Origins: Inevitable Presupposition

My mom and dad just went to see that new Ben Stein move ("Expelled") and Dad told me about it in an email, so I did what every good little xian daughter does when she lives in Korea and can't go see the movie yet...I looked up trailers on youtube.com.

Of course this action brought up video after video from both sides of the argument. Most of the creationist videos were from old, white haired pastors who use things like bananas and peanut butter to make their points. I read the comments people posted at the ends of them, and most of them say, "You're a pastor! You're not a scientist!" and on and on about how pastors are uninformed about observable data, and should leave God out of it. Okay, point taken. So of course you would expect the evolutionist videos to be by scientists...but oddly most of them were of teenage/college age boys in their basement with a camera, three big words they learned in philosophy class that they repeat over and over (see: "inconceivable" from The Princess Bride), and...of course that old staple "the f bomb." Always a valid point maker. Experts the lot of them. Not that they stand for all evolutionists...but...honestly, pastors don't stand for all creationists either.

Now,.....Let me move onto my real point. Everyone who likes to sound smart in these arguments likes to use the word "presupposition." As in, "Your very argument is based on your presupposition that there is a Creator, and that means God, and He has nothing to do with science." Likewise, "Your argument is based on presupposing that chaos is more intelligent than its result."

So why read on? So why bother to read anything that anyone has to say about the subject? My point is that, there is no way to avoid presupposition when it comes to things we can't/didn't observe. Like...I have to presuppose that the Sumerians invented the wheel, b/c all the history books say they did. Was I there? No. Were any of my teachers there? No. Were any of the textbook authors there? No. Then how do we know? B/c of ancient records and archaeology. That's what we have to go on. Does anyone question it or have a problem with it? No. Why should they? Valid research has gone into it. However...it could change at any second. All someone would have to do is to find an earlier wheel. Even if we had a stone that had the words "Hey, guys! I'm a Sumerian and I can tell you that we were the first!" If archaeologists found an earlier wheel...we'd have to believe the facts and not the written record.

So why believe the Bible if scientific fact proves that the Bible is wrong? Well, the Bible can be backed up by hundreds of other sources, as well as archaeology, as well as human nature, etc... Though, I guess if you don't believe the Bible, you hate that I am using the Bible's historical record to back up science. Well, it might interest you to know that nothing we have observed, tested, or discovered in science contradicts the Bible. Actually, it ends up backing it up. The only contradictions happen when we start making educated guesses that are based in evolution's presupposition that everything started from one organism that grew by itself to what we have today. But most of what evolution guesses at, the Bible already explains. Did the earth start in chaos? Yes, that's not an evolution discovery. That's in the Bible. Did everything come into being from nothing? Yes, that's not an evolutionary discovery. That's in the Bible. Were there dinosaurs? Yes....in the Bible. However, we can make scientific guesses from here to kingdom come...and they can all be based on math and science and whatever...but what you believe is going to come from a presupposition that you had before you started your math and science.

For instance. There is a certain kind of gene they have discovered recently called a "pseudogene". These genes seem to have no specific use and so that's where they got their name. Yet, they are there. Evolutionists say that these prove a parent ancestor b/c they were leftover from the transitional phase, but now have become "junk DNA". However, they are finding that these genes actually have a function, just not the same function as a regular gene. The very name for them was based on a presupposition that they served no purpose. It's like on Jurassic Park when Sam Neil's character was trying to prove that reptiles came from birds by saying, "and the very name 'raptor' means, 'bird of prey'." You can't prove something based on a name you give it from a presupposition you want to believe.

Okay...that's all I'm going to get into here about the debate. I'm not going to get into the age of the earth, b/c that has nothing to do with evolution by definition (i.e. if the earth is billions of years old, it still doesn't mean that man came from monkeys)...

So my point is, that whatever side you are on, you are either presupposing that there was a Creator, or you are presupposing that chaos can create intelligence...but there is no way around presupposing b/c no one was there to observe it. Unless there was a God, in which case...it would be really smart of Him to write a thing or two down about it...

Post Adam, Pre-Flood Disbelief

According to Genesis 5:5, Adam died when he was 930. And if you look at a timeline, http://www.biblestudy.org/maps/life-span-of-patriarchs-from-adam-to-noah.html you can see that Adam was still alive by the time Noah's father, Lamech, was born. According to the Bible, it was during the time of Noah that people became so evil that God had to destroy the earth and start over--save for Noah, his wife, three of his sons and their wives.

Now...I know there are millions of doubters and haters out there that complain b/c they have never seen "proof" of God. They weren't there to see Christ, so...logically...they don't believe He existed. They weren't there at creation, so...logically...they decide to believe in evolution. That is the thinking of current times. Now, imagine being part of a society that turned on God while there were people still alive who had met the first man He created!

Think of it. Adam is out there populating the world and you'd think he'd be telling people about how it all started. You'd think. I mean...he had to have, right? The Bible doesn't really say. We hear about Enoch and Noah walking with God, but...after the creation episode, we hear nothing about Adam's relationship with God. Not that he didn't have one...but we aren't told. In Genesis 4:26 it says, interestingly, that it was in the days of Enosh (Seth's son) that people began to call on the name of the Lord. But...it was only a matter of time before mankind got so bad, so fast...so soon after Adam's demise.

When I say "so soon," I'm really talking about a period of several hundred years. Like..from the time of Shakespeare to now. That's a long time. I suppose men could easily deviate when given that amount of time. However, is Shakespeare still alive? No. That would change things, you'd think! There were people alive that intersected these "good" and "bad" eras of man's history, who would have known first-hand who Adam was. But, evidently, that didn't matter, b/c no one--except Noah--seemed to care that the Creator existed.

(Side note: Lamech, Noah's father, died in the flood--apparently, he was not righteous and didn't believe his own son's warnings.)

I mean...these weren't just "bad" people. People had exploited their freewill to such a degree that God actually had to resort to, not just killing the people, but the animals too...Why this extent? Perhaps this means that the people were committing bestiality on such a regular basis that animals were also tainted. I mean, it is true that later on God would make laws to put to death any animal that a person had sexually abused--an innocent part of God's creation would have to die to show the effect of sin (and, practically, to cut down on disease). Is this what made God angry enough to destroy the earth? Was the Flood in part to protect any further animals from man's sinfulness? Who knows...and...Probably. At any rate, I'm sure this was the LEAST of the problems. People were intensely fallen, yet the Bible does not explain details. What we are told: the Nephilim, that man was wicked in every way, and extreme violence. That's it. The fact that we aren't told any gory details is an eerie use of understatement.

Think of your own heart and how you stay pretty well out of trouble on a day-to-day basis. Of course, you don't want to suffer huge consequences--so your avoidance of evil is not really to your credit. You have a propensity to think insanely wicked thoughts, but fortunately, most of the time you don't act on them. What if you could get away with them though...

Imagine an infant world. When people are living to be almost a millennium old, death isn't such an impending doom--except for murders. Think of the ways modern man uses his idle time to do wicked acts...Now think about how addicting wickedness is--once is never enough...Now imagine 900 years of life--a virtual eternity to think of new and debased ways of topping prior sins! The gene pool is extremely new and not yet filled with the many disorders or diseases of today, so there is very little worry about STDs--especially since people HAVE to reproduce with family members. God hasn't yet laid down any major covenants or Torahs to worry about. The tropical green-house environment aids in the breeding of strong, resilient humans--capable of what we might consider super-human acts of sin. The earth is a lush, unadulterated paradise--a veritable consequence-free playground of debauchery.

People knew the difference between right and wrong, but God's wrath was just not something they cared about or even considered.

Now...we are told specifically that things got this bad in Noah's day, not Adam's day necessarily...but still! Adam was the first man created. The man God Himself had breathed life into, had JUST been walking the earth and people were already THIS evil! This just shows that people will do just what they want to do and believe what they want to believe no matter what proof is out there.

Obscure Passages

Have you ever been in a church service where a pastor makes you turn to a minor prophet or like...Philemon or Jude and then calls it an "obscure passage?" Do you find that strange? I mean, it sounds like he privy to information that the rest of us aren't, which is strange, b/c the last time I checked, the Bible was the best-seller of all time...

There should be no "obscure passages" in the Bible.

Okay--in the pastor's defense--most Christians are lazy and would rather wear a W.W.J.D. bracelet (see Lisa's blog: http://arecoveringchristian.blogspot.com/2008/04/spirit-of-excellence-part-1.html ) than read the Bible, so telling them that a passage is unknown is not far from the truth. But it's not the obscurity of the passage, it's the ignorance of the church. This ignorance is a hole that becomes deeper and harder to get out of the less a congregation is fed--or encouraged to feed themselves.

The remedy is surprisingly simple. The message of Christ is energizing. It quickens the mind. Very little needs to be "done" to make it exciting. Since agenda fades after time and God's Word lasts through the ages, preaching strictly from the Bible makes for a much stronger sermon...The stronger the sermon, the easier it is for the hearers to nail down these passages in their minds and write them on their hearts...Then the passages would no longer be "obscure."

Being a pastor is a hard job, but it is only made harder when the pulpit becomes a forum. Passages like: the Psalms, Proverbs, Matthew 5-7, I Cor. 13, Hebrews 11, Ephesians 5, etc....are great, but...they are preached so often they become sounding boards for agenda, especially when the rest of the Bible is neglected save for "salt and peppered" cross-references. The Bible is a big book. If talking down to a congregation's Bible knowledge is necessary, then "lesser known" passages are a great way of educating the flock.

Fertility gods...Fathomable

I was listening to a sermon at church about a week ago, and the pastor was talking about early man in Genesis. He was discussing how God had to make Himself known to people b/c they were forgetting Him and worshipping other gods. Anyway...I started to think about something.

Fertility gods make a lot of human sense. I can see why people created them. I mean if I had been a pagan nation leader, this would be my reasoning:

1.) Pleasure: Sex is debatably the greatest human pleasure on earth...To some, it seems like the highest divine ecstasy.

2.) Proof of Higher Power: Procreation is the luck of the draw. Sometimes, even with protection, people still get pregnant. Some people can't get pregnant no matter how hard they try. There must be some greater force at work. I mean Mr. and Mrs. Jones had a little idol in their boudoir...and it worked for them...

3.) Power: Procreation is how civilization is made. The larger the civilization, the more "worker bees" you have. The more "worker bees" you have, the more industry and greater economy you have.

4.) Respect: The greater your economy, the more fear you can put in the hearts of other countries. The less you have to actually worry about wars and losing your "worker bees" (Except wars can sometimes boost your economy...so...make sure you can rally your "w.b.'s" over an issue the majority will be willing to die for.)

5.) Food: Without fertile soil, your plants don't grow. Without a good harvest, your civilization can't eat, and you all die. So...rain dance...obviously.

6.) Money: Without crops you can't export anything either. The more fertile your soil the more you can grow on it and make other dependent countries give you money for your crops. If you don't have money, you can't buy from other countries the stuff you can't produce, and you'll have to come up with a plan "B"...And let's be honest. When it comes to economy, plan "B's" just prolong the inevitable.

7.) Classes: If dependant countries can't pay you for your exports, you keep them as slaves. See "worker bees"....

8.) Does anyone else wanna play that caveman version of "Sim City" right now?

9.) Life: Procreation is the power of life. Not just all that economy stuff. It's life itself. No one fully understands life. Life is...like...the highest magic ever! *Note* you can't control or plan for death at all, so...if you keep your people happy they will have a lot of kids, and you can compensate for deaths.

10.) Military: The more procreation, the more man power, the bigger your military. Then...the more land you can conquer, the more fertile soil you get, the more women you capture, the more babies they have to be your slaves and do your work while your patriotic "worker bees" (I'm sufficiently sick of that word now... ) are out fighting more conquests for you.

11.) Love: Sex is not only pleasurable, but it gives people a feeling of closeness and love. It is such a strong force that people will do it nearly every time the feeling of love comes on and they can't control themselves anymore. It's like a drug that's totally free. Just don't let your people realize how irreversible irresponsibility is.

11.) Caution: You have to have a healthy respect for fertility. B/c if you focus on lust and pride all the time, and you start taking it all for granted and don't cover your bases--like...say...from internal uprisings and stuff...the outcome will be less than pleasant. (see "Rome").

Yeah...I can totally see why people created fertility gods...you can wrap your head around them...However, there is no answer for the ultimate questions: "Why is serving myself so fun at first and then ultimately unfulfilling?" and "Why am I worshipping a god that is no different than me?"...among others...

Fertility is pretty powerful, but...what about a God of Everything? Obviously, if scientists are finding out new things about me and the world around me every day, and there is no chance of that information ever being tapped dry by human minds, then there must be Somebody who transcends it all, otherwise nothing would make any sense, and there would be no point in even being a scientist who finds out new things about me and the world around me. Wow. I have no idea how to begin making that up....I wonder if He's interested in me. I wonder if He has some way of communicating with me about who He is and why I'm here...oh wait...

Though He slay me...

"Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him." (Job 13:15) (NASB)

I had always heard the first part of this verse, but for some reason I never bothered to look at the second part.

This was my thought process:

"Though He slay me..." Well, that's depressing. It sounds like that doom and gloom message that people say fills the Bible.

The verse continues, "...yet I will hope in Him..." Now, that just sounds like fuel for a martyr syndrome. "Even though God makes all this bad stuff happen to me, I guess I'll just stay faithful to Him. Even though He wants me to suffer to the point of death--I know He really loves me...somehow... Ho-hum. Waaa-waaa-waaaa."

The context of this passage is Job telling his friends (and what little family he had left) about how God was merciful and deserved praise even though He was allowing Satan to put Job through all these trials. Still,...that doesn't make the above words sound any better. In fact, it sounds down right sadistic of God, and it sounds like Job is a masochistic pawn.

But that's not where the verse ends.

"...Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him." Well, that sounds pretty proactive for a martyr. The KJV says "maintain my ways before Him." Young's Literal Translation even says "to His face, I will argue"!!! This is quite a contrast from the supposed down-trodden spirit in the first part of the verse. It gives the idea that Job is applying the concept in Hebrews 4:16, even though the verse wouldn't be written for several millenia. It completely changes the mood of the verse.

This tells me two things. First of all, that God doesn't change. He was the same from Job's Antideluvian Era to the Apostolic Age. Not only did both Job and Paul come before God boldly, but also that was the right thing for them to do.

Secondly, We can know that God wants us to come boldly before Him not only because this principle is all over the Old Testament (see Judges, the Psalms, prophets,...everywhere...), but also because places like Galatians 4 in the New Testament where it tells us that we are not to act like slaves of Christ, b/c we are His children. We are not to say, "um...umm...Lord?...God?...um...are you busy?....'cause I have to ask you something...but you probably won't want it answered once you hear it...so...um..." We are to say, "Abba Father! You are the only one who can help me! Listen to me."

Now, this is not to say that complaining is right. Look at cases like Jonah or Moses where they made excuses and complained. Look at how God reacted. He was patient, but His wrath was kindled--and rightly so. Here is the God of the universe saying, "Go. Speak. I will be with you," and here are Jonah and Moses going, "Oh, no You won't!" That's not coming boldly...that's disrespect. In Moses' and Jonah's defense, though...I'm not sure how any of us would react. Their doubts were sin, but extremely human. However, they (especially Moses) are regarded in other parts of the Bible as men of righteousness. This shows that while God is holy, He is forgiving.

Also, This is not to say that Job didn't ever complain. He did, and God reprimanded Him...but for the most part, Job remained faithful during intense trial...and for that, he is remembered.

However, regarding the point at hand: there is a huge difference between saying, "God, I am weak, and You are strong. Give me Your strength," and "God! I can't trust you, because it's too hard!"

The difference is faith. Complaining is not placing faith in an infinite God. Requesting boldly is. We are saying, "God, I know you can do it. Please do it." That requires TONS of faith. It doesn't make God obligated to do what we WANT, but it tells Him that we have faith that he CAN.

Anyway, back to the verse. If we only ever look at the first part of the verse, we get a very different idea of God than if we look at the entire verse. In context, this verse displays--instead of a masochistic martyr--a man full of faith. A man who says, "God has the power to kill me, but that doesn't matter. I will still trust in the Creator's power, and I will show Him my trust by pleading my case before Him. I will remind Him of my faithfulness and I will appeal to His faithfulness."

Amazing.

How Can God Love People?

Think about how stupid humans are. Just think about it...why does God bother to love us? Even people who write really deep books on philosophy and science...it's all childish. Even when you are trying to be humble about it...you are still so childish. Think about it. We can only use words. We can only think about concepts that are in some way related to what we already know. We are so nothing. I mean...sin is our obvious flaw, but forget about even the stupidity of sin. Just think about the stupidity of our intelligence! I mean, think of how long it took for us to develop indoor plumbing. Yeah, we can clone, but...we are still using fossil fuels and chopping down the rain forest. We aren't that smart. Why does God bother?

I'm living in Korea right now, and I ride the subway quite a bit, and there are just millions of other people on the subway--sometimes the breath is pushed out of you when they all pack in. And I think..."How can God do it? How can he love ALL of us?" B/c...I hardly care about anyone in the car I'm in--let alone the entire train! Let alone an entire high rise apartment! Let alone a block of them! Let alone the city of Seoul in a country the size of Indiana on an entire planet!!

How is it possible?

And it's not just the current people. It's all of them throughout history and the ones yet to come.

I look at an ant. It shares come characteristics with me. It's alive. It needs food. It wants to survive...but...I'm so much smarter than an ant, I could care less about it. It fascinates me for like...two seconds before I step on it. How can God love us?

And the thing is...God even cares about the ants! How?

How is that possible? Yes...I know it's all that stuff about how we are made in His image. I know that we are supposed to glorify Him. I know that He loves it when we seek Him. I know THAT He loves us....I know the answer! I just have no idea WHY. Just hover over that question for a second before you let the answer take over...I'm with the angels on this one. I don't get it. It's so impossible.

A Good Future

I'm studying through the Torah right now and it's really interesting. (If you wanna know what i'm talking about go here: http://torahclass.com/download.html)

Anyway, I was thinking about how God blessed Abraham and how God blessed Isaac, and how God blessed Jacob and Leah and Rachel and blessing and blessing and blessing and then i'm like....

...so where's mine, huh?

And then I thought, Jessica, you idiot...you wanna be blessed like Rachel and share your husband with your older sister? Or...maybe you wanna be blessed like Abraham and wander around all your life? How about Joseph and be in prison for years?

So...that nipped that pity party in the bud...

But then I got to thinking about some other stuff. But before I get into that...this is something Tom Bradford (from Torah Class) pointed out. Have you ever thought about how God really didn't talk that much to people in the Hebrew Scriptures? Like...to us, we get this idea that all God ever did back then was appear to guys and tell them stuff. So we think, 'Yeah, if God appeared to me constantly, of COURSE I would believe in Him!' But the funny thing is: think of all that dead space in between. I mean...they didn't have a Bible they could just open. They had to rely on these chance meetings and no specific time scheduled for the next one. Abraham lived well over 100 years and only talked to God a handful of times! I don't think about that very much.

But I digress...

My point is blessing. What does it mean? Our idea of blessing is very different from God's. I always think that blessing should happen--not only on this earth--but immediately. And when I see others getting things and money and fame, and I'm not getting them...I get jealous and covetous. These are probably two reasons why God could care less about material things. Not only are they not lasting, but we fall into the sin of resentment when we do not have them.

But then there is that nagging idea of, "But God has promised me a good future if I obey Him! So...if I'm obeying Him...why am I still suffering?" The answer is relatively simple. Number one, this earth is a place of sin and there's really no escaping it's pain. However, unlike hell which is totally a place of punishment and suffering, the earth is a place of learning and maturing.

Number two...okay, so you are living for Him. But...have you obeyed the whole law? Yeah, didn't think so. Only One completely followed and fulfilled the law...and what happened to Him on this earth??? So, it probably has nothing to do with how good we think we are on this earth. Nor does the blessing probably have anything do with being blessed on this earth. I would venture to say that "good future" has nothing to do with anything on this earth.

But where is Christ now? Sitting at the right hand of God...so it all works out. And if we trust Him, we'll be with Him for all the rest of eternity.

The "L" Pendulum

In Christianity, the pendulum swings one of two directions: Liberalism or Legalism.

God confronts both topics in the Bible, and He calls them both sin.

My personal definition of "Liberalism" would be anyone who likes Romans 6:1, but forgets about the following verses. I consider "Legalism" to be anyone who skims Galatians and takes 6:7-10 completely out of context.

Okay, so...Liberalism is easy to spot. They are the ones who say that all faiths are basically the same, but isn't God good? Let's just talk about His love and acceptance and forget about holiness and purity! They might even go so far as to say there is no such thing as sin; Jesus was a good man, but maybe not God; God cares more about your business succeeding than your heart condition; Fatherhood of God/ Brotherhood of man. They also might try to bring in other religious philosophies or what have you. The point is, Liberalism is easy to see.

Legalism, on the other hand, is much more subversive. Okay...so...there is obvious Legalism of, say, Buddhists who beat themselves up or Mormons who have a whole check list of things they need to get done before dying. The reason Christian Legalism is so hard to spot is because they use the Bible as a guilt forum rather than a grace forum. In this way, they can keep the congregation from asking questions that will potentially point out their flaws. Also, they re-word things: judgement becomes "discernment"; witnessing becomes "praying for the missionaries"; gossip becomes "concern". They criticize legalism in other faiths like Roman Catholics, but practically live like them.

Both of these groups are the focus of Jesus' and Paul's warnings and commands, but neither group seems to mind much.

Liberals enjoy their side of the fence. That's why they are there. They are willing to label themselves "Liberal." Of course they do not think they are sinning, b/c they don't believe in sin. "At least we aren't stuck up," is the thinking.

Legalists on the other hand, focus almost entirely on sin. There is a feeling of paranoia and everyone having to watch their step. Strangely, the Legalists will at once deny their Legalism simultaneously viewing it as a point of pride. I actually heard a preacher from the pulpit say once, "Well, if I'm a Legalist, then I'm proud to be a Legalist!" I'm like...'Great..so...you revel in sin, and yet you would condemn a gay pastor to the fires of hell. Perfect.'

Run like the wind. Neither of these churches boast in their God; they are proud of their sin.

The Great Commission

There are certain churches out there that don't like questions. It's rather humorous since the Bible completely promotes free-thinking. They will say, "You must agree with us, b/c if you question, you are threatening God." Let's not even discuss closed-mindedness right now. Let's focus on the more immediate question of: how can we even HOPE to threaten God? I mean, come on! It's ridiculous. They are so scared of everyone "falling away," and they take stuff like Hebrews 6 out of context. It's like...why do you even believe in God as Truth, if the slightest wind can blow you away? It doesn't speak much for faith at all...and it completely negates the concept of Truth.

Like...this is one I've heard all my life. The age-old line of questioning:

"Why did Jesus hang around with tax collectors and prostitutes?"

"B/c they were the only ones who were open, and the Jewish synagogue leaders in Jerusalem had rejected him."

"So...shouldn't we have a mission to those kinds of people if they are so open?"

"NO!!! ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!"

"Why not?"

"B/c of the danger of lust! And you could so easily fall into sin! And the appearance of evil!!!"

"But...aren't we supposed to follow Christ's example?"

"Yes!...but not in that way!"

"Why not?"

"B/c He was God! He could handle it!"

Okay, before I go another step, let me explain what I'm NOT saying, b/c I've just set myself up. I'm NOT saying that we should have our next Sunday School class at the nearest brothel. I don't know why I would be saying that anyway, b/c Jesus didn't go into strip clubs and adult content stores. However, He was friendly to those people. He even *gasp* went to their HOUSES! Yes, we are not to make ties with the world. But, there is a difference between being a close friend and being friendly.

Get out of your comfort zone and look up a youtube video or two about transamerica with an open heart rather than a wrinkled nose, or start a conversation with the Satanist at work about about the new dog he just bought. These people are searching! They desperately want love and so they look in all the wrong places!!!

They will never see the truth if all they see is hate. Of COURSE they know they are wrong! Their families turn on them. They lose close friends who are appalled at them. They can't walk anywhere without being stared at. You know what that does? It drives them farther in!!! Imagine what an impact we would have if, instead of preaching about staying away, we would actually do what Jesus and the apostles did and love them and talk to them and understand who they are as people.

Instead, we stay in our churches and sing our hymns and talk to our people. We crinkle up our noses at the mention of words like "gay." Like somehow we are being holy and making God happy b/c of our abstinence from a mass of people that He created in His own image.

You know...that argument just does not hold water at all. It's a stupid excuse, b/c actually we are scared of what other Christians will think. Okay...maybe it's not fear. Fear is a weakness, right? We aren't weak. No not us. So we call it "discernment". So...good for us b/c we had the fortitude to stay away from 'bad' people. Whoopti-doo...People need Jesus, and although some will stumble across Him without us, the majority probably will not. Do you realize how serious that is?

What? did the Great Commission say "All the world will go unto ye if they ever clean up their act and show up?" No. It's our responsibility--to ALL nations, it says. And besides, who are we that they should deign to darken our doors of their own accord?

The clock is ticking. Can we waste time waiting for people to come to us? Show the solidarity of a faith in Christ. A faith that can withstand temporary lusts. A faith that is more loving than a support group. A faith that is founded by truth, and a truth that is the essence of love.

Grace: The Narrow Way

Matthew 7:13-14

13Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (KJV)

If you are anything like me, you get the following picture in your head (especially with words like "leadeth" and "thereat"):

There are two roads. One is huge and red colored and dark and has multitudes of debased prostitutes, sodomites, liars, cheaters, and thieves almost dancing down it with evil grins on their faces till they suddenly fall off a cliff into a lake of fire and, at that point, their faces become horribly grotesque as they burn to a fiery crisp. Then you have a second road (usually shaped like a cross)--painfully thin--with a scant few saintly blond people all carrying their Bibles in white robes and pious expressions barely balanced--one foot in front of the other--up to a sun-like village far in the distance.

Okay, so...maybe it's just me.

Anyway, I was listening to a sermon on Hebrews the other week and the pastor was talking about the culture of Christ and the apostle's time period. He was pointing out that false teachers of the time were really pushing this idea of legalism. I began to think about the legalism of that day and then the legalism of today's religions.

And then I thought about the words "narrow way" again. Okay...now...i'm not saying I got some extra-biblical revelation...but...those words didn't seem to point to "goodies get heaven and badies get hell" anymore. Like,...I know that those who choose the "dark path" and never turn to Christ are really damning themselves to hell. I realize that. I also realize that those who choose Christ and to walk in His ways belong to Christ and will live with Him one day in heaven. I'm not contending that.

What I want to bring up for discussion is this point: Christianity is the only grace-based "religion" out there. Every other religion, faith, cult, movement...how do they solve ultimate questions? "Live to your potential." "Seek the divinity within." "Tap into the Life source." And then they give you a list of ways you can do that and feel good about yourself. Rules.

Now I know that it really seems like, of all the people on the planet, the ones not having any fun are the Christians, (Watch an episode of the Simpsons if you don't know what I'm talking about.) so...how can you say that Christianity doesn't have rules?

Okay, for one thing, most Christians try to have fun based on this crazy notion that you shouldn't hurt others or yourself when you have fun b/c we are all created in the image of God. They ask themselves the question, "Is my two seconds of fun going to cause years of consequences?...'Cause that's just not cool."

Now...if the Christian in question is being ridiculous in his list of "I shall not's" maybe that Christian is having a hard time understanding "grace". It's possible. Grace is hard to accept. Hold that thought.

I believe that these verses 13 and 14 are saying that grace is the narrow road and that works are the broad road. Why do I say this interpretation as opposed to the renaissance painting version of "whores go to hell and saints go to heaven"? B/c look at the following verse:

15Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

And then it goes on to talk about how to spot a false teacher...

But what were the false prophets of the day (and today) teaching? Works. What was (and is) the Spirit teaching? Grace. The context of the verses have nothing to do with whoredome versus Christendom, actually.

Broad vs. Narrow.

But why are there only a few that find it? Okay...I think this should come as a warning to Christians especially. Especially in light of books like Galatians and Romans where Paul is SCREAMING his warnings about falling back into the legalism of the day. Especially in light of the entire Sermon on the Mount and verses 1-12 where Christ is teaching us exactly how to guard ourselves from our "Christian-y sins" of not judging and obeying the golden rule. Do those sins bring to mind whoredom and sodomy? Um. No. Context.

Our logic as humans says, "You give; you get. You put into; you get out. You are nice to me; I am nice to you." Christians fall into this trap all the time. How do I know? B/c I am a Christian and i fall into it. B/c my friends are Christians and they fall into it. "Few there be that find it" Grace? What's that? Grace is the most foreign concept imaginable to reward-hungry creatures such as we! No wonder the metaphor is a narrow road! We make it practically a tight-rope!

This may be an inaccurate picture, but...humor me for a second. I picture grace like this: God creates a nice sturdy bridge of grace across a wide road of destruction. Nothing fancy. Not huge, but plenty of room for us to walk across safely. No chance that we will fall off, in fact, b/c He is going to help us across. However, we see it and what do we do? "Oh, Sir, that bridge is just far too nice and my feet are dirty and besides, I don't deserve it, and I'm sure I'm keeping You from something important--You being God and all...Thank you very much, Sir, I really appreciate it, but....um...if it's all the same to you I'd much prefer walking on the railings instead."

Hey! Great idea! We're still headed in the same direction, right? And the plus side is, the trip won't be that easy, so we can still pat ourselves on the back once we get across! Yes!

The railing actually puts us one step closer to the road of destruction beneath which is where we end up when we don't accept grace.

Okay, it's not a perfect analogy, but...I am convinced grace and works makes more sense than debauchery vs. piety. Or at least it's an acceptable interpretation.

First, A Testimony

Sanctification--the process of a Christian growing closer and inevitably becoming more like Christ--is something I feel I've, sadly, only recently understood or cared about. Oh, I've been a Christian all my life, but only up till the past few years, I feel I've been in this stunted "milk of the Word" phase. I had all this Bible knowledge, b/c I'd grown up memorizing verses, but I really only knew how to apply them to the surface. This was my own fault.


Honestly, I believe I was a Christian ever since I was five years old in the back seat of the family car. I always knew I was a sinner, and especially since Dad was a pastor and Mom was a Sunday School teacher...I remember thinking when I was in that car seat, "Man, I really need to accept Jesus, or else I'm gonna be in trouble."

I probably was a Christian from that point. As far as the Scripture says, all I needed to do was repent, believe, and trust. I prayed to God all the time. I read my Bible the way they tell you to do. But, I will tell you, I never found any enjoyment in it. Oh sure, I found amazing things in Scripture that benefited me spiritually and physically...but...I never had that feeling like I was communing with the God of the universe "mano e mano" the way missionaries and pastors talk about. I figured they were just making it up to sound pious and authoritative.

I also had a HUGE fear. I knew in my heart that the Bible was God's Word, but...I was PETRIFIED at the thought of telling others about it. I was constantly reminded that the world hates God and as a result will hate me. If they like me, there is something wrong. I was extremely scared...b/c...what is a teenager, let alone a *gasp* GIRL going to say to convince anyone? I mean, I knew that the Spirit would help me...Whoever that was...but...maybe I should just hand the non-Christian person a tract and call it a day? I'm sure the guy in the tract could say what I wanted to say ever so much more eloquently than I could, anyway. Even then, something rubbed me the wrong way about that. Who am I to hand a paper to someone and tell them to read it? The only people who hand out papers are people who are selling something...and cults.

As you can see, I was kind of a mess.

I remember thinking, "shouldn't we be helping the poor and needy or something?" I mean...that's what they did in the Bible, but conservative church authorities always shun that kind of thing b/c of "social gospel". Still, the alternative--passing out a piece of paper...how is that better? No one in the Bible handed out papers. They were bold and actually talked to people. That is not to say that the people I went out "tract passing" with didn't talk. Some of them did. I didn't.

And we come back to the fact that I was petrified of defending my faith, so...I guess hiding behind a paper was the best alternative if I was to be any use to the gospel.

better than nothing.

So after high school, I went off to Christian college in Florida. I got a lot more Bible there. We were required to have a minor in Bible. They taught us to think critically about the Bible we'd grown up believing. There was a spirit of discipleship and caring. While college was really the beginning of my awakening--even after all the doctrines classes and surveys--I still wasn't sure what to say to someone who didn't believe what I believed. We even went street preaching and I remember I would just kind of stand there while the boys talked. I always felt I should say something, but there was still that idea of women being quiet and not usurping authority.

Once again. I was a mess.

The easiest thing to do to feel like I was contributing to "the Kingdom" was to sit around in numerous Bible studies and just pontificate with other Christians about all the stuff we all already agreed with. But...'Maybe God will see that at least I WANT to talk about Him, right? I'm trying desperately to be sincere and that should count for something, right?'

After my freshman year, my parents got divorced. I think probably if there was a period in my life where I might have discarded my faith, it would have been then. Everything I thought was true about my family wasn't true anymore. My parents broke their promises, so...does God break His? Of course He doesn't. My parents are human. God is perfect. I even tried to force myself to be mad at Him--the way they do in the movies--I just couldn't. It wasn't God who made my parents divorce. It was God who helped me through it--even though I barely read my Bible or prayed during that time. I felt like: What was I going to say that He didn't know? He knew everything I was thinking anyway, right?

My first job out of college was in a Christian theatre, so...fortunately...I could just sing about Him and act out characters from the Bible and then afterwards have old ladies tell me how I'd blessed them, and I wouldn't have to actually confront anyone about their souls. Whew. However, that job didn't last, b/c acting jobs only last a few months.

I got another job in a family resort theatre and found out that there were more Christians in my cast than non-Christians...so it was really just a Christian environment all over again. I tried explaining the Bible and things to my non-Christian friends...but I failed miserably, I have to say. I prayed every night that I would get the right words to say and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I hadn't really read my Bible since college. I'd done tons of praying, sure...but I hadn't really seen what He had to say about anything in awhile...how could I have the right words to say if I didn't let Him put the words in my head? How can I expect tomatoes if I never water the plant?

So after that job I determined to get better at Bible reading. I may have failed at that theatre, but I would make up for it...and then I got a temp job at a bank headquarters...

I hated temping...do you really think I opened my Bible? Plus, where am I even going to start? There are 66 books in the thing!!! I could start in the Gospels...but...I know those already. Jesus, right? I could start in Romans--Logistics. Know it already. Hebrews--Ughhh...too deep to start with. Galatians--God's grace. Yeah, it's amazing. Whatever...excuse after excuse after excuse...

I'm not sure if any of you have ever temped...but it's like the worst job ever. Here you are with a degree--all your teachers and professors had all these high hopes for you; you made the dean's list; you were a class officer; you were in plays and ensembles--the spotlight...and then you get out in the real world....where you actually have to work for a living and no one cares about that! They treat you like you have the IQ of pencil lead and pay you like you don't have a school bill to pay. Okay, I'm exaggerating, kind of...but it's a terrible pedestal to fall from.

Anyway--strangely enough--the year I temped proved to be a turning point in my life. I was feeling really crappy and worthless all the time. I wanted to be used of God, but I didn't feel like He wanted to use me. I cried and prayed a lot before falling asleep.

For some reason C.S. Lewis came up--I think b/c I'd just visited Oxford, England with some friends--and I remembered that I had an old copy of a Christian philosophy book he'd written called "Mere Christianity" that an ex-boyfriend had given me b/c he owned two copies of it. I picked that book up and it changed my life. Now...let me be clear here...when I say changed my life, I mean--in an exaggerated way--that it changed my entire outlook on Christianity and God and the Bible. I'm not saying it's the 67th book of the Bible or anything...but it was earth shattering to me that my faith could be defended so boldly in a time other than the Apostle Paul's. In a post-modern era. All this time, I'd thought that my faith was just my faith and it was true...b/c...well...it was true. I hated that I thought that way. Why couldn't it be easier to tell people? If it's really true, then...why is it so hard to defend?


What I learned was...it WASN'T hard to defend. Partly, b/c it's not "a faith". It's faith in a God with whom I have a relationship. Part of what I'd always disagreed with "witnessing" was, people always wanting to defend the Bible with the Bible. B/c, listen, I even tried doing that a few times, and every time they'd say, "Of COURSE you are going to use a Bible verse, b/c you believe the Bible!" And then I'd feel like an idiot and wish I'd never said anything. But when I realized that God can be defended from literally every angle, and the Bible simply explains it all, b/c God loves us and desperately wants us to love Him, then things started to make sense.

I downloaded the complete dramatized version of the NIV and burned it onto Cd's and listened to them in the car to and from work until I'd listened to the entire Bible. (Hint: it only took 8 months. That's less than a Bible-in-a-year plan!) It was amazing. It was alive. I knew it was great from verse to verse,, chapter to chapter, but I'd never experienced it cover to cover! It was the same book, but I was growing.

The Bible was like a whole new book to me. Tired old Bible verses started jumping off the pages in ways my cobwebbed brain had never thought possible. I started getting excited to tell others about God. I really felt the presence of God in the way those missionaries and pastors said. I could see Him work. I found that I didn't care as much about what people thought about me or when "bad things" happened to me. I could see God working in those things now. I wanted to share that experience with others, b/c...God wanted them to share it. People I thought would hate me, were listening.

God wants everyone to come to Him, b/c this is our purpose in life. If you don't believe me, call out to Him and see what happens. This is coming from a girl who has been a spiritual scaredy cat all her life: Do it. I dare you.