Going to Church

There are a lot of reasons to go to a church. One might go because the doctrine and theology of the church is appealing. One might go because the music is good or the pastor preaches well. One might go to meet people or because of family ties. One might go out of a perceived duty or obligation.

He [Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. -Luke 4:16

Why did Jesus go?

Choosing Hell

Hell is something that most people don't talk about but when they do they typically fall into three camps: people who believe that a loving God will not send anyone to hell, people who believe that God allows people to choose hell, and people who believe that God condemns people to hell. The distinction between the latter two appears at first to just be spin. After all, who would choose to be tortured? It is like saying that criminals choose jail by committing a crime. Most prisoners would jump at the chance for freedom but have been condemned to prison and must be guarded so they don't escape.

I don't think "choosing hell" is meant in the same way as a prisoner "choosing jail." One doesn't have to look to far to find lots of people who choose of their own free to be chained and tormented. These people don't need to be guarded; they don't want to escape. Living long enough in this world makes it easy to convince me that in the next world, Hell will have no walls or guards.

The Pessimistic Christ

Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man. --John 2:23-25

Jesus loved us to the extent of dying for us and there is no greater love than that. But He also saw things as they really are. The same Christ that taught us to love men also taught us to beware of them.

Contradictions

For some reason today I remembered a particular evening when I was dining with a group mostly consisting of strangers. I don't remember much about the conversion aside from a conversation which I overhead parts of but that I wasn't involved in. Toward the beginning of the evening, before the food had been brought out, a man was talking to several women about how Christians aren't bright enough to see the contradiction that a loving God would send people to hell. What kind of Father would torture his children for anything that they did wrong no matter how wicked? Everyone seemed to agree that this was plainly unbelievable.

Then out came food and I stopped listening in on the conversation. After the meal had completed and the dishes had been cleared, I heard the same man talking again to the same group of ladies. This time he was talking about another silly Christian belief. He was saying that Christians believe that if Hitler genuinely repented in his heart on his deathbed he could be in heaven right now. How can God be just and yet allow a single act of contrition to erase an entire lifetime of evil? Everyone again seemed to agree with his point.

Christianity is paradoxical in many ways but it is not contradictory like atheism. An atheist can despise God before dinner for sending anyone to hell and then despise God after dinner for not sending enough people to hell.

Needs

If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.' " -Mark 11:3

I find it absolutely amazing that Jesus Christ, God incarnate, could need anything, much less a donkey. Moreover, the donkey was even prophesied about hundreds of years in advance. If a donkey can play such a role in God's plan for the salvation of the world, what plans might he have for us?

Mercy, Judgment, Redemption

I'm fascinated at the way God handles sin. There seems to be three phases and I'll use Adam and Eve as an example. The first phase is the mercy phase. After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit the only change was that their eyes were opened to evil. But they were not expelled from the garden and they did not "surely die." The only thing that happened to them was a change in their character. The second phase is the judgment phase. After God confronts Adam and Eve and they refuse to acknowledge their sin they are expelled from the garden and cursed. The third phase is redemption. We all know how that came about.

I see similar phases with me and lots of people I've known. First God allows us to sin with apparently no consequences whatsoever. Then, after a time, judgment comes. Finally after suffering enough we find redemption by turning back to God.

Significance

Even in the early church, dating back to the time of Paul. severe doctrinal differences crept into the church. Many of these heretics are called out and condemned by name in several of the New Testament books. We don't live in an ideal world but I do wonder how much different things would be if so many people were not so disposed to use any means necessary, including lies, to achieve worldly significance.

Source of Life

Who did Jesus help anyhow? Lazarus was raised from dead but Death followed quickly behind the voice of Christ and swallowed him up again. Christ visited many town and His hands healed many people but for every one that he healed how many more in the same instant elsewhere became ill? The Apostle John refers to Christ's healings more often as signs than as miracles. As signs they were not the final intent of His ministry but served to point the final intent.

“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” -John 10:10

Physical health and material riches pass away but true Life through Christ is forever. It is for freedom that He set us free to live abundant life. The martyrs testify through their blood that nothing in this world, no tyrant, disease or calamity can take from us our true Life and our true Freedom.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. -Romans 8:38

Relationships

Having a relationship with God is pretty easy because God is perfect and He loves perfectly. Having a relationship with a person though is hard because they are often wrong, arrogant, spiteful, and generally sinful all around. On the other hand, having a relationship with God is hard because He cannot be seen and His voice is not usually audible. With people we have the advantage of immediate and clear communication even if we don't like what is communicated. So maybe both are hard and both are easy.

Specialization

Living in a specialized society certainly has its perks. It means that instead of spending 6 hours work on my car, I can take it to a mechanic who has expertise and only needs to work 1 hour on it. It means I don't have to grow my food, build my own house, etc. It is what enables us to have the quality of life that we currently enjoy. The downside is that it becomes much easier to be disconnected from the reality of what makes our world go 'round. Specialization produces people who can talk about the barbarism of animal sacrifice while eating a hamburger.

Practical Faith

Faith is too often not regarded as something practical. It it described as mystical, spiritual, holy, etc. but never practical. I think this is unfortunate. What is more practical than living in the knowledge that the world is fading, that we are dust and will return to dust? Living with this knowledge what could be more practical than turning to embrace our Creator with love and eternity in our hearts?

"A man is no fool to give up what he can never keep to gain that which he can never lose"
-Jim Eliot, missionary/martyr

Theotokos

Theotokos is a greek title for Mary that literally translated means "God-bearer" or "One who gives birth to God." Jesus has only been physically born into the world once and that was through Mary. But we all share a very similar calling. Mary was called on to open her womb to the Lord and we are called to open our hearts to Him. By saying "yes", Mary brought Christ into the world and became "One who gives birth to God." By saying "yes", we bring Christ into the world to ourselves and the people arounds. By saying "yes", we become "God-bearers."

Anonymous

I think it would really be interesting to do a study on anonymous Biblical figures. 100 or 200 years from now, its very likely that no one will remember our names or who we were. Yet our faith, like the the faith of these anonymous faithful, will have eternal impact.

Bread of Life II

If God can fill simple bread and wine with the presence of Christ in response to a simple prayer, what will he do when we pray that He fill us with His presence?

"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" - Matthew 7:9-11

Bread of Life

A loaf of bread cannot do very much; it is only good for feeding a few people. In the hands of Jesus though, a loaf of bread feeds multitudes. The life of a single person can only do so much good in the world. What can that life do though when it is put into the hands of Jesus?

Family

The first command of God to mankind was to be fruit and multiply, essentially to create families. In the end, God Himself was willing to come and die a painful death for the purpose of creating a family. Everyone I've heard who talks about what really matters in life talks about family. So why do families seem to be breaking apart now?

Terrible

God flooded a world, lead wars, brought death into the world as punishment for sin, cursed women to have painful childbirth, cursed man to work the ground all his life, stuck people dead, struck people mute, had them mauled by lions, starved people, and so on and so on. Probably the worst punishment ever inflicted by God is when he hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he could no longer repent of his evil. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of a living God.

Joy

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
- Galatians 5:22-23

The fruits of the Spirit are difficult fruits to cultivate. I've found the most difficult to be the cultivation of true Christian joy - joy in the face of hardships, challenges, or even during the uneventful times. I wonder if the fruits of the Spirit were the parts of a house if joy wouldn't be the root? After we have sowed the seeds of peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control perhaps then we reap the reward of the servants of God - boundless joy. All the other fruits can be practiced, but how can one practice the joy of God without having first labored to nurture it? My striving, the entire aim of my life, is to grow so that one day I can open my leaves and drink in the fullness of the Light of the Son and feel His joy coursing down to my roots.