A personal note

Hope

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I fell asleep last night troubled by the condition of the world. This morning I’m reading Psalm 11. “When the foundations are destroyed, what are the righteous to do?” (Verse 3)

”Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.”

-William Butler Yeats: The Second Coming

Of course our hope is in the unchanging character of God and his sure promises to us. “The Lord is in His holy temple… I wait for the Lord; my soul does wait, and in his Word do I hope…” Psalm 130




A personal note, An aside...

Note to self:

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NOTE TO SELF: In this present spiritual conflict, I will remind myself daily that hatred for my enemies is never, ever the Biblical option. I may hate the DEEDS of my enemy, but never the image-bearer himself, regardless of how far he has strayed from his Maker.

This will feel massively counterintuitive, but it is the narrow road of the Kingdom, in opposition to the broad way of the world.

Discipleship, Worldview & Truth

A Conspiratorial Worldview

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Conspiracies seem to be popping up with growing frequency these days, and to be honest, many of them seem quite credible.  But recently I felt cautioned by the Lord to avoid the trap of a “conspiratorial worldview.”  It’s a little nuanced, but let me explain.  

Our worldview is revealed by the way we answer the most foundational questions of life:

• Who is God?   
• Who is man? 
• What’s the problem with the world? 
• How can the world be fixed?  

It’s the third question, “What’s wrong with the world?” that can lead us astray.  Politicians, pundits, and podcasters often identify people and groups as the problem: Palestinians, Israelis, Communists, political parties, secret societies,  globalists, the Deep State, the media, blacks, whites, immigrants, and the list goes on …  It’s a subtle temptation to scapegoat, and begin thinking “If we could just eliminate these people the world would begin to heal.”

To be clear, people and groups can and do complicate our problems, but according to the scriptures these are not at the root.  The real problem with the world is sin: that cursed rebellion and blindness that wars in each of our hearts, including my own.  The writer of Genesis tells us that “sin is crouching at the door.”  *  

To identify groups and people as the problem is to miss the truth and open the door to resentment and blame.  

It’s the easiest thing in the world to fall into subtle anger and bitterness towards others: Racism, political enmities, antisemitism, phobias and bigotries of every sort.  Hostility will never solve our social problems.  It only pollutes and poisons what might have been redemptive.  “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and abuse you.” * Redemption and change will happen only when we embrace the love of Jesus.

Likewise, blame is no less destructive.  It deflects the focus from our own culpability and kicks it into the court of others.  “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” *  The only way forward happens when each of us recognizes our own sin. The problem with the world is not “out there” in others, but rather hiding in my own heart.        

In the worldview of Jesus, (who actually created the world, and knows exactly what the problem is), our task is to differentiate between people and sin: hate the sin and love the sinner.  


* Genesis 4:7
* Matthew 5:44
* Matthew 7:3

Discipleship, The Kingdom

The Kitchen Door

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Did you know that when Jesus reminded the multitude that they were “the light of the world, a city set on a hill”, and “the salt of the earth” He was not speaking to born-again Christians, but to a motley crowd of Galileans? (After all, He had neither died on the cross, nor been resurrected at that point). And do we also realize that when he declared, “The Kingdom of God is within you”, (Luke 17:20-21), He was speaking not to his disciples, but to Pharisees?

So what’s going on here? Certainly Jesus wasn’t confused. These were human beings he had brought into existence, and He knew them better than they knew themselves. But perhaps this is a key to understanding. Unlike today’s church, which typically begins the gospel with a declaration of our sin and rebellion, Jesus seems to be going round the kitchen door and making his entrance from the other side. The truth is, we were designed for the Kingdom, and most people have at least a faint awareness that yes, there must be more.

Paul tapped into this pattern in Acts 17:28 when he declared to the pagan men of Athens that “We are God’s children.” Do we see that sometimes people, even unbelievers respond to a tender reminder of their design? Maybe this “kitchen door” approach calls more upon the heart, and less upon the conscience. This in no way diminishes our need to “turn and believe,” but it’s rather a hardware / software issue. The hardware of the human race is designed for destiny. That’s who we are, and there are faint echos of that strewn across the consciousness of the human race. But we have a software issue, a need for an operating system of faith in the One who designed us. Only turning to Jesus will activate the life and light of our design.

To call upon that part of man that deep-down knows he was created for significance can be a powerful tool for bringing our friends to faith. In the moving words of Fanny Crosby, “Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter, feelings lie buried that grace can restore; Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness, chords that were broken will vibrate once more.”

Discipleship is all about learning the beautiful ways of Jesus. In a world where so many have lost sight of the path, perhaps this “kitchen door approach” is a key to reaching them with the good news.

Discipleship, Worldview & Truth

What does Jesus mean when He claims to be the Truth?

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Chances are you and I will never meet a person who declares “I am the truth…”   But Jesus made that insanely radical statement, and what the heck does it mean?   Understanding Jesus as “Truth” is a massive concept to wrap our brains around, but it is definitely worth pursuing.  And the witness of several scriptures will set us on that path. 

In retelling the Creation story, the Gospel of John identifies not God the Father, but Jesus the Son as the one through whom all things were created.  John writes,“Through Him, (that is – Jesus), all things were made, and apart from Him nothing was made that has been made.”  (John 1:3)  It’s true that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit always work together as one, (that is… there are no “solo acts” in the Trinity), but for many of us it might require a shift of thinking to consider Jesus, rather than His Father, as the one through whom all creation was spoken into existence.  

But Colossians 1:16 takes it a step further and explains that it is also Jesus who holds all things together.  “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible… and in Him all things hold together.”  Many scientists would say that the “mortar” that holds all things together actually consists in four mysterious forces known as gravity, the electromagnetic force, the “strong force”, and the “weak force.”  The problem with that explanation is that these four forces have names, but they have no explanation because they exist only in theory.  You can neither see them, nor figure out how they work.   But since something must be holding everything together, science has posited these four elusive forces to get the job done.  

The Scriptures, however, cut to the chase and simply declare that it is Jesus who holds all creation together “by the power of his word.”   (Hebrews 1:3)  Now, let’s go back to Jesus being the truth:  Jesus is the One who created all things, and he is the One who holds all things together.  He made gravity, and he is holding gravity in place at this moment.  He created sound, the speed of sound, the frequencies of sound and the harmonies that result when frequencies are combined.  So when Jesus says, “I am the Truth” He means that he is the source and sustainer of everything in the universe.  If you were to take Him out of His creation, reality itself would disintegrate into non-existence. In this sense Jesus doesn’t need to “learn” anything about calculous, quantum physics or anything else because he created all these things.  He is, indeed, the Truth about everything.  

This is why pursuing Truth is vital.  When we pursue Truth we will ultimately discover Jesus, and when we pursue Jesus we will ultimately have the truth thrown in as well.  Leading the way and setting the example, Kingdom disciples ought to always encourage others to seek the Truth that leads to freedom, life, and ultimately the Creator Himself..   

Worldview & Truth

Defining Truth

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(A note: perhaps this should have been an introduction to the following two posts on Truth).

Several decades of classroom experience has shown me that nearly all university-age students struggle to define the idea of “truth”, and few American students can remember a single lesson addressing it. (Isn’t that curious?) When I ask for someone to tell me what truth is, the classroom almost always goes silent.

But several years back I had a delightfully different response with a group of second level students in Texas. I asked, “Who can give me a definition of Truth?” And front row Hanna, threw her hand up like a game show contestant.

“Truth is an accurate description of reality.”

BOOM! Plain and simple. In the Greek language the single word “aletheia” is interchangeably translated as either “truth” or “reality.”

I had two follow-up questions: To Hannah I asked, “Were you home-schooled?” (Yes… and it was obvious).

And to the class… “What, then, is reality?” (Because in today’s world, even reality has become a murky concept).

Reality is “what is”. Or as Dallas Willard brings it home, “Reality is what we stub our toe on in the middle of the night”. It may seem odd to address such simple, basic questions, but in a world where both truth and reality are under daily assault from academics and cultural shapers alike, it seems a healthy thing for disciples of Jesus to remind ourselves of the ABCs of life.

Worldview & Truth

Knowing Truth, part 2

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(This is a follow-up from my April 29th post: Knowing Truth)

As a first step in knowing truth, we must be willing to change our mind and go where the facts lead. Apart from that openness we will never know the truth.  Whether we’re assessing the character of a politician, testing the veracity of the Gospels, or trying to figure out what really happened on 9-11, we MUST follow the evidence wherever it leads.  

In both classical education and historic Christianity there are three universally recognized paths to discovering the truth: Reason, Experimentation, and Revelation.  These three ought to validate each other like three stars in perfect alignment.  If one of them fails to align with the other two, we will lack confidence, and need to continue investigating.  We’ll look at them one at a time in no particular order:

1. Reason: “Come let us reason together…”  – Isaiah 1:1

If a person were hiking through the woods of South Dakota and he came upon the above scene, his reason would tell him immediately that this was the work of a designer and not the product of erosion.  Mount Rushmore is far too detailed and complex to have just “happened” on its own.   Reason is never an enemy of the Christian, but rather our friend and ally.  Therefore we must learn to handle it well,  “…always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is in you.”  1 Peter 3:15.  

2. Experience and experimentation: “Test all things, hold onto what is true.”  – 1 Thessalonians.5:21

We learn by experience. Infants enter the world as little scientists, testing this and that to discover information about the world.  We learn that touching a hot burner is painful every single time.  I remember biting into a horseradish when I was five and experiencing a pain so profound I thought I would die.  It was a learning experience that has informed me for a lifetime.   To Thomas Jesus said “…reach  here with your hand, and put it into my side.”  (John 20:27)  That’s an invitation to  discover truth by experience.

3. Revelation: “… this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.”  – Matthew 16:17

But there are some things which cannot be known by direct experience or reason alone.  These things must be revealed to us by God himself.  Apart from the scriptures there is no way, for instance, we could know that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  – John 1:1-2   The good news is that revelation has been given to us in the sixty-six books of the Bible.  And when acted upon, it will be confirmed by both reason and experience.

In a culture that questions the very existence of Truth itself, we disciples of Jesus must learn to recognize, value, and defend it at every opportunity.   

Discipleship, Worldview & Truth

Knowing Truth: Part 1

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A friend recently asked me for some thoughts about how we can know the truth.  With so many ideas, stories and opinions out there even within the church, it’s no small task to settle with reasonable confidence on what is TRULY true.  And yet I can think of nothing  so important in these turbulent days as having this north star to guide us.  

Jesus declares himself to be the truth, (John 14:6), and therefore every perception of reality must be filtered through his brilliant beauty and awesome, unchanging character.  When John Keats wrote “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that’s all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know” he captured something of Jesus, who is the perennial fountain of both:  Truth will be forever beautiful, and beauty will be eternally truthful. 

In the interest of not overburdening my friends with words, I’ll divide this post into several shorter entries.  For now, here’s something to consider: The Truth will always set you free:  That’s not my opinion but the promise of the One who  created and sustains all reality.  “If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you WILL know the truth, and the truth WILL make you free.”   (John 8:31-32)

As we wade through ideas and opinions it’s essential to examine them through the lens of Jesus’ character and his words, asking at every turn, “Does this idea impart freedom to my soul?”   I’m not talking about the artificial freedom of doing whatever you want, but rather the inner witness that “This beautiful idea causes my heart to leap  with expectancy of blessings, fulfillment, and freedom.” May you be guided into the ever-expanding truth that makes you free.

In the next post I’ll look at three additional ways of identifying Truth. 

Discipleship, Endtimes, The Kingdom, Worldview & Truth

The Trap of Fatalism

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One of the towering truths that set Biblical Christianity apart from other religions and worldviews is the double-sided concept of human significance and free will.  While other worldviews embrace fatalism, (“What will be will be.”), and the insignificance of the individual, Christianity boldly asserts that people are designed to make an eternal difference in the world.  In contemplating man, the Psalmist declared,  “You have made him a little lower than the angels,  You have crowned him with glory and majesty!   You have made him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.”  (Psalm 8:5-6)  

But do we live as if it’s true?   Many in today’s church seem to settle for insignificance and practical fatalism:  

“It is what it is.”
“What will be will be.”
“We’re helpless against the system.
“What difference can I make?” 

It shows up in our meager prayer lives and in the way we quickly consign the government, the culture, the educational system, and the creative arts to the ash heap of darkness.  When was the last time any of us were a part of a well-attended prayer meeting for our community, the epidemic drug problem, or the specter of another world war?   It shows in our theology every time we casually accept the idea that the world must become darker and darker until Jesus is forced to intervene and snatch us away to heaven. 

“There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it and constructed large siege works against it.  But there was found in it a poor wise man, and he delivered the city by his wisdom.”  – Ecclesiastes 9:14-15  The scriptures are brimming with stories of mere men and women who changed history.

“… if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”  – Matthew 17;20

We are not helpless slaves to fate, but children of a God who lives among us to impact the world.  May our prayers, our actions and our words reflect that reality.  

The Kingdom

Israel-Hamas: A Kingdom View

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This week’s unfolding nightmare in Israel and Gaza is the tragic result of missing what we were made for. The Palestinians have missed it, but so have the Israelis, the nations, and many Christians, including some of us.

We humans are designed for a Kingdom, for a territory that is safe, free, beautiful, blessed, and prosperous. God designed us to exist in a “homeland for the human soul”. And so he programmed that dream into our very DNA. But here is the problem: we have the dream without the interpretation, and so we go about looking for it in all the wrong ways:

“What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.” (James 5:1-2) These two verses describe human nature with shocking precision.

But the answer, unfortunately, can never be found in diplomacy alone, nor in armed conflict, resistance, or endless retaliation. Neither the UN, the Jewish nation, the Western Powers, nor Radical Islam have a lasting solution to the complexities of the Middle East. Yet there IS an answer: We must all return to the Lord, receive a new heart, and embrace the hope of the Kingdom.

His is a Kingdom of forgiveness, enemy-love, and humility, where the nations beat their swords into plowshares, and the art of war is forever forgotten. A pipe dream, you say? Then tell us where and when it has ever been tested and shown to be a failure? The problem with the Kingdom is not that it has failed. It has barely been understood, and certainly never been tried.

It all begins when we embrace the life of Jesus and the beauty of His dream for the world. We move forward by learning the ways of the Kingdom, as we imitate and share the life the King Himself. Our part is simply to pray, love, forgive, serve, and declare the good news of that different world.

There certainly remains the embedded problem of human wickedness. Believers have wrestled for centuries for the proper Christian response to war and violence. Must we stand in the face of wickedness and reject it? Certainly. Should we protect, comfort, and care for the victims of evil? Absolutely! We must remember, however, that evil rests in individual human hearts, and avoid the sweeping condemnation of all Palestinians because some are terrorists. Alas, there are no human tools for turning hardened terrorists into loving, forgiving saints.

And yet there is hope! There is One who can wash evil from the human heart. Jesus does not choose sides like we do. He simply opposes evil and receives all who will come to him. If we long for the beautiful Kingdom to become a reality, then we must each do our part. He is certain to do His.

Hopeful glimpses of the Kingdom of God