Reflection #4: Know the enemy, use his ammo

this reflection is from chapter two, of which discusses Justin Martyr:

how often do we fully understand what we are fighting? think about it.....how much do we really know about ways of thinking like atheism, agnostic's, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Catholics, etc. what fascinated me most about Justin Martyr is that he knew what he was up against. but more than just know, he understood how they thought and why. granted this is in part because he was once one of them, but still.

because he understood what they believed and why, he was able to answer the gnawing questions in a way they understood, without watering down the Gospel. that i think is the key. so often i think we sacrifice the heart of the message of Christ in turn for the person to "accept Christ". what good does the acceptance of Him do, if they don't even know the real deal?

i think Justin got that. i think of others in Scripture, like Peter, Paul, Stephen, who were all persecuted for the message. they also took it to those around them and presented it in a way that was understandable without jeopardizing the heart of it.

i am challenged. i am once again, as i am finding to become regular with each reading, convicted. how often do i water down the message just to get a person to listen to me? or go at it in a way that they don't understand? i believe it is vital that we understand what we are up against (after knowing well what it is we proclaim), and challenge it in a way that is understandable. this is the example i see set before me not only with Justin, but the Apostles, and even Jesus.

might we take notice and follow suit?

Reflection #3: Staying True

this post is actually in regards to the introduction of the book, and a comment made by the author that stuck out to me. enjoy:

when i read, i always carry a highlighter, to mark passages that "jump out" at me. this book has been no different, and i wish to share about one passage in the introduction. on page 29, the author states "It is of vital importance that every Christian believer be found traveling along the same path of historic orthodoxy that the ancient believers first labored to create."

i was amazed, and extremely happy to read this. i believe one of the main reasons we have so many messed up, wacky, un-Biblical views going around in the Church today, is simply because we have lost touch with our history. we have lost touch with our historical Christian roots. we have departed from orthodoxy in pursuit of making people happy and increasing numbers.

sick!

the reason it is important to "... be found traveling along the same path of historic orthodoxy that the ancient believers first labored to create." is not so we can honor those who shaped it, as much as i believe it is to remain Biblical. Scripture comes before man.

let us turn back if we have left, and let us do so humbly. let us remain true to Scripture, true to Christ....not man.

let us remain in orthodoxy.

Reflection #2: A Love For A Brother

something else stirred my heart about Ignatius, and naturally i felt compelled to write about it:

i find it fascinating that Ignatius felt he had to write to the church in Rome prior to his arrival there. he knew the purpose of his trip there....it was told by the chains. but why did he write to them?

his letter stressed to them the importance of them NOT interfering with his trip, and ultimate end there in death. i find this striking. it appears to me that the church in Rome was willing to do anything to protect Ignatius.

i think of our brothers and sisters around the world who are persecuted daily for Christ. they send us no letters urging us to stand aside. perhaps because we are not jumping to help?

this is convicting for me. i sit back, often times letting the fact these things happen every day just escape my mind. i want to be one who receives a letter of sorts. i want my faith, my love for my brothers and sisters to be so strong and so bold, that i must be urged by them when persecuted for the Lord's name, to stand aside. not for my own self-worth mind you. but because i love my brother and sister so much, i will do anything for them, even die in their place.

might we be convicted, even encouraged to love our brothers and sisters, as i believe the church of Rome loved Ignatius. let's be bold and courageous for one another.

Reflection #1: High Expectations

the following is the first of what will perhaps become several reflections i am writing for my research writing class. they are based off my reading of "Getting To Know The Church Fathers" by Bryan M. Litfin. i pray they speak to you, stir your heart and mind to actively pursue Christ at a deeper level than you might be now. this first one is based on chapter one of the book, Ignatius of Antioch:

i was convicted when i read about Ignatius' view of the bishop in a church. i have always viewed the pastor as the head spiritual leader for the congregation, but as the picture of the very presence of God! wow! knowing God has called me into the ministry, specifically to be a youth pastor, i am convicted.

it reminds me of how much people look up to a leader, and in the case of a pastor, the shepherd of the flock, the stakes are higher.

i think of James when he talks about presuming to be teachers (though specifically talking about speech there, i think we can use the same point here), and how we will be judged more strictly.

the role of the bishop, of the pastor, is one of great responsibility. it is one that should not be taken lightly, nor do i believe accepted eagerly (but humbly). i pray that as i continue to follow God in my calling, that i remember this philosophy of Ignatius, and strive to be the very presence of God to the flock He entrusts to me.

Love Despite Requirement

i have started reading a new book. and it is odd, because i love it. the fact i love it does not make it odd. the fact that it is required reading for one of my classes and i love it, is what is odd. honestly though, i am fascinated with the topic and the content it contains.

the book is titled "Getting To Know The Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction" by Bryan M. Liftin. this guy, who is associate professor of theology at Moody Bible Institute (i cannot wait to take one of his classes!), dives into a hand full of the early Church Fathers who laid it all on the line, and in turn paved the road for much of the Church today.

i have been inspired, convicted and challenged......and i am only two chapters in! my heart has grown to want to seek more about these fathers and their lives, and how they believed so deeply in the Lord Jesus Christ and His message, they died for it.

we talked a little bit in my Christian missions class today about another church father (of whom is not addressed in the book, but still worth studying i believe), Polycarp. it is amazing what he did, and how God provided for him. he is a clear example of how God gives us the strength in the time of trial. after dragged before the emperor and instructed to recant, he refused. upon being threatened with being eaten by wild animals, he basically told the emperor to bring it on. angry, the emperor directed for him to be bound to a stake and burned alive....to this Polycarp refused to be bound, and stood there willingly. as the stake burned, he stood there singing hymns and did not burn. angry yet more, the emperor had him stabbed, and upon being stabbed his blood put out the fire surrounding him!

in all of it, he held to his convictions and went out singing to God!!!!!

this faith fascinates me, and challenges me. i would encourage you to pick up a copy of this book and read it. i believe you will not regret reading this work, and like me....find it fascinating and be stirred to get to know the Church Fathers even better.


keep swimming deeper.

Fire Insurance

i read another blog the other day and made a comment. then today i read another blog that i think might have been sparked by the first and my comment, and i made a comment on that. now, if you can track all of that, here i am now. i have said before that i do not write simply because i enjoy it. in fact, most of the time i hate it. i write because i have to. it is a non-living vent that just listens (although i thank God for those vents who are alive in my life....you know who you are ;-) ).

fire insurance. this nation has been called a "Christian" nation, but i dont buy it. i think this nation is one filled with people who have fire insurance. and that is it.

and it breaks my heart. it makes me sick, to the point i could vomit.

and i believe this is in large part to the Church. we have dropped the ball. we have sacrificed the truth for numbers.

sick!

i wonder, if perhaps Jesus is in heaven watching us, crying and shaking His head. i think of Paul, and Peter, and Steven, and many of the early Church Fathers who preached the Gospel of Christ without a second thought of who they might offend. today, we preach a fuzzy and warm Jesus.

"If you ask Jesus into your heart today, your life will be better. You will be successful and never find hardship in your life."

a stretch you might think.........no. this is the message i hear in many of the churches across the nation that i have had the opportunity to visit. not so much in those words, but the bottom line is the same. and i can not help but think of all the people who "accepted Christ" for a better life here on earth, and upon hitting a hardship they were told would not come, throw it all away.

sick!

i think of Martin Luther, when he said "The Church is whore, but she is still my mother."

look at what we have done. we have traded Biblical truths for tolerance of sin. i am lost for words to describe how i feel. how angry it makes me. how disgusted i am.

what a grave injustice we have done to Christ. i am sick of hearing fire insurance being preached so we can say "X number of people were saved today!!!" lets get our act together. stop preaching a warm fuzzy Jesus, and preach the real deal. preach Scripture. lead and teach the people what it really means to accept Christ..........it is more than just saying some words. it is about following.

and if you are wondering about it, think about this. as Christians we are called to follow Christ. with this in mind, look at what He did and went through. He died for us, He endured hardship and trial.......and did so humbly. how dare we even think we might be subject to anything less. if we are, praise God! but let us never expect it.....

excuse me while i go vomit.

a conclusion

i came to a conclusion today. or perhaps it was one of those times again where i knew what the conclusion was, and i just decided to accept it. any ways, my conclusion was that it as been a few months since i had touched my book, and i really needed to start writing again, especially since i have been hooked up with an editor (oh yeah!!!!).

but here is the thing that i find funny.

i had forgotten what section topic i was writing on at this point, and it just so happens to be about patience. something i need a lot of coaching in right now. never in my life have i wanted some thing right now, even though it is unrealistic at this time. the idea of being patient and waiting is almost unbearable. and so, i smile.......i almost laugh, because i cannot help but think that God planned this out for me before time.

see, i have a grand opportunity to dive in and really study what it means to be patient. by looking at the life of Christ, Paul and other Apostles and how it played a part in their lives, i can better gain an understanding of the importance and rewards of being patient in my life here and now.

and you know what is even better?

the next section is on self-control, which is tied into patience. two prime areas in life i struggle with constantly........wanting things now, and giving in in an attempt to grasp them.......and here i am studying and writing about them!

God once again, is funny. i think i now know why i was lead to write this book. perhaps it is not so much to bless others, but to cause me to search and dig in areas of my life i struggle the most.

perhaps, this is more for me than i ever imagined.

Outside the Bounds

i read a post tonight on myspace. it made me smile. it made me stop, and think.

about my faith. about what i believe in light of the continual thrashing society dishes out every day towards my God, my faith, my beliefs.

i wanted to share it with you. but i pray this upon you:

that as you read it, your heart is stirred.
that as you read it, your mind turns.
that as you read it, perhaps you think of times where you faltered when pressed with hard questions.
that as you read it, your heart aches.
that as you read it, your heart smiles.
that as you read it, your faith is strengthened.
and that as you read it, you are reminded that God is great. that He is outside of the constraints of time and space, of which we are contained in. things that He Himself made. for He is infinite, not finite as we are.

let us never, ever again, allow ourselves to put the Lord God in a box. let us never again try to shape and mold Him into our image. let us never again view Him as a finite being.

for He is much more than this. He is the Creator, not the created. He is great. and to think anything less i believe is blasphemous.

enjoy.

God vs. Science

A science professor begins his school year with a lecture to the students, “Let me explain the problem science has with religion.”

The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.

”You're a Christian, aren't you, son?”

“Yes sir,” the student says.

”So you believe in God?”

“Absolutely.”

“Is God good?”

“Sure! God's good.”

“Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?”

“Yes.’

“Are you good or evil?”

“The Bible says I'm evil.”

The professor grins knowingly. “Aha! The Bible!” He considers for a moment. “Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?”

“Yes sir, I would.”

“So you're good...!”

'I wouldn't say that.'

“But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.”

The student does not answer, so the professor continues. “He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?”

The student remains silent.

”No, you can't, can you?” the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.

“Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?”

“Er...yes,” the student says.

“Is Satan good?”

The student doesn't hesitate on this one. “No.”

“Then where does Satan come from?”

The student falters. “From God.”

“That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?”

“Yes.”

“So who created evil?” The professor continued, “If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.”

Again, the student has no answer.

“Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?”

The student squirms on his feet. “Yes.”

“So who created them?” The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. “Who created them?” There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized.

“Tell me,” he continues onto another student. “Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?”

The student's voice betrays him and cracks. “Yes, professor, I do.”

The old man stops pacing. “Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?”

“No sir. I've never seen Him.”

“Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?”

“No, sir, I have not.”

“Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?”

“No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.”

“Yet you still believe in him?”

“Yes.”

“According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?”

“Nothing,” the student replies. “I only have my faith.”

“Yes, faith,” the professor repeats. “And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.”

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of his own.

“Professor, is there such thing as heat?”

“Yes,” the professor replies. “There's heat.”

“And is there such a thing as cold?”

“Yes, son, there's cold too.”

“No sir, there isn't.”

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet.

The student begins to explain. “You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees.”

“Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.”


Silence crossed the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

“What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?”

“Yes,” the professor replies without hesitation. “What is night if it isn't darkness?”

“You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we
use to define the word. In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?”

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. “So what point are you making, young man?”


”Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.”

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. “Flawed? Can you explain how?”

”You are working on the premise of duality,” the student explains. “You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.”

“It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.”

“Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?”

“If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.”

“Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?”

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester indeed.

”Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?”

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided. “To continue the point you were making earlier, let me give you an example of what I mean.”

The student looks around the room. “Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?”

The class breaks out into laughter.

“Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain?”

No one appears to have done so.

“So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir. So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?”

Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable. Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. “I guess you'll have to take them on faith.”

“Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,” the student continues. “Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?”

Now uncertain, the professor responds, “Of course, there is. We see it everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.”

To this the student replied, “Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.”

The professor sat down.

ready

i am so amazed. my heart, my mind......wow.

i love how God works. how one day, you are not looking for anything, anyone......and you find them. how one day you are just friends, and the next you are talking about the future. how every little detail seems to be hand crafted by God.

all the way down to a lone squirrel, in the middle of winter, randomly running by you. and something in you says stop and remember this. and that night while talking, she says something about a sign from God to move on in the direction you are, and the thing that comes to her mind is what happened to you that morning. a random squirrel running by your feet.

that is not chance, that is not coincidence. maybe some of you think I'm off here, but i believe that was God.

i love how when we talk of the future together, i have never felt a deeper peace in my life than when i think of that. a peace that is not human. it is not natural. and at the same time i feel scared. but that peace takes control.

i am ready. society, parents, friends....whoever, might say 'slow down'. we might not be doing it the way everyone else, the way society says to do it. but who said people, society is right? God works in His own timing. not mans.

we are ready. ready to close our eyes, take a step of faith.....together.......and jump. trusting He will always be there for us. not doing so blindly......but assured.

so here we are. here i am. just shy of two months. and, i am about to do the scariest thing i have yet to do in my entire life.

weak, frail......Hope

something has come to my attention. something in my own personal life. it has come to my attention in a way that i had not expected it to, in a way i believe only God could have orchestrated.

my weakness. my frailty.

i find it curious, stepping back now and looking at my life. how strong i thought i was. thinking i could conquer it. thinking.......it will not conquer me.

and i have been proved wrong. i have come up short. i have been broken.

and i find it curious how this has come to my attention. through her. by her. speaking to me, listening to me. accepting me, loving me, despite my weakness and sin. and in that, challenging me to change for the better.

i am weak, and God has smacked me in the face with that reality through her. but in that, He has reminded me of Hope, again through her words. through her love. something i will never share with anyone else, she listens without condemning. something i fear to tell those i trust and respect most........i tell her.

and i know. i know that she will love me. how? i can't explain it. i have tried. i have searched, thought, prayed. it is just something i know. perhaps it is because she is just as open with me about her struggles. there is a trust, a love here that i have never sensed, never felt before between another person.

and i am weak, frail. yet, she looks at me. yet, she sees my baggage, my sin and struggle.

and she loves me still. even more.

the bus scene

i rode the bus today for the first time in about a month. strangely, it was really good. at one point i noticed myself praying for everyone getting off the bus when we would come to a stop.

one especially stuck out to me.

a man in an Army jacket got on the bus heading for the welfare building, which the bus passes. my mind started to turn as to what he had done, where he had come from, and where he was going. i soon realized i had no idea. he is a man that i don't know, and probably never will. nor will i probably ever see him again. but i prayed for him there, as i sat in my seat. something stirred in me that shoved all those ideas we get about homeless, poor people. and i remembered he was just a person like me. deserving of respect, as i am. that in the eyes of God i am no more special.

and then my heart jumped. i saw him pull out an Our Daily Bread devotional. call me pathetic about that, but it brought a smile to my face (or rather, made the one already there bigger). i saw a man seeking. but he wasn't just seeking anything.

he was seeking hope.

he was seeking Truth.

to the man whom i speak of, may you be blessed by God....may you seek Him with all of your being, in the good and bad. my He bless you greatly, and may you accept His gift for you, the life of His son on the cross and strive to follow after Him with all of your being.

and for us, might our hearts go out to those like this man. might our hearts be stirred, might they burn and our minds turn. might we allow a righteous anger move us out of our seat. after all, being a Christian, following Christ isn't about sitting in a pew on Sunday.

still swimming,

Luke

still walking, different scenery

well, it has come to my attention (or more, i have accepted the fact) that it has been some time since i have written a blog that has relevance and is not cruel in some fashion to an extreme.

i really do love people.

interesting, i had a chat with my mother at one point while i was home, about people.

i love them, but i don't trust them. let me clarify (or at least attempt).......i trust to an extent. i question motives a lot, and have come to realize often (not always) i can read underlying motives fairly well and accurately. i believe every man is evil, as Scripture clearly outlines from the book of Genesis, to Paul's letters to the early churches. and because of this i am very cautious around most people, unless i sense there is trust there. if this doesn't make sense to you, i am sorry. i have also found lately that i have a hard time of finding words to describe things. perhaps it is because i have not journaled for some time (i need to fix that). i love doing that because i just let it all out, look at it, think about it, and then form it into something.

im realizing this is jumping around. and i have a confession to make. over the break there were a few instances that i am clearly aware of that i was up on a high horse. if there have been other instances where people feel i have been that way with them, i apologize. call this a lame attempt to set things right, but i really don't feel like waiting till may at the earliest.

among many things that have happened this break, i got to know someone better. she is special. im trying to be patient (i really really really suck at this). and that is all im saying for now.

i am actually happy to be back here in spokane. it is here that the last semester i have dug in, and i am back. i have many books to read, much to study and learn........and my books are all here, lol (well, most of them, and the ones i need the most). i was only gone a month, but so much has changed. here, back home, in my life. new situations, a new friend. i feel like my life needs organized some, lol. but here is where i leave you all for now. i have clothes to unpack 3 days AFTER i have gotten back, and i need to actually do something productive today.

still learning, walking, and trying to swim deeper, i send blessings to you all.