Intolerance and Relative Truth

If you look in the dictionary there is a definition of "tolerance."  It is defined as being an attitude of respect to all people regardless of their beliefs.  It in no way requires the person to agree or assimilate the beliefs of the other person.  This definition is even supported by the Bible when Paul tells us that "[love] endures all things."  The only way of being "intolerant" is condemning a person or disrespecting them based on their differing belief system.

However, there is a new definition of "tolerance" that has arisen in popular culture.  This is a  quote from the book Evidence for Christianity by Josh McDowell where he is quoting Thomas Helm Bock:

The definition of new...tolerance is that every individual's beliefs, lifestyle, perception of truth claims are equal...Your beliefs and my beliefs are equal, and all truth is relative.

Now a few things should strike you as odd here.  Say someone states "Washington DC is the capitol of the USA."  But isn't that intolerant of anyone else that may think that Charleston is the capitol of the USA.  If you are basing your definition of tolerance on the one that culture is turning to more and more in recent years then YES it is very intolerant.  Now, how much sense does this make.  This person is not being intolerant.  They are just stating a fact that they know is the truth.  But "truth is relative" isn't it?

How can that even be said.....because......wouldn't that statement have to be an absolute truth for it be true that truth is relative?  It makes no logical sense to say that "truth is relative" because simply stating it contradicts the entire perception.  How can truth possibly be relative?

Now, looking at what we have here.  If you have a belief and express it as the one and only truth, it is not intolerant (Washington DC is the only capitol of the USA).  So the same should be true from the standpoint of faith in Christ.  To claim that Jesus Christ is the only way is not intolerant.  Also, there is no way make a logical argument for truth being relative because even stating it voids the accuracy of the belief.

Escape

A lot of people look for one.  We even see it all through out the Bible with many godly men.  Jesus even looks for an escape at times. 

Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. (John 6:15b)

In this passage, Jesus has just preached and taught a large group of people and fed them all with five loaves of bread and two fish.  As the people come after him for more, he decides to take some time by himself.  There is also the story of the Garden at Gethsemane where Jesus takes time alone to talk to the father before he goes to the cross.

But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and say down under a broom tree. (1 Kings 19:4)

We are now look at Elijah.  He had just seen God do absolutely miraculous things.  God had devoured an altar in a column of fire and helped Elijah defeat 450 prophets of Baal yet he needed a time of rest.  He was afraid of Queen Jezebel and needed to escape for a time. 

When we want to escape for a time we need to get a few things straight.  We can't just jump into isolation and soak in our own self pity.  There needs to be sis things that we keep in mind as we escape.

1. Get away
Yes, I do mean physically.  Different people have different places that they may go.  For you it may just be a certain room in your house.  It may be your local Starbucks.  For some of you it may be a nearby mountain.  I know that I am going to be going on Saturday morning up to Liberty Mountain by myself so I can have some time alone with God and escape the craziness of college life.

2. Get alone
DO NOT TAKE ANYONE WITH YOU!!!  This is a time where you need to rejuvenate.  Yes, it would be romantic to take your favorite chica up on top of a mountain for the day, but save it for another time.  This is you and God time. 

3. Get Honest
Be completely honest with God.  It's ok.  Even if you don't say it out loud He knows.  So go ahead and say it, shout it, do whatever.  Elijah asked God to kill him.  Moses prayed that God would kill the Israelite cause they were so frustrating to deal with!  Be honest with God about what you are feeling.

4. Get rest
Again, yes this is physical.  Take a nap.  Lay on the grass and look at the clouds.  Read a good novel.  Do whatever you need to do just to relax and get some rest for you mind and body.

5. Get fed
Now this time I DO NOT mean physically.  Well...you do need to eat, but more importantly you need to feed your soul.  You have to get into God's word.  You have prayed to God and told Him how you feel, you have rested and cooled off a little, and now God will show you what you need from His word.  Always make sure to have your Bible at your place of escape and READ IT!  Have a study plan.  They are all over the place online.  Personally I would suggest starting in John, then Acts, and then Romans.  All three are powerful books that give you a clear picture of three things: Jesus, the Church, and the Christian Life.

6. Get up
You can't stay in this state forever.  Don't be one of those Christians that sits and soaks and gets fat on the spirit.  As God pours into you, you need to pour out to other people.  You need to get up from this place of escape and solitude and get back into the swing of things with a refreshed soul and possibly a whole new perspective on living life.

It is not wrong to take some time to get alone.  We live in this world that tells us all the time that we need to WORK WORK WORK.  We live in a fest paced culture that never takes time to slow down and get alone with God.  This is something that is especially important for people in ministry.  If you never take time for just you and God, you will get empty and then you won't be ministering from and overflow of God.  You will be ministering from your own tired and lame efforts.  Don't get to that point.  Get alone with God and beg Him to fill you again and He WILL!

Intentions over Interpretation

Have you ever heard this in a small group?

"What do you think that verse is saying?"

or

"What do you feel that verse is saying to you?"

What an arrogant way to look at the Word of God!  Why would we be asking what WE think of GOD's Word?  Shouldn't the question be:

"What was God saying through this passage?"

Let me try to explain in a logical, life applicable sense.  When we read a book from modern day, whether we notice it or not, we are looking into the intentions of the author.  We may not have to think about it too heavily because we are living in the same time period and (at times) in the same area of the world.  Now, even if the book is from the same time period but different area we may have to look up some information on the author or on the subjects he/she is talking about because we may not understand some of the cultural references.  Now, we have to understand that the Bible is a grouping of books that were written in a specific culture at a specific time for use throughout history as a life applicable manual. It was written thousands of years ago in the middle east.  So why do you think you are going to just read it and understand the author's (God's voice through men) intention.  So before we even start to read and ask God what He wants us to hear from His word, doesn't it make sense that we should educate ourselves on the context of what is being said?  So many of the most ridiculous arguments I have heard against the Bible have been due to ignorance of the context of a certain passage.

After this, we still can't just start reading.  We will start reading it as just another book that we are going to create perceptions of our own about.  We need to ask God to show us what He would have us see in His word.  Our opinion does NOT matter!  This is why there are so many denominations out there!  So many people look at their own opinion of what the scriptures are saying and don't genuinely ask God what He is saying through them.  Ask Him!  BEG HIM!  Desire for Him to speak to You through the Bible directly from His heart.

So, summing up here, we need to be willing to look up the context of who, when, where, how, and why God was speaking in His Word and then we need to be willing to ask God, "What do you want me to see in Your word?  What do YOU want me to learn?  What were YOU trying to say through this passage to this world?"  We need to push aside the interpretations and get down to the intentions of a holy God.

If life is an illusion.......

We have been studying other world religions lately and it caused me to think about a certain question about Hinduism.  Now if you know any of the basics of this religion, the concept is that all of life is an illusion and the goal is to escape from the illusion into a state of non-existence.

My question is, "If life is an illusion, then where do they get their basis of morality?"
I have had people push back and say, "Well, they believe that being a good person is the way to escape the illusion." But how much sense does that make?  Wouldn't it make much more sense for me to care less about the people around me and to treat them in whatever way I care to, seeing as they don't really exist.  That, logically, would be a much more obvious outward showing of a realization of the illusion.  Coming to a state of not acknowledging the illusion or it's "laws and feelings" would seem to be the proper route to go in escaping it rather than catering to its "morality" which doesn't really exist either.

And now I have come to another perplexing thought loop.  If the concept is that everything around you does not exist then why ever have new converts?  Does that matter?  They don't really even exist do they?  So why convert them?

And another question....If no one here on earth really exists.....who is the one person that actually does? This all has to be SOMEONE'S illusion!  If I believe that everyone around me i s an illusion.....then that means I am the only consciousness on this planet that actually exists....that seems arrogant.....

More questions to come.....

How to Survive the End of the World (Week 3)

Snapshots of the Endtimes

We will see:

1)An accurate view of Jesus
Revelation 1:1 IT IS ABOUT JESUS
- It is not he revelation of the Endtimes
We will never discover what He wants until we discover who He is!
- We need to make sure we pray for clarity about WHO HE IS

2) Confirmation of His Word
- We try to deny things that God says are true
- God wants us to hear Him and understand Him
- God repeats "He who has an ear, let Him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" over and over and over
- God is speaking, we don't hear cause we don't want to do what He is saying

3) A Proper Handling of Wealth
- What does God want me to do financially?

4) A Packed House
- THERE WILL BE LOTS OF PEOPLE
- Like small churches? You will HATE heaven!

5) A Final Proclamation of the Gospel
Revelation 14:6,7
- This is the last time that the Gospel is ever proclaimed

6) The Wrath of God
- People don't like this
- Doesn't mean it's not gonna happen

7) Peace
- Everything is made right

I'm Coming Back to the Heart of Worship

It's been a long time since I stood on the stage at Barefoot Church and helped lead worship, and now I get to do it again!  This weekend I will be home for Fall Break and helping out with the praise and worship team.  Tonight will also be a night filled with worship when Shawn and I bring together our two prayer groups to talk about worship & what it means and then hang out for a nice time of music and worship.  In light of these two events, I would like to talk a little about worship.

If there is one verse in the entire Bible that I think captures what worship is all about, it has to be Luke 10:27.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.

1. With all your Heart
There needs to be a passion about our walk with Christ.  When we truly love someone our heart goes out to them.  We feel for them.  We hurt when they hurt.  We rejoice when they rejoice.  There is a passion.


2. With all your Soul
Our soul is the essence of who we are.  It sets us apart.  By loving him with our soul we are offering up and surrendering ourselves to him in a deep way.


3. With all your Strength
There needs to be a ferocity about our journey towards Him.  This is not a hobby.  We don't "just like this way."  This is a pursuit toward an ever deepening relationship with the creator of the universe.  This ties directly into our passion and should be a result of it.


4. With all your Mind
It is very important that this one is stuck there on the end, because in my opinion it is one of the most important parts.  When you come to Christ, you generally feel a passion and ferocity.  So you start off loving Him with your heart and strength.  You realize the need to surrender your life to Him, so you love Him with your soul.  But then....what else is there?  There is the knowledge.  After the crazy, wild "Jesus High" of accepting Him dies down, there is going to be a world and an enemy out there that is looking tear you down.  The only way to withstand these attacks is to KNOW your Lord.  You need to love Him with your mind by learning about Him.  You need to learn about His will for you, why He created you, why He loves you, etc.  The mind is specifically the last one here because it is what keeps you going for the long haul.


Although I have put a lot of emphasis today on the Mind, all of these are very important.  If you are loving Him with your mind and not you Heart and Soul, then you are no better than the pharisees. If you have a passion in your heart for Him, but you still hold onto who you were before you knew him and don't surrender your soul, the you do more harm to the body of Christ than the non-believer.  We need all of these pieces working together to really be in a state of pure worship before God.

God wants me to be happy??

Show me a verse that states this.  The problem is, you can't find one because this statement is not true.  God cares about our well being. God cares about us doing what is holy and what is right.  God could care less about our "happiness."  We read:

Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"

And what is "Making us happy" other than following our heart?  The thing is, going against our heart and against our desires for the sake what what is RIGHT is ALWAYS going to lead us away from happiness!  Our heart will always lead us toward happiness, convenience, and the easy way.  The world has greatly skewed this concept and made the idea of "Doing what makes you happy" and "Following your heart" into good, moral things to do.

 Now, you may be asking, "If God doesn't care about my happiness, then what DOES he care about?"  He cares about our HOLINESS.  Pulling away from our heart and away from what makes us happy will cause us to open our eyes more to what God wants for us.  He will always pull us into uncomfortable situations for our own good.  We have to get to a point where we are not relying on our own judgment about these things and realize that God has our best intentions at heart and even though they may not make us happy immediately, the reward at the end of the struggle is so much better than the instant and fleeting happiness our heart will give us.


This whole concept that people have started trying to instill in the worldview of people today of "Do what makes you happy" follows a world view called "Hedonism" that is totally against the Bible.

Hedonism
-Philosophical concept: Defines pleasure and pain according to the human condition and sensory input alone.  Not other measure of good and evil.

-Social application: Pursuit of pleasure, comfort, safety and security in human terms.  All struggle and pain is defined as evil.  Delayed gratification is considered to be evil "If is feels good, do it!"

Now...does this worldview REALLY line up with a God that says to wait for marriage to have sex, to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, or to surrender EVERYTHING to Him? NO! Obviously, from just these three examples here, God does not care about your happiness when it interferes with the greater and more abundant plans that He has for your life.

How to Survive the End of the World (Week 2)

The best thing about being a Christian: Romans 8:1

There are two judgment seats
1. Judgment Seat of Christ
Were Christians go to be held accountable for their actions...
1 Corinthians 3:10-15
What about us will be judged at the judgment seat?
A. Our Motives
-Why are you here? (At church)
-Am I seeking to OBEY Him or NEGOTIATE with Him?
-Do I view His word as a COMMAND or a SUGGESTION?
-Am I living in sin with no conviction?
-Am I giving my best to God?

B. Our Stewardship
Everything we have is by the grace of God...
We will be held accountable for three main things:
1. Our Time
Are we using our time wisely for Him?
2. Our Money
 Is He first?
One day you will stand before Him and you CAN'T lie to Him!
3. Our Gifting
There are SO many untapped gifts in the church!
We need to get in the game! 

2. The White Throne of Judgment 
Where non-believers go to be held accountable for their sins...

Who will be there?
A. The Procrastinator
Think they have all the time in the world to do it
B. The Coward
C. The Prideful 
"I don't NEED God!"
D. The Church Member (The religious)
-Never read a passage that says a Catholic goes to heaven, or a baptist, or a Presbyterian, or a Lutheran, etc.
-Only way to get away from this throne is Jesus! NOT a denomination!

Searching for the truth...

There is nothing more frustrating in the Christian walk than to have your beliefs torn down by skeptics who don't believe the same way you do.  The part that is even worse is when you start to feel like their criticisms are correct......that you really have it wrong.......and none of it is true.  So you start questioning and doubting the very faith that you claim.  In these times you have to keep a few things in mind: 

1. Christ NEVER said it would be easy 

John 16:33b "In the world you will have tribulation."

Now this is pretty straight forward.  There is not much here to lose in the translation.  We live in a fallen world where people are going to hurt us and put us through tough times. It is a world that has been blinded to the truth. Which brings me to my next point.

2. The world is blind

2 Corinthians 4:4 "...the god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (Emphasis added)

This doesn't say that it has be "hidden from the them." It says that they are BLIND. Blind people have a every hard time understanding something unless they can experience it and have it explicitly explained to them in a calm, concise way.  This is why we MUST be patient with them when people start coming against us and always keep in mind (for the sake of our own faith) that they are BLINDED to the truth.

3. You MUST study

When you meet someone new, you always have a first impression.  People usually try to put their best foot forward in a first impression, so you may be thinking, "Wow, this people is really nice/kind/humble/friendly!"  But then you start to here things from other people about this person.  They may be telling you about their immoral lifestyle or their abrasive attitude or vulgar sense of humor.  This creates doubts in your mind about this person that you don't know very well.  Now take this same situation and replace the acquaintance with a long time friend.  This is someone you know very well and when people start tearing down their personality you can defend them because you have the proper knowledge and experience to do so.

This same experience can happen in our walk with God.  When we don't take the time to get to know God then how will we ever be able to have an accurate picture of who He really is.  When we don't spend time in His word then the only things we are going to here about Him are the criticisms that take place all around us.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."

Psalm 19:11 "I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."

4. Defend in Love

We are always expected to be able to defend what we believe.  And no "Because the Bible tells me so..." is not a proper defense.  Contrary to popular belief, there is no concept of us being required in the Bible to have blind faith.

1 Perter 3:15 "but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,"

Notice that last part.  We are to do this in gentleness and respect.  A lot of people miss that.  All throughout the ministry of Christ we see Him inviting people and sharing with people.  He never forces or beats people over the head.  We need to follow suite.  We need to properly, logically, and clearly explain what we believe and why we believe it and invite people to come along and accept this truth that we have found. Don't get angry and discouraged when people deny it (Remember! They are BLIND!).


Another great resource in studying God's word and His character are all of the book that have been written to explain the logical and scientific backing for what we believe.  If you want to see a list of some of those books that have really helped me, then check out the resources box on the bottom of the page at www.BestLoveEver.org

Change in the Church

Today we talked for a little while about change taking place in the church and I shared my view on the matter:

The Gospel will NEVER change, but the Church HAS to!

I hope to never be the person to create the new "traditional" church.  I hope that the ministries God calls me to will ALWAYS be looking for new ways to better reach this world for Christ and then ACT ON IT!  We talked about the passage where Paul was talking about this exact subject. In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 he says:

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.  To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews.  To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.  To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.  To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.  I have became all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

If we are to become like the people we are trying to reach in a world full of flashing lights, loud music, and dynamic speaking then should we not reach them in that exact methodology.  People seem to be under this impression that the church is supposed to stay traditional and boring.  Now, don't get me wrong!  I LOVE hymns!  I think they are really powerful!  But when we are trying to reach a world that enjoys a different style, we need to reach them with.....hmmm.....uh........THAT STYLE!