Well, everyone's blogging about how Christians should respond to the killing of Osama Bin Laden. Maybe I'll write about it next week but I think it may have been done to death (insert joke here).
Below is a great clip by an educator/pastor named Doug Wilson. Wilson has openly criticized Rob Bell and comments on how American Christianity has inverted the definitions of arrogance and humility. I hope you enjoy it.
http://desposyni.blogspot.com/2011/04/doug-wilson-on-arrogance-and-humility.html
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Who are you to judge? Part 2
Here are 4 principles for proper judgment from the Bible.
"Judge not lest ye be judged" is not the complete story on judgment. In Matthew 7:1 Jesus said "Judge not that you be not judged, for with the judgment that you pronounce you will be judged." For most people, even Christians, these are the only verses in the Bible that they are aware of that speak directly towards judgment. In these verses Jesus is not forbidding all judgment but rather forbidding Christians from hypocritical judgment. He goes on to say in the following verses, "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."(7:5) He warns believers against our tendency to harshly judge the sin in others that we're deeply entrenched in.
The Bible doesn't forbid Christian people from identifying and opposing unjust actions in a proper manner. "Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him."(Prov 14:31) God's idea of justice has nothing to do with self-righteousness but is rather concerned with His name being honored by believers acting with integrity and uprightness. It has to do with the believer knowing what is right and learning to do what is right. This not only applies to the oppressed but it applies to fidelity to the message of Christ. Paul says in Galatians 2 that when he heard that the Apostle Peter was drawing back from the Gentiles in favor of fellowship with the Jews, Paul identifies this as "a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you". In response to Peter, Paul "opposed him to his face because he stood condemned." The Apostle Paul was not only willing "to remember the poor" and was eager to do it but believed that fidelity to the Gospel was the driving force of his desire to see justice take place. He felt so strongly about upholding the True Gospel that he was willing to go directly to Peter and confront him on his compromised lifestyle.
The Bible warns Christians against pride and feelings of superiority when they deal with the sin of unbelievers. The Bible says do not judge those outside the church. Clearly, the Bible warns believers not to apply God's expectation for holiness to unbelievers. "But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard or swindler- not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? .... God judges those outside (the church)." (1 Cor 5:11-13) We tend to want to exercise these verses differently. We tend to want to give believers a free pass when it comes to judgment and think ourselves superior to the world. Paul, says it must be the opposite. We can oppose sinful ideas and sinful people for the sake of the oppressed but we must guard against pride and superiority when doing it. I know the outcome of an unbelieving life but the ultimate judgment of the unbeliever will be levied by Christ (Acts 10:42) not by me.
It is good and right for believers to speak directly to each other about actions and attitudes that are sinful. This is good judgment. In Matthew 18 Jesus gives the believer a prescription for how to approach other believers who have sinned. In summary, it has to do with going to people personally with a desire to see them return to obedience in Christ. If going to them personally does not bring about repentance then Jesus calls the believer to bring along another believer and then to eventually involve the entire church body. 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 say "Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?.... Purge the evil person from among you." If you don't believe in the church disciplining it's members you'll need to go back and examine the message of Jesus and Paul. The Scriptures are painfully clear on this point. We, as believers, have a responsibility to confront one another in love because the reputation of Christ is at stake in the life of the Church and in the life of the individual believer. This is the proper judgment amongst believers. Many believe that actions like these are the absence of love but Jesus assures us that actions like these represent love. Jesus makes it clear that the actions of the church body, either to restore an individual or to put them out of the church, is the church attempting to agree with what heaven already knows about the individual. "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (if you think you have a better explanation of that verse, I'd genuinely like to hear it) It's caring about the soul of the individual.
"Judge not lest ye be judged" is not the complete story on judgment. In Matthew 7:1 Jesus said "Judge not that you be not judged, for with the judgment that you pronounce you will be judged." For most people, even Christians, these are the only verses in the Bible that they are aware of that speak directly towards judgment. In these verses Jesus is not forbidding all judgment but rather forbidding Christians from hypocritical judgment. He goes on to say in the following verses, "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."(7:5) He warns believers against our tendency to harshly judge the sin in others that we're deeply entrenched in.
The Bible doesn't forbid Christian people from identifying and opposing unjust actions in a proper manner. "Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him."(Prov 14:31) God's idea of justice has nothing to do with self-righteousness but is rather concerned with His name being honored by believers acting with integrity and uprightness. It has to do with the believer knowing what is right and learning to do what is right. This not only applies to the oppressed but it applies to fidelity to the message of Christ. Paul says in Galatians 2 that when he heard that the Apostle Peter was drawing back from the Gentiles in favor of fellowship with the Jews, Paul identifies this as "a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you". In response to Peter, Paul "opposed him to his face because he stood condemned." The Apostle Paul was not only willing "to remember the poor" and was eager to do it but believed that fidelity to the Gospel was the driving force of his desire to see justice take place. He felt so strongly about upholding the True Gospel that he was willing to go directly to Peter and confront him on his compromised lifestyle.
The Bible warns Christians against pride and feelings of superiority when they deal with the sin of unbelievers. The Bible says do not judge those outside the church. Clearly, the Bible warns believers not to apply God's expectation for holiness to unbelievers. "But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard or swindler- not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? .... God judges those outside (the church)." (1 Cor 5:11-13) We tend to want to exercise these verses differently. We tend to want to give believers a free pass when it comes to judgment and think ourselves superior to the world. Paul, says it must be the opposite. We can oppose sinful ideas and sinful people for the sake of the oppressed but we must guard against pride and superiority when doing it. I know the outcome of an unbelieving life but the ultimate judgment of the unbeliever will be levied by Christ (Acts 10:42) not by me.
It is good and right for believers to speak directly to each other about actions and attitudes that are sinful. This is good judgment. In Matthew 18 Jesus gives the believer a prescription for how to approach other believers who have sinned. In summary, it has to do with going to people personally with a desire to see them return to obedience in Christ. If going to them personally does not bring about repentance then Jesus calls the believer to bring along another believer and then to eventually involve the entire church body. 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 say "Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?.... Purge the evil person from among you." If you don't believe in the church disciplining it's members you'll need to go back and examine the message of Jesus and Paul. The Scriptures are painfully clear on this point. We, as believers, have a responsibility to confront one another in love because the reputation of Christ is at stake in the life of the Church and in the life of the individual believer. This is the proper judgment amongst believers. Many believe that actions like these are the absence of love but Jesus assures us that actions like these represent love. Jesus makes it clear that the actions of the church body, either to restore an individual or to put them out of the church, is the church attempting to agree with what heaven already knows about the individual. "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (if you think you have a better explanation of that verse, I'd genuinely like to hear it) It's caring about the soul of the individual.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Who are you to judge?
A popular American author/pastor name Rob Bell recently released a book entitled Love Wins: A Book about Heaven and Hell and the Fate of Every Person who Ever Lived. Even before the book was released there was a firestorm of controversy surrounding the book. An editor from Crossway Books named Justin Taylor released a scathing critique of the book after he had read a few chapters. Taylor also critiqued the promotional video that preceded Bell's book. Upon reading Taylor's review a popular Reformed pastor named John Piper Tweeted one statement which read "Farewell Rob Bell." Interestingly, this Tweet created another round of controversy surrounding the book. Many speculated, and I think fairly, that John Piper was stating that Rob Bell had departed from the bounds of Orthodox Christianity by hinting that hell was not a place and that the love of God would not allow people be punished there eternally. But there was an uprising against John Piper for his Tweet. The criticism that Rob Bell was experiencing, in some circles, was equaled by the criticism that John Piper received. Throughout this controversy there was one quote that intrigued me. In a short response to John Piper's Tweet, a random woman wrote to John Piper "Who are you to judge?" Who are you to judge??? This is an extremely popular sentiment in our day. We hear this all the time. "He's so judgmental". "Every time I go there I feel like I'm being judged." When we're feeling really spiritual we quote Jesus and say "judge not lest ye be judged." We believe that everyone else is so judgmental but we almost never say to anyone "you're so judgmental". We announce behind their back that "they're being so judgmental".
Friends, can we at least see the hypocrisy of the statement itself. To say that someone is "judgmental" is itself a judgment. Judgments are a daily activity. We cannot survive in this world with discerning or making judgments. We're constantly judging whether or not we have enough time to run three errands and still make it to class on time. We're judging whether or not there is enough space to make the left hand turn between the two cars that are approaching. You might object to this line of reasoning because it has nothing to do with judging people. You might still believe that judgment associated with people is wrong. But I assure you that you and I are constantly making judgments concerning people. Should I let my kid hang out with that other kid? I'm going to need to make a judgment about the other kid and my kid in order to make that decision. Should I go out to lunch with my co-worker? I'll need to make judgments to decide this. Is my co-worker the same gender as me or a different gender? Where might my co-worker want to go for lunch? What would my boyfriend say? Can we all agree that judgment, itself, is not negative? Proper judgment of situations and others protects us from danger. Judgment is not the issue. The question is, What is proper judgment? According to the Bible, What are the right and wrong ways to judge situations and others? Part 2 coming next week.
Friends, can we at least see the hypocrisy of the statement itself. To say that someone is "judgmental" is itself a judgment. Judgments are a daily activity. We cannot survive in this world with discerning or making judgments. We're constantly judging whether or not we have enough time to run three errands and still make it to class on time. We're judging whether or not there is enough space to make the left hand turn between the two cars that are approaching. You might object to this line of reasoning because it has nothing to do with judging people. You might still believe that judgment associated with people is wrong. But I assure you that you and I are constantly making judgments concerning people. Should I let my kid hang out with that other kid? I'm going to need to make a judgment about the other kid and my kid in order to make that decision. Should I go out to lunch with my co-worker? I'll need to make judgments to decide this. Is my co-worker the same gender as me or a different gender? Where might my co-worker want to go for lunch? What would my boyfriend say? Can we all agree that judgment, itself, is not negative? Proper judgment of situations and others protects us from danger. Judgment is not the issue. The question is, What is proper judgment? According to the Bible, What are the right and wrong ways to judge situations and others? Part 2 coming next week.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Zach Wahls' Iowa Speech for Gay Marriage Goes Viral
Below is an article written by Steven Hoffer who writes for AOLnews.com . Directly below that is the related YouTube clip of Zach Wahls. Zach is a product of artificial insemination and was raised by two lesbians. There seems to be an increasing distance between Zach's generation and the generation that overwhelmingly approved a resolution to propose a constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriages in Iowa. If I'm understanding this correctly, the Iowa House of Representatives have now placed it in the hands of the people of Iowa as to whether or not their state will sanction gay marriage. After reading and watching the video I'd love to hear your reaction.
Zach Wahls' Iowa Speech for Gay Marriage Goes Viral
The Iowa House of Representatives approved a resolution on Tuesday that proposes a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in the state.
Hundreds of people packed the Iowa State House to debate the issue -- known as House Joint Resolution 6 -- which passed by a 62-37 vote.
One of the individuals who spoke was Zach Wahls, a University of Iowa engineering student and the child of a same-sex couple. His three-minute speech against the resolution is going viral across the Internet, much like Fort Worth, Texas, City Councilman Joel Burns' "It Gets Better" speech did during October.
During his statement, the 19-year-old equates his family to any other in Iowa and mentions that he owns a small business, is an Eagle Scout and scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT college aptitude test, and he even manages to not so subtly tell the House chairman that he'd be "very proud" to have a son like himself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSQQK2Vuf9Q&feature=topvideos
Zach Wahls' Iowa Speech for Gay Marriage Goes Viral
The Iowa House of Representatives approved a resolution on Tuesday that proposes a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in the state.
Hundreds of people packed the Iowa State House to debate the issue -- known as House Joint Resolution 6 -- which passed by a 62-37 vote.
One of the individuals who spoke was Zach Wahls, a University of Iowa engineering student and the child of a same-sex couple. His three-minute speech against the resolution is going viral across the Internet, much like Fort Worth, Texas, City Councilman Joel Burns' "It Gets Better" speech did during October.
During his statement, the 19-year-old equates his family to any other in Iowa and mentions that he owns a small business, is an Eagle Scout and scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT college aptitude test, and he even manages to not so subtly tell the House chairman that he'd be "very proud" to have a son like himself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSQQK2Vuf9Q&feature=topvideos
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Lost in "Lost"- Part 2
If you need a refresher on the dialogue that I'm referencing from "Lost" feel free to go back and read.
Interpreting art is difficult but not impossible. After watching every episode of "Lost" I've grown more to understand much of the post modern mindset and I sense this final dialogue was valuable in explaining what mass Western culture believes about life and the afterlife. I've proposed three false beliefs that are illustrated in the closing scene of Lost. They are the belief that.......
1. what happens in your afterlife will be constructed by your belief system. If your understanding what I am writing you might not believe this to be what many people on the street believe but let me illustrate. Have you ever heard someone say, "I'm not concerned with hell, I don't believe in it." "I'm not concerned about a final judgment, I don't believe in God." What are they saying with statements like these? Ultimately, they are saying that the reality of the afterlife is not dictated by whether or not there is something beyond the grave but rather whether or not I believe in something beyond the grave. Whether or not I believe in the existence of Asia does not negate it's reality. Asia goes on whether I believe in it or not. Heaven and hell, although not able to be seen with human eyes, exist whether we believe in them or not. Jack's dad says that his afterlife experience is "the place that you all made together". Their afterlife was a product of their imagination and their hope for something good and better. God's Word says something very different.
2. the purpose of the afterlife is to renew good relationships from earth and heal. Jack's dad said that they had made this place together "so you could find one another. That's why all of you are here . ... To remember... and let go." Interestingly I find that many evangelical Christians think of heaven this very way. Many are fixated on the reunion that will take place in heaven with those who have gone before them. Many comfort themselves at funerals with thoughts of their recently deceased father having a grand reunion with their mother who had died decades before. We love this sentimental image even though Jesus emphatically says that marriage does not exist in heaven. Jesus said that those who focus on what earthly relationship will be like in heaven, "know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God" (Mark 12). Heaven will be a Christ focused expression of worship in which the believer spends all eternity attempting to understand how the God of the universe would sacrifice His sinless Son in order to redeem people who are spiritually bankrupt. This is a far cry from saying hi to my grandfather. Even those who call themselves Christians are uncomfortable with heaven being about God. In the words of Paul Washer, “Everyone wants to go to Heaven. They just don't want God to be there, when they get there.”
3. life is all about relationships. Because our culture has considered the search for Truth invalid we are left with very little to hold on to. Without Truth we are left to find all of our meaning in things like relationships, feelings and experiences. Jack's dad said that "The most important part of your life was the time that you spent with these people." As a Christian, relationships are very important but they are not ultimate. Do we realize that one could actually make relationships an idol? Our Western culture is doing it constantly and it is not helping us. In fact, with our increased emphasis on relationships we're actually struggling, more and more, to maintain relationships. Technology is a great advantage to our lives but many times it is the enemy of relationships. Also, a mis-managed focus on relationships can be devastating to our spiritual condition. If I find security in a large group of friends or I'm miserable because I have a pathetically small group of friends, I'm sinning. If my friends and family are taking me away from worship opportunities or drawing me away from obedience to Christ then those relationships are sinful. My belief that marriage will make me happy is idolatry. My feeling that my insecurities will melt away when I have children is sinful. God never condemns any of these relational connections in fact he calls them all good, if they are viewed properly.
Take some time as you are observing art, whether incredibly profound or as basic as the TV show "Lost", to think about and critique the message it is sending.
Interpreting art is difficult but not impossible. After watching every episode of "Lost" I've grown more to understand much of the post modern mindset and I sense this final dialogue was valuable in explaining what mass Western culture believes about life and the afterlife. I've proposed three false beliefs that are illustrated in the closing scene of Lost. They are the belief that.......
1. what happens in your afterlife will be constructed by your belief system. If your understanding what I am writing you might not believe this to be what many people on the street believe but let me illustrate. Have you ever heard someone say, "I'm not concerned with hell, I don't believe in it." "I'm not concerned about a final judgment, I don't believe in God." What are they saying with statements like these? Ultimately, they are saying that the reality of the afterlife is not dictated by whether or not there is something beyond the grave but rather whether or not I believe in something beyond the grave. Whether or not I believe in the existence of Asia does not negate it's reality. Asia goes on whether I believe in it or not. Heaven and hell, although not able to be seen with human eyes, exist whether we believe in them or not. Jack's dad says that his afterlife experience is "the place that you all made together". Their afterlife was a product of their imagination and their hope for something good and better. God's Word says something very different.
2. the purpose of the afterlife is to renew good relationships from earth and heal. Jack's dad said that they had made this place together "so you could find one another. That's why all of you are here . ... To remember... and let go." Interestingly I find that many evangelical Christians think of heaven this very way. Many are fixated on the reunion that will take place in heaven with those who have gone before them. Many comfort themselves at funerals with thoughts of their recently deceased father having a grand reunion with their mother who had died decades before. We love this sentimental image even though Jesus emphatically says that marriage does not exist in heaven. Jesus said that those who focus on what earthly relationship will be like in heaven, "know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God" (Mark 12). Heaven will be a Christ focused expression of worship in which the believer spends all eternity attempting to understand how the God of the universe would sacrifice His sinless Son in order to redeem people who are spiritually bankrupt. This is a far cry from saying hi to my grandfather. Even those who call themselves Christians are uncomfortable with heaven being about God. In the words of Paul Washer, “Everyone wants to go to Heaven. They just don't want God to be there, when they get there.”
3. life is all about relationships. Because our culture has considered the search for Truth invalid we are left with very little to hold on to. Without Truth we are left to find all of our meaning in things like relationships, feelings and experiences. Jack's dad said that "The most important part of your life was the time that you spent with these people." As a Christian, relationships are very important but they are not ultimate. Do we realize that one could actually make relationships an idol? Our Western culture is doing it constantly and it is not helping us. In fact, with our increased emphasis on relationships we're actually struggling, more and more, to maintain relationships. Technology is a great advantage to our lives but many times it is the enemy of relationships. Also, a mis-managed focus on relationships can be devastating to our spiritual condition. If I find security in a large group of friends or I'm miserable because I have a pathetically small group of friends, I'm sinning. If my friends and family are taking me away from worship opportunities or drawing me away from obedience to Christ then those relationships are sinful. My belief that marriage will make me happy is idolatry. My feeling that my insecurities will melt away when I have children is sinful. God never condemns any of these relational connections in fact he calls them all good, if they are viewed properly.
Take some time as you are observing art, whether incredibly profound or as basic as the TV show "Lost", to think about and critique the message it is sending.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Lost in "Lost"
Alright I admit it... I got addicted. Last summer our friend Morgan asked if her boyfriend, Mark, could stay at our house while he worked at his internship for school. Mark is a senior engineering major from Penn State. Well, Mark and Morgan began to watch the TV show "Lost" from season 1 all the way to season 6. With the DVD's hanging around I began the journey. I never thought I would get into it but I could not turn away. The show sucks you into the mystery and many of the episodes end with great cliffhangers. Once you get to the 4th season you realize that the show is going downhill but you've invested so much time that you feel obligated to finish. You want to see how it will all end. Are they really on a desert island? Are they in hell? Are they in heaven? Are they dead? Are they alive? Will they get off the island and return to civilization? Once they get to civilization, will they return to the island (are you kidding me? no I'm not kidding you)? It gets pretty pathetic. At some points it was so bad that my wife accused me of being lost in my "Lost world". I was lost in "Lost".
Well, I finished in December. In the final episode one of the main characters, Jack Shepherd, is having a conversation with his elderly father in which he is attempting to make sense of everything that has happened to him. He's struggling with understanding where he is. What is real and what is not? Is the world that he is experiencing his life or some after life? Why are there people from the island in this place?
Dad- Everyone dies sometime kido. Some of them before you, some of them long after you.
Jack- But why are they all here NOW?
Dad- Well there is no NOW. Here.
Jack- Where are we dad?
Dad- This is the place that you all made together so you could find one another. The most important part of your life was the time that you spent with these people. That's why all of you are here. Nobody does it alone Jack. You needed all of them and they need you.
Jack- For what?
Dad- To remember... and let go.
Interpreting art is difficult but not impossible. After watching every episode I've grown more to understand much of the post modern mindset and I sense this final dialogue was valuable in explaining what the mass Western culture believes about the afterlife. On the whole we believe that..... part 2 coming next week and yes it is already completed...
Well, I finished in December. In the final episode one of the main characters, Jack Shepherd, is having a conversation with his elderly father in which he is attempting to make sense of everything that has happened to him. He's struggling with understanding where he is. What is real and what is not? Is the world that he is experiencing his life or some after life? Why are there people from the island in this place?
Dad- Everyone dies sometime kido. Some of them before you, some of them long after you.
Jack- But why are they all here NOW?
Dad- Well there is no NOW. Here.
Jack- Where are we dad?
Dad- This is the place that you all made together so you could find one another. The most important part of your life was the time that you spent with these people. That's why all of you are here. Nobody does it alone Jack. You needed all of them and they need you.
Jack- For what?
Dad- To remember... and let go.
Interpreting art is difficult but not impossible. After watching every episode I've grown more to understand much of the post modern mindset and I sense this final dialogue was valuable in explaining what the mass Western culture believes about the afterlife. On the whole we believe that..... part 2 coming next week and yes it is already completed...
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Is your “personal relationship” with God destroying your spiritual vitality? Part 2
If you forget part 1 in this series, feel free to go back and reread it so that what I'm currently writing will make a bit more sense. I'm working off of Richard Weaver's warning that the life of 20th century man was abysmal because his life had become "practice without theory". 20th century man developed ways of operating that were without an underlying truth. I'd like to warn us of some things that can creep into our lives if we misuse the term "personal relationship" with God and live a practice without a theory.
1. Christ is the reason that I am connected to God, not my choices. Most Christians believe that they are in Christ because of the right choices they've made. Jesus warns against this kind of thinking because he knows how prideful it will make the individual who believes it. He directly tells his disciples "you did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit" (John 15:16). Jesus is utterly clear that the Gospel does not break through as a result of right choices of man but rather as a result of God's choice. It is Christ's work not my personal decision that makes me right before the Holy God of the universe.
2. The center of my religious practice is not what I do privately. What I do privately is important and affects how I live publicly but it is not the center of my connection to Christ. I'm connected to God through Christ because of grace and faith but the greatest practical exercise of my faith is my God given connection to His Body the Church. The center of my relationship to God is my love and attention to the church of Jesus Christ. I am called to love other believers, be baptized, receive communion, devote myself to prayer and listen to His Word as it is preached. Spiritual dryness is, many times, a result of distance from the Body of Christ. We, as privacy loving American evangelicals, have a tendency to believe that how we worship privately will drive our passion for living Christ out publicly. I sense that this thinking is out of line with the Bible. The testimony of Scripture seems to be that what happens with the church of Christ should drive our private worship. The testimony of the first church in Acts 2 is clear. In no way does Acts 2 discourage any private worship of the believer but the clear reaction of the believers to the movement of God's Holy Spirit was public repentance and baptism (v38,41), listening to sermons (42), public communion (depending on how you interpret this verse 42), corporate prayer (42), the sharing of possessions (44-45), corporate worship (46), and meals together (46). In other words, there was a real conviction in them about being together with the Body of Christ.
3. If I'm committed to my "personal relationship" with God (as defined in 21st century America), there will be clear commands in the Scripture that I will have a desire to dismiss immediately. The truth conveyed in 1 Corinthians 12 is that my struggles, my sin, and my good experiences will have tremendous affect on other Christians. In other words, as a Christian, how I live publically and privately will affect others. This bucks against my American understanding of "personal". Personal seems to imply that it is just me and Jesus but the Scriptures teach that it is me, Jesus, and other believers (1 Cor 12:27). "Obey your (church) leaders and submit to them. " (Heb 10:17) This violates my understanding of "personal relationship". Within that very same verse God tells church leaders that "they are keeping watch over (the) souls" of their church members. In other words, someone else will actually give some sort of an account for how you live when they get to heaven. That doesn't sound strictly "personal".
Hey, let's remember that at the end of the age there will be an judgment. The Scriptures seem to indicate that aspects of the judgment will be personal (2 Cor 5:10). In other words it won't be you and me or you and your minister or you and your parents in that judgment. The judgment will mainly concern what you did with Jesus Christ. Was your affection for Christ, was their faith in His work, and did that faith bring about a true repentance from sin? This is why we need to be personally justified and converted but when we are converted we are no longer individuals who run around doing the spiritual life on our own but we are grafted into the Body of Christ. We're in His vineyard/building/Kingdom/family/sheepfold/church etc. We're now experiencing "His fullness". (Eph 1)
1. Christ is the reason that I am connected to God, not my choices. Most Christians believe that they are in Christ because of the right choices they've made. Jesus warns against this kind of thinking because he knows how prideful it will make the individual who believes it. He directly tells his disciples "you did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit" (John 15:16). Jesus is utterly clear that the Gospel does not break through as a result of right choices of man but rather as a result of God's choice. It is Christ's work not my personal decision that makes me right before the Holy God of the universe.
2. The center of my religious practice is not what I do privately. What I do privately is important and affects how I live publicly but it is not the center of my connection to Christ. I'm connected to God through Christ because of grace and faith but the greatest practical exercise of my faith is my God given connection to His Body the Church. The center of my relationship to God is my love and attention to the church of Jesus Christ. I am called to love other believers, be baptized, receive communion, devote myself to prayer and listen to His Word as it is preached. Spiritual dryness is, many times, a result of distance from the Body of Christ. We, as privacy loving American evangelicals, have a tendency to believe that how we worship privately will drive our passion for living Christ out publicly. I sense that this thinking is out of line with the Bible. The testimony of Scripture seems to be that what happens with the church of Christ should drive our private worship. The testimony of the first church in Acts 2 is clear. In no way does Acts 2 discourage any private worship of the believer but the clear reaction of the believers to the movement of God's Holy Spirit was public repentance and baptism (v38,41), listening to sermons (42), public communion (depending on how you interpret this verse 42), corporate prayer (42), the sharing of possessions (44-45), corporate worship (46), and meals together (46). In other words, there was a real conviction in them about being together with the Body of Christ.
3. If I'm committed to my "personal relationship" with God (as defined in 21st century America), there will be clear commands in the Scripture that I will have a desire to dismiss immediately. The truth conveyed in 1 Corinthians 12 is that my struggles, my sin, and my good experiences will have tremendous affect on other Christians. In other words, as a Christian, how I live publically and privately will affect others. This bucks against my American understanding of "personal". Personal seems to imply that it is just me and Jesus but the Scriptures teach that it is me, Jesus, and other believers (1 Cor 12:27). "Obey your (church) leaders and submit to them. " (Heb 10:17) This violates my understanding of "personal relationship". Within that very same verse God tells church leaders that "they are keeping watch over (the) souls" of their church members. In other words, someone else will actually give some sort of an account for how you live when they get to heaven. That doesn't sound strictly "personal".
Hey, let's remember that at the end of the age there will be an judgment. The Scriptures seem to indicate that aspects of the judgment will be personal (2 Cor 5:10). In other words it won't be you and me or you and your minister or you and your parents in that judgment. The judgment will mainly concern what you did with Jesus Christ. Was your affection for Christ, was their faith in His work, and did that faith bring about a true repentance from sin? This is why we need to be personally justified and converted but when we are converted we are no longer individuals who run around doing the spiritual life on our own but we are grafted into the Body of Christ. We're in His vineyard/building/Kingdom/family/sheepfold/church etc. We're now experiencing "His fullness". (Eph 1)
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