with the book by which name they call it). The specific verse is Revelation 13:18:

Rev 13:18  Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number [is] Six hundred threescore [and] six. (KJV) Other versions actually list the number 666. I have been using the New King James lately in my study, but I prefer to use the KJV when I write because I have no worries about copyright infringement.

Revelation 13 speaks about two beasts. the first beast, discussed in verses 1-8, is commonly called the anti-Christ. Anti doesn't necessarily mean against; but "in place of". This person will probably be received as the Messiah by an unbelieving world. The second beast, discussed in verses 11-18, is called the False Prophet.

Verse 17 speaks of 3 things that are required to buy and sell. 666 is commonly called the "Mark of the Beast", but if you look at the actual text, it speaks of 3 things:

Rev 13:16  And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
Rev 13:17  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

The mark, the name, and the number. The mark of the beast is not the number of the best according to this verse.

This passage of the Bible also speaks of a specific person who will come along at a specific time. If you tattoo 666 on your forehead or right hand today, it is NOT the mark of the beast, it is only a stupid tattoo of a number. You'll look like an idiot and probably freak a lot of people out (especially the people who are already freaked out by today's calendar date), but you won't be declaring allegiance to the beast. The time will come though when you may have to make that choice.

All of that aside, you may find it interesting that Revelation 13 is not the only place in the Bible that the 666 occurs. It appears in 2 other places in the Old Testament. It appears in 1 Kings 10:14 and 2 Chronicles 9:13:

1Ki 10:14  Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold,
2Ch 9:13  Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold;

666 was Solomon's annual salary, at least for 1 year. I've found in my studies that everything in the Bible is explained elsewhere in the Bible, although I honestly am not able to figure out what Solomon's paycheck has to do with the number of the beast. I'm sure one day it will all be made clear, however.

Until the Beast steps up, my conclusion is that 666 is just a number. I would buy a house with the street address of 666. It wouldn't bother me one bit. Let's not spend our time getting worked up over a silly number while it is only a number.

Labels: Bible

My Thoughts on The DaVinci Code

I've largely stayed out of commenting on The DaVinci Code, Dan Brown's popular book that has not yet outsold the Bible. As a Christian, I do frequent some Christian sites. I also notice that Dan Brown has caught a lot of people's attention with his story, which I have not read. I don't know if I ever will, but right now I just have other priorities.

I was reading a commentary the other day about the book, and the writer claimed that people keep asking him if there is any truth to The DaVinci Code. I will repeat and slightly paraphrase his response to that question, with appropriate emphasis, in a moment.

I find it almost humorous that many Christian websites and ministries have a feature that in one way or another resembles the following title: "The DaVinci Code: Seperating Fact From Fiction". You can't go anywhere these days without seeing it. Entire volumes of books and study guides have been written in an effort to debunk The DaVinci Code, which is going to be released as a movie this year, I believe.

OK, here is my public comment on The DaVinci Code and whether or not there is any truth at all to it whatsoever:

IT'S ON THE NEW YORK TIMES' FICTION BESTSELLER LIST! Doesn't that make it, by nature, fiction? If there were truth to it or if the book were intended as a serious theological treatise, would it not be on the NON-FICTION LIST?

Seriously, if you're going to base your views on Jesus Christ from a fictional bestseller, you have much larger problem than whether or not there is any truth to The DaVinci Code.

Labels: Bible, Misc comments

The Globe and Mail: Archeologist unearths biblical controversy

The Globe and Mail: Archeologist unearths biblical controversy

This is interesting. I have a personal interest in the Bible, and I believe that it can be taken seriously. Discoveries like this aid in that view.

Through the studying I have done, I have personally come to the conclusion that if ANY part of the Bible can be found to be false, the whole thing will fall apart. Some scholars consider it to be a collection of allegories and good advice. I do not support their conclusion. The position of these scientists does not seem to be revealed in this article, however the following quote is revealing:

He concludes: "We're not out to prove the Bible right or wrong. We're not trying to be controversial. We're just trying to be good anthropologists and scientists, and tell the story of our archeological site."

Amen. I am convinced that, when looked at with an open mind, the evidence for the Bible's account is overwhelming. You may not share that view, and that is fine. We are all responsible for our own conclusion. We will all give an account before God one day.

Labels: Bible