Due to technical difficulties with Blogger, my latest posts are at:
http://whygodwaits.wordpress.com
and http://prayertalk.wordpress.com
Monday, June 8, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Praying missionary sees 60,000 baptisms in two years in China
James O. Fraser, a talented musician and engineer, had to learn mission work at the China Inland Mission the hard way—by trial and error.
He came to the Yunnan Province of China in 1910 intending to reach the almost forgotten Lisu tribal people.
Fraser was an accomplished student of languages. Before long he had mastered the Lisu’s difficult dialect, and then proceeded to translate the Scriptures into their language. His work was later labeled the "Fraser Script".
Yet despite having the Scriptures translated into their language, the Lisu didn’t come to Christ in large numbers.
But then Fraser discovered the power of prayer.
One biographer said, "To know the real Fraser one needed to hear him in prayer. Prayer was the very breath of life to him, and in prayer he seemed to slip from time into eternity.
"Frequently the mountainside would witness the piercing, importunate pleadings of this man who counted his prayer-time not by minutes but by hours."
Fraser himself wrote: "How much of our prayer is of the quality we find in Hannah's bitterness of soul, when she prayed unto the Lord? How many times have we ever 'WEPT SORE' before the Lord? We have prayed much perhaps, but our longings have not been deep compared with hers.”
Fraser’s Hannah-like prayers finally started to pay off.
By 1916 God’s Spirit began to work powerfully among the Lisu, which brought about sixty thousand baptisms within only two years!
David Smithers reports, “The Lisu church continued to grow and eventually became one of the largest tribal Christian bodies in the world.”
Did you notice that the written chronicles of revival and successful mission work always report that seasons of intense prayer had to come first?
Posted by Keith Roberts
He came to the Yunnan Province of China in 1910 intending to reach the almost forgotten Lisu tribal people.
Fraser was an accomplished student of languages. Before long he had mastered the Lisu’s difficult dialect, and then proceeded to translate the Scriptures into their language. His work was later labeled the "Fraser Script".
Yet despite having the Scriptures translated into their language, the Lisu didn’t come to Christ in large numbers.
But then Fraser discovered the power of prayer.
One biographer said, "To know the real Fraser one needed to hear him in prayer. Prayer was the very breath of life to him, and in prayer he seemed to slip from time into eternity.
"Frequently the mountainside would witness the piercing, importunate pleadings of this man who counted his prayer-time not by minutes but by hours."
Fraser himself wrote: "How much of our prayer is of the quality we find in Hannah's bitterness of soul, when she prayed unto the Lord? How many times have we ever 'WEPT SORE' before the Lord? We have prayed much perhaps, but our longings have not been deep compared with hers.”
Fraser’s Hannah-like prayers finally started to pay off.
By 1916 God’s Spirit began to work powerfully among the Lisu, which brought about sixty thousand baptisms within only two years!
David Smithers reports, “The Lisu church continued to grow and eventually became one of the largest tribal Christian bodies in the world.”
Did you notice that the written chronicles of revival and successful mission work always report that seasons of intense prayer had to come first?
Posted by Keith Roberts
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Prayer wins several people a day for years
One of the most remarkable stories of prayer’s power happened during the life of John Hyde, an unlikely missionary to India in the late 1800’s.
He wasn’t considered the most talented missionary ever sent out. Partially deaf and tending to keep to himself, he found learning the complicated languages of India a stiff challenge.
But Hyde carried a heavy burden for the lost, which drove him to seek out better ways to win them, leading to his amazing emphasis on prayer.
Richard Klein describes it this way: “In 1904, Indian Christians and western missionaries gathered for the first of an annual series of conventions at Sialkot in what is today Pakistan. To support this time of spiritual renewal, John Hyde and his friends formed the Punjab Prayer Union, setting aside half an hour each day to pray for revival…
“By 1908, John Hyde dared to pray what was to many at the convention an impossible request: that during the coming year in India one soul would be saved every day. Three hundred sixty five people converted, baptized, and publicly confessing Jesus as their Savior. Impossible -- yet it happened. Before the next convention John Hyde had prayed more than 400 people into God's kingdom, and when the prayer union gathered again, he doubled his goal to two souls a day. Eight hundred conversions were recorded that year, and still Hyde showed an unquenchable passion for lost souls.”
J. Pengwern Jones recalls, "He was always on his knees when I went to bed, and on his knees long before I was up in the morning, though I was up with the dawn. He would also light the lamp several times in the night, and feast on some passages of the Word, and then have a little talk with the Master. He sometimes remained on his knees the whole day.”
Near the end of his life, "Praying" John Hyde wrote about the powerfully effective praying the Lord had allowed to come into his life:
"On the day of prayer, God gave me a new experience. I seemed to be away above our conflict here in the Punjab and I saw God's great battle in all India, and then away out beyond in China, Japan, and Africa. I saw how we had been thinking in narrow circles of our own countries and in our own denominations, and how God was now rapidly joining force to force and line to line, and all was beginning to be one great struggle. That, to me, means the great triumph of Christ. We must exercise the greatest care to be utterly obedient to Him who sees all the battlefield all the time. It is only He who can put each man in the place where his life can count for the most."
The apostle Paul would agree: "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains." (Colossians 4:2 NIV).
(See this link for more.)
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Understanding how Scripture impacts prayer
I used to worry when people quoted Scripture, seemingly out of context, to build a fire under their devotionals.
It seemed to me they were using Scripture the way positive thinkers use affirmations, to stoke their psychological state with a triumphalist attitude.
"No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper" seemed to have more to do with Isaiah's prediction of Israel's renaissance after her time of captivity than a personal promise to a televangelist about avoiding bankruptcy.
But then I rediscovered Hebrews 13:5 - "Keep your lives free from the lo
ve of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" (NIV).
Think about it. The writer of Hebrews counsels his readers to take this ancient Scripture from its original context and encourage themselves with it, producing contentment. Without hesitation, he uses verses spoken not to his readers, but to Joshua as he was taking the reigns of leadership from Moses during the exodus.
Joshua will face trials, which could disrupt his own contentment, so the Lord tells him, "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." (See Deuteronomy 31:6, 8 & Joshua 1:5).
And then the writer of Hebrews does it again in 13:6 - "So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'" (NIV).
He takes another Old Testament verse, pulls it partly from its context, and then applies it to his readers (see Psalm 118:6-7). And this context, taken from a song about victory in war, seems even further from daily life for the readers of Hebrews, who are struggling to hold on to faith in Christ amid persecution from fellow Jews.
When I realized this precedent - that I could take Scriptures written to people I don't even know, in situations I'll never experience, and apply them to daily struggle - I knew there was more power in prayer than I'd ever realized.
That's why you find so many prayers in Scripture that are reused later by other people in other situations.
Example: when attacked by three armies, King Jehoshaphat prayed parts of King Solomon's temple dedication prayer. Jehoshaphat used the prayer to "remind" God of His promises of protection to His covenant people (See 2 Chronicles 20:6-12 & 2 Chronicles 6:14:42).
You'll find several other examples like this, where people used Scriptures written before their time to empower their own prayers.
Go to this link to find a 40 day plan to use Scripture to enhance your prayers.
It seemed to me they were using Scripture the way positive thinkers use affirmations, to stoke their psychological state with a triumphalist attitude.
"No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper" seemed to have more to do with Isaiah's prediction of Israel's renaissance after her time of captivity than a personal promise to a televangelist about avoiding bankruptcy.
But then I rediscovered Hebrews 13:5 - "Keep your lives free from the lo
ve of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" (NIV).Think about it. The writer of Hebrews counsels his readers to take this ancient Scripture from its original context and encourage themselves with it, producing contentment. Without hesitation, he uses verses spoken not to his readers, but to Joshua as he was taking the reigns of leadership from Moses during the exodus.
Joshua will face trials, which could disrupt his own contentment, so the Lord tells him, "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." (See Deuteronomy 31:6, 8 & Joshua 1:5).
And then the writer of Hebrews does it again in 13:6 - "So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'" (NIV).
He takes another Old Testament verse, pulls it partly from its context, and then applies it to his readers (see Psalm 118:6-7). And this context, taken from a song about victory in war, seems even further from daily life for the readers of Hebrews, who are struggling to hold on to faith in Christ amid persecution from fellow Jews.
When I realized this precedent - that I could take Scriptures written to people I don't even know, in situations I'll never experience, and apply them to daily struggle - I knew there was more power in prayer than I'd ever realized.
That's why you find so many prayers in Scripture that are reused later by other people in other situations.
Example: when attacked by three armies, King Jehoshaphat prayed parts of King Solomon's temple dedication prayer. Jehoshaphat used the prayer to "remind" God of His promises of protection to His covenant people (See 2 Chronicles 20:6-12 & 2 Chronicles 6:14:42).
You'll find several other examples like this, where people used Scriptures written before their time to empower their own prayers.
Go to this link to find a 40 day plan to use Scripture to enhance your prayers.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Does prayer change God's will?
A fellow blogger (thetractorcab.wordpress.com) asked me an interesting question recently - does prayer change God's will?
Well, if prayer doesn't change (at the least) God's actions, then why pray? And If you pray, believing that prayer changes things, then what does it change?
I think I know why some people doubt that prayer changes God's will. They believe His will cannot change because He can't change. A perfect being doesn't need to change.
But to say that prayer won't change God's will is to have a limited view of that will. What is God's will? A monolithic structure? Is God tied to only one way of accomplishing His purposes?
In his wonderful, concise analysis called The Will of God, Leslie D. Weatherhead makes more sense on this issue than most writers. He says the will of God h
as many facets: God's "intentional will", His "circumstantial will" and His "ultimate will".
God's original intent (will) was that mankind live in a perfect paradise in complete harmony with Divinity. But Satanic evil, along with man's sovereign choices, hijacked that will.
So now God works from His "circumstantial will" - His will as adjusted within a universe now corrupted by toxic evil.
As an example, Weatherhead mentions illness. Why do we fight with all our prayers and medical skill against illness, and then claim it was "God's will" if the person dies? Were we fighting God's will all along?
It was never "God's will" that the world be swallowed up in sickness, death, suffering and evil, but now that it has been, His will works to reverse the curse.
Simple example: King Hezekiah became ill (not God's intentional will from the beginning) and prayed. He was healed (God's circumstantial will). If he had not prayed, he would not have been healed.(See 2 Kings 20).
God's "will" waited on Hezekiah's will. When he made his choice to pray, God's will acted.
Yes, God's "circumstantial will" - in which we now exist - can be changed by prayer... by prayers that change His working in particular situations where humans have a choice.
Well, if prayer doesn't change (at the least) God's actions, then why pray? And If you pray, believing that prayer changes things, then what does it change?
I think I know why some people doubt that prayer changes God's will. They believe His will cannot change because He can't change. A perfect being doesn't need to change.
But to say that prayer won't change God's will is to have a limited view of that will. What is God's will? A monolithic structure? Is God tied to only one way of accomplishing His purposes?
In his wonderful, concise analysis called The Will of God, Leslie D. Weatherhead makes more sense on this issue than most writers. He says the will of God h
as many facets: God's "intentional will", His "circumstantial will" and His "ultimate will".God's original intent (will) was that mankind live in a perfect paradise in complete harmony with Divinity. But Satanic evil, along with man's sovereign choices, hijacked that will.
So now God works from His "circumstantial will" - His will as adjusted within a universe now corrupted by toxic evil.
As an example, Weatherhead mentions illness. Why do we fight with all our prayers and medical skill against illness, and then claim it was "God's will" if the person dies? Were we fighting God's will all along?
It was never "God's will" that the world be swallowed up in sickness, death, suffering and evil, but now that it has been, His will works to reverse the curse.
Simple example: King Hezekiah became ill (not God's intentional will from the beginning) and prayed. He was healed (God's circumstantial will). If he had not prayed, he would not have been healed.(See 2 Kings 20).
God's "will" waited on Hezekiah's will. When he made his choice to pray, God's will acted.
Yes, God's "circumstantial will" - in which we now exist - can be changed by prayer... by prayers that change His working in particular situations where humans have a choice.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Does prayer change the will of God?
I'm now working on a post, trying to answer this question - "Does prayer change the will of God?"
What do you think? Does prayer change God's will? Have you ever experienced it?
Thursday, April 9, 2009
How do you dismount a moving carousel?
I wrote about a fascinating creature called an Ichneumon in my book, Why God Waits For You To Pray. This small weasel-like creature can murder poisonous snakes up to a yard long, even after being bitten repeatedly.
So, how does this tough little character survive? Well, it never attacks a snake unless he's near a certain plant whose leaves produce anti-venom sap. When bitten, the ichneumon rushes to the plant, nibbles the leaves, recovers and then attacks the snake again.
I'm trying to pattern my prayer life after that animal's survival tactics. You see, when I've been too involved in life, in the problems of people and ministry, in combating the Serpent, etc. - then I need a prayer-break.
I'm not much good to anyone when I'm tired, discouraged, beaten down and generally overwhelmed by too many demands. Sometimes I even find myself avoiding people because of the drain on my spiritual electrical system.
And sometimes I'm like a kid on a carousel who wants off, but can't jump because it's still moving. I have to wait... wait for those times when I can retreat into prayer - that sublime land where all cares melt in the glow of the Father's warm acceptance.
Jesus had the same need. In the middle of crushing demands on his time, when news about him had spread throughout the land and crowds tugged at him to heal their kids and lead them out of Roman slavery, the word says, "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed". (Luke 5:16 NIV).
And the Lord demanded the same of his own disciples: "Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.'" (Mark 6:31 NIV).
Jesus knew that a warrior's time spent sharpening his sword isn't wasted. In the battle, the time-investment pays off. That's why he told the disciples, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation". (Luke 22:40 NIV).
Maybe I should try that spiritual anti-venom stuff before the battle begins...
So, how does this tough little character survive? Well, it never attacks a snake unless he's near a certain plant whose leaves produce anti-venom sap. When bitten, the ichneumon rushes to the plant, nibbles the leaves, recovers and then attacks the snake again.
I'm trying to pattern my prayer life after that animal's survival tactics. You see, when I've been too involved in life, in the problems of people and ministry, in combating the Serpent, etc. - then I need a prayer-break.
I'm not much good to anyone when I'm tired, discouraged, beaten down and generally overwhelmed by too many demands. Sometimes I even find myself avoiding people because of the drain on my spiritual electrical system.
And sometimes I'm like a kid on a carousel who wants off, but can't jump because it's still moving. I have to wait... wait for those times when I can retreat into prayer - that sublime land where all cares melt in the glow of the Father's warm acceptance.
Jesus had the same need. In the middle of crushing demands on his time, when news about him had spread throughout the land and crowds tugged at him to heal their kids and lead them out of Roman slavery, the word says, "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed". (Luke 5:16 NIV).
And the Lord demanded the same of his own disciples: "Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.'" (Mark 6:31 NIV).
Jesus knew that a warrior's time spent sharpening his sword isn't wasted. In the battle, the time-investment pays off. That's why he told the disciples, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation". (Luke 22:40 NIV).
Maybe I should try that spiritual anti-venom stuff before the battle begins...
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
What a weird way to answer my prayer
I just finished helping a young Hispanic family who stopped by our church building looking for help.
The husband (didn't speak English), the wife and four kids headed from Iowa to Florida, but hit something in the road a damaged a tire. After paying for the new tire, they had little money left. So, we helped with food and a little cash. (I don't think they've yet realized how far they have to travel to reach Pensacola from north Louisiana.)
After they left, it dawned on me - it had happened again!
Here's what I mean. I've often prayed to experience more of God. I know it won't make Him love me any more, but I sometimes pray for Him to come near and be more real to me.
That prayer has been answered again and again, but often in weird ways. And one of the weirdest (if that's a word) is this - He usually sends someone my way who's in need.
What an interruption. I'm praying to know the Almighty God on a sublime level, and He sends me people. Often very needy people. They interrupt my prayers and take a toll on my quiet time.
So, what gives? What's He trying to tell me? That I need more balance? That I should cut back on the devotional time (as anemic as it often is) and be more activist? That there'll be plenty of time in Heaven to get to know Him?
Or maybe He's trying to tell me that people are higher on His love list than on mine.
I'll admit it. It seems infinitely more appealing to me to love an infinite God than finite people. I'm like the Peanuts comic strip character who, when scolded for not loving mankind, said, "I love mankind. It's people I can't stand!"
But how can I love the Infinite God without caring for people? Since He is "close to the brokenhearted" (Psalm 34), then when I draw near to God, I catch the aroma of suffering people. Maybe that's what He's trying to tell me.
The more I pray to know Him, the more He thrusts me toward broken people, so I'll rely more on Him to enter those gritty situations with me and make a difference.
What a weird way to answer my prayer. That ever happened to you?
The husband (didn't speak English), the wife and four kids headed from Iowa to Florida, but hit something in the road a damaged a tire. After paying for the new tire, they had little money left. So, we helped with food and a little cash. (I don't think they've yet realized how far they have to travel to reach Pensacola from north Louisiana.)
After they left, it dawned on me - it had happened again!
Here's what I mean. I've often prayed to experience more of God. I know it won't make Him love me any more, but I sometimes pray for Him to come near and be more real to me.
That prayer has been answered again and again, but often in weird ways. And one of the weirdest (if that's a word) is this - He usually sends someone my way who's in need.
What an interruption. I'm praying to know the Almighty God on a sublime level, and He sends me people. Often very needy people. They interrupt my prayers and take a toll on my quiet time.
So, what gives? What's He trying to tell me? That I need more balance? That I should cut back on the devotional time (as anemic as it often is) and be more activist? That there'll be plenty of time in Heaven to get to know Him?
Or maybe He's trying to tell me that people are higher on His love list than on mine.
I'll admit it. It seems infinitely more appealing to me to love an infinite God than finite people. I'm like the Peanuts comic strip character who, when scolded for not loving mankind, said, "I love mankind. It's people I can't stand!"
But how can I love the Infinite God without caring for people? Since He is "close to the brokenhearted" (Psalm 34), then when I draw near to God, I catch the aroma of suffering people. Maybe that's what He's trying to tell me.
The more I pray to know Him, the more He thrusts me toward broken people, so I'll rely more on Him to enter those gritty situations with me and make a difference.
What a weird way to answer my prayer. That ever happened to you?
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Prayer can be a gentle hammer
As a young preacher trying to get traction at my first church, I was assigned to visit a tough character who'd quit attending services... years before. I look back on it now and wonder if the folks thought, "He's new, let's see what he can do... we can always get another preacher!"
Anyway, I hesitantly agreed to go, but I had enough good sense to pray first. And as I prayed for this man, whom I barely knew, the tears inexplicably began to flow. I wanted him to find his peace in God. And it mattered to me.
When I arrived, he met me in the front yard of his modest, working class home. He'd been a highway worker for the state. Now retired, his health had begun to slip. I noticed that he limped, favoring one leg that had obviously been damaged sometime in his seventy-plus years. (I found out later that he had been run over by a highway department truck and lived to tell the tale.)
He and his wife seemed happy to see me. They soon invited me in, where we had coffee and I popped the question.
"If the Lord were to return right now, do you think you would go to heaven?"
He quickly admitted, "No, I know I wouldn't."
His refreshing honesty caught me a little by surprise (preachers regularly hear some quite creative excuses), but his answer was in character for a tough, no-nonsense working man like Jack.
In response to his candid remark, I said, "Did you know that you can be certain that you're going to heaven?" Then I read 1 John 5:13 to back up my point.
I continued to read verses and explain while he listened politely. Then I said, "Jack, if you'd like to be sure that you're going to heaven, and if you'd like to make things right with Jesus right now, I'll pray with you and then be on my way."
He agreed and wanted me to pray (but he wasn't ready for me to leave, yet).
When I finished praying, I looked up to see tears flowing down Jack's weather worn face.
Jack was a different man from that day forward. After that, he never missed an assembly of the church, and radiated a joy noticed by all.
He died six months later, assured of his place with Jesus. The gentle hammer of prayer had hit its mark - on both of us.
Anyway, I hesitantly agreed to go, but I had enough good sense to pray first. And as I prayed for this man, whom I barely knew, the tears inexplicably began to flow. I wanted him to find his peace in God. And it mattered to me.
When I arrived, he met me in the front yard of his modest, working class home. He'd been a highway worker for the state. Now retired, his health had begun to slip. I noticed that he limped, favoring one leg that had obviously been damaged sometime in his seventy-plus years. (I found out later that he had been run over by a highway department truck and lived to tell the tale.)
He and his wife seemed happy to see me. They soon invited me in, where we had coffee and I popped the question.
"If the Lord were to return right now, do you think you would go to heaven?"
He quickly admitted, "No, I know I wouldn't."
His refreshing honesty caught me a little by surprise (preachers regularly hear some quite creative excuses), but his answer was in character for a tough, no-nonsense working man like Jack.
In response to his candid remark, I said, "Did you know that you can be certain that you're going to heaven?" Then I read 1 John 5:13 to back up my point.
I continued to read verses and explain while he listened politely. Then I said, "Jack, if you'd like to be sure that you're going to heaven, and if you'd like to make things right with Jesus right now, I'll pray with you and then be on my way."
He agreed and wanted me to pray (but he wasn't ready for me to leave, yet).
When I finished praying, I looked up to see tears flowing down Jack's weather worn face.
Jack was a different man from that day forward. After that, he never missed an assembly of the church, and radiated a joy noticed by all.
He died six months later, assured of his place with Jesus. The gentle hammer of prayer had hit its mark - on both of us.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
How to pray without being religious
I've only been turned down once when asking, "Is it ok if I pray for you?"
His family had asked me to visit him in the hospital, and it didn't take me long to figure out that he wasn't a "religious" person. A rough character, he managed to be somewhat polite but wasn't sure why this preacher showed up in his room.
When I volunteered to pray for his obviously fragile situation, he retorted, "Oh, no! Don't pray for me... I've been such a bad person that God wouldn't hear any prayers about me."
Like a running back faced with an agile blocker, I tried to recover and find a way around his deal-breaking comment.
My only hope was to help him understand that God actually wanted to hear from him... that God was interested in him and knew all about his sin, yet was willing to forgive. It's called "the gospel". And when he heard it, he became actually eager for me to pray for him.
Most of the broken people of this world can't imagine that God would want them praying to Him. Their bankrupt self-esteem and their inventory of shoddy religious teaching from the past conspire to keep them on the outside looking into a confusing, elitist religious world.
Jesus died to change all that. And to make God the Father accessible to the brokenhearted.
When the Obamas traveled to England recently, Mrs. Obama caused a minor stir in the media when she actually touched the Queen during a
photo session. That just isn't done. One doesn't touch Her Majesty.
Yet the Queen didn't seem to mind. Things must be changing.
King Jesus certainly didn't mind being touched. By lepers, by women of ill repute, by drunkards and gluttons, by the demonized... even by "sinners".
And He certainly doesn't mind hearing what you have to say.
His family had asked me to visit him in the hospital, and it didn't take me long to figure out that he wasn't a "religious" person. A rough character, he managed to be somewhat polite but wasn't sure why this preacher showed up in his room.
When I volunteered to pray for his obviously fragile situation, he retorted, "Oh, no! Don't pray for me... I've been such a bad person that God wouldn't hear any prayers about me."
Like a running back faced with an agile blocker, I tried to recover and find a way around his deal-breaking comment.
My only hope was to help him understand that God actually wanted to hear from him... that God was interested in him and knew all about his sin, yet was willing to forgive. It's called "the gospel". And when he heard it, he became actually eager for me to pray for him.
Most of the broken people of this world can't imagine that God would want them praying to Him. Their bankrupt self-esteem and their inventory of shoddy religious teaching from the past conspire to keep them on the outside looking into a confusing, elitist religious world.
Jesus died to change all that. And to make God the Father accessible to the brokenhearted.
When the Obamas traveled to England recently, Mrs. Obama caused a minor stir in the media when she actually touched the Queen during a
photo session. That just isn't done. One doesn't touch Her Majesty.Yet the Queen didn't seem to mind. Things must be changing.
King Jesus certainly didn't mind being touched. By lepers, by women of ill repute, by drunkards and gluttons, by the demonized... even by "sinners".
And He certainly doesn't mind hearing what you have to say.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
What's left after religion?
Are we looking at the horizon of religion's demise? Many experts predict the coming flat-line, at least the death of a certain kind of religion that has drawn the wrath of modern media & the culture it produces.
Several blogs I recently read encapsulated these feelings by pointing to a coming "collapse" of evangelical Christianity.*
Just one quote from "The Evangelical Collapse: A Statistical Analysis" will sum up the point: "According to George Barna: 'With its 195 million unchurched people, America has become the new mission field. America has more unchurched people than the entire populations of all but 11 of the world’s 194 nations.'"
In other words, religion, as we know it in the western world, has fallen on hard times and ever-hardening hearts. Our culture pays less and less attention to religious ideals, opting rather to almost-daily invent our "values" as we desire.
Maybe the idea of "religion" itself can't any longer juice up the imagination of postmodern mankind.
The word "religion" comes from the old Latin language meaning "to bind again" (cousin to the word "ligament"). And what culturally aware person today wants to be bound by anything? It doesn't seem to be in our 21st Century genes to accept restrictions, limits or chastisement of any kind.
So, if religion itself is a culturally endangered species, what will replace it?
Well, I think we can make an educated guess because it's happened before. Although ancient religion was never totally erased, it did have to move over and give way to a more powerful force (until that force was co-opted by religion itself and watered down to resemble the same old, same old).
The day Jesus arrived, the world was already swimming in religion. He didn't need to come here to start another one, not even a better one. Religion had failed. It had failed completely to bridge the breach between God and His corrupted creation. Ancient religion had littered the world with violence, gruesome sacrifices, racism, fear and hopelessness. So much for man's attempt to fix his problem with Divinity.
If you don't believe me, read the Apostle Paul's masterful analysis in Romans chapters seven and eight. Or read Jesus' laser-like summation in the Gospel of John: "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." (5:39-40 NIV).
So what did Jesus think should replace "religion"? Relationship. A relationship based on mutual love between Jesus and His disciple.
Religion binds. Those who aren't good at it soon lose hope; those who are talented at it soon develop spiritual pride.
But true relationship frees. It frees God to embrace us despite our evil, and it frees us to be embraced without fear.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23 NIV).
*"Why Do They Hate Us?" "The Coming Evangelical Collapse" "The Evangelical Collapse: A Statistical Analysis"
Several blogs I recently read encapsulated these feelings by pointing to a coming "collapse" of evangelical Christianity.*
Just one quote from "The Evangelical Collapse: A Statistical Analysis" will sum up the point: "According to George Barna: 'With its 195 million unchurched people, America has become the new mission field. America has more unchurched people than the entire populations of all but 11 of the world’s 194 nations.'"
In other words, religion, as we know it in the western world, has fallen on hard times and ever-hardening hearts. Our culture pays less and less attention to religious ideals, opting rather to almost-daily invent our "values" as we desire.
Maybe the idea of "religion" itself can't any longer juice up the imagination of postmodern mankind.
The word "religion" comes from the old Latin language meaning "to bind again" (cousin to the word "ligament"). And what culturally aware person today wants to be bound by anything? It doesn't seem to be in our 21st Century genes to accept restrictions, limits or chastisement of any kind.
So, if religion itself is a culturally endangered species, what will replace it?
Well, I think we can make an educated guess because it's happened before. Although ancient religion was never totally erased, it did have to move over and give way to a more powerful force (until that force was co-opted by religion itself and watered down to resemble the same old, same old).
The day Jesus arrived, the world was already swimming in religion. He didn't need to come here to start another one, not even a better one. Religion had failed. It had failed completely to bridge the breach between God and His corrupted creation. Ancient religion had littered the world with violence, gruesome sacrifices, racism, fear and hopelessness. So much for man's attempt to fix his problem with Divinity.
If you don't believe me, read the Apostle Paul's masterful analysis in Romans chapters seven and eight. Or read Jesus' laser-like summation in the Gospel of John: "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." (5:39-40 NIV).
So what did Jesus think should replace "religion"? Relationship. A relationship based on mutual love between Jesus and His disciple.
Religion binds. Those who aren't good at it soon lose hope; those who are talented at it soon develop spiritual pride.
But true relationship frees. It frees God to embrace us despite our evil, and it frees us to be embraced without fear.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23 NIV).
*"Why Do They Hate Us?" "The Coming Evangelical Collapse" "The Evangelical Collapse: A Statistical Analysis"
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
How to know God exists
It seems that more atheists than Christians read this blog. At least, more atheists respond when I write something that hits a nerve.
That's because atheism has become tantamount to a religion, and those who "believe" in atheism have become more and more vocal. They've even become "evangelistic". Concerning my faith in God, an atheist recently wrote to me, "You can recant and become a whole person again. I hope that your reason someday helps you to see this."
That's a little scary. Christians throughout history who wouldn't "recant" hav
e been murdered by the millions (as in Stalinist Russia and the French Revolution). And the stereotypical charge that people of faith eschew reason is common among secularists.
So, it seems time to write about how to know God exists. No, I can't prove to the partisan skeptic that God exists beyond any shadow of doubt (no one can). But I can show that it's more reasonable to believe in God than not.
Besides, those who say there's definitely no God can't prove it. No one can prove a negative. To prove that God doesn't exist (beyond a shadow of a doubt), you'd have to experience everything in existence, and go everywhere one can go (even the supernatural world) and then report to us, "I didn't find God".
So, how can one know that God exists? It's more simple than you think. You can know God exists because He visited earth and told us about Himself.
I'm sure you've probably figured it out by now - I'm speaking about Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Messiah (Anointed). I'm saying that this Jesus was God in flesh.
Now, just me saying it (or millions saying it) won't make it true. There has to be some evidence that makes it more reasonable to believe it than not. So, what's the evidence?
It's found in the answers to these top ten questions about the man Jesus:
That's because atheism has become tantamount to a religion, and those who "believe" in atheism have become more and more vocal. They've even become "evangelistic". Concerning my faith in God, an atheist recently wrote to me, "You can recant and become a whole person again. I hope that your reason someday helps you to see this."
That's a little scary. Christians throughout history who wouldn't "recant" hav
e been murdered by the millions (as in Stalinist Russia and the French Revolution). And the stereotypical charge that people of faith eschew reason is common among secularists.So, it seems time to write about how to know God exists. No, I can't prove to the partisan skeptic that God exists beyond any shadow of doubt (no one can). But I can show that it's more reasonable to believe in God than not.
Besides, those who say there's definitely no God can't prove it. No one can prove a negative. To prove that God doesn't exist (beyond a shadow of a doubt), you'd have to experience everything in existence, and go everywhere one can go (even the supernatural world) and then report to us, "I didn't find God".
So, how can one know that God exists? It's more simple than you think. You can know God exists because He visited earth and told us about Himself.
I'm sure you've probably figured it out by now - I'm speaking about Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Messiah (Anointed). I'm saying that this Jesus was God in flesh.
Now, just me saying it (or millions saying it) won't make it true. There has to be some evidence that makes it more reasonable to believe it than not. So, what's the evidence?
It's found in the answers to these top ten questions about the man Jesus:
#10- "Was Jesus A Real Person?"
Yes, Jesus actually lived. No credible historian today would deny the existence of a carpenter & teacher from Nazareth named Jesus. The Bible gives his life history, but several non-biblical historians of his era also mention him. Josephus (AD 37-95) the Jewish historian wrote about him, and so did Roman historians Tacitus (AD 55-120) and Seutonius (born AD 120.)
#9- "Did Jesus Ever Claim To Be The Son Of God?"
Yes, several times. Once when attacked by his enemies, Jesus said, "I and the Father are one." Then he spoke of the miracles he had done, and asked "For which of these do you stone me?"
Their answer was, "We are not stoning you for these (miracles)… but because you, a mere man, claim to be God." (John 10:33.)
On another occasion they tried to kill Jesus because "he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." (John 5:18.)
Another time when his enemies tried to kill him, he had said, "Before Abraham was born, I am!" - claiming to be the "Jehovah" of Exodus 3:14. (John 8:58.)
He also said to his own disciples, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9.)
Even at his trial, when the High Priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" Jesus answered, "I am… And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." (Mark 14:62.)
Jesus definitely claimed to be God's Son.
#8- "Why Did People Believe His Claims; Weren't They Just Superstitious?"
People believed Jesus' claims because he proved them. How? By fulfilling all the Old Testament prophecies about the coming of God's own Son-the "Messiah."
For example, the prophet Micah (720 BC) predicted that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2 & Matthew 2:3-6.)
Isaiah (740 BC) foresaw that Christ would heal the sick (Isaiah 53:4 & Matthew 8:17), and that he would be born of a virgin, and would be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 7:14 & 9:6.) Isaiah also gave an extensive picture of the crucifixion of Christ 700 years before it happened! (Isaiah chapter 53.)
Daniel the prophet (600 BC) predicted that the Messiah would come during the Roman Empire (the fourth empire from Daniel's day) and establish God's Kingdom (Daniel 2:44-45.) Jesus fulfilled it. And the prophet Zechariah (520 BC) amazingly predicted that the Messiah would be sold for 30 pieces of silver, which would be thrown back into the temple (Zech. 11:12-13.)
Also, in Psalm 16:10, King David (1,000 BC) predicted that Messiah would be raised from the dead (see Acts 2:27-32.) People in Jesus' day believed his claims because he fulfilled Divine prophecy.
#7- "Since The Bible Was Written So Long Ago, How Do We Know We Have The Words Jesus Actually Spoke?"
Because of the wealth of carefully hand-copied manuscripts-more than for any other ancient work. There are 13,000 ancient manuscripts for the New Testament alone! Compare that to only 7 for the works of Plato, 5 for Aristotle, 8 for Herodotus, and only 9 for Euripedes.
After years of study, scholar F.F. Bruce says, "There is no body of ancient literature in the world which enjoys such a wealth of good textual attestation as the New Testament."
#6- "Did Jesus Actually Work Miracles?"
Yes, Jesus worked scores of miracles right in front of his enemies, yet they never denied it. And he worked so many miracles, that they can't be explained by "mass hypnosis" or "emotionally overwrought witnesses."
His enemies' only defense was to accuse him of working miracles by Satan's power, but Jesus answered, "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined…" (Luke 11:17.)
It wouldn't make sense for Jesus to do good, like casting out demons, by Satan's power-Satan would be destroying his own kingdom.
It's amazing that people today will deny that Jesus, or his disciples, ever worked miracles, yet no one in Jesus' day ever denied it. His enemies never denied it. And those who saw his disciples work miracles never denied it-they said, "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it." (Acts 4:16.)
#5- "Did Jesus Really Die On The Cross, Or Just Faint And Awaken Later?"
No one in Jesus' day, including his enemies, denied that he died on the cross.
After suffering an entire night of trials and beatings, and then being forced to carry the beam of his own cross, Jesus couldn't have survived the horrors of crucifixion. Besides that, he was crucified by professionals-four Roman soldiers whose job was to kill people. Letting a prisoner escape death would cost them their own lives-They wouldn't be fooled by one who just fainted.
#4- "Did Jesus Actually Rise From The Dead, Or Did His Disciples Just Hide The Body?"
On the third day after his death, Jesus literally came back from the dead. His spirit returned to his dead body (John 20:1-18.)
The disciples couldn't have moved Jesus' body; Pontius Pilate had posted a guard and sealed the tomb. But when Jesus came back to life, these guards were paralyzed with fear. Later, Jewish leaders paid them to say they had fallen asleep and the disciples grabbed Jesus' body (Matthew 28:11-15.) But falling asleep on guard duty meant the death penalty, yet these guards were never prosecuted.
How could Jesus' disciples have moved his body without overpowering the guards? And if the guards were asleep, how did they know what happened to the body?
#3- "Didn't The Disciples Just Mistake Jesus' Ghost For A Resurrection?"
No, Jesus actually appeared in bodily form. He spent over a month-40 days-with hundreds of his disciples after his resurrection. He ate meals with them, taught them and readied them to be his witnesses (Acts 1:3-8.) On one appearance Jesus said to them, "Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have" and then he ate fish with them (Luke 24:37-43.)
#2- "If Jesus Was The Son Of God, Why Didn't Everyone Believe Him?"
In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus said people fail to believe because Satan comes and steals the good news out of the hearts of hearers (Luke 8:12.)
He also said that religion itself can become a barrier to belief-to a group of religious Pharisees, Jesus said "you nullify the word of God for the sake of your traditions." (Matthew 15:6.) An insincere heart can poison the well of one's belief.
#1- "If Jesus Was Really The Son of God, Why Did He Let Himself Be Killed?"
Because his death and resurrection had a purpose.
After his resurrection, Jesus told his own disciples, "Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms… This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations…" (Luke 24:44-48.)
The purpose of Christ's life, death and resurrection was to repair our broken relationship to the Father-the "forgiveness of sins." As the Holy Spirit later said through the Apostle Paul, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…By this gospel (good news) you are saved…"(1Cor. 15:1-4.)
Since every human being born after Adam's likeness has sinned-or "fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)-everybody needs their alienation from God repaired. Isaiah said that "your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you…" (59:2.)
Christ substituted himself for us-he went to hell on the cross so we don't have to go there ourselves. He was the sinless Son of God, yet he absorbed our sins so we could be free. All the guilt and shame of every sin-whether child molestation, murder, adultery, theft, lying, etc-all sin and shame were placed on him.
If you believe that he is the Son of God, raised from the dead, and that he did all this just for you, it will change you. You'll be, as Jesus described it, "born again" (John 3:3-18.)
He also said, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:16.)
Now, after looking at these top ten questions, you have some evidence. Some will mock, but many will come to the only logical conclusion - God exists because "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." (John 1:1, 14 NIV).Tuesday, March 3, 2009
If God is real, why so many unhappy Christians?
Atheists like Christopher Hitchens often argue that if God really exists, then why are so many religious people unhappy, partisan, mean-spirited and even sometimes violent?
They have a point. But it's based on a false assumption. The assumption is this: if a real God really operates in a person's life, then that person will be perfect, living as if he or she is already in Paradise, without any temptation to sin or moral failings.
This spiritually naive view can't grasp a basic phenomenon of interaction between God and man. That basic phenomenon is this - a man who walks with God, still walks on this earth. He is still human. And he has a spiritual enemy called Satan, who is trying to win him back to the dark side.
Trying to live the religious life on this fallen planet can be messy. That's because the spiritual quest to know God is a human endeavor. Although a real God is in it, so are real humans.
I know what you're thinking. Some claim the Name but don't walk the talk. Not all believers try sincerely. Hypocrisy abounds, but hypocritical behavior itself is a spiritual illness. Even if you subtract the hypocrites (which the Lord Himself will do - Matthew 13:24-43), that still leaves many sincere believers who struggle. Spiritual life on this planet doesn't happen in a vacuum, but in the middle of flawed human life.
Even prayer is a human exercise, finite man trying to communicate with the Infinite. Sometimes it can be sublime; sometimes it fails miserably.
And it fails, not because God isn't powerful enough, but because even redeemed man still has a sometimes-stubborn will. And God won't violate that sacred thing He created in us called sovereignty - our freedom of choice.
All of Jesus' great disciples, from Peter to John to Barnabus to Paul, exhibited flaws. The Bible pull no punches, but shows all the Messiah's followers to be human, moral warts and all.
In fact, Jesus didn't die for our good deeds but for our sins. He knew what He was getting. He isn't naive about who we are, yet He died for us anyway. And He continues to work with us despite the flaws, mistakes, sins, missteps and spiritual ignorance... and even those days when we don't feel like praying.
They have a point. But it's based on a false assumption. The assumption is this: if a real God really operates in a person's life, then that person will be perfect, living as if he or she is already in Paradise, without any temptation to sin or moral failings.
Trying to live the religious life on this fallen planet can be messy. That's because the spiritual quest to know God is a human endeavor. Although a real God is in it, so are real humans.
I know what you're thinking. Some claim the Name but don't walk the talk. Not all believers try sincerely. Hypocrisy abounds, but hypocritical behavior itself is a spiritual illness. Even if you subtract the hypocrites (which the Lord Himself will do - Matthew 13:24-43), that still leaves many sincere believers who struggle. Spiritual life on this planet doesn't happen in a vacuum, but in the middle of flawed human life.
Even prayer is a human exercise, finite man trying to communicate with the Infinite. Sometimes it can be sublime; sometimes it fails miserably.
And it fails, not because God isn't powerful enough, but because even redeemed man still has a sometimes-stubborn will. And God won't violate that sacred thing He created in us called sovereignty - our freedom of choice.
All of Jesus' great disciples, from Peter to John to Barnabus to Paul, exhibited flaws. The Bible pull no punches, but shows all the Messiah's followers to be human, moral warts and all.
In fact, Jesus didn't die for our good deeds but for our sins. He knew what He was getting. He isn't naive about who we are, yet He died for us anyway. And He continues to work with us despite the flaws, mistakes, sins, missteps and spiritual ignorance... and even those days when we don't feel like praying.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Faith "prays it forward"
Terry Rush's recent blog post, Pray it forward, hit the mark.
He said that he'd often prayed and thanked God in advance, for his children's future. He thanked God several years in advance for their successful job interviews, and for keeping them from taking jobs that would harm them or diminish the kingdom of God.
What a powerful principle! And you find it sprinkled throughout the Bible.
When King David found out that God had plans to build a dynasty for David and his descendants, he thanked Him by saying, "Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?... For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant." (2 Samuel 7:18-21 NIV).
Notice he said, "you have done this great thing". Actually, God hadn't done it yet. It was still in the future, yet David considers it already accomplished. Why? Because it was "for the sake of your word" - when God says it, it's already done!
Only faith motivates one to speak as David did (and to pray as he did). Faith comes by hearing, and faith also has a voice to speak what it hears - "'I believed; therefore, I have spoken.' And with that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak..." (2 Corinthians 4:13 NIV).
Like David, mature people of prayer know this principle. They know how to "pray it forward". They've learned how to pray (and speak) as if the future is already here.
Jesus highlighted the principle when he said, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mark 11:24 NIV).
He said that he'd often prayed and thanked God in advance, for his children's future. He thanked God several years in advance for their successful job interviews, and for keeping them from taking jobs that would harm them or diminish the kingdom of God.
What a powerful principle! And you find it sprinkled throughout the Bible.
When King David found out that God had plans to build a dynasty for David and his descendants, he thanked Him by saying, "Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?... For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant." (2 Samuel 7:18-21 NIV).
Notice he said, "you have done this great thing". Actually, God hadn't done it yet. It was still in the future, yet David considers it already accomplished. Why? Because it was "for the sake of your word" - when God says it, it's already done!
Only faith motivates one to speak as David did (and to pray as he did). Faith comes by hearing, and faith also has a voice to speak what it hears - "'I believed; therefore, I have spoken.' And with that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak..." (2 Corinthians 4:13 NIV).
Like David, mature people of prayer know this principle. They know how to "pray it forward". They've learned how to pray (and speak) as if the future is already here.
Jesus highlighted the principle when he said, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mark 11:24 NIV).
Saturday, February 7, 2009
To believe, or not to believe
One thing you can say about this brave new world... everyone seems to be struggling to find some faith.
We hunger for hope. I'm sure you noticed the theme of President Obama's campaign. Agree with him or not, he touched a nerve and got elected.
People seem to be growing sicker of the strife, bickering, pessimism and
hopelessness we've produced as a by-product of our secularized lives. We all crave to believe in something... something greater than ourselves, bigger than life, something that will bring inner peace and contentment.
Many are afraid no such thing exists. Thus the angst of this present culture reflected in the post modern morass of pointless (even by design) TV shows, cynical comedy, crooked leaders and the tendency to put thugs and gangsters on a golden pedestal. The earth seems to be spinning in the wrong direction; we call evil "good" and label good "evil" (or at least not very cool).
We can't even watch the Super Bowl without some manufactured "wardrobe malfunction" popping up just to make the point that the barbarians rule now and civilization has left the building.
Scientists, intellectuals, philosophers, mythologists, celebrities and even some clergy try to convince us that it doesn't matter, that nothing really has meaning, that nothing exists outside this natural world anyway. But how would they know? They've never been there.
They're like a school of fish trying to comprehend New York City. They have no frame of reference for it. Likewise, the un-spiritual man has no way to truly evaluate the spiritual, trans-natural world.
That's because it comes through revelation, not information.
And that's why prayer is so vital; revelation comes only after seeking and asking. Prayer opens the door to relationship with God.
So, to find a solid footing for your faith, put yourself in a subordinate position to God and ask. Then something remarkable happens. A whole new person is born inside you.
Jesus said, "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'" (John 3:6-7 NIV)
We hunger for hope. I'm sure you noticed the theme of President Obama's campaign. Agree with him or not, he touched a nerve and got elected.
People seem to be growing sicker of the strife, bickering, pessimism and
hopelessness we've produced as a by-product of our secularized lives. We all crave to believe in something... something greater than ourselves, bigger than life, something that will bring inner peace and contentment.Many are afraid no such thing exists. Thus the angst of this present culture reflected in the post modern morass of pointless (even by design) TV shows, cynical comedy, crooked leaders and the tendency to put thugs and gangsters on a golden pedestal. The earth seems to be spinning in the wrong direction; we call evil "good" and label good "evil" (or at least not very cool).
We can't even watch the Super Bowl without some manufactured "wardrobe malfunction" popping up just to make the point that the barbarians rule now and civilization has left the building.
Scientists, intellectuals, philosophers, mythologists, celebrities and even some clergy try to convince us that it doesn't matter, that nothing really has meaning, that nothing exists outside this natural world anyway. But how would they know? They've never been there.
They're like a school of fish trying to comprehend New York City. They have no frame of reference for it. Likewise, the un-spiritual man has no way to truly evaluate the spiritual, trans-natural world.
That's because it comes through revelation, not information.
And that's why prayer is so vital; revelation comes only after seeking and asking. Prayer opens the door to relationship with God.
So, to find a solid footing for your faith, put yourself in a subordinate position to God and ask. Then something remarkable happens. A whole new person is born inside you.
Jesus said, "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'" (John 3:6-7 NIV)
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
What disasters grow from prayerlessness?
I heard a man say, "There are no accidents; just premeditated carelessness."
Makes sense to me. And it makes me wonder if the same holds true for disasters. It seems that most disasters in this world grow to maturity slowly, although they hit with shocking speed.
That's true of volcanic eruptions. And of cancer. And maybe even of attacks like Pearl Harbor and 9/11. Disasters take years to ferment and grow. If we could just learn to kill the thing in its growing stage...
Did you know that there were at least ten disasters in the Bible that grew directly out of the prayerlessness of God's people? You can look them up.
1. Israel under Joshua's leadership made an unauthorized treaty with the Gibeonite tribe because they didn't pray about the decision. And it came back to haunt them, causing war and plague for several generations. (Joshua 9:1-14).
2. Israel abandoned their prayer life and asked for a king (instead of Jehovah) to rule over them. Samuel warned them of their downfall, calling prayerlessness a "sin". (1 Samuel 12:6-23).
3. King Ahaziah died because he consulted an idol but refused to pray to his own God - Jehovah. (2 Kings 1:1-17).
4. King Saul lost his kingdom and then his own life due to prayerlessness. (1 Chronicles 10:13-14 & 13:3).
5. Uzzah fell dead and the Ark of God wasn't moved for three months due to prayerlessness. King David later admitted that they hadn't prayed about how they should move the Ark. (1 Chronicles 13:9-14 & 15:13).
6. King Asa's reign failed and he died in pain because he refused to pray. (2 Chronicles 16:7-12).
7. Jerusalem fell to Babylon and the people were taken captive because God couldn't find enough intercessors to pray for the city. (Ezekiel 22:30-31).
8. Jesus' disciples failed to cast out a demon because their prayer lives weren't up to the challenge from Satan. (Mark 9:28-29).
9. Jesus' disciples denied him and scattered because they failed to pray in the Garden. (Mark 14:37-38, 50).
10. Jesus condemned the church at Laodicea for their prayerlessness. They said, "I am rich... and do not need a thing". (Revelation 3:14-22).
It makes me wonder what good things I'm missing by neglecting prayer... and what disaster might be headed my way for the same reason.
Makes sense to me. And it makes me wonder if the same holds true for disasters. It seems that most disasters in this world grow to maturity slowly, although they hit with shocking speed.
That's true of volcanic eruptions. And of cancer. And maybe even of attacks like Pearl Harbor and 9/11. Disasters take years to ferment and grow. If we could just learn to kill the thing in its growing stage...
Did you know that there were at least ten disasters in the Bible that grew directly out of the prayerlessness of God's people? You can look them up.
1. Israel under Joshua's leadership made an unauthorized treaty with the Gibeonite tribe because they didn't pray about the decision. And it came back to haunt them, causing war and plague for several generations. (Joshua 9:1-14).
2. Israel abandoned their prayer life and asked for a king (instead of Jehovah) to rule over them. Samuel warned them of their downfall, calling prayerlessness a "sin". (1 Samuel 12:6-23).
3. King Ahaziah died because he consulted an idol but refused to pray to his own God - Jehovah. (2 Kings 1:1-17).
4. King Saul lost his kingdom and then his own life due to prayerlessness. (1 Chronicles 10:13-14 & 13:3).
5. Uzzah fell dead and the Ark of God wasn't moved for three months due to prayerlessness. King David later admitted that they hadn't prayed about how they should move the Ark. (1 Chronicles 13:9-14 & 15:13).
6. King Asa's reign failed and he died in pain because he refused to pray. (2 Chronicles 16:7-12).
7. Jerusalem fell to Babylon and the people were taken captive because God couldn't find enough intercessors to pray for the city. (Ezekiel 22:30-31).
8. Jesus' disciples failed to cast out a demon because their prayer lives weren't up to the challenge from Satan. (Mark 9:28-29).
9. Jesus' disciples denied him and scattered because they failed to pray in the Garden. (Mark 14:37-38, 50).
10. Jesus condemned the church at Laodicea for their prayerlessness. They said, "I am rich... and do not need a thing". (Revelation 3:14-22).
It makes me wonder what good things I'm missing by neglecting prayer... and what disaster might be headed my way for the same reason.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Why I love atheists
I've met a few atheists and have read the writings of several more. I have to confess that I love atheists. Why?
First of all, they love to think. Certainly not all of them do - they can march in mental lockstep with their own tribe like anyone else - but many of them love the cerebral pursuits, the intellectual life. They respect the power of reason and want to use it to free people from mythology and superstition.
Second, they don't like hand-me-down answers (at least many of them don't). They hear traditional societal arguments for this or that proposition, but prefer to try thinking for themselves. (I know I'm really generalizing, but stereotypes have a ring of truth.)
And another thing - atheists hate religious hypocrisy. Many of them seem to have been injured by religious bigots, so they leave traditional dogma and look for another answer. Admitting that God exists seems tantamount to agreeing that the hypocrites are right.
Atheists also seem sensitive to the evil in this world. They know that something isn't right with the universe, that the scheme of things has short-circuited. They tend to blame evil solely on human foolishness, which, as they see it, is supported and encouraged by religion.
While I certainly don't pretend to speak for their collective cause, I see a lot to like in many atheists.
That's because they want to pursue a robust mental life. And that pursuit has paid unexpected dividends for many of them.
Like C.S. Lewis, a well-known novelist and literature professor at both Oxford and Cambridge, who professed atheism by the age of 15. He later became a Christian after long conversations with colleagues J.R.R. Tolkein and Hugo Dyson, and after much reading and study. Lewis once said, "A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading."
Or like Dr. Anthony G. N. Flew, eminent philosopher and former professor of the philosophy of religion at several universities, including Oxford and Aberdeen. Flew has been a figurehead in atheism for decades, but now professes to believe in God. He has not accepted Christianity, but believes that God created this universe.
Dr. Flew bases his conversion to theism on scientific evidence (especially new discoveries in DNA research). He has commented, “It now seems to me that the findings of more than fifty years of DNA research have provided materials for a new and enormously powerful argument to design.” He says he "had to go where the evidence leads".
Or like Lee Strobel, an atheist who worked as both a lawyer and investigative journalist for 14 years at the Chicago Tribune; he later converted to Christianity after a two-year study of the evidence for Christ's claims to be the Messiah. (Check out his website for an exclusive interview with Dr. Anthony Flew.)
So, I find some things I really like about atheists - especially the kind who aren't afraid to leave the tribe and search, on their own, for real answers... the kind with real intellectual courage.
But I love atheists for another reason. Because Jesus does.
"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8 NIV
First of all, they love to think. Certainly not all of them do - they can march in mental lockstep with their own tribe like anyone else - but many of them love the cerebral pursuits, the intellectual life. They respect the power of reason and want to use it to free people from mythology and superstition.
Second, they don't like hand-me-down answers (at least many of them don't). They hear traditional societal arguments for this or that proposition, but prefer to try thinking for themselves. (I know I'm really generalizing, but stereotypes have a ring of truth.)
And another thing - atheists hate religious hypocrisy. Many of them seem to have been injured by religious bigots, so they leave traditional dogma and look for another answer. Admitting that God exists seems tantamount to agreeing that the hypocrites are right.
Atheists also seem sensitive to the evil in this world. They know that something isn't right with the universe, that the scheme of things has short-circuited. They tend to blame evil solely on human foolishness, which, as they see it, is supported and encouraged by religion.
While I certainly don't pretend to speak for their collective cause, I see a lot to like in many atheists.
That's because they want to pursue a robust mental life. And that pursuit has paid unexpected dividends for many of them.
Like C.S. Lewis, a well-known novelist and literature professor at both Oxford and Cambridge, who professed atheism by the age of 15. He later became a Christian after long conversations with colleagues J.R.R. Tolkein and Hugo Dyson, and after much reading and study. Lewis once said, "A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading."
Or like Dr. Anthony G. N. Flew, eminent philosopher and former professor of the philosophy of religion at several universities, including Oxford and Aberdeen. Flew has been a figurehead in atheism for decades, but now professes to believe in God. He has not accepted Christianity, but believes that God created this universe.
Dr. Flew bases his conversion to theism on scientific evidence (especially new discoveries in DNA research). He has commented, “It now seems to me that the findings of more than fifty years of DNA research have provided materials for a new and enormously powerful argument to design.” He says he "had to go where the evidence leads".
Or like Lee Strobel, an atheist who worked as both a lawyer and investigative journalist for 14 years at the Chicago Tribune; he later converted to Christianity after a two-year study of the evidence for Christ's claims to be the Messiah. (Check out his website for an exclusive interview with Dr. Anthony Flew.)
So, I find some things I really like about atheists - especially the kind who aren't afraid to leave the tribe and search, on their own, for real answers... the kind with real intellectual courage.
But I love atheists for another reason. Because Jesus does.
"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8 NIV
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Is atheism a form of denial?
How could atheism be a form of denial?
Well, look at the definition of denial. According to an encyclopedia of mental disorders, refusal to acknowledge the existence or severity of an unpleasant reality is called "denial".
If one associates belief in God with unpleasant realities - such as facing eternal judgment, having one's lifestyle evaluated by a Higher Power, having to yield one's life to an absolute standard of behavior, admitting that man will never perfect his world, or even yielding to the supposed requirement to join an organized religious group - then denial seems quite possible.
I'm sure atheists would deny they're in such denial. Usually they claim that they know God doesn't exist. And they make that claim based on several ideas.
Some bitterly attack organized religion and blame it for all the world's ills, therefore reasoning that religion itself is godless (not exhibiting god-like behavior). For some reason, this recognition of human foolishness is supposed to prove that a Supreme Being doesn't exist.
Some claim God doesn't exist because, they say, it isn't logical to believe in an "invisible" trans-natural reality. They posit the scientific method as the best (and only) way to know anything about reality. Since God can't be subjected to the scientific method, He can't be proven to exist. If He can't be proven by this method to exist, then He must not exist.
Some take note of the evil in this world, then point to religious claims that God is all-powerful and cares about human life - and they find a contradiction. If God supposedly cares, and is powerful, then why, they ask, does He allow evil to exist?
Each of these ideas (and all the other atheistic challenges to belief in God that I've seen) have one thing in common - they attempt to use the rational mind to understand and challenge the phenomenon of faith in God.
But that's like trying to take one's blood pressure with a thermometer. Or like trying to measure wind speed with a crescent wrench. The tool doesn't fit the job.
It's not that faith in God isn't rational (I don't remember reading "leap of faith" in the Bible). But faith's rationale stands on a higher grade of evidence than what's used to prove scientific fact. Faith rests on revelation not information. And the rational mind can't always grasp revelation. It can't reason its way to enlightenment.
Like an animal rummaging for food in the woods while ignoring a lost $100 bill, the rational mind "does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV).
So, how does one come to that place of spiritual discernment? How would an atheist, or even an agnostic, who's toying with the idea of seeking that higher discernment... how would he or she go about it?
Follow the advice of the wisest man who ever lived. He said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." -Jesus
Well, look at the definition of denial. According to an encyclopedia of mental disorders, refusal to acknowledge the existence or severity of an unpleasant reality is called "denial".
If one associates belief in God with unpleasant realities - such as facing eternal judgment, having one's lifestyle evaluated by a Higher Power, having to yield one's life to an absolute standard of behavior, admitting that man will never perfect his world, or even yielding to the supposed requirement to join an organized religious group - then denial seems quite possible.
I'm sure atheists would deny they're in such denial. Usually they claim that they know God doesn't exist. And they make that claim based on several ideas.
Some bitterly attack organized religion and blame it for all the world's ills, therefore reasoning that religion itself is godless (not exhibiting god-like behavior). For some reason, this recognition of human foolishness is supposed to prove that a Supreme Being doesn't exist.
Some claim God doesn't exist because, they say, it isn't logical to believe in an "invisible" trans-natural reality. They posit the scientific method as the best (and only) way to know anything about reality. Since God can't be subjected to the scientific method, He can't be proven to exist. If He can't be proven by this method to exist, then He must not exist.
Some take note of the evil in this world, then point to religious claims that God is all-powerful and cares about human life - and they find a contradiction. If God supposedly cares, and is powerful, then why, they ask, does He allow evil to exist?
Each of these ideas (and all the other atheistic challenges to belief in God that I've seen) have one thing in common - they attempt to use the rational mind to understand and challenge the phenomenon of faith in God.
But that's like trying to take one's blood pressure with a thermometer. Or like trying to measure wind speed with a crescent wrench. The tool doesn't fit the job.
It's not that faith in God isn't rational (I don't remember reading "leap of faith" in the Bible). But faith's rationale stands on a higher grade of evidence than what's used to prove scientific fact. Faith rests on revelation not information. And the rational mind can't always grasp revelation. It can't reason its way to enlightenment.
Like an animal rummaging for food in the woods while ignoring a lost $100 bill, the rational mind "does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV).
So, how does one come to that place of spiritual discernment? How would an atheist, or even an agnostic, who's toying with the idea of seeking that higher discernment... how would he or she go about it?
Follow the advice of the wisest man who ever lived. He said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." -Jesus
Friday, January 9, 2009
Is prayer a waste of time?
Silas Shotwell once told about Charles Francis Adams, a 19th century diplomat, who spent a day with his son and recorded it in his diary by saying, "Went fishing with my son today - a day wasted."
But his son, Brook Adams, wrote in his own diary, "Went fishing with my father - the most wonderful day of my life!"
How often do we pray and walk away thinking nothing much happened? How often do believers minimize prayer by considering it a mostly weak, wasted exercise?
And yet some of the world's most powerful events came through prayer:
But his son, Brook Adams, wrote in his own diary, "Went fishing with my father - the most wonderful day of my life!"
How often do we pray and walk away thinking nothing much happened? How often do believers minimize prayer by considering it a mostly weak, wasted exercise?
And yet some of the world's most powerful events came through prayer:
- Abraham saved his family from being destroyed with Sodom - Genesis 18-19.
- Isaac rescued the chosen family line by praying for his barren wife - Genesis 25:21.
- Jacob escaped Esau's murderous wrath by prayer - Genesis 32:9-12 & 33:4.
- Israel prayed and Jehovah rescued them from Egypt - Exodus 2:23-25.
- Moses interceded and saved Israel from annihilation - Exodus 32:7-14.
- Hannah secured Israel's future by praying for, and bearing, a son named Samuel - 1 Samuel 1:9-20.
- Elijah stopped the rain for over three years and brought revival to idolatrous Israel by prayer - 1 Kings 17 & 18 (James 5:17-18).
- King Jehoshaphat called a prayer assembly and Jehovah saved Judah from being invaded by three nations - 2 Chronicles 20:1-30.
- Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead by prayer - John 11:41-44.
- Jesus prayed and the Holy Spirit came upon the church - John 14:16-17.
- Jesus protected His infant church by prayer - John 17.
- Jesus found strength to endure the cross by prayer - Luke 22:39-46.
- Jesus prayed His own resurrection into reality - Hebrews 5:7.
- The church's power on earth began in a prayer session - Acts 1:14 & 2:1-41.
- Prayer fills the supernatural realm, moving God's eternal plan forward - Romans 8:26 & 8:34; Revelation 6:9-10; 8:3-5.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Penn Says: A Gift of a Bible
Catch this moving video of atheist entertainer Penn Jillette as he thinks about a man who gave him a Bible after one of his performances.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Atheist admits God changes people
With growing attacks on Christianity by secularists during Christmastime, and with a vast wasteland of mostly anti-God media daily encouraging them, it's been an interesting holiday season. Who ever thought Christmas would become controversial?
But right in the middle of this growing skepticism against spiritual things, something amazing happened, which seems to have gone mostly unnoticed.
An atheistic columnist for the London Times courageously admitted in December that Christianity remains the best hope for the African people. Why? Because, he says, it truly changes them.
Matthew Parris, who spent his childhood in Nyasaland (now Malawi), recently returned 45 years later to observe one of The Times Christmas Appeal's charities called Pump Aid, which provides water pumps to needy villages.
Parris, who also traveled Africa extensively during his college years, always respected the Christian missionaries for their practical help (he even made sure to camp near their missions for safety reasons on his travels), but he now admits that they provide much more. In his article, As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God, he characterizes the African mindset as still in bondage to "tribal groupthink" and admits that it will have to be replaced with something else if Africa is to stand tall in the new century.
And the very thing he proposes to replace it with is... Christianity. Why? Because it provides the individual a personal link to a personal God.
As Parris puts it, Christianity's "teaching of a direct, personal, two-way link between the individual and God, unmediated by the collective, and unsubordinate to any other human being" has the power to break through the tribalism and pessimism of a people who feel they have no control over natural events.
He ends this article by saying, "Removing Christian evangelism from the African equation may leave the continent at the mercy of a malign fusion of Nike, the witch doctor, the mobile phone and the machete."
This remarkable admission grew out of Matthew Parris' observation of a true life replica of a Biblical principle. The Apostle Paul told the Corinthian believers that a strong dose of spirituality (being personally linked with the Father) would end their quarreling, strife and division (see 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 & compare it to 2:12-16).
When believers (and churches) major in spiritual growth rather than controversies, we become interconnected in healthy relationships within the Body. The Spirit can work, not being grieved (Ephesians 4:30) nor quenched (1 Thess. 5:19) by our foolishness in chasing selfish issues and agendas.
And when the Spirit works, life in the church flourishes in healthy ways. Love becomes the glue holding us together in a heaven-like existence where each individual believer has dignity and worth.
If even atheists recognize true life when they see it...
But right in the middle of this growing skepticism against spiritual things, something amazing happened, which seems to have gone mostly unnoticed.
An atheistic columnist for the London Times courageously admitted in December that Christianity remains the best hope for the African people. Why? Because, he says, it truly changes them.
Matthew Parris, who spent his childhood in Nyasaland (now Malawi), recently returned 45 years later to observe one of The Times Christmas Appeal's charities called Pump Aid, which provides water pumps to needy villages.
Parris, who also traveled Africa extensively during his college years, always respected the Christian missionaries for their practical help (he even made sure to camp near their missions for safety reasons on his travels), but he now admits that they provide much more. In his article, As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God, he characterizes the African mindset as still in bondage to "tribal groupthink" and admits that it will have to be replaced with something else if Africa is to stand tall in the new century.
And the very thing he proposes to replace it with is... Christianity. Why? Because it provides the individual a personal link to a personal God.
As Parris puts it, Christianity's "teaching of a direct, personal, two-way link between the individual and God, unmediated by the collective, and unsubordinate to any other human being" has the power to break through the tribalism and pessimism of a people who feel they have no control over natural events.
He ends this article by saying, "Removing Christian evangelism from the African equation may leave the continent at the mercy of a malign fusion of Nike, the witch doctor, the mobile phone and the machete."
This remarkable admission grew out of Matthew Parris' observation of a true life replica of a Biblical principle. The Apostle Paul told the Corinthian believers that a strong dose of spirituality (being personally linked with the Father) would end their quarreling, strife and division (see 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 & compare it to 2:12-16).
When believers (and churches) major in spiritual growth rather than controversies, we become interconnected in healthy relationships within the Body. The Spirit can work, not being grieved (Ephesians 4:30) nor quenched (1 Thess. 5:19) by our foolishness in chasing selfish issues and agendas.
And when the Spirit works, life in the church flourishes in healthy ways. Love becomes the glue holding us together in a heaven-like existence where each individual believer has dignity and worth.
If even atheists recognize true life when they see it...
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