A new friend told me that the human problem is that "we are alive but dying." Christians are often criticized for focusing too much on heaven--a fair criticism. While Jesus talked about eternal life by and through Him, He also focused on the "here and now"--"feed my sheep." So, Christians should focus on both. (In fact, the proper focus is the Kingdom of God, which has broken through into our time but will also continue forever.) If one ignores the question of what happens after death, one is simply in denial.
Tim Keller explains that, if God loves us, then wouldn't He want us to be with Him forever? Of course, this presumes that God is eternal, but, if there is a God, He must be eternal--the universe has been here for billions of years and its scope is beyond our comprehension. So, if there is a God, He must be eternal. Furthermore, if God loves us, He would want to be with us forever, i.e., there is rational hope for life after death. If there is rational hope for life after death, shouldn't we consider this issue rather than ignore it?
Keller says, in a different sermon, that most religions offer simply a "placebo effect." The placebo effect says that, if one takes a sugar pill which one thinks will help with sickness, one will actually feel better due to psychological effects. However, if one is truly sick, the sugar pill will have no true curative effect on one's sickness. Keller postulates that there is similarly a religious placebo effect. One may through meditation and a focus on spirituality actually feel better and live a more satisfied life. However, if this masks one's need for the true God, then the placebo effect is actually deadly, rather than helpful.
So, we should all consider the "placebo effect" of our religious beliefs, and whether there is underlying truth. For myself, for many years, I professed a belief in a God who sent His son to die for me. But, importantly, I was told that my belief should be based upon faith, which is true. But I was also told that faith was "believing in the unbelievable." This was horribly incorrect teaching. If our faith isn't sustained by intellectual credibility, we have no true faith, but rather only a "placebo effect." We tell ourselves that everything will be okay if we have faith. But, in the dark of the nite, we know that this isn't sufficient. We need truth to grasp and hold onto.
This is where Jesus' entry into the world comes into play. Jesus' life was documented by the Jews and by the Romans. So, it is clear that Jesus lived, and the important facts of His life were confirmed by non-Christian sources. What's more, of all of the world's great religious figures, Jesus is the only one who claimed to be God--He is the only one who allowed others to worship Him. So, one must wrestle with: "Was He crazy or was He God?" One can't simply say that He was a man with wonderful teachings. In assessing the importance of his teachings, one must determine whether He was crazy or God.
What's more, of the great world religions, Christianity is the only one that allows us to know the true characteristics of God through a physical embodiment of those characteristics. With all other religions, we have no "flesh and blood" to grasp, but only postulates about some ethereal being. This is why Jesus' advent into the world is so important, beyond His salvific work. His advent reveals the true characteristics of God, so that we can know and love Him. Without Christ's advent, we are left to wonder whether God is for us or against us. With Christ's advent, we know that, even though the world is full of pain and suffering, God understands fully our pain and suffering and walks with us through that pain and suffering.
The facts of Christ's life are well-documented, and they allow us to experience a faith based upon truth, not the "placebo effect." It is this true faith which allows us to begin living in the Kingdom of God "here and now," but also to have intellectually-grounded hope in an eternal home.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Personal Evangelism
A recent sermon has caused me to reflect on my changed understanding of personal evangelism. My son's comments in response to the sermon are also most instructive and reflect my current understanding. What's more, my son's views were expressed as we walked out of church, before he heard my views. His views were actually more insightful than mine. Minds that are uncluttered by legalism produce wonderful thoughts about God's love.
The pastor talked about our sharing our faith with others. He said that many of us are afraid to witness, because we think we are invading the other person's space. He said that, if we had a cure for cancer, we would want to share it, so why don't we want to share Christ? Our pastor made some great points. His points prompted my son's comments.
I am going to let my son's comments speak for themselves. These quotes are as close as I could come from my notes about our conversation.
Sharing Jesus with others
Mathis--"If we decide we are going to share Jesus and try to pick who to witness to, we are robbing the Holy Spirit of its role. When I have tried to witness to friends, they usually reject it. When I have been successful in witnessing to others is when they bring up God in our conversation. I have wound up witnessing to people that I would not have chosen to witness to, and I have said things guided by the Holy Spirt. For instance, one friend asked me how Christianity could be the only true religion. I told him that Christianity is the only religion with multiple authors. I told him that, since all 66 books are in agreement, there has to be something divine going on."
Are we invading other's space by sharing Jesus?
Mathis--"Dad, we are invading other people's space when we pick out someone to witness to. Unless the Holy Spirt opens that person's heart and/or directs us to witness to them, our approaching them about Jesus is an invasion and won't be taken well. It will cause that person to harden their heart further towards God."
Sharing Jesus is like sharing a cure for cancer
Mathis--"Some people don't want to be cured."
Prompting personal evangelism in a congregation
Mathis--"The way to get your congregation to tell others about Jesus is not to tell them it's a good thing to do. They already know that. The way to bring this about is to preach God's love for sinners, causing them to love Jesus more. If you truly love Jesus, you share Him."
The pastor talked about our sharing our faith with others. He said that many of us are afraid to witness, because we think we are invading the other person's space. He said that, if we had a cure for cancer, we would want to share it, so why don't we want to share Christ? Our pastor made some great points. His points prompted my son's comments.
I am going to let my son's comments speak for themselves. These quotes are as close as I could come from my notes about our conversation.
Sharing Jesus with others
Mathis--"If we decide we are going to share Jesus and try to pick who to witness to, we are robbing the Holy Spirit of its role. When I have tried to witness to friends, they usually reject it. When I have been successful in witnessing to others is when they bring up God in our conversation. I have wound up witnessing to people that I would not have chosen to witness to, and I have said things guided by the Holy Spirt. For instance, one friend asked me how Christianity could be the only true religion. I told him that Christianity is the only religion with multiple authors. I told him that, since all 66 books are in agreement, there has to be something divine going on."
Are we invading other's space by sharing Jesus?
Mathis--"Dad, we are invading other people's space when we pick out someone to witness to. Unless the Holy Spirt opens that person's heart and/or directs us to witness to them, our approaching them about Jesus is an invasion and won't be taken well. It will cause that person to harden their heart further towards God."
Sharing Jesus is like sharing a cure for cancer
Mathis--"Some people don't want to be cured."
Prompting personal evangelism in a congregation
Mathis--"The way to get your congregation to tell others about Jesus is not to tell them it's a good thing to do. They already know that. The way to bring this about is to preach God's love for sinners, causing them to love Jesus more. If you truly love Jesus, you share Him."
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Process is Grace--T.D., Rod, NIck, and Jesus
NOTE: TO MY DEAR AUBURN FRIENDS--PLEASE DO NOT BE OFFENDED BY MY INCLUDING SABAN IN THIS POST. DO I THINK THAT SABAN IS GOD? HARDLY. I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF SABAN IS A CHRISTIAN. BUT HIS PRINCIPLES OF HOW TO LIVE LINE UP WITH WHAT CHRIST SAID.
This week, two of my children were stressed due to their school situations. How does one respond to this? Tell them to quit, tell them to try harder, tell them to set goals and work towards them, tell them that it's going to be okay. None of these are the correct answer. If you truly understand Christianity, which means that you truly understand psychology, you know that the answer has to do with: the "process" (Nick); a procestual God (T.D.); the work, not the goal (Rod); and mercy to the sinners (Jesus).
T.D. says that we all want to jump ahead to the destination that God has for us. However, T.D. says that our relationship with God comes from the road, from the journey, not the destination. T.D. says that it comes from what happens "along the way." It is our interaction with Jesus through times of crisis "along the way" which assures us of His love for us. His love for us is the antidote to stress and, indeed, the answer to and for simply everything..
Nick says that you don't set a goal to be National Champions, you simply work each day to get better. In other words, you focus on and experience the road, not the destination. My friend Rod explains that, when we unduly focus on the destination, it places a performance burden on our shoulders, which hampers our progress. However, focusing on what is to be done in any one given day is a light burden. Rod also makes the wonderful point that, if we set goals, not only do we run the risk of not reaching the goal due to the burdensome nature of goals, but we also relegate ourselves to a lesser goal. In other words, if a child sets a certain grade point average as a goal, that child robs themselves of the chance to achieve an even higher grade point average. So, we handle stress by focusing on what needs to be done in that particular day, not by worrying about the future.
And finally, what did Jesus have to say about goals? Jesus was all about the journey--the process. First, He called His disciples to leave everything and follow Him. They weren't setting out to achieve any specific goals. Rather, they simply experienced the joy, wonder, and yes difficulty, of walking daily with Jesus. Second, Jesus told us that He would not heap burdens on us. He told us that His yoke was light. His yoke was light, because, once we surrender to Jesus, we walk with Him daily--much as Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden. We follow Jesus' path--not some laundry list of what Christians are expected to do. Third, Jesus has done the yeoman's work--He came, died, and rose again to give us freedom from Satan and His minions. The work has already been done; all we have to do is walk out the relationship with Jesus.
Jesus liberates us from the performance-driven world that Satan, and so many churches, have foisted upon our shoulders. True ''good works" arise from our walking with Jesus and seeing where He wants us to go and what He wants us to do, not from setting goals to help others and participate in evangelism. If we are walking with Jesus, being surrendered to the process wrought by His Lordship, we will love and help others, and we will love and follow God and proclaim His goodness.
So, what do you tell children who are frustrated with issues at school? You help them to understand that God loves to work in our frustrations. He loves to step into our difficulties and provide liberation. God uniquely works in our weaknesses, in our times of difficulty, not in our times of ease--when things are going well. This is so that, when something good happens, we will know that it came from Him. So, walk with your children through difficulty, doing the "next right thing," doing what you are called to do in that particular day, and you will both grow to love Him more and more "along the way."
P.S. "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy tells a beautiful story of a father and son taking life day-by-day. However, I don't necessarily recommend the book, because it is a fairly graphic and horrific depiction of what a post-Apocalyptic world would be like. But, the light of the father's love for the son shines through the darkness, and the ending of the book is simply spectacular.
This week, two of my children were stressed due to their school situations. How does one respond to this? Tell them to quit, tell them to try harder, tell them to set goals and work towards them, tell them that it's going to be okay. None of these are the correct answer. If you truly understand Christianity, which means that you truly understand psychology, you know that the answer has to do with: the "process" (Nick); a procestual God (T.D.); the work, not the goal (Rod); and mercy to the sinners (Jesus).
T.D. says that we all want to jump ahead to the destination that God has for us. However, T.D. says that our relationship with God comes from the road, from the journey, not the destination. T.D. says that it comes from what happens "along the way." It is our interaction with Jesus through times of crisis "along the way" which assures us of His love for us. His love for us is the antidote to stress and, indeed, the answer to and for simply everything..
Nick says that you don't set a goal to be National Champions, you simply work each day to get better. In other words, you focus on and experience the road, not the destination. My friend Rod explains that, when we unduly focus on the destination, it places a performance burden on our shoulders, which hampers our progress. However, focusing on what is to be done in any one given day is a light burden. Rod also makes the wonderful point that, if we set goals, not only do we run the risk of not reaching the goal due to the burdensome nature of goals, but we also relegate ourselves to a lesser goal. In other words, if a child sets a certain grade point average as a goal, that child robs themselves of the chance to achieve an even higher grade point average. So, we handle stress by focusing on what needs to be done in that particular day, not by worrying about the future.
And finally, what did Jesus have to say about goals? Jesus was all about the journey--the process. First, He called His disciples to leave everything and follow Him. They weren't setting out to achieve any specific goals. Rather, they simply experienced the joy, wonder, and yes difficulty, of walking daily with Jesus. Second, Jesus told us that He would not heap burdens on us. He told us that His yoke was light. His yoke was light, because, once we surrender to Jesus, we walk with Him daily--much as Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden. We follow Jesus' path--not some laundry list of what Christians are expected to do. Third, Jesus has done the yeoman's work--He came, died, and rose again to give us freedom from Satan and His minions. The work has already been done; all we have to do is walk out the relationship with Jesus.
Jesus liberates us from the performance-driven world that Satan, and so many churches, have foisted upon our shoulders. True ''good works" arise from our walking with Jesus and seeing where He wants us to go and what He wants us to do, not from setting goals to help others and participate in evangelism. If we are walking with Jesus, being surrendered to the process wrought by His Lordship, we will love and help others, and we will love and follow God and proclaim His goodness.
So, what do you tell children who are frustrated with issues at school? You help them to understand that God loves to work in our frustrations. He loves to step into our difficulties and provide liberation. God uniquely works in our weaknesses, in our times of difficulty, not in our times of ease--when things are going well. This is so that, when something good happens, we will know that it came from Him. So, walk with your children through difficulty, doing the "next right thing," doing what you are called to do in that particular day, and you will both grow to love Him more and more "along the way."
P.S. "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy tells a beautiful story of a father and son taking life day-by-day. However, I don't necessarily recommend the book, because it is a fairly graphic and horrific depiction of what a post-Apocalyptic world would be like. But, the light of the father's love for the son shines through the darkness, and the ending of the book is simply spectacular.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Sexual Healing--Part 2
WARNING: THIS MAY BE CONTROVERSIAL. I am so thankful to my many friends on Facebook and don't want to jeopardize those relationships. However, I think this topic needs to be addressed, because it can lead to radical freedom in marriage. I have run this post by several older men who have been married to one woman for decades, and they strongly agreed with this post and felt that it is important--that it could be life-giving. Before you read this, please understand that, when I raised this topic with my wife several months ago, she became angry. She said that I was blaming women for the state of sex in American marriages. After about a week, I was able to get her to understand that I wasn't blaming women--I was blaming society, I was blaming preachers (most of whom are men), and I was blaming men who had sought improper relations with women--all of this leads many women to feel that sex is "dirty" even within the confines of their long-time marriage. What bondage we men have wrought for our women. This bondage prevents both wives and husbands from experiencing the wonders of sex that God intended.
It is reported that a prominent local football coach lived a dual life. He apparently had two families. It is quite accurate to say that his work and career were as successful as one could desire. Yet, he had two families. We all know that men are motivated by, and find satisfaction in, work. But, it appears that his success in his work didn't "scratch his itch." Of course, most persons claiming to be Christians will say that he didn't have a relationship with God. Maybe God was the missing ingredient in his life. Maybe not.
One of my friends recently produced a brilliant and courageous podcast "Sex Isn't Everything," in which he explains that, in many respects, sex is everything. (Of course, our relationship with God is the fuel that makes everything go--whether it is sex, work, our families, etc.) My friend bluntly states that for men the orgasm is the "coup de grace." But, he doesn't stop there. He goes on to question whether it is the same for women. What? Could it be that the Song of Solomon is meant to be taken at "face value," like we are told to take the 144 hour creation story. I dare say that most evangelicals, some of whom argue that you are not a Christian unless you believe in a 144 hour creation story, wouldn't say the same thing about the Song of Solomon. In fact, this book is so "hot" that the early church fathers turned it into an allegory for Christ and his church. This isn't just wrong, but really, really wrong.
Taking Song of Solomon as being an allegory about Christ and His church is wrong for at least two reasons. First, it ascribes sexual language to the relationship between man and man's savior. Interestingly, this is what Freud believed--that every relationship was based upon human sexuality. There is some truth to what Freud is saying--but it is not fundamentally true--it is not the primary lens through which to understand relationships. My relationship with Christ is no more sexual, than my relationship with my sons or my best friends. The sexual language is simply "too hot" to ascribe to a non-sexual relationship.
Second, by claiming that the book is allegorical, it denies the importance of the man-woman sexual relationship. In the book, the passion of the woman matches the passion of the man. Maybe the early church fathers realized that this wasn't true in their marriages, so they came up with the allegory theory. But, shouldn't the picture of sex in SofS be true for marriages?
SofS compares the glory of sex to the glory of God expressed in the burning bush. Is this type of sexual glory possible when there is a disparate enjoyment of sex between the man and the woman? NO, simply NO. Did God intend for men to live dual lives--one in his mind where he experiences sex in the way that God designed it (or worse in the way that Satan distorts it), and another one in his actual bed? So, why do so many men experience a lack of sexual gratification with their wives. There are three simple reasons: a)prior negative sexual experiences in the woman's life; b)cultural more's; and c)the church. Women are made to feel guilty and dirty if they enjoy sex. An important corollary, but one which is addressed in some churches, is that men are to treat their wives as they themselves are treated by Christ, but men don't. In fact, I don't. But at least I recognize it. Most women don't recognize, or at least won't address, the issue with their view about sex.
A lack of sexual gratification leads most men to either sublimate their sexual desires or to act them out--with someone else. This leads to duality in men's lives--a duality that causes men to pretend that sex at home is okay, while either having an affair or, at least, having sexual fantasies about other women. If I had to bet, I would bet this is why the local football coach had two families.
As evidenced by the divorce rate in America, this issue needs to be addressed. One would think that the church would address it, but most churches are spineless. The most that any churches will allow in their pulpits is a proclamation that women should give sex to their husbands frequently so that their husbands won't stray. But, this denigrates sex. What man wants sex under compulsion? What drives men to other women's arms are those open arms--a real, or at least seemingly real, interest in sex by those women.
Sex is a beautiful gift from God. What a shame that it causes such problems in our society. What a shame that the church doesn't have the guts to address it in a true, and therefore helpful, fashion!
It is reported that a prominent local football coach lived a dual life. He apparently had two families. It is quite accurate to say that his work and career were as successful as one could desire. Yet, he had two families. We all know that men are motivated by, and find satisfaction in, work. But, it appears that his success in his work didn't "scratch his itch." Of course, most persons claiming to be Christians will say that he didn't have a relationship with God. Maybe God was the missing ingredient in his life. Maybe not.
One of my friends recently produced a brilliant and courageous podcast "Sex Isn't Everything," in which he explains that, in many respects, sex is everything. (Of course, our relationship with God is the fuel that makes everything go--whether it is sex, work, our families, etc.) My friend bluntly states that for men the orgasm is the "coup de grace." But, he doesn't stop there. He goes on to question whether it is the same for women. What? Could it be that the Song of Solomon is meant to be taken at "face value," like we are told to take the 144 hour creation story. I dare say that most evangelicals, some of whom argue that you are not a Christian unless you believe in a 144 hour creation story, wouldn't say the same thing about the Song of Solomon. In fact, this book is so "hot" that the early church fathers turned it into an allegory for Christ and his church. This isn't just wrong, but really, really wrong.
Taking Song of Solomon as being an allegory about Christ and His church is wrong for at least two reasons. First, it ascribes sexual language to the relationship between man and man's savior. Interestingly, this is what Freud believed--that every relationship was based upon human sexuality. There is some truth to what Freud is saying--but it is not fundamentally true--it is not the primary lens through which to understand relationships. My relationship with Christ is no more sexual, than my relationship with my sons or my best friends. The sexual language is simply "too hot" to ascribe to a non-sexual relationship.
Second, by claiming that the book is allegorical, it denies the importance of the man-woman sexual relationship. In the book, the passion of the woman matches the passion of the man. Maybe the early church fathers realized that this wasn't true in their marriages, so they came up with the allegory theory. But, shouldn't the picture of sex in SofS be true for marriages?
SofS compares the glory of sex to the glory of God expressed in the burning bush. Is this type of sexual glory possible when there is a disparate enjoyment of sex between the man and the woman? NO, simply NO. Did God intend for men to live dual lives--one in his mind where he experiences sex in the way that God designed it (or worse in the way that Satan distorts it), and another one in his actual bed? So, why do so many men experience a lack of sexual gratification with their wives. There are three simple reasons: a)prior negative sexual experiences in the woman's life; b)cultural more's; and c)the church. Women are made to feel guilty and dirty if they enjoy sex. An important corollary, but one which is addressed in some churches, is that men are to treat their wives as they themselves are treated by Christ, but men don't. In fact, I don't. But at least I recognize it. Most women don't recognize, or at least won't address, the issue with their view about sex.
A lack of sexual gratification leads most men to either sublimate their sexual desires or to act them out--with someone else. This leads to duality in men's lives--a duality that causes men to pretend that sex at home is okay, while either having an affair or, at least, having sexual fantasies about other women. If I had to bet, I would bet this is why the local football coach had two families.
As evidenced by the divorce rate in America, this issue needs to be addressed. One would think that the church would address it, but most churches are spineless. The most that any churches will allow in their pulpits is a proclamation that women should give sex to their husbands frequently so that their husbands won't stray. But, this denigrates sex. What man wants sex under compulsion? What drives men to other women's arms are those open arms--a real, or at least seemingly real, interest in sex by those women.
Sex is a beautiful gift from God. What a shame that it causes such problems in our society. What a shame that the church doesn't have the guts to address it in a true, and therefore helpful, fashion!
Sexual Healing--Part 1 of 2
"Sexual Healing" is the title of one of Jefferson Bethke's poems that has become all the rage. Bethke is also perhaps better known for his poem about "Jesus v. Religion." Sexual healing is what America needs; it is what men and women in America need; it is what the church needs.
Why is the divorce rate so high? Why do so many men, and an ever increasing percentage of women, cheat on their spouse? Most preachers, and most people, would say that it is due to the increasing moral laxity in America or due to Internet porn which allows men to see other women seemingly enjoying sex (of course, Internet porn is nothing but a lie). I propose that it is neither. Instead, I think there are two chief issues--a)men do not love their wives as they should; and b)the great majority of women view sex as dirty. I must admit that, with the latest generation, the second point may no longer be true. But it is certainly true for many generations of women. I going to tackle this issue in another post, but first, let's tackle the issue of men not loving their wives.
Men not loving their wives all boils down to this--we are sinners. Jesus was right--we are inveterate sinners. We live our lives as if we are good people. If we are good people, then we deserve good sex from our wives. Wrong, wrong, wrong! If we live believing that we are good people, then we can never properly love our wives. If we believe that we are good people, then our wives can never give us good enough sex. Only when we realize that we are sinners, loved solely due to God's grace, can we begin to love our wives correctly.
For example, how many men have a "honey do list?" We men believe that, once we do what is on the list, then our wives either will or should give us good sex. When we live like this, we are living "quid pro quo" lives. There is no grace, no true love, in "quid pro quo" lives. This is what started the Protestant Reformation. The Catholic theologians of the 15th century taught that our relationship with God was contractual--a "two way" street--that we could earn God's grace. Luther was right to attack this heinous, heretical view of our relationship with God. If this view won't work in our relationship with God, why would this view work in our relationship with our wives?
The only truly good works are works that are done neither for gain, nor for fear of recrimination or judgment. Truly good works only flow from us when we realize that God loves us just as much when we are sinning as when we are not. Wow, now that's radical. God loves men just as much when they are watching Internet porn, as when they are not. God loves men just as much when they are trying to straighten their wives out, as when they are not. (By the way, it is just as sinful to try and straighten our wives out as to watch Internet porn. It just stems from our self-righteousness, rather than our licentiousness.) When we finally come to grips with this radical love that God has for us, we begin to have this radical love for others. It is this type of selfless, radical love that we are to have for our wives. But you can't get it by seeking it. You can't get it by trying to conjure it up. You can only get it as your heart is captivated by the loveliness of Jesus.
So, this is the first problem to consider when we men wonder why our sex lives aren't any better. Instead of looking for preachers or friends who will tell us how to treat our wives better, look for preachers and friends who will tell you that you are a sinner (not only in your bad works, but also in your good works), but a sinner loved by Jesus. Then, and only then, will you begin to grasp the love of Christ, and then, and only then, can you begin to express this love to your wife.
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