A Thought on Discipleship

This is not anything amazing, but I was just thinking today about discipleship. I'm studying the book of Mark (as you may know?) right now, and I was thinking about Jesus' disciples. There were only 12 of them. This kinda showed me something important.

When I think about ministry and the big scheme of things, it seems like the big super churches are making a big impact. And maybe they are. I'm not debating that. But I just wanted to point out that Jesus is the Son of God and He only had 12 disciples. Sure, He talked to crowds all the time, but I'm talking about Jesus' everyday personal one-on-one ministry was to only 12 guys.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that even if you only touch like...five people in your lifetime...quality is better than quantity. And frankly, that quality is going to bring about a lot more REAL quantity later. If you have the chance to really minister to someone, they are more likely to minister to someone else. If you have the chance to minister to someone on a day-to-day basis, do it. That speaks volumes more than people showing up for a shallow sermon and then going back to their homes totally unchanged. I'm not saying that sermons are bad. But one-on-one personal genuine friendship . . . That is how to counter hypocrisy. That is how to help people's real needs. That is what Jesus did.

More thoughts on disciples here: http://arecoveringchristian.blogspot.com/2009/01/disciple.html

Freewill vs. Predestination: Case Closed?

Okay . . . so that was a pretty nervy title, right? Well, I'm writing this book, see, and it's about clay. Well, some of it is about clay, at least. Anyway, I looked up all the verses about our being clay in God's hands and how the clay can't possibly say, "Stop forming me!" I also did some research into pottery and pot making in general.

As I watched various pottery experts at the wheel in various YouTube videos, I was struck by two things: (1) the immense skill involved in just stabilizing the clay--let alone turning it into something beautiful and (2) the direction the clay WANTS to go.

One lady mentioned this as she was throwing the clay. She said, "Remember, every piece of clay wants to become a bowl once it's on the wheel. If you want it to be a cylinder, you are really going to have to fight against its desire." The centrifugal force of the wheel is to blame for this. On the other hand, if you want to make a plate, you really have to focus on guiding the center of the clay out to the outer rim without it all peeling up in your hands. Once you successfully guide it out to the outer rim, you have to REALLY focus on pulling the sides up and supporting them as you pull out without the whole thing flopping over onto the wheel because of gravity. Besides all that, you have to keep the clay moist, keep it centered, keep it pliable, keep it free from bubbles and impurities--at all times. So many things to think about. So many things that could go wrong if one of them is off. Yet, if everything is in sync, you get a beautiful piece of pottery at the end.

Most of this I knew or could have guessed, but I guess what hit me was this: True, the clay keeps pushing out and against the potter; however, that's not always a bad thing. If the clay didn't push at all, nothing would ever happen.

It just hit me after watching these few videos and thinking about freewill and predestination and the fact that we are compared to clay so often in the Bible. Could this be the answer to the whole thing? It just seems to me that this picture answers a lot of questions. Of course the Potter is in supreme control, yet . . . we can either be workable or unworkable. It's up to us.

Besides that . . . clay doesn't actually have a freewill. But if something so inanimate can mimic a freewill in such a clear way just by scientifically mathematical forces, then . . . our real freewill must at least be as significant in the grand scheme of things or else no one would have suggested this analogy.

Faith . . . Not as Hard as We Thought Pt. 2

Mark 6:35By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. 36Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."

37But he answered, "You give them something to eat."
They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages^[e]! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?"

38"How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see."
When they found out, they said, "Five—and two fish."

My last blog was about something on faith that I had learned (or re-learned) from Mark 5 through the story about the woman with the blood problem. In Mark 6 we see a similar story. Not similar in its content but similar in its relevance to faith.

Earlier in chapter six, Jesus and the disciples had gotten on a boat to find a place where they could rest. (He had just sent them out to spread the Gospel and cast out demons, and they were reporting back to Him.) Anyway, because Jesus is such a celebrity at this point, finding a solitary place to rest is difficult and soon a crowd of over 5,000 people are there wanting to be spiritually fed from Him. Jesus has compassion on them and instead of running from them He decides to teach them. Well, eventually it gets late and the people are all hungry.

What I found so funny about this entire episode is the dialogue above. The disciples have seen Jesus do many miracles to this point. I mean, I know it's only chapter six, but to this point they've seen Him AT LEAST cast out demons, heal Peter's mother-in-law, heal leprosy, heal a paralyzed man, call Levi to be a disciple (this isn't supernatural . . . but in a way it is.), heal a deformed hand, calm a storm, cast demons from a man into swine, heal a woman of a blood affliction, and raise Jairus's daughter from the dead. All those miracles (and more) are recorded in chapters 1-5, and John tells us that Jesus did many more miracles than have even been recorded.

So for the disciples to expect Jesus to solve the hunger problem without a miracle, seems a bit strange to us. Let me factor in a few more variables that should have tipped them off that something miraculous was likely to happen. First of all, they were in the middle of nowhere, so food was not available. That's why they went to Jesus in the first place, because they were trying to be prudent; however, you'd think being in these dire straights would have earmarks of a possible miraculous situation. Secondly, they had just come from performing miracles themselves! Jesus had sent them out to preach and cast out demons. That's why they needed rest in the first place! So you'd think they'd be primed for the supernatural.

However, before I come down on the disciples for being simple-minded, I have to look at my own life. How many times have I just heard a great sermon and fervently prayed along with the pastor at the end that I would have more faith and then two minutes afterward complained about my job or my car or my future? Many times. It's an embarrassingly human trait. The disciples were just being human.

At least they wanted a solution to the problem, right? At least they were thinking of others, right? I think this is an excellent example of how "brotherhood of man" is not the highest goal. True they were thinking of others, but they forgot all about God at that point. This is a backwards mindset. If our minds are fixed on God first, the solution to help others becomes blindingly obvious, but not the other way around.

What I find downright hilarious about this passage is how Jesus answers them. They come to Him telling Him to send the people away for food and Jesus just goes, "You feed them." Jesus is the King of well-placed sarcasm. This was such a great thing to say for a few reasons. First of all, the disciples had JUST been performing miracles themselves, right? I wonder if Jesus is trying to remind them that they probably have this power too if they would just ask for it, "You have just cast out demons. You feed them." Secondly, their request--if they were dealing with a normal rabbi--would have been completely appropriate; however, they are dealing with Jesus. It sounds like Jesus is also chiding them for forgetting His supernatural divinity. "If you are going to come at this problem thinking horizontally, then deal with it horizontally. You feed them then."

Of course after hearing Jesus' instruction and not REALLY listening they all freak out because they don't have money and there are too many people.

Patiently, Jesus sends them out to see if anyone anywhere has any food to offer. What I think is particularly amusing is how he says it, "How many loaves do you have?" Now . . . maybe the word loaves is just a common word for food. Maybe the typical lunch back then was bread and this was a normal question, but I can't help thinking that Jesus is kind of leading them on. This situation reminds me of a mother with a child who can't find his toy. The mother knows the toy is on the top shelf, and the boy starts crying because he doesn't see it. Instead of getting the toy for him, the mother plays the "hot and cold" game with him until he finally looks up and sees the toy on the shelf for himself. This is how Jesus question seems. "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." I wonder if Jesus even looked at the loaves in question as he asked this.

The disciples come back with five small loaves and two fish. The pastor on this podcast study on Mark pointed out something really funny about this situation. According to similar accounts of this story in different gospels, it was probably Andrew who brought this little boy's lunch to Jesus. The pastor explained that the situation probably went like this:

Jesus: How many loaves do you have? Go and see.

Andrew: (seeing a willing little boy volunteer) Five!--

Other disciples: --Not now, Andrew! We're trying to solve a problem, man!

Andrew: ....And two fish.....?

I mean, think about it. There were well over 5,000 people there, and some little punk kid offers his meager little lunch. It's not even a man's lunch. It's a little boy's lunch. The only thing worse for this situation would have been a little girl's lunch.

And yet, Jesus not only fed the crowd, but also created a surplus of 12 full baskets.

Again, the point is not our quantity of faith or strength of will. As my pastor said, "It's not ability; it's availability." If we are but willing to be used, God can do incredible things with us.

Faith . . . Not as Hard as We Thought

So....I'm studying Mark right now, right? So...the pastor I've been listening to pointed out something interesting.

You know that lady with the "issue of blood" in Mark 5? Yeah . . . well . . . I'd never considered this before. Like, you know how the point of the story is that Jesus tells her that her faith made her whole and stuff, right? But I hadn't thought of what her faith really meant until going through this study.

Okay, so listen to this. The passage says that this woman had been EVERYWHERE to try to get healed of this disease. Nothing had worked, so she sees Jesus and touches the hem of His garment.

Now . . . let's think about what that faith entailed. It can't have been very big, because this woman had tried EVERYTHING. You know? Like, Jesus seemed like a good idea too. Of course she must have been ashamed of doing this, because when Jesus asks "Who touched me?" (in order to get her to fess up) she doesn't volunteer herself right away. This was probably because of Levitical Law and stuff about women who have blood problems being unclean. How dare she touch this Rabbi, right?

But anyways, think about how little faith she actually had. She was desperate. She'd been to all the doctors, healers, etc. that the area had to offer. Jesus must have been just one more try. I mean, what would it hurt? I think too often we attribute some kind of holy status to these people because of their being in the Bible. Like, that they were all great "Faith Warriors" or something when they were probably just people like you and me. She probably didn't have "beyond a shadow of a doubt" kind of faith.

Besides, "beyond a shadow of a doubt" faith is impossible for us anyway. Of course, a person may THINK they have complete faith in God, but . . . an HONEST person would say, "I WANT to have perfect, complete faith in God, realizing that I'm fallen, but also realizing that the process of sanctification draws me closer to Him" . . . but . . . mathematically speaking it's--at best with extreme optimism--like a point that approaches infinity. Until we get to heaven, we aren't going to love and trust God the way we completely should, and even then the Scriptures tell us that we will marvel about God for the rest of eternity. Not that marveling has to do with faith, but . . . He will still be awesome to us and we will never completely understand Him.

I guess for me this story really showed me two things. First of all, Jesus wasn't lying when He said you need faith like a mustard seed. Secondly, that we are TOTALLY without excuse to trust Him. We don't even have to be 100% SURE, you know? We just have to be willing to accept His gift--even if we don't understand what that gift totally means.

The woman in Mark 5 was willing to let Jesus heal her. That's all it took.

Intoxication Irony

A person can make a comfortable living by selling drugs
that can save life,

but

A person can become a millionaire by selling drugs
that can destroy life

?

Okay, now go back to catching up on Facebook.

Misplaced Militance: Proposition 8

I Cor 7: 15But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. 16How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? (NIV)

I Corinthians 7 is entirely about heterogeneous relationships, so it may seem a stretch to talk about gay marriage, but I believe there is an underlying lesson we can learn from these verses regarding this subject.

Recently, America had an election. One of the issues at stake in the election was voting for or against Proposition 8--gay marriage. The Bible is extremely clear on this whole issue. God intends for one man and one woman marriages. The Bible covers thousands of years of history, and within that history there are a couple things that change (or rather: seem to change) over time (sacrificing, God's methods of revelation, government, etc.) but Biblical marriage remains constant. The patriarchs and kings who had multiple wives could have stopped a lot of their pain if they would have just stuck with one woman, ya know? (Hagar, Bathsheba, Rachel, Leah, etc.)

So, when I start making my point here in a few sentences, I want you to realize that I believe the Bible and so I agree with IT'S point of view. I don't agree, however, with the going "Christian" point of view.

Do you know what I mean? It's that point of view that says it is our duty to make unsaved people conform to our faith. First of all, I don't understand how we are supposed to expect Non-Christians to behave like Christians. Isn't that entirely backwards? Doesn't the Bible say we are saved "unto good works" not by hoping that a "clean" life will eventually clue us into salvation?

Secondly, can someone please show me where it is written that our main duty is to fight for the "inerrancy" of Scripture? The Bible is already God's Word. It's Truth. . .Being ready to give an answer is an entirely different thing. We put on the armor of God to protect ourselves and those we witness to, not the Bible. To act like the Bible will somehow fall apart without our help of maintaining it is completely self-serving. It's the Spirit who works; we are only commanded to be willing to be used. We don't go around expecting Non-Christians to live like Christians! I mean, the verse doesn't read, "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, but needs our help if anyone wants to reprove it or correct it." It speaks for itself. Our main goal is to glorify God, and we glorify ourselves when we get arrogant and act like the Bible will die if we don't uphold it. The God-sanctioned wars and fighting in the Bible weren't over protecting the fundamentals of faith, they were either over opposition to Israel's rightful claim to Canaan or after Israel was attacked first.

[*Note* I am not referring to people who have either died for their faith or died fighting to keep the Bible in tact. Those people actually had a cause. I'm talking about the mindset that says "The Bible is under attack by (insert your favorite left-wing forum) and it's up to us to protect it!" No. You aren't part of the Godhead. I'm sorry to break it to you.]

Said another way: Nothing we say makes the Bible any more or less inerrant. We can add stupid things to it or take things away from it when we talk about it, but anyone with half a brain can find out the truth of the matter if they just crack it open for themselves. So when we start spreading this paranoia in the name of Christ ("Our faith is in jeopardy! Gay s are stealing our churches!") we are actually showing that we have zero faith in God and have 100% of our faith in ourselves. The only reason the church is "being stolen" is because we are letting it. We are spending too much time promoting our Christian patriotism and no time at all in strengthening our minds with God's Word. The best defense is not a good offense. We are called to peace.

I mean, I suppose you could say that militant Constantine did a lot of good to save the cannon of Scripture, but . . . he also did a LOT of really bad things. Was that really Constantine being a shining light for the cause of Christ, or was it simply God working through a bad situation? I'm pretty sure there was a better way of going about preserving God's Word than persecuting Jews and putting Non-Christians to death. Ya know?

Okay, so how are we supposed to handle gay marriage? Well, how would you handle a child, with no knowledge of the monetary system? He swipes a candy bar from a drug store counter simply b/c he sees something he wants and sees other people walking out of the store with what they wanted. How do we treat this child? Do we call the police and throw him into jail? No. You just explain to him how to get the candy properly. I'm not calling gay people childish by any means, I'm simply using this analogy because like the child, they want a desire fulfilled and don't understand why Christians punish them so heavily for it. Christ realized how blinded people get of their sins while He was in the very act of paying for the sins of mankind: "Father! Forgive them! They don't know what they are doing!" Why do we do anything different if we are supposed to be like Christ? He suffered for the sin of homosexuality, but He also bled for the sin of being disgusted with another human being. Just because you've accepted the payment for your sin, doesn't mean it's a lesser sin.

I'll tell you why we act hateful. It's because we don't see the unsaved as unknowing. We see them as rejecting something they MUST know about, because we know about it. Now . . . this could be. These Non-Christians might have rejected Christ. But look at why. Why would a person have reason to reject their own Creator, Life-Sustainer, and Savior? Well, just look at the Christians around them. Every atheist conversation I have ever witnessed or found myself in starts out with truth being determined by observation and natural causes. However, talk to an atheist for a few minutes, especially asking him WHY he believes this and you will invariably learn that it was because of "the Crusades," or "the Church against Copernicus" or "Mrs. Smith next door who told me I was going to hell." They don't believe b/c of the people who do.

(People also reject God because of uncontrollably bad circumstances. A mother gets cancer. A family dies in an earthquake. Still, these things are a result of the fall of man. God does not stop them because the moment we chose death, we asked for them to happen in the first place--even after the warning. The fact that He now has to give us an alternative method to live in Perfection with Him one day, is because He loves us. This is a message that the unsaved needs to have explained to them, instead of having religious dogma forced down their throats.)

However, when discussing persecution, we Christians can easily turn it back around and talk about being thrown to lions and being used as human torches. But that doesn't really prove anything either. People suck. People victimize and are victims of just about anything. Some are choices; some are uncontrollable. It does no good to play the victim is what I'm saying, because as soon as it happens, someone else is victimized. This is because humans are not actually made to fight. We are supposed to live peaceably. And that brings me back to the passage in question.

Paul is talking in I Corinthians 7:15-16 about having peaceful relationships. Notice in verse 15 where he says that "God has called us to live in peace." My point is that if God has called us to peace and has given us guidelines on how we may avoid fights in our marriage without sinning, then we should probably live like that in all areas of our lives. The rest of chapter 7 explains that very point.

Voting on gay marriage became a political move when Republicans and Democrats found out they could get voting leverage from it. If you can get people angry and divided about a subject, then you can gain power from them and get elected. It's exploitation.

So what am I suggesting? Well, consider this: if we vote "yes" on gay marriage, then we act in agreement with something the Bible calls sin, right? However, realize that if we vote "no" on gay marriage, then we use our faith to attack people who need God. If the Truth is really Truth, it will stand up without our holding signs on the freeway. Does it sound like I'm a flaming liberal? Well, just think about it. When was the last time a gay rights poster made you go, "Oh! You know what! Homosexuality isn't a sin! That poster just proved it to me!" It didn't; it infuriated you, right? So, if we are supposed to be witnessing...then how is holding up an opposing sign helping the situation either? Is a "down with gays" poster spreading the cause of Christ or just making you feel good about yourself?

So what do we do? How do we vote next time? Well, I think this is part of our sanctification that every Christian needs to figure out with "fear and trembling" and not just take the easy way out. We need to realize that although America was originally a place of religious freedom for the Pilgrims, by the time our government was constituted, it was Deist at best with Greco-Roman democratic-republic ideals--not the Bible (otherwise we'd be a theocracy!).

Yes, America is going down. Yes, it's because we turn on God. Yes, we should be aware of this. But guess what! According to my Bible, the end is going to come no matter what! So . . . shouldn't our focus be on redeeming the time by spreading the Gospel? Focusing on America returning to a "Christian Nation" is wasting valuable witnessing time. America will only be a "Christian Nation" if all her people agree that Christ is the only way to heaven--not by voting Republican. Otherwise we are just fighting for America to be a moral place to raise children so we don't have to actually deal with teaching our kids right from wrong. If we can't handle raising our kids in a sinful world, then we shouldn't have kids. They are going to find out sooner or later and it would be best if they learned from parents who are honest about sin and righteousness rather than parents who hate that they actually have to explain what "gay" means.

If God thinks that a Christian brother should stay with his Non-Christian wife in order that the wife may possibly be saved, then He probably wants a similar reaction for Christians who come in contact with homosexuals. Isn't it God's desire that all people come to know Him? It's not that we tolerate sin, it's that we live as examples of Christ. Okay, so Christ overturned the tables of an institution that was corrupting the Synagogue, but those were people who should have known better. He ate at the tables of prostitutes and thieves--people who needed to know better. If we can't discern that "table" difference, then we are not following His example.

What I'm suggesting is that rather than keeping non-believers "under the thumb of what's right" by voting on something that gives us a good feeling, we actually school ourselves in the message of God's Word so that we can take it to those who are choosing to suffer. But that's so much harder, right? It's way easier just to yell and scream in the safe confines of our congregations, preaching to the choir, and getting souls all riled up against the evil people of this world. I am in no way suggesting the pendulum swing alternative of gnostic "Christian hedonism." Why is it so hard instead just to ask them questions, hear what they have to say, listen to how they are hurting, and finally show them how they don't have to hurt themselves anymore? Imagine the actual work that could get done if we could stop being so militant for a cause and actually be Christ-like. Maybe they will reject it . . . but they are less likely to reject a listening ear then they are an "anti-gay" poster. Can't we just care about them a little bit? Please? They are dying and don't know why.

If you think that sounds hard or uncomfortable, think about the Christian husband who converted after marriage and has to stay in a relationship with someone who has destined herself to a completely different eternity. Think of the struggles he has to deal with. Think of the agony he has to go through on a day to day basis knowing that his wife is not going to spend eternity with him. Think of how he'd rather have an easier life with a partner who at the very least has the same goals as he does. Think of how unfair it must seem to him that he actually desires to live for God, yet reaps no benefit from this life's marriage. . . Yet think of how much easier it is for the wife to accept Christ if the husband stays rather than walks out on her. Also notice how she isn't held responsible for the relationship staying together. Only the Christian partner is. That is because God expects more out of Christians. We have the Truth, so we have our eyes open. If we can't handle the expectations, then why did we sign up? Where is it written that Christians are supposed to have it easy?

Now think of what must have happened to a person for them to reject God's "standard" of marriage. How are they supposed to change their mind? By driving them farther away? Rather, like the Christian spouse, offer them what you have--even if it's hard to do. If you choose to vote against gay rights, make sure you are voting for the right reason and not because you hate gay people and want them to burn. We are called to peace.

Predisposed Genes

According to some scientists, homosexuality seems to be a predisposed gene. They also say that sociopaths have genes that make them behave that way. I watched something recently that showed that scientists can actually look at your DNA and see whether or not you will be Democrat or Republican.

So...the outcome of this seems to be: There can't be sin because it's just predisposed genes that we call sin. If we are born a certain way, then how is that sin? Why would God hold us to it if it's not even our fault.

But I think this is skirting a very important issue. That point being that sin IS genetic. We inherited the code problems the second Adam and Eve ate the fruit. It should be no surprise to us if there are certain sins that may be embedded into our persons so far that it's even coded into our DNA.

This means one of two things: (1) we either have to fight infinitely hard to change our very natures or (2) accept that Someone has already fought infinitely hard against our sin and follow Him in newness of life.

I Corinthians 15: 21 So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. 22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. 23 But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. (NLT)