COUNTERING SCEPTICISM.

I attended my first Q Commons meeting on Friday 4th of March. I wasn't quite sure what to expect as I wasn't clear myself what Q Commons was actually about. All I knew was this, it had something to with Christianity in the public sphere. I have a better understanding now, but rather than me explain it, or if you want to learn more, follow this link here.

In a nutshell. Q Commons is a sort of Ted Talk for Christian leaders and influencers in all spheres of life. Arts, Media, Education etc. In the past they have engaged speakers such as; Malcolm Gladwell, Erwin McManus and actor/director Mark Ruffalo.

Before I attended, I tried to boil it down to something that was easy to explain, at least to myself anyway. So I came up with this thought.

The Fundamentalist, Evangelical Church, has squandered our place at the discussion table by waving its Big Black KJV Bible proclaiming, "The Bible Says" and worse, trumpeting "If the Bible says it, and I agree with it, then that settles it." They sought to instruct, control and shout down the conversation, rather than engage and enter it.

Now, we need to work very hard to get invited back to the discussion.

One of the topics of the night was "The Irrelevance of Faith". Presented by David Kinnaman. David showed us some alarming statistics. One of which was that 42% of Americans believe that people of faith are part of the problem. 46% Believe that faith needs to be removed from public life.

Increasingly, youth are becoming more and more cynical about faith. 1 in 4 youth believe that one day they will be famous, and their chief objective is for fame and popularity.

So, having squandered our place in the discussion, being viewed as irrelevant and unwanted, how do we counter-act this growing wall of scepticism?

Well I believe that such scepticism can only be countered with authenticity.
But what is missing from the Church in regards to our authenticity? I think there are three areas we need to address on the pathway to regaining relevance for the Christian view.

Firstly. Our WORDS. Biblical based statements are affirming. But unless backed with the appropriate actions they ring hollow.
"Because the Bible says" Is not seen as, nor is it welcomed as a valid argument. It is instead seen as a bunch of archaic rules and restrictions that are unwelcome in a free thinking selfie addicted society.

I am not advocating a watering down of the Word of God. I do not advocate that we step away from our closely held beliefs. I simply think we need to be able to carry the message better. To engage the conversation, applying Biblical truth, but in such a way that is open for discussion and promotes thoughtful consideration. This is simply good apologetics.

When Jesus encountered the woman at the well, John 4:19-24, she was already beaten down by religion and dogma. Jesus spoke to her in her human situation and gave her real spiritual hope.

Secondly. Our ACTIONS. Our actions cannot be seen as, or interpreted as, a means to an end, i.e. to get a convert.

The main end of our Christian works, can only be for the betterment of the individuals human situation, without thought for our own personal reward or recognition.

Our actions must bring glory to Christ. This however is not a valid end if we do this only for our own self worth or gain. We bring glory to Christ when our actions give primary value to another human being.

"Love your neighbour as yourself" Luke 10:27, Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:4.
"preferring others before yourself" Romans 12:10, 1Timothy 5:21.

Thirdly. We must remain TRANSPARENT. All that we say and do must be in such a way, that our motive, method and money remain unquestioned.

 Accusations will come, but our integrity must remain, unsullied, even under the most rigorous examination.

We have seen enough lately of Christian leaders being accused and even convicted of fraud. While many of these accusations in the past have simply been vexatious, some cases have been proven.

Pastors and leaders need to shepherd and lead, that's it. They should never use their churches to underwrite their own personal success story.

I don't know if these steps are the total solution, this may not do it all. Cynicism and scepticism will remain. But if we can chip away at the ground the cynics and critics stand on, denying them a position from which to accuse.

Then bit by bit, we regain our ground.

We can stand up again.

Parallels and Precedents.

I love the Bible, and for so many reasons. It is a book (well more accurately, collection of books) that can never be read just once. I love the overlapping stories and arcs of story. I love to go beyond the mere act of reading, I love to delve. It is not hard to unearth the treasures of the Bible. They give themselves willingly. But you must learn how to look for them and recognise them. Occasionally you will find what is commonly known as "fools gold". But careful exegesis will quickly show it for what it is. The apostle Peter, talking about  the writings of Paul warned us about this.

2Peter 3:16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

So before I put anything down in writing, especially on such a public platform as this. I need to be sure that what I have presented is correct. I never put up my latest "flash in the pan" pet theory. What I put here is well considered, I have given it time to sit. I have said in a couple of my posts that what I thought was correct, wasn't. For instance, while writing The "other" Uncomfortable Jesus. I came across this very thing. So I had to change from what I "thought" the Bible said. As I have had to for this post.

SO, having said all that I am going to issue a challenge. I want to see if you can prove me wrong. In this post I am going to talk about some parallels in the Bible. Parallels that are found in The Old and New Testaments. Because I have a theory, which is more of a conviction. That nothing happened in the New Testament, that did not have a precedent in the Old. Jesus did not perform a single miracle, that had not happened previously. So please, if you want to test me on this, put something into the comments section. But now, on to the subject of this post.

As I said I love reading the Bible. I love the layers of story within the Meta-Story. I love the parallels, because they give us a continuity of story between Old and New. They give us a repeating picture of how God acts.

So here are the stories of two men. One from the Old, One from the New.

Both men, were on a mission with official endorsement.
Both heard a supernatural voice.
Both were on a collision course with divine intervention and revelation.

I am talking about Balaam the pagan prophet. Numbers 22:21-35.
And Saul, a zealous young Pharisee. Acts 9:1-9.

Both men had made it their intention to bring trouble upon God's people.

Balaam, (motivated by financial earthly reward) was hired to proclaim curses over Israel, God's emerging nation.

Saul, (perhaps motivated by an eternal reward for his religious zeal) was on a mission to persecute the believers, God's emerging church.


image unattributed

Both men had their message changed.

Balaam proclaimed God's blessing over His people.

Saul, changed his name to Paul, and went about planting churches.

These two stories show us, how God acts on behalf of His people. Often in unexpected, unseen ways.

Here's another parallel, but one which gives us a contrast. It reveals the work of the enemy in producing counterfeits.

Once again we have two men, one from the Old, one from the New.

Both are sons of David.
Both had popularity with the common people.
Both died hanging from a tree, run through with spears. The result of treachery.

I am talking about Absalom. 2Samuel 15-18:18.
And Jesus.

There are many similarities in their stories, but the differences are glaring.

Absalom, was an usurper to the throne. He garnered favour with the people, promoting his own kingdom. He was deceitful, treacherous, murderous and a narcissistic liar. He worked against his fathers will, causing him grief and shame, while he made a name for himself. In the end, his death (as a result of Joab's betrayal) was probably well deserved.

Jesus, was the heir to the throne of heaven. He grew in favour with God and man. Yet He made himself of no reputation. He was subject to His Fathers will, promoting His Fathers Kingdom, bringing him glory and honour. His death (as a result of Judas' betrayal) was undeserved, but necessary for the benefit of all.

Do these two stories serve a purpose? Well for a start, they may help us when it comes to recognising a false Christ.

So I encourage you, read your Bible, don't rest on what you "think" it says. Dig out those seams of gold. Learn from it.

Other that that I just wanted to share some thoughts about things that interest me, and please, don't forget my challenge. Ask your questions below.

PATHWAYS Part 4

Welcome to part four of this series. So far, we have looked at three different paths we follow as part of our Christian walk. We have been through the Wilderness. Made our way along the Valley, and come to the top of the Mountain.
(You can follow these links to the previous posts if you're just catching up)

In all of these posts we have looked at; what we can learn, how God acts and how God  reveals himself.

In this post we will look at the fourth and final path of this series. This final path is different from the others. It is different, because God leads us along those other paths in order that we may learn from Him. We do not choose those paths.

This final path we will look at, is the only one we may freely choose to follow.

It is the path of the cross.

Matthew 16:24.  Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

Luke 9:23. Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple, must deny themselves and take up their cross daily, and follow me."

Luke 14:27. "And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me, cannot be my disciple.

I've seen and heard a lot of different ways of interpreting these verses. Most of them are fairly conservative. Many of the commentaries I have looked through, talk about; facing obstacles, enduring hardships, bearing our burdens and dealing with adversity. Or, they encourage us to embrace a willingness lay down our lives in  a purely mortal sense, some level of self sacrifice, or even martyrdom. However, and I say this with all humility, I think they all miss the mark. They come up just a little bit short of the truth.

If we look at these verses in context, we really only have to ask ourselves one logical question.

"If we are to take up our cross and follow Jesus. Then where was Jesus taking his cross?"

 Answer. "He was going to Calvary to die."

I like war movies. Not because of some sadistic enjoyment of the violence. I like the stories, the struggles, acts of bravery and heroism. My particular favourite is the HBO series "Band of Brothers" If you're not familiar with the series, it covers the events of WW2 following the Normandy invasion. It particularly follows one group of soldiers from Easy Company in the 101st Airborne Division.

In one of the episodes, a soldier is struggling to deal with the intense realities of armed conflict. An officer asks him a simple question.

"What's the secret to being a good soldier?"

Answer. "Knowing that you're already dead."

I believe the message of Jesus is just that simple. That as He died on His cross. So too must we reckon our lives lost for the sake of the gospel.

Philippians 3:7-8. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.

As we walk the path of the cross, we lose all, all that is temporal, of fleeting importance. In order that we may gain all, all that is eternal, that carries the values of His Kingdom.

When we walk the path of the cross, we walk in Kingdom purposes. We walk in covenant with our creator God. This idea of losing all, of dying to all can seem daunting I know. But here's the thing. God doesn't take it all at once. He guides us with a gentle hand. It is something we learn to walk in daily.

If we want to truly experience the power of the cross in our lives. We must walk the path of the cross.
It was the path Jesus had to walk in order to gain total victory over sin. It was the only way, to the power of the resurrection.

So if you want to truly live as a Christian, what's the secret?

It's reckoning yourself already dead.

Once you have chosen the path of the cross. You will still walk through the wilderness, along the valley and over the mountain. But you will do so in the power of the cross. But you have to choose it, you have to take it up.

You can also choose not  to walk down these paths. You can get off any time you want.

But I don't recommend it.


All scriptures NIV 2011

Images used in this post.
"Light Path"
Image courtesy of dan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
"Jesus Door"
Image courtesy of Naypong at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

PATHWAYS Part 3

My previous posts in this series took us down two different paths.

First we looked at the path through the wilderness. Here we talked about those things that can be learned on that path. It is where we can learn about; His word, our worship, our walk, how to war and how to wait.

Secondly, we looked at the path through the valley. Here we saw God in action on our behalf to; judge His enemies, to lead guide and comfort, to perform His word and to reward those that seek Him.

In this study we are going to a higher place. It's time to go up the mountain.

Once again, you have probably already thought of a few mountains. So let's go climbing shall we?

I have read a few books about mountain climbing, in particular books about Hillary and Everest, as well as others. I've learnt some things from these books which I will touch on in places, but for now, let's turn to the Bible.

Whenever we see mention of a mountain in the Bible. It is usually either an obstacle or a place of revelation. It is this aspect of revelation that I want to focus on.

The mountain is a place where God is revealed. It is a place where he reveals something of  Himself,
or something of His intention to us.

On Mt Sinai, God revealed Himself to Moses through His law and His word. His truth was revealed. Exodus 19-22

On Mt Carmel,  God demonstrated His power. His authority was revealed. 1 Kings 18:20-39.

On the top of Peor,  God revealed himself to Balaam, the pagan prophet, commanding him to bless and not curse. His will was revealed. Numbers 22-24.

On Mt Nebo, God met with Moses one last time and showed him Canaan, the land over Jordan. His promise was revealed. Deuteronomy 32:48-49.

On the Mount of Transfiguration. The disciples saw Jesus glorified. His divinity was revealed.  Mark 9:2-7 and Luke 9:28-35.

Whatever your experience on the mountain, and these examples are just a sampling, you cannot stay there. This was the error Peter made. He wanted to make booths and camp there. You must come down. The atmosphere is rarefied, the weather is changeable, unpredictable and you are exposed. Above a certain altitude, the top of the mountain is called "the death zone", and for very good reason.

Bear in mind that Moses died on Nebo because of his disobedience in the wilderness (see Deuteronomy above). The children of Israel camped around Kadesh Barnea for forty years because they refused to enter the land. Numbers14. Perhaps we could view Babel as an attempt to manufacture a mountain experience.

Whatever we learn on the mountain, we must also learn to carry it down. It is a well known fact among mountaineers, that more deaths occur on the descent than on the ascent. This is where climbers become careless. The climb up and the elation of the summit have taken their toll. Fatigue sets in, ego overrules wisdom. You have never really conquered a mountain by simply reaching the top. You must now get off it alive. You have to come down, because the mountain is not the finish of your journey.

If you're taken up the mountain, go up.

If you're not, then don't.

When you're told to go down, go.

Because whatever you've learnt there, you will carry with you on the next part of your journey. There may be another wilderness to cross, another valley to go through, another mountain to climb. This journey will continue until we come to the top of the final climb. Mt Zion.

So keep walking. It's not time to stop just yet.


Images used in this post.
"Light Path"
Image courtesy of dan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
"Mount Mckinley"
Image courtesy of bAll_llAd at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

PATHWAYS Part 2

My previous post in this series covered the path through the wilderness. If you haven't read it yet, you can scroll down or follow this link. At the risk of being repetitive and boring. Let me remind you again, that our Christian walk takes us down numerous pathways. We don't choose which path or when, but we can choose how we walk through them. Along the way there are lessons to learn. The wilderness path helps us to learn about God's word, about worship, warfare, our walk and how to wait.

In this study we take a walk along a new path. It is the path through the valley.

And no doubt, once again, your mind will hurry off to think about all the valleys you've heard about from the Bible. At least two or three in particular. Well, reign in your thoughts. We will probably touch on much of what you were just thinking, but there may be some surprises in store for you.

The valley of Decision. Joel 3:14. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision. For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
I have a hunch, that this is one of those verses we are all familiar with, but don't understand. Because this is not a valley you want to find yourself in. This is not, as I suspect many of us may believe, a place of our decision. Where we get stuck while trying to make up our minds. This valley is also referred to as the valley of Jehoshaphat. It is the valley of God's decision, it is a place of His judgement. Look back at Joel 3:2 and you will see what I mean. It is a place where God brings down his judgement on the nations for their treatment of Israel. So again, you don't want to find yourself in this valley.

The valley of the shadow of death. Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil for you are with me, your rod and your staff comfort me.
Okay, I quoted this from the NIV 2011 as I usually do. We are more familiar with the phrase "valley of the shadow of death". The Hebrew word that is used for valley in this verse means a narrow gorge. Deep in shadow. It is a place of foreboding and peril. Yet David knows that he does not walk this path alone. He knows that God goes with him, to guide, protect and comfort him.
A little side note, whenever you see a reference in the Bible about; a branch, staff, rod etc. It is often a metaphor for Jesus "the branch of Jesse".

The valley of dry bones. Ezekiel 37:1 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.
Ezekiel found himself in a broad flat valley. This valley had no shadow of death. Everything in it was dead. Nothing but dry bones, and God asks Ezekiel (vs3) "can these bones live?"
God commanded Ezekiel to prophesy. To speak words of life into the dry bones. Soon there stood before him a vast army.

The valley of weeping. Psalm 84:6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca (weeping), they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
The verse prior to this speaks of pilgrimage. It is thought that the "Valley of weeping" is a reference to the sap running from the balsam trees that grew in the valley. This is in fact a joyous passage. The references to autumn and pilgrimage speaks of the feast of Tabernacles. In fact this Psalm is filled with familiar verses, and is rife with it's longing after the house and presence of God.

A superficial glance at these passages might give us a picture of a valley, that speaks of gloom, sorrow, foreboding and death. But a closer examination reveals that God is present in all of them.

In Joel 3, He is present to bring judgement on his enemies, and vindication for His children.

In Psalm 23, He is present to lead, guide and comfort us.

In Ezekiel 37, He is present to perform his word, and bring life where all we can see is death.

In Psalm 84, He is present as a reward for those that earnestly seek Him.

The path through the valley is not always smooth. It is a path that needs your careful attention. Stumbling and falling is a common hazard. Quite a few years ago (about 25 actually), I went with a group of friends though a place in Sydney's Blue Mountains called Claustral Canyon. It was a tight narrow path following a stream. It required abseiling down three waterfalls. The water was very cold, and some times the only way through was to swim. The canyon is a beautiful place, but it is also narrow and treacherous. In some places it is almost possible to touch both side of the canyon walls at once.
But did I mention? This place is dangerous. On this trip, we started out following a wrong path, as a result one of our friends nearly lost his life to hypothermia.

You may be stuck in a valley right now. It may seem narrow, hard and lifeless. It may seem as though the narrow places have blocked out all light. That the hand of God rests heavily upon you, as you weep out your tears of pain, confusion and frustration. This is not the place to give up. Valleys have streams and rivers running through them. In the midst of this confined place, is a place of refreshing. Do not turn from the path, follow it. A valley will either bring you out into a broad place.

Or.

It will bring you up to the mountain.


Images used in this post.
"Rocky river between steep and lush mountains"
Image courtesy of Tuomas_Lehtinen at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

"Light Path" Image courtesy of dan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net