Rock Gardens In the Air

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.  (1 Thess. 4:16-17, NASB)

Toby Mac raps a song titled "In the Air" in which he has a lamenting dream about his friend not being part of the rapture:

I had a dream last night about the other side
And I must confess that it was quite the ride
I had a dream last night and the fact that you weren't there
Gave me quite the scare (Ah-huh)
You see people were afloat all around me
Yet their weightless state never seemed to astound me
Everything was grand 'til I noticed one thing
That you my friend weren't on the scene

William Fay had a dream too:

One night I had a dream.   A woman clutched a little girl, struggling to hold her child's head above the water.   Nearby, a wave plunged a man into its salty depths.  He choked for air as he thrashed his arms against a ceiling of water.  All around, the ocean churned with drowning people ...  

Then a huge rock appeared, and a voice called into the darkness.   People began crawling up the rock's craggy sides to safety.

But when they got to safety, something happened that drove me almost goofy.  The people who emerged from the waves got busy.  They got involved building rock gardens, rock lives, rock jobs, listening to their rock music and going to rock meetings where they talked about the people who were still drowing in the ocean.   But nobody went back to the water's edge to help. (Fay, p.5)

There may be a number of reasons why we don't fulfil the commission set by Jesus (going into all the world and making disciples):

Fear of rejection

The parable of the sower in Mark 4 and Luke 8 teaches us that the message will be rejected by some as the seed falls on the path; some will fall away as the seed falls on rocky ground; some will be unfruitful as the seed falls amongst the thorns; but some seed will fall on good soil and reproduce 30, 60 and 100-fold.

It's a biblical principle that Jesus' disciples will be rejected:

All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Mark 13:13 NIV)

But this rejection also brings with it a blessing:

Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. (Luke 6:22 NASB)

Share the gospel first.  Build relationships later.   Remember, it is for His sake.

Fear of reproach

In Acts 5, Peter and the Apostles were investigated for speaking the name of Jesus:

"We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man's blood upon us." (v.28)

and Peter's reply should give us encouragement when we fear the reproach of man:

"We must obey God rather than men". (v.29)

and when they were flogged for preaching the name of Jesus, they rejoiced and continued with their task!

... after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. (vv. 40-42)

Don't know how to start?

It's the age of religious tolerance.  Whether you consider that is good or bad is a matter of perspective. The point is that religious tolerance is a topical contemporary discussion and it is reasonable to respectfully discuss religious matters and opinions with others.  William Fay suggests 5 questions that help to lead someone to a discussion about faith in Jesus Christ:

1. Do you have any kind of spiritual beliefs?
2. To you, who is Jesus Christ?
3. Do you think there is a heaven or hell?
4. If you died, where would you go?  If heaven, why?
5. If what you are believing is not true, would you want to know?  (Fay, p.33)

With this last question, the person gives you permission to share with them.

Fortunately William Fay's ocean and Toby Mac's In the Air are only dreams, but they serve as great reminders to us of our very real and current mission:

... Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."   (Matt. 28:18-20 NASB)

We are not alone in our mission.  Note Jesus' last words in the Gospel of Matthew:

"I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

He is with us!


(Toby Mac's plan to rectify the problem is seen in the latter part of his song, and Fay's strategy for sharing Jesus is spelled out through his book, but I won't spoil them for you...!)

References:

Fay, W. (1999). Share Jesus Without Fear. 1st ed. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, pp.5, 33.

Damn the Absolute!

"Damn the Absolute!"   Please pardon the expression which is a quote of William James from Os Guinness in Fool's Talk, but it does take us straight to the jugular.

Why is the absolute so scary for some?

The Barna Research Group reports that 57% of Americans claim that knowledge of right and wrong is a matter of personal experience and a whopping 74% of Millennials (born 1984-2002) agree that “Whatever is right for your life or works best for you is the only truth you can know."   Sadly, in the same study under the category of "The Morality of Self-Fulfilment", 76% of practicing christians agree that "The best way to find yourself is by looking within yourself", and 61% (of practicing christians) agree that "People can believe whatever they want as long as those beliefs don't affect society."   Does this mean that they believe that what they've got (inside themselves) is better than that which Jesus Christ offers?   This is not okay.   The eternal destinity of every individual in the world depends on what they believe.

Ray Comfort addresses Relative Morality in his documentary-style movie Evolution Vs. God which you can stream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0u3-2CGOMQ.  The Relative Morality part starts at the 21 minute time-mark.   In this video, Ray Comfort discusses the problem of failing to have moral absolutes.  That problem has a huge impact on the society around us.  A culture without absolutes can not survive.

Another problem with the absolute is its origin.   We can find absolutes in many areas:  time, morality, cultural norms... but each one of these absolutes has an impact on our belief system and our worldview. 

This brings us to the pointy end of the discussion:   if we can look within ourselves to find ourselves, then there is no need for any absolutes.   If we had no absolutes, we would have no crime, no sin, and no need for ... wait!   Did I say "No Sin"??   There's the answer.  If we do away with absolutes, then we will have no moral absolutes, no law of God and no sin.  Therefore we would not need to admit to our sin (because it wouldn't exist) and have no need for conviction of sin or salvation.   We would be unaccountable to any and every person (and God).   There, very simply, is the psychology of the rejection of absolutes.

In Romans 7:15-24, Paul eloquently describes the problem of the fleshly human nature and the desire to do that which is contrary to the law of God.   He says in Romans 1:20,

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Yet, we see excuses to disregard God, and one such excuse is the deliberate rejection of absolutes.   Rejection of absolutes means rejection of God's grace and offer of salvation, and the embracing of evil practices and acts.   So it gets worse...

Although they knew God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them (Rom. 1:32)

It sounds very much like the culture we live in, yet Paul's letter to the Romans was penned around 2,000 years ago.

On the flipside, the beauty of this problem is that the whole issue of absolutes and moral absolutes can be used in an apologetics sense to turn people to the truth which does in fact exist and is found in the Word of God.  

All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16)

The Lord declares in Isaiah 55:11,

so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

 A discussion about the purpose of absolutes in God's plan for mankind must lead people to the sin problem: the separation of man from the intended perfect relationship with God, thus exposing the need for the Saviour, Jesus.




References:

Barna Group. (2016). The End of Absolutes: America's New Moral Code - Barna Group. [online] Available at: https://www.barna.com/research/the-end-of-absolutes-americas-new-moral-code/ [Accessed 18 Oct. 2016].

Guinness, O. (2016). Fool's Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion. 1st ed. Downer's Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Our Temporary Home

Looking around

Do you ever feel out of place?   That you don't belong?   That you don't fit in?   That's because we don't belong here on earth; at least, not in the long term.   This is our temporary home.

King David also wondered about the evil around him, and why wrongdoers seem to prosper, and wicked, violent men grow like a healthy tree, but he also recognised God's guiding hand on those who are righteous.   You can read more about these thoughts of David in Psalm 37.  

Jesus told his disciples, "If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world."  Jn. 15:19a,b

Looking ahead

2 Peter 3:

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. v10 (NASB)

But according to His promise, we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. v13 (NASB)

 
In his book The Late Great Planet Earth, Hal Lindsey correctly interprets 2 Peter 3:13 when he says that we want to be in the new heaven and earth.   The NASB says we "are looking for" whereas the NIV says we "are looking forward to" (the new heavens and the new earth).   We should be looking forward to it because that is how God has programmed us - to desire righteous living, and perfect relationship with Him!

Then Christ will put the atoms back together to form a new heaven and earth, in which only glorified persons without their sinful natures will live.   There will be no more rebellion of man's will against God; only righteousness, peace, security, harmony and joy.   That's where we want to be!  (Lindsey, 179)

Chris Hadfield says in An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth,

"I am actually leaving the planet today", 

but we can't all be as sure as Hadfield about the day we will leave!   The fact is that we will leave. 

A day is coming when Jesus will return and take believers to be with Him.   We will spend eternity with Him in glorified form, in the new heaven and the new earth.   How are you preparing for His return?

 

Hadfield, Chris, 2013, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, Macmillan, London

Lindsey, Hal, 1970, The Late Great Planet Earth, Zondervan, Grand Rapids

The Cat Hunt

The Cat Hunt, or The Theology of the Seeker

Does the mouse hunt the cat?   Does the deer hunt the man?   Is a seeker really a seeker?  Why does Francis Thompson call God the "Hound of Heaven"?   A friend often says, "My wife chased me for years until I caught her":  I think he's giving us a clear and sound theological analogy of God's calling on our lives.  Why has "seeker" philosophy crept into our modern-church vocabularies?


God called to Adam and Eve, "Where are you?"   In their sin and shame, Adam and Eve hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden (Gen 3:8-9, NIV).  They did not seek him in their shame, but He sought and found them and confronted them in their sin.  About fleeing from God, Thompson wrote:

I fled Him down the nights and down the days...
I fled Him down the Labyrinthine ways...
I hid from Him, under running laughter...
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after...

Still with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbed pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
Came on the following Feet ...   (Thompson, Hound of Heaven, abridged)

In his autobiography Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life in the pentultimate chapter Checkmate, C.S. Lewis reflects on his philosophising as an athiest:

Amiable agnostics will talk cheerfully about "man's search for God".   To me, as I then was, they might as well have talked about the mouse's search for the cat.

You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet.

In his epic song Deathbed, band Reliant K's Matt Thiessen sings as a man lamenting his life at its end:

I was so scared of Jesus
But He sought me out
Like the cancer in my lungs
It's killing me now ...

After all, seeking (and saving, or seeking with a purpose) is Jesus' mission:  "The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."  (Lk. 19:10)

I have two close friends who each know that God has called them to surrender their lives to His control.  One says in all seriousness, "God has been chasing me for years.  He'll catch me one day."  The other says, "God demands my all.  Until I'm prepared to surrender all to Him, I'm not going to say yes."   I hope and pray that they don't leave it too long and miss out.

God doesn't stop when He "catches us".  He provides ongoing care and relationship.  Take Psalm 139 as an example: 

"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me" ... "Where can I go from your Spirit?"   (vv. 1, 7)

This is a rhetorical question, answered by the writer David,

"If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there.  If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will lay hold of me."  (vv. 8-10)

So what's the application of this article?  If you're reading this as a believer, don't fall for the modern lie that the gospel has to be watered down for "seekers".   People have an eternal cancer that will separate them from the presence of God unless they recognise their desperate need of salvation, so take them directly to their sin and need of the Saviour, Jesus Christ.   If you are reading this as a non-believer, don't run from the Saviour, Jesus; rather surrender to Him and allow Him to save you from your sin.   He loves you so much that He died on the Cross to take the punishment for your sin, so that you don't have to make the payment with eternal death on judgment day.

PS:  The photograph is not included to make light of a very serious matter, but rather to provide a visual by which you may remember the truths in this article. 

Photo credit:  https://hrexach.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/shootfair.jpg?w=462&h=453