In the book of 2 Chronicles, amongst a long chronology of the kings of Judah and Israel and their accomplishments and/or defeats, we find an unusual story of a king named Asa with a challenging lesson for you and me-the church in America today. The first verse that introduces us to Asa states that “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord His God.” [2 Chronicles 14:2] The passage goes on to list his accomplishments: Removing the altars of the foreign gods and the high places, breaking down the sacred pillars and wooden images, commanding Judah to seek the Lord and obey His commandments, building fortified cities, enjoying long rest from war, remaining loyal to God all his days, bringing gold and silver into the temple, and removing his mother from being queen mother because of the obscene image of the false god Asherah she had made. By all accounts, he begins to appear to be a perfect king. But the Bible has confined all under sin, so we read on in Asa’s story to see what it was that brought his downfall.
In 2 Chronicles 14:9 we read that Zerah the Ethiopian came out against Judah with an army including one million men, 300 on chariots. Unfortunately for Asa, his own army was only 580,000 strong and there is no mention in Scripture of his army having any chariots at all. The fact that his army was only slightly bigger than half the Ethiopians’ did not cause Asa’s faith to waiver at all. Instead we find the following incredible prayer as Asa’s response to the formidable odds before him.
“And Asa cried out to the Lord his God, and said, “LORD, it is nothing for you to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on you, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; do not let this multitude prevail against You!” 2 Chronicles 14:11
Asa acknowledged his insufficiencies and God’s incredible sufficiency. “This is nothing for you, God!” he declared. “We have no power, but you do, and we trust You to prevail against this army for your own glory and fame!” Asa’s trust was not misplaced, and God pulled through, performing a miracle. “The Lord struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled…So the Ethiopians were overthrown and they could not recover, for they were broken before the Lord.” [2 Chronicles 14:12-13]
The temptation could’ve arisen at this point to take the glory for the victory himself and forget that it was God who brought about this turn of events, but we read the opposite. At the prophet Azariah’s urging, Asa brought the people together for a sacrifice including seven hundred bulls and seven thousand sheep from the spoil they received from the battle. Then Asa and all Judah made a covenant with God to seek him with all their desire. 2 Chronicles 15:15 tells us that, “all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them.” Incredible. The king and all the people wholeheartedly seeking God. What an amazing point in history!
Unfortunately, Asa’s story does not end there. “In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha, king of Israel, came up against Judah.” No biggie, right? Asa’s dealt with war before. He’s seen God pull through for him against staggering odds. Yet rather than another incredible prayer, we read that Asa removes silver and gold from the treasury of the house of the Lord and hires the king of Syria (Judah’s enemies who worshipped false gods and whom Asa should’ve wanted to destroy) to turn against Baasha. Wait, what? Yeah. As we read on, the plan actually works, and Baasha leaves Judah alone. But God is not pleased with the way Asa has handled this. “Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro across the face of the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore, from now on, you shall have wars.”
Rather than repenting from his wrong deed, Asa lashed out in anger and threw the prophet who had delivered this message to him into prison. Does Asa ever change his mind and turn back to seeking the Lord? 2 Chronicles includes one more short instance that may provide insight into this. “In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.” If Asa’s heart changed, the Bible does not mention it. It does, however, mention that he died two years later. “They buried him in his own tomb, which he had made for himself in the City of David; and they laid him on the bed filled with spices and various ingredients prepared in a mixture of ointments. They made a very great burning for him.”
Funerals in O.T. times were very different from those today, but imagine with me for a moment that Asa had the equivalent of a modern day funeral. Imagine that someone stood up to give the eulogy. I’m sure they would’ve listed all his accomplishments achieved in his early years as king. But then what would they do? Would they pause and admit that Asa’s heart turned from fully trusting God in the twenty-one years of peace God gave him? Would they admit that it was because of Asa’s trust in man rather than God that their country was now plagued by wars? Or would all sitting in attendance simply think all these things while they voiced praise for his accomplishments?
As I think these thoughts, my heart is forced to wonder what will be said at my own funeral? I've been thinking a lot lately about death and eternity. I'm not really sure when it started. I guess maybe it's been longer than lately. My high school campers dubbed "and then you die" as my phrase of the week. But it's true, I guess. We live and do a few petty things, mostly for ourselves, and then we die.
I guess death just normally pops up in my conversations because, well because, life IS short. I WILL die and have a funeral someday. And at my funeral everything will be said in past tense. Past tense. My last chance to make a difference on earth will be gone. Forever.
What will people say at my funeral? What do I want them to say? How do I wanna be remembered? What do I hope to accomplish by then? "What is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time, then vanishes away."
It's strange to think that I'm only one tiny heartbeat away from eternity- one heartbeat away from leaving my life work of service to my Savior to finally meet Him face-to-face. I’m going to be dead so much longer than I’m going to be alive, so why do I so often find myself acting like this life is all there is? Like this life is all that counts? What am I doing now that will matter when I’m dead?
Did Asa ask himself these questions? Was this what spurred him on to put his full trust in God and step out in faith under crazy circumstances where he would certainly fail if God did not show up? Maybe. But what happened? What turned Asa from wholeheartedly seeking and trusting in the Lord, to turning to his enemies and doctors for help? Did his heart grow cold from apathy in the twenty-one long years of peace where he had no need to jump out in radical, crazy faith, trusting God? Was it the good times of comfort and peace that turned Asa’s heart from the Lord?
I see a similar pattern in my own way I relate to God. When things were comfortable and safe, Asa wandered from the Lord. I myself am tempted to step away from God like I don’t need him when things feel “safe” and “easy”. (Should a Christian’s life be characterized by those words? More on that in a minute.) Almost like, “It’s ok, God; I’ve got this. Step back and watch.” I might not say the words, but I live them when I’m not fully relying on His strength and grace every second of every day. That’s so foolish. Without him supplying every breath I breathe, I would not be here.
We all have a propensity for doing the same, so it’s easy to sympathize with Asa. When things got tough, he turned to people. I can almost imagine him rationalizing, “Sure, I’ve seen God work in crazy amazing ways before. But that was a while ago. What if he doesn’t show up this time? What would my people think of God and me if God didn’t decide to help us this time? They would lose faith in God, and they would lose faith in me. God, I don’t want to test you like this. I have to get help where I know I can get it, and I have to do whatever needs to be done (even if it means stealing from you, God, and enlisting your enemies to help me) to ensure that I keep the people you have entrusted to me safe.”
So which was crazier: Stepping out in faith when the Ethiopians attacked, or not stepping out in faith when Israel did? In our minds, seeing the end of the story, we say that not stepping out was the stupider choice. But how many times every day do we do the same? How many times do we rationalize (form rational lies) staying in our comfort zones, doing what is safe and easy when God has called us to far more?
“God, I don’t want to test you. This isn’t easy! I can’t do this! What if I really tried to do this and trusted you and told other people I was trusting you for this, and you didn’t show up? That would be a terrible representation of you to the world!”
“God, what if this isn’t REALLY your will, and so you won’t help me? This is crazy impossible! I would be cleaning up this mess for the rest of my life! Everyone would see and think I was crazy, and no one would ever view me as a responsible Christian adult again.”
“God you have entrusted my children to me for safe-keeping. I have to keep them safe at all costs! If I send them to this school or this country, they MIGHT be able to share you with the world, but they could lose their faith or be killed! I’m responsible for them God. I know I can’t protect them from everything, but you tell us to do our part, and my part is keeping them safe at home, isn’t it?”
“God, I could die if I went to that foreign country for you. Wouldn’t you rather I be alive and live for you here in my church? I have so many ministries here that I can’t jeopardize losing. I send money to support missionaries. Can’t they just share you to the world? You don’t really want me to give up my career and risk my life there when I’m doing so much good here, do you?”
“God, I can barely support myself and my family, and you want me to support the poor and the orphans and widows? Isn’t that a foolish financial choice? I’m already giving you 10%. Isn’t that enough?”
“God, don’t you want me to be happy? If I give this up to follow you, I won’t be happy. You must not want me to give THIS up, right?”
“God, when you said we are to leave our family, give up everything , feed the poor, care for orphans, spread the gospel to the whole world, and be hated by all to follow you, you couldn’t have been talking to EVERY Christian, just those special ones you call to do those things. I just don’t feel called, God! Show me a sign!”
Do you recognize these 'rational lies'? Do you believe them? They all include moving away from what is dangerous, difficult and uncomfortable. But does the Bible describe the life of a follower of Jesus as safe, easy and comfortable? I’ve recently been challenged by what it means to live as a follower of Christ. So often sharing the gospel comes down to, “We all sin. Sin keeps us from God. God can’t have sin in heaven. Jesus died to pay the price for our sin, then rose three days later, defeating death. If we trust what Jesus did to be enough to pay for our sins and get us to heaven, God will forgive our sin and take us to heaven when we die. So pray and tell God all this if you want to go to heaven.” Yes, that’s the gospel, but one important ingredient is left out: the radical repentance and change that occurs in the life of true believers as a result of a real encounter with Jesus. Here’s what Jesus said to the crowds following Him:
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." Luke 14:25-33
Jesus told the crowds to count the cost BEFORE coming to him, because following him includes way more than praying a prayer and showing up at church on Sundays. True Christians obey the commands in Scripture which call us to live radical lives, pouring ourselves out to serve the poor and hurting and reaching out to the entire world with the amazing news of the gospel regardless of how difficult, uncomfortable, or dangerous that may be. Listen to how David Platt explains these verses:
“If you are a follower of Christ, living indifferent to the words of Christ is not an option. Some of you were told to pray a prayer and then you could live your life however you wanted and that’s what it means to be a Christian. If you came to Christ under that illusion, then biblically, you are not a Christian. You have not come to Christ at all. This is not what it means to be a follower of Christ. To be a follower of Christ means to come to an awareness of your sinful rebellion against God, and to see in Jesus the only substitute for your sins, and by His grace to turn from you rebellion against God and trust in him as the Lord and sovereign king over your life. And when that happens, then what Jesus says determines how you live. Therefore, it is not possible to be a follower of Christ and be indifferent to what he says, because to be a follower of Christ, what he says determines how you live.
“If you want to avoid a hard life, danger, persecution, and being hated and betrayed, avoid following Christ. If we continue to feed ourselves comfort, safety and pleasures, we will miss following Christ. Following Christ will cost you everything. “And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 10:22
“As you seek to follow Christ with everything, fear will tempt you, but remember: God will take care of you. Look to Christ and death where we will get God. “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”(Matthew 10:28) What’s the worst thing that can happen to us? They kill us? The only way that comforts us is if we have already died to ourselves. The apostles feared men so little because they feared God so much. Take the ultimate risk and you will receive the ultimate reward. This is not a call to gloom-it’s a call to being smart.”
Asa’s original choice to trust God and step out in radical faith was smart. After all, what was the worst that could happen? He could be killed. But even if he was killed, he would get God! Asa feared and trusted the One who could destroy the body and soul in hell rather than those who could only kill his body. But after years of comfort and safety, reaping the fruit of that smart choice, Asa made an unwise choice, one I’m afraid most of the church in America is making-a choice to fear and trust people rather than God.
Jesus’ last command before ascending to heaven was for us to go into all the world, sharing the gospel. There are 6.7 billion people in the world. Of those, only 1/3
claim to be Christians. This means there are at least 4.5 billion people in the world who do not claim to know Christ and are on their way to eternal hell where the cry of their torment never ends. The Bible describes hell as a lake of fire, away from the presence of God and anything good. If we truly believe hell is a real place and there are millions who have never even heard the name of Christ, something has to change. Jesus told his followers to go where there was great need and great danger. He warned them that they would be hated, betrayed and persecuted. They would suffer and be persecuted. But in the end, they would get God. They would hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord!”
So I guess this all comes down to a choice we have to make for ourselves every day. Do we really believe what God says it means to follow Him? Will we learn a lesson from Asa and step out in reckless faith-crazy faith that needs God to step in and save the day or all will be lost; or will we stick with what is comfortable, easy, and safe and lose the nearness to God that is the result of throwing ourselves completely at his feet, trusting in his mercy?
“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we, through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope.” Romans 15:4
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Unexpected blessing=yet another God story
Do you ever get really upset cuz things seem to be going the exact opposite of the way you wanted them to go, and you look for the good in the situation and can't find any, cuz the thing that's going wrong should be something God wants to go right? So you resign yourself to the fact that He's trying to teach you patience and that things won't always go the way you planned and that's why heaven will be so grand. Well, that's what I was doing Friday afternoon. I ordered some guitar strings that I was going to use to replace mine because they were LITERALLY falling apart. Literally. No big deal, right? Well, I was going to order them from Amazon, cuz that's what I normally do (ok, I've actually only replaced them once in four years, and that was three years ago), but then I decided to get some picks at the same time, and Amazon didn't have the ones I wanted. Soooo, Google helped me find this amazing website that did which ALSO ended up having free shipping and a 2-7 day delivery guarantee. This made me quite happy because I wanted to replace those strings before they broke on me (plus, their quality was really poor by this point), and I was playing at a retreat at Barakel a week and a half later and needed to be sure to have them.
Obviously, you can see where this story is going. Wednesday was the latest delivery date for them, but Wednesday also happened to be the day we got dumped on with the blizzard of the decade. So I held my breath for Thursday aaaand...nope, no strings. The really frustrating thing was that I was supposed to have a tracking number for the package which my confirmation email said was shipped through UPS, but when I tried to click on the confirmation number link to track it, it took me to the USPS website, and neither website had any record of my package.
Friday came and I NEEDED those strings. All day I kept checking the front porch for a package, but sadly, opening the front door every five minutes didn't make the package appear. All day long I kept telling God that I was leaving at three and needed those strings so I could serve Him with BEAUTIFUL music, and all day, I also began preparing myself for the moment I knew I would have to leave and accept that God was teaching me patience, and the undependability of man's word, but the faithfulness of His and how great it will be in heaven some day to not have to wait for new instrument strings to be delivered so I can best praise Him.
I THOUGHT the best ending to the story would be getting all our luggage loaded into the car and beginning to pull down the driveway, but being stopped by a delivery truck at the end of our driveway, but God actually had a better ending for me. Not only did I learn patience and get a reason to look more towards heaven, I also got a bit more. Sunday after I returned from the retreat (and still no strings), I called the company who found a DIFFERENT tracking number and told me the strings had been in Lansing an entire week before. Hmmm. The lady I spoke to told me they must've gotten lost in the mail, and that she'd send me some new ones free of charge with overnight shipping for my inconvenience, although it hadn't been their fault. That was really, really cool! BUT that's not the end of the story.
Today, my dad brought me in a package from the mail from that company-the first package that was in Lansing almost two weeks ago. Sooo, I called the company letting them know that I now have two packages of strings and two packets of picks. Here's the cool part-I get to keep them for free! Thank you, God! He worked out a better ending than I could've imagined. Now I have an extra set on hand in case something happens to these, and I don't even have to pay for them! God is so good!
This morning when I went to replace the strings, two of my bridge pins snapped, so I have to replace them. (I was pretty upset at first cuz I didn't know if I could get replacement parts, and I didn't know how to get the rest of the pins that had snapped off halfway inside the guitar out, but my dad was able to get them out with a SPOON, and I found some higher quality ones for a cheap price.) I chose to use the same wonderful company. They said the pins are backordered one day, but they should arrive and be able to be sent out within two days. It's ok if they don't though, cuz if God has another lesson to teach me in patience, I think I'm even more ready to learn!
Obviously, you can see where this story is going. Wednesday was the latest delivery date for them, but Wednesday also happened to be the day we got dumped on with the blizzard of the decade. So I held my breath for Thursday aaaand...nope, no strings. The really frustrating thing was that I was supposed to have a tracking number for the package which my confirmation email said was shipped through UPS, but when I tried to click on the confirmation number link to track it, it took me to the USPS website, and neither website had any record of my package.
Friday came and I NEEDED those strings. All day I kept checking the front porch for a package, but sadly, opening the front door every five minutes didn't make the package appear. All day long I kept telling God that I was leaving at three and needed those strings so I could serve Him with BEAUTIFUL music, and all day, I also began preparing myself for the moment I knew I would have to leave and accept that God was teaching me patience, and the undependability of man's word, but the faithfulness of His and how great it will be in heaven some day to not have to wait for new instrument strings to be delivered so I can best praise Him.
I THOUGHT the best ending to the story would be getting all our luggage loaded into the car and beginning to pull down the driveway, but being stopped by a delivery truck at the end of our driveway, but God actually had a better ending for me. Not only did I learn patience and get a reason to look more towards heaven, I also got a bit more. Sunday after I returned from the retreat (and still no strings), I called the company who found a DIFFERENT tracking number and told me the strings had been in Lansing an entire week before. Hmmm. The lady I spoke to told me they must've gotten lost in the mail, and that she'd send me some new ones free of charge with overnight shipping for my inconvenience, although it hadn't been their fault. That was really, really cool! BUT that's not the end of the story.
Today, my dad brought me in a package from the mail from that company-the first package that was in Lansing almost two weeks ago. Sooo, I called the company letting them know that I now have two packages of strings and two packets of picks. Here's the cool part-I get to keep them for free! Thank you, God! He worked out a better ending than I could've imagined. Now I have an extra set on hand in case something happens to these, and I don't even have to pay for them! God is so good!
This morning when I went to replace the strings, two of my bridge pins snapped, so I have to replace them. (I was pretty upset at first cuz I didn't know if I could get replacement parts, and I didn't know how to get the rest of the pins that had snapped off halfway inside the guitar out, but my dad was able to get them out with a SPOON, and I found some higher quality ones for a cheap price.) I chose to use the same wonderful company. They said the pins are backordered one day, but they should arrive and be able to be sent out within two days. It's ok if they don't though, cuz if God has another lesson to teach me in patience, I think I'm even more ready to learn!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
N.T. Reflections- Matthew 7
“'Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
'Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" Matthew 7:15-23
Reading these verses reminded me of a story a speaker from Barakel told this last summer. (I'm not sure if this story is true. I just know it was effective, and a very good illustration.) There was a couple with a small baby that they loved very dearly. They had been told for many years that they could not have children, so it was with great surprise and joy that they discovered they were pregnant. When the baby was born, they never wanted to leave her with anyone else. They bought her all the best things, and surrounded her with every type of toy imaginable. As time wore on, people advised them to get out and leave their baby with someone else. Finally one day, they decided it was time to leave their child in the care of another, so they interviewed dozens of prospective babysitters, finally chose one, and made plans to spend a few hours together on a Friday night. The night arrived, and the couple lathered their baby in kisses and left. The whole time they were gone, they couldn't enjoy themselves, worrying about what could be happening with their baby. Finally after an hour, they headed home. As they entered their neighborhood, they heard sirens and saw smoke rising from their block. As they drew closer, they realized that it was THEIR home that was on fire. Frantically, they raced to their home and up to the group of firefighters. One was just stumbling out of the building, and they saw with relief that he was holding a baby-sized bundle wrapped in a blanket. As the firefighter emerged from the house, the entire building collapsed in flames behind him. The parents rushed over to the firefighter. "It's ok," he reassured them. "The babysitter told me about the baby, and I have your little girl." With tears of relief and sobs of thank you, the parents took the precious little bundle from the firefighter and unwrapped it...only to find a lifesize doll wrapped in their baby's blanket.
The firefighter got something that looked like the real thing, but wasn't really truly what he thought he had. In the judgment day many people will say to Jesus, "I am your child because I did good things for you!" But Jesus will only say, "You got something that looked like me, not me. Eternal life is knowing me."
Paul exhorts us in Second Corinthians 13:5 "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—" So how can we know whether we really 'have Christ' or just have somehing that looks like him? I John is an excellent book to look in for the answer to this question, since it claims that it is written to those who believe, so they may KNOW for certain that they have eternal life. "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may KNOW that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God." (I John 5:13) 'Know' is a key word in this book and is used 42 times.
First John has three tests for those who want to know whether they're saved: The doctrine test, the moral test, and the love test. We'll take a quick look at what John said about each test, then I have a link to a short video of a pastor explaining all this way better than I ever could.
First test: The doctrine test. Do I believe Jesus is God and also the Messiah, the Son of God sent to die for my sin? "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." I John 5:1 "Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ [Messiah]? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. If what you heard from the begining abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father, And this is the promise he has promised us-eternal life." (I John 2:22,24-25) "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." (I John 4:15) What's so significant about believing Jesus is God and also the Messiah? If Jesus was not fully God, He would not have been perfect. If He had not been perfect, His death would mean nothing to us: it would have no saving power. The only reason Jesus could pay for our sins, is because he had none of his own to pay for. Had he not been God and been a sinner, his death would have been what He deserved, and He would not have been able to be the substitute sacrifice for our sins. But what's this about a Messiah? Why do we have to believe that? The Messiah or Christ was the one God had promised since Adam who would come and die in the people's place, ending the animal sacrifices which were only a symbol of Jesus. If we don't believe Jesus was truly the Messiah, the one whose death paid for our sin so we don't have to, then we end up trying to pay our own way to heaven by being good enough, and that won't work. If I do not believe Jesus is God and Jesus is the Messiah who paid the punishment I deserved for my sins, I am not a Christian.
Second test: The Moral Test. Do I see a change in my desires and the way I live my life that has come as a result of what I believe about who Jesus is? "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar...But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in Him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk as He walked." (I John 2:3-6) "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God." (I John 3:9-10) I taught these verses every Saturday morning at camp this last summer. I always said that the key word in these last two verses was 'practice'. If you are practicing volleyball and try to serve the ball, and it hits the volleyball net and doesn't go over, it would be a dumb thing for me to say, "Oh, you must be playing basketball!" I can tell what you're practicing no matter how many times you mess up. In the same way, it should be clear in your life what you are practicing: sin or righteousness, no matter how many times you mess up. Check your desires. What is your deeper desire: to sin and enjoy the fun in it, or to please God and enjoy the lasting joy we will have in heaven? Does sin bother you or make you happy? One speaker this summer used the anology of what pigs and kittens do after you clean them. A pig jumps right back into the mud. He loves mud! But a kitten tries to stay clean, and even if she does get dirty, she cleans herself as quickly as possible. Same with a Christian and someone who is not a Christian. Someone who has not trusted Jesus for Salvation loves sin and has no desire to follow God and "stay clean", while those who HAVE trusted Jesus are those who John talks about in 3:3 "Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He [Jesus] is pure." If I do not see a change in my desires and the way I live my life that has come as a result of who I believe Jesus is, I am not a Christian.
Third Test: The Love Test. Does the way I live my life show that I have real, sacrificial love for others? "If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." (I John 4:20) "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death." (I John 3:14) "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (I John 4:7-8) "My little children, let us not love in word or tongue, but in action and in truth." (I John 3:18) These verses aren't just talking about saying we love people according to this last verse; they're asking us to show and PROVE we love them by our actions. Love is loving people even when it hurts us or even when they're different from us. But what does that really mean? How can we do that? God gave us all these commands we're supposed to follow AND on top of that He wants us to love people? Actually, the reason God gives commands in the Bible is just to explain what it means to love Him and love others. The first four of the 10 commandments teach us how to love God, and the last six teach us how to love others. Jesus taught this is Matthew 22:36-40 when he said that the greatest commandment is to love God, and the second greatest is to love others, then He said that all the laws in the Old Testament and things the prophets said are summed up by those two laws. John agrees-"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments." (I John 5:2-3) If I do not see new love for others and love for God in my life as a result of what I believe about Jesus, I am not a Christian.
When testing ourselves by the love and moral tests, we have to make sure to look at our desires (does sin make us happy or bother us?) and what we're 'practicing', since no once can follow God perfectly. How can we even follow God at all? I certainly don't have the strength to obey Him and love others. I John has the answer again! (If you couldn't tell before now, I love this book!) "We love Him because He first loved us. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him." (I John 4:9-11, 16, 19)
God's requirement for anyone to get to heaven is that they must live a perfect life. Unfortunately for us, we all mess up. But God loved us so much, He provided a way out of that mess- He sent Jesus! Jesus lived the perfect live we should've lived, then died a painful death, taking the punishment we deserved. Now if we trust His payment for our sin to be enough to get us to heaven, then turn from sin to follow Him, He will give us eternal life AND the desire and strength to follow and obey Him.
How does He do this? Through the power of the Holy Spirit! When we trust Jesus for Salvation, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us. I John 4:13 says, "By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." The Holy Spirit gives us the power and desire to obey God. He's the one who does the work in us, making us more like Jesus. When we realize just how great His love is for us and how it drove Him to make the ultimate sacrifice for us, loving Him becomes easier. Loving Him in action looks like loving the people He made, and loving the people He made looks like obeying His commands. But it all starts with what God does for us. We don't love God and others and obey Him to become a Christian and get to heaven, we love Him because He has saved us already. We are saved by trusting that Jesus' death on the cross was enough to get us to heaven, THEN we are driven to love God and live to please Him.
The word Christian means "little Christ." Christians are followers of God who look like little Christs. Here's what Jesus said about following Him:
"Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." Luke 14:25-33
Following Christ (being a Christian) is difficult. It requires sacrifice. But it is SO worth it, and it will be even more worth it when we finally reach heaven.
'Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" Matthew 7:15-23
Reading these verses reminded me of a story a speaker from Barakel told this last summer. (I'm not sure if this story is true. I just know it was effective, and a very good illustration.) There was a couple with a small baby that they loved very dearly. They had been told for many years that they could not have children, so it was with great surprise and joy that they discovered they were pregnant. When the baby was born, they never wanted to leave her with anyone else. They bought her all the best things, and surrounded her with every type of toy imaginable. As time wore on, people advised them to get out and leave their baby with someone else. Finally one day, they decided it was time to leave their child in the care of another, so they interviewed dozens of prospective babysitters, finally chose one, and made plans to spend a few hours together on a Friday night. The night arrived, and the couple lathered their baby in kisses and left. The whole time they were gone, they couldn't enjoy themselves, worrying about what could be happening with their baby. Finally after an hour, they headed home. As they entered their neighborhood, they heard sirens and saw smoke rising from their block. As they drew closer, they realized that it was THEIR home that was on fire. Frantically, they raced to their home and up to the group of firefighters. One was just stumbling out of the building, and they saw with relief that he was holding a baby-sized bundle wrapped in a blanket. As the firefighter emerged from the house, the entire building collapsed in flames behind him. The parents rushed over to the firefighter. "It's ok," he reassured them. "The babysitter told me about the baby, and I have your little girl." With tears of relief and sobs of thank you, the parents took the precious little bundle from the firefighter and unwrapped it...only to find a lifesize doll wrapped in their baby's blanket.
The firefighter got something that looked like the real thing, but wasn't really truly what he thought he had. In the judgment day many people will say to Jesus, "I am your child because I did good things for you!" But Jesus will only say, "You got something that looked like me, not me. Eternal life is knowing me."
Paul exhorts us in Second Corinthians 13:5 "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—" So how can we know whether we really 'have Christ' or just have somehing that looks like him? I John is an excellent book to look in for the answer to this question, since it claims that it is written to those who believe, so they may KNOW for certain that they have eternal life. "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may KNOW that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God." (I John 5:13) 'Know' is a key word in this book and is used 42 times.
First John has three tests for those who want to know whether they're saved: The doctrine test, the moral test, and the love test. We'll take a quick look at what John said about each test, then I have a link to a short video of a pastor explaining all this way better than I ever could.
First test: The doctrine test. Do I believe Jesus is God and also the Messiah, the Son of God sent to die for my sin? "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." I John 5:1 "Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ [Messiah]? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. If what you heard from the begining abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father, And this is the promise he has promised us-eternal life." (I John 2:22,24-25) "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." (I John 4:15) What's so significant about believing Jesus is God and also the Messiah? If Jesus was not fully God, He would not have been perfect. If He had not been perfect, His death would mean nothing to us: it would have no saving power. The only reason Jesus could pay for our sins, is because he had none of his own to pay for. Had he not been God and been a sinner, his death would have been what He deserved, and He would not have been able to be the substitute sacrifice for our sins. But what's this about a Messiah? Why do we have to believe that? The Messiah or Christ was the one God had promised since Adam who would come and die in the people's place, ending the animal sacrifices which were only a symbol of Jesus. If we don't believe Jesus was truly the Messiah, the one whose death paid for our sin so we don't have to, then we end up trying to pay our own way to heaven by being good enough, and that won't work. If I do not believe Jesus is God and Jesus is the Messiah who paid the punishment I deserved for my sins, I am not a Christian.
Second test: The Moral Test. Do I see a change in my desires and the way I live my life that has come as a result of what I believe about who Jesus is? "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar...But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in Him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk as He walked." (I John 2:3-6) "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God." (I John 3:9-10) I taught these verses every Saturday morning at camp this last summer. I always said that the key word in these last two verses was 'practice'. If you are practicing volleyball and try to serve the ball, and it hits the volleyball net and doesn't go over, it would be a dumb thing for me to say, "Oh, you must be playing basketball!" I can tell what you're practicing no matter how many times you mess up. In the same way, it should be clear in your life what you are practicing: sin or righteousness, no matter how many times you mess up. Check your desires. What is your deeper desire: to sin and enjoy the fun in it, or to please God and enjoy the lasting joy we will have in heaven? Does sin bother you or make you happy? One speaker this summer used the anology of what pigs and kittens do after you clean them. A pig jumps right back into the mud. He loves mud! But a kitten tries to stay clean, and even if she does get dirty, she cleans herself as quickly as possible. Same with a Christian and someone who is not a Christian. Someone who has not trusted Jesus for Salvation loves sin and has no desire to follow God and "stay clean", while those who HAVE trusted Jesus are those who John talks about in 3:3 "Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He [Jesus] is pure." If I do not see a change in my desires and the way I live my life that has come as a result of who I believe Jesus is, I am not a Christian.
Third Test: The Love Test. Does the way I live my life show that I have real, sacrificial love for others? "If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." (I John 4:20) "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death." (I John 3:14) "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (I John 4:7-8) "My little children, let us not love in word or tongue, but in action and in truth." (I John 3:18) These verses aren't just talking about saying we love people according to this last verse; they're asking us to show and PROVE we love them by our actions. Love is loving people even when it hurts us or even when they're different from us. But what does that really mean? How can we do that? God gave us all these commands we're supposed to follow AND on top of that He wants us to love people? Actually, the reason God gives commands in the Bible is just to explain what it means to love Him and love others. The first four of the 10 commandments teach us how to love God, and the last six teach us how to love others. Jesus taught this is Matthew 22:36-40 when he said that the greatest commandment is to love God, and the second greatest is to love others, then He said that all the laws in the Old Testament and things the prophets said are summed up by those two laws. John agrees-"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments." (I John 5:2-3) If I do not see new love for others and love for God in my life as a result of what I believe about Jesus, I am not a Christian.
When testing ourselves by the love and moral tests, we have to make sure to look at our desires (does sin make us happy or bother us?) and what we're 'practicing', since no once can follow God perfectly. How can we even follow God at all? I certainly don't have the strength to obey Him and love others. I John has the answer again! (If you couldn't tell before now, I love this book!) "We love Him because He first loved us. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him." (I John 4:9-11, 16, 19)
God's requirement for anyone to get to heaven is that they must live a perfect life. Unfortunately for us, we all mess up. But God loved us so much, He provided a way out of that mess- He sent Jesus! Jesus lived the perfect live we should've lived, then died a painful death, taking the punishment we deserved. Now if we trust His payment for our sin to be enough to get us to heaven, then turn from sin to follow Him, He will give us eternal life AND the desire and strength to follow and obey Him.
How does He do this? Through the power of the Holy Spirit! When we trust Jesus for Salvation, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us. I John 4:13 says, "By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." The Holy Spirit gives us the power and desire to obey God. He's the one who does the work in us, making us more like Jesus. When we realize just how great His love is for us and how it drove Him to make the ultimate sacrifice for us, loving Him becomes easier. Loving Him in action looks like loving the people He made, and loving the people He made looks like obeying His commands. But it all starts with what God does for us. We don't love God and others and obey Him to become a Christian and get to heaven, we love Him because He has saved us already. We are saved by trusting that Jesus' death on the cross was enough to get us to heaven, THEN we are driven to love God and live to please Him.
The word Christian means "little Christ." Christians are followers of God who look like little Christs. Here's what Jesus said about following Him:
"Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." Luke 14:25-33
Following Christ (being a Christian) is difficult. It requires sacrifice. But it is SO worth it, and it will be even more worth it when we finally reach heaven.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
N.T. Reflectons- Matthew 1
"Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah." Matthew 1:5-6
Every time I read the names in this section of the geneaology of Jesus, I am just amazed by the people and events God included in the ancestral line of Jesus. Rahab was a harlot. Ruth was not born a Jew, but grew up worshipping false gods. David committed adultery with Bathsheba (Solomon's mother) and killed her husband to cover his sin. Yet God used them all to bring His Son into the world. Why? Ultimately the answer lies in God's great grace, and the power of God's forgiveness based on their repentance.
Rahab's redemption began with fear of the God of the Israelites. She heard stories of the mighty wonders He had done for His children, and decided she'd rather be on this God's side and risk punishment or death from her government than be against this all-powerful God and be crushed anyways. Her fear led to faith, and her faith led to action- hiding the Israelite spies and sending them safely away. So great was her faith in the power of this God, that she risked everything to serve Him, and consequently her life was saved, she became part of the line of Jesus, and she is even mentioned in Hebrews 11- the hall of faith heroes.
Ruth's story of change begins with unusual circumstances. Elimilech and his family left their home in Bethlehem to travel to Moab, a city outside of God's promise land. Jewish law stated that this was not allowed unless buying and selling food became impossible. Nevertheless, Elimilech disobeyed God and moved there, taking his wife Naomi and two sons Mahlon and Chilion. While there, his two sons married Moabities (Ruth and Orpah), which was also against Hebrew law. Yet when Elimilech, Mahlon, and Chilion all died in Moab and Naomi left to return to Bethlehem, Ruth (although no longer bound by law to Naomi, and having received Naomi's blessing to remarry and stay in Moab) chose to go with Naomi so she could provide for her. "Your people will be my people," she declared, "and your God my God." We all know the rest of the story of how, in providing for Naomi, she meets Boaz, a relative in line to marry her and buy the family land. Ruth's choice of loyalty to Naomi and decision to leave her people and gods to serve Naomi and follow the God of Israel, although seeming to mean sacrifice for her, resulted in great blessing, and the placement of her into the line of Jesus.
David was called a man after God's own heart. But this certainly doesn't mean he never messed up. The most embarrassing sin that he wished to cover up was the one God chose to expose and use to bring Himself glory. David fell in love with a woman named Bathsheba while watching her bathe from his rooftop. Although he was warned that she was married, he sent and had her brought to his home where he lay with her. After discvering she was pregnant by him, he devised a plan to get rid of her husband so he could marry her and cover up the fact that he had gotten her pregnant when they weren't married. But God wasn't fooled. He sent the prophet Nathan to David to confront him of his sin in front of a whole courtyard of people. But rather than wallow in guilt, David was repentant and had godly sorrow over his sin, and thus we now have Psalm 51, the most beautiful prayer of repentance recorded in the Bible. The child Bathsheba bore did not live, but God sent her another child through David- Solomon, who became a part of the line of Jesus.
With all three of these people we see a life of sin, running away from God, but then we see a change- a turn towards following Him and away from sin. We see God's grace and powerful forgiveness in these lives as he redeems stories that would be hopeless without Him, and turns them into masterpieces from which he can showcase His glory.
But what if Rahab had feared the people of her city more than she feared God? What if Ruth had stayed inside her comfort zone with people and gods she knew? What if David had denied his sin or not taken it seriously that he had offended the God of the universe? Would God have been able to use their story for his glory?
Am I doing the same? Am I hindering God's work through my life by living in fear of others, staying inside my comfort zone, or not taking sin seriously? If so, what am I going to do about it? By God's grace, may MY response be the same as Rahab, Ruth and David- repentance and surrender to the God who can give any story true meaning and purpose, and a beautiful ending!
Every time I read the names in this section of the geneaology of Jesus, I am just amazed by the people and events God included in the ancestral line of Jesus. Rahab was a harlot. Ruth was not born a Jew, but grew up worshipping false gods. David committed adultery with Bathsheba (Solomon's mother) and killed her husband to cover his sin. Yet God used them all to bring His Son into the world. Why? Ultimately the answer lies in God's great grace, and the power of God's forgiveness based on their repentance.
Rahab's redemption began with fear of the God of the Israelites. She heard stories of the mighty wonders He had done for His children, and decided she'd rather be on this God's side and risk punishment or death from her government than be against this all-powerful God and be crushed anyways. Her fear led to faith, and her faith led to action- hiding the Israelite spies and sending them safely away. So great was her faith in the power of this God, that she risked everything to serve Him, and consequently her life was saved, she became part of the line of Jesus, and she is even mentioned in Hebrews 11- the hall of faith heroes.
Ruth's story of change begins with unusual circumstances. Elimilech and his family left their home in Bethlehem to travel to Moab, a city outside of God's promise land. Jewish law stated that this was not allowed unless buying and selling food became impossible. Nevertheless, Elimilech disobeyed God and moved there, taking his wife Naomi and two sons Mahlon and Chilion. While there, his two sons married Moabities (Ruth and Orpah), which was also against Hebrew law. Yet when Elimilech, Mahlon, and Chilion all died in Moab and Naomi left to return to Bethlehem, Ruth (although no longer bound by law to Naomi, and having received Naomi's blessing to remarry and stay in Moab) chose to go with Naomi so she could provide for her. "Your people will be my people," she declared, "and your God my God." We all know the rest of the story of how, in providing for Naomi, she meets Boaz, a relative in line to marry her and buy the family land. Ruth's choice of loyalty to Naomi and decision to leave her people and gods to serve Naomi and follow the God of Israel, although seeming to mean sacrifice for her, resulted in great blessing, and the placement of her into the line of Jesus.
David was called a man after God's own heart. But this certainly doesn't mean he never messed up. The most embarrassing sin that he wished to cover up was the one God chose to expose and use to bring Himself glory. David fell in love with a woman named Bathsheba while watching her bathe from his rooftop. Although he was warned that she was married, he sent and had her brought to his home where he lay with her. After discvering she was pregnant by him, he devised a plan to get rid of her husband so he could marry her and cover up the fact that he had gotten her pregnant when they weren't married. But God wasn't fooled. He sent the prophet Nathan to David to confront him of his sin in front of a whole courtyard of people. But rather than wallow in guilt, David was repentant and had godly sorrow over his sin, and thus we now have Psalm 51, the most beautiful prayer of repentance recorded in the Bible. The child Bathsheba bore did not live, but God sent her another child through David- Solomon, who became a part of the line of Jesus.
With all three of these people we see a life of sin, running away from God, but then we see a change- a turn towards following Him and away from sin. We see God's grace and powerful forgiveness in these lives as he redeems stories that would be hopeless without Him, and turns them into masterpieces from which he can showcase His glory.
But what if Rahab had feared the people of her city more than she feared God? What if Ruth had stayed inside her comfort zone with people and gods she knew? What if David had denied his sin or not taken it seriously that he had offended the God of the universe? Would God have been able to use their story for his glory?
Am I doing the same? Am I hindering God's work through my life by living in fear of others, staying inside my comfort zone, or not taking sin seriously? If so, what am I going to do about it? By God's grace, may MY response be the same as Rahab, Ruth and David- repentance and surrender to the God who can give any story true meaning and purpose, and a beautiful ending!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
I miss...
I miss camp.
I miss green apple slushies (without the lid) on paddle boat one-on-ones when junior highers apathetically claimed they “didn't care” what we did on our one-on-one so I get my way and we ended up in the middle of the lake where I could best concentrate on what they were saying.
I miss praying for God to give me love for my campers, then being (stupidly) shocked when He provided love every time.
I miss rubbing the back of a sobbing, homesick camper as I prayed with them or read them to sleep. I miss the hugs and tears and prayers and victory God gave.
I miss late night talks in the lobby of the cabin with the few brave campers who dared to venture out of bed with all other campers watching to come to me with questions about God and how to know Him.
I miss questions. “Is Jesus' last name Christ?” “How can I know if I'm truly a Christian?” “How can I follow God and live for Him?” “What must I do to be saved?” “How do we know God didn't create aliens on a far off planet?” “How do you know God is real?” “How can I trust God when my dad yells at me when He's drunk? Doesn't God see and care?” “If God loves everyone, does He love Satan, too?” “What does it look like to be a Christian?” “What if nothing changes when I go home and I can't live like a Christian even though I've trusted Jesus as my Savior this week?” “I have all these worries and fears...what do I do with them?”
I miss praying with campers in “prayer thumb” circles-at our meeting spot before meals and chapels, in the woods with a terrible bloody nose, at their bunks at night, in the lobby late at night, at two in the morning when they couldn't sleep, again at four in the morning when they still couldn't sleep, in the middle of the lake on a boat, in a circle before a game, in a circle with another tribe after winning the merit race, with a sister counselor before new campers arrived, in counselor circle...
I miss my campers who truly, truly loved God and desired to know Him more, and “sneakily” read their Bibles during cabin time.
I miss my campers who were searching for truth and asked all the right questions, yet never chose to make a decision in my presence.
I miss my first week tribe who patiently bore with me when I didn't know how to start a fire and ended up eating cold hot dogs.
I miss the way campers looked up to me as if I was some huge, spiritual giant that they wanted to emulate. I miss the way it humbled me and made me point them to Jesus who is the only perfect example of obedience to the Father.
I miss being the obnoxiously loud tribe.
I miss singing (and hearing!) 1 John 1:3-6 EVERYWHERE and at ALL times.
I miss not knowing how to be a good counselor, and feeling completely helpless, and being forced to completely rely on God, then see Him work miraculously and answer pray every time.
I miss junior campers who said the most HILARIOUS things! “What kind of pine tree do you think this is?” “A porcupine tree?”
I miss my tribe that begged to be read missionary stories.
I miss the tribe that utterly FAILED at anything even remotely close to being sports related, then made up cheers about being losers, complete with pyramids and other cheer maneuvers.
I miss the tribe that loved toasters...
I miss going to chapel every night and hearing God's Word be opened and taught.
I miss camp songs.
I miss my first week of counseling when I got a fish hook in my finger, had to leave camp to get a tetanus shot, had a clingy, homesick camper, got sick, and couldn't get the fire started on the cook out.
I miss campers' incessant questions and sneakily deceiving me into trying to tell them my age before Monday morning.
I miss teaching 1 John 1:3-6 in tribe talks every morning.
I miss smearing ketchup on some poor, unsuspecting campers' face every week on our action huddle.
I miss firebowl- the part of the week when I suddenly realized that all of my prayers and talks actually came to fruition, and God DID work, even though I couldn't always see it.
I miss asking my campers to pray for the overnight fires every week by name.
I miss sharing the gospel in every tribe talk, on every one-on-one and throughout every day, especially when someone shouted, “That's not fair!” The gospel is NOT fair, praise God!
I miss sitting in the lobby at night, talking to my sister counselor about our tribes and the gospel, and being angry at Satan and saddened for the eyes of campers whom he has blinded, then going to bed BEGGING God to unblind their eyes and let them see and understand their need for the glorious gospel and our wonderful Savior.
I miss the schedule and the routine and the “beautifully choreographed dance” that is the Camp Barakel system.
I miss the East Side.
I miss the feeling I always got right before I got a new tribe of campers-the sick nervousness that wore off into excitement as the summer went on.
I miss the MUD PIT!
I miss the “thrill” of acting on Barakel's Got Talent.
I miss the tech who could always memorize my campers' names before I could.
I miss sending campers out on TAWG during high school week.
I miss dramatically maneuvering my way through the Wonderful Wacky Wild World of the Barakel Wecandoits, and hearing my campers squeal in fear after a “sighting” of the Wecandoit creatures who like to pull you deep into their holes when you least expect it!
I miss painting my face with charcoal.
I miss the good conversations that happened around the fires on Thursday night.
I miss the fellowship with other counselors who loved God and loved their campers.
I miss being soaked in the Tug-o-matic EVERY week I was on E.S., and the campers who would apologize before they started pulling since they already knew I would get wet.
I miss being able to be as loud and fun and crazy and dramatic as I wanted, cuz campers loved it, and that was part of my job description.
I miss singing campers to sleep at night, then singing them awake again in the morning.
I miss losing my flip flops in the mud pit every week on East Side.
I miss over-obsessively head counting my campers.
I miss regularly scheduled meals.
I miss scaring my campers with the prospect of any love note they wrote being turned in to Jeremy Linsley and being read aloud to the counselors the following week, then seeing the thought process unfold in their heads as they chose to wisely avoid boys for the week.
I miss the “long” walks out to our cookout or campout and feeding campers “power pellets” to keep them moving.
I miss green apple slushies (without the lid) on paddle boat one-on-ones when junior highers apathetically claimed they “didn't care” what we did on our one-on-one so I get my way and we ended up in the middle of the lake where I could best concentrate on what they were saying.
I miss praying for God to give me love for my campers, then being (stupidly) shocked when He provided love every time.
I miss rubbing the back of a sobbing, homesick camper as I prayed with them or read them to sleep. I miss the hugs and tears and prayers and victory God gave.
I miss late night talks in the lobby of the cabin with the few brave campers who dared to venture out of bed with all other campers watching to come to me with questions about God and how to know Him.
I miss questions. “Is Jesus' last name Christ?” “How can I know if I'm truly a Christian?” “How can I follow God and live for Him?” “What must I do to be saved?” “How do we know God didn't create aliens on a far off planet?” “How do you know God is real?” “How can I trust God when my dad yells at me when He's drunk? Doesn't God see and care?” “If God loves everyone, does He love Satan, too?” “What does it look like to be a Christian?” “What if nothing changes when I go home and I can't live like a Christian even though I've trusted Jesus as my Savior this week?” “I have all these worries and fears...what do I do with them?”
I miss praying with campers in “prayer thumb” circles-at our meeting spot before meals and chapels, in the woods with a terrible bloody nose, at their bunks at night, in the lobby late at night, at two in the morning when they couldn't sleep, again at four in the morning when they still couldn't sleep, in the middle of the lake on a boat, in a circle before a game, in a circle with another tribe after winning the merit race, with a sister counselor before new campers arrived, in counselor circle...
I miss my campers who truly, truly loved God and desired to know Him more, and “sneakily” read their Bibles during cabin time.
I miss my campers who were searching for truth and asked all the right questions, yet never chose to make a decision in my presence.
I miss my first week tribe who patiently bore with me when I didn't know how to start a fire and ended up eating cold hot dogs.
I miss the way campers looked up to me as if I was some huge, spiritual giant that they wanted to emulate. I miss the way it humbled me and made me point them to Jesus who is the only perfect example of obedience to the Father.
I miss being the obnoxiously loud tribe.
I miss singing (and hearing!) 1 John 1:3-6 EVERYWHERE and at ALL times.
I miss not knowing how to be a good counselor, and feeling completely helpless, and being forced to completely rely on God, then see Him work miraculously and answer pray every time.
I miss junior campers who said the most HILARIOUS things! “What kind of pine tree do you think this is?” “A porcupine tree?”
I miss my tribe that begged to be read missionary stories.
I miss the tribe that utterly FAILED at anything even remotely close to being sports related, then made up cheers about being losers, complete with pyramids and other cheer maneuvers.
I miss the tribe that loved toasters...
I miss going to chapel every night and hearing God's Word be opened and taught.
I miss camp songs.
I miss my first week of counseling when I got a fish hook in my finger, had to leave camp to get a tetanus shot, had a clingy, homesick camper, got sick, and couldn't get the fire started on the cook out.
I miss campers' incessant questions and sneakily deceiving me into trying to tell them my age before Monday morning.
I miss teaching 1 John 1:3-6 in tribe talks every morning.
I miss smearing ketchup on some poor, unsuspecting campers' face every week on our action huddle.
I miss firebowl- the part of the week when I suddenly realized that all of my prayers and talks actually came to fruition, and God DID work, even though I couldn't always see it.
I miss asking my campers to pray for the overnight fires every week by name.
I miss sharing the gospel in every tribe talk, on every one-on-one and throughout every day, especially when someone shouted, “That's not fair!” The gospel is NOT fair, praise God!
I miss sitting in the lobby at night, talking to my sister counselor about our tribes and the gospel, and being angry at Satan and saddened for the eyes of campers whom he has blinded, then going to bed BEGGING God to unblind their eyes and let them see and understand their need for the glorious gospel and our wonderful Savior.
I miss the schedule and the routine and the “beautifully choreographed dance” that is the Camp Barakel system.
I miss the East Side.
I miss the feeling I always got right before I got a new tribe of campers-the sick nervousness that wore off into excitement as the summer went on.
I miss the MUD PIT!
I miss the “thrill” of acting on Barakel's Got Talent.
I miss the tech who could always memorize my campers' names before I could.
I miss sending campers out on TAWG during high school week.
I miss dramatically maneuvering my way through the Wonderful Wacky Wild World of the Barakel Wecandoits, and hearing my campers squeal in fear after a “sighting” of the Wecandoit creatures who like to pull you deep into their holes when you least expect it!
I miss painting my face with charcoal.
I miss the good conversations that happened around the fires on Thursday night.
I miss the fellowship with other counselors who loved God and loved their campers.
I miss being soaked in the Tug-o-matic EVERY week I was on E.S., and the campers who would apologize before they started pulling since they already knew I would get wet.
I miss being able to be as loud and fun and crazy and dramatic as I wanted, cuz campers loved it, and that was part of my job description.
I miss singing campers to sleep at night, then singing them awake again in the morning.
I miss losing my flip flops in the mud pit every week on East Side.
I miss over-obsessively head counting my campers.
I miss regularly scheduled meals.
I miss scaring my campers with the prospect of any love note they wrote being turned in to Jeremy Linsley and being read aloud to the counselors the following week, then seeing the thought process unfold in their heads as they chose to wisely avoid boys for the week.
I miss the “long” walks out to our cookout or campout and feeding campers “power pellets” to keep them moving.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Washington, D.C.
I thought I should write up a little summary (as if any summary can be little with me) of my trip to D.C. so I could share it with you all, so here it is-Enjoy!
First of all, before I start, I should say this: I've had three dreams for as long as I can remember. First- To participate in a major Bible memorization competition. Second- To visit Washington D.C. Third- (This dream not for as long) To meet one of my online friends I met through the forums on the CBH Ministries website four years ago.
K, so anyways, that out of the way. Wednesday morning, November 4, my family woke up at 3:30 AM to leave our house at four. We all piled into our van (my friend Susanna got to come with us. I was SO excited!) which had luggage packed to the ceiling, under the seats, and on our laps. We’d had the brilliant idea of borrowing my sister's GPS for the trip, and after we'd traveled for a half hour (yes, we DO live in the middle of nowhere) the satellites finally started picking up reception.
So far so good...
Well, not really...my brother James came down with a bad cold (fever, headache, etc.) the day before we left, and my brother Matthew woke up that morning with it. But life must go on, and we still headed off to D.C.
As the day wore on, I began to start developing a headache. I had slept literally an hour or two the night before at best, so I felt exhausted, too, but I couldn't sleep, and I wanted to just study, study, study so I didn't do terribly in testing the next day! My headache kept getting worse, but I kept studying. I was almost to the end of the second category passages, and had just begun quoting I Peter 3:9-12 when things started getting crazy.
We were about 20 minutes from the J.W. Marriott hotel when we found another van headed to The National Bible Bee. When the highway split, they went one way, and we the other. Ahhh, the GPS found a shortcut for us, right?
Ummm…
Yeaaa….
We found ourselves in some woods. Interesting for just outside our nation's capital. Theeeeennnn we started nearing the city (somehow I doubt we took a "shortcut") and the GPS lost satellite completely.
IN D.C.
IT LOST SATELLITE!
Apparently it doesn't do too well around tall buildings. So now we're lost, and when it finally DOES get signal, it says, "Recalculating!" over and over again as it tries to get us back to where we need to be. When we finally DID get back on track, there was this whole roundabout thing where we kept getting off at the wrong exit and of course the GPS could be heard "Recalculating" again!
Finally, we arrived at our destination...or so the GPS told us. There was just one slight problem- there was NO hotel, especially not the J.W. Marriott, where we were. That’s when we figured out we were really lost. My dad was getting REALLY annoyed by the constant "recalculating" at this point, AND the heavy traffic was NOT helping things, especially all the crazy D.C. drivers!
So as we're stopped at a traffic light, my mom rolls down the window and tries to get directions from this random security guard which D.C. seems to have PLENTY of. He told her to call information and ask for the hotel number.
Meanwhile, two things are happening. One: My sister Alisha has called my sister-in-law Laura who happens to be at home near a computer that can easily access maps. Two- my brother Matthew starts shouting, I guess a little louder than he's been the last few hours, that he needs a bathroom NOW!
So taxis are honking their horns, the GPS is recalculating, Mom's on the phone with the hotel, Alisha's on the phone with Laura, Matthew's shouting that he NEEDS a bathroom, and I'm STILL trying to get through I Peter 3:9-12.
Dad decided to stop in the MIDDLE of the street to let Matthew out (and just decides to stay there as traffic maneuvers around us), Mom got a NEW address from the hotel (apparently, we somehow had the zip code where the address number was supposed to be?) and Laura finds a D.C. map.
Yay! Happy ending, right?
Uh, yea...sure...NOT!!!
NOW the GPS is saying, "Turn right here," and Laura with a map is saying, "Turn left here."
AHHHHH!
An hour and a half later (I'll spare u the rest of the details) we arrived at the hotel. Dad dropped my mom and I off so we could register, cuz if I wasn't registered by a certain time, I was automatically eliminated from the competition. We walk inside and, lol, I don’t know if I can describe the scene I met...The lobby was immaculate-the chandeliers were the size of our van. BUT it's not the chandeliers I noticed first. It was the HOMESCHOOLERS! How do I know they were all homeschooled?
Well, clue number one was the fact that all the girls were wearing floor-length dresses.
Clue number two was that their hair fell past their waist...
Clue number three...well, they were all knitting.
Clue four…they all had ten kids. Ok not all, but it seemed like it! I felt like it was attack of the homeschool conservatives on this ritzy upscale hotel! And now I was suddenly feeling intimidated by the fact that I’d had dreams about such homeschoolers putting me to terrible shame at the Bible Bee!
I will have to say, though, that while the atmosphere was entirely conservative, and while I was afraid most of the contestants would be forced into this by their parents, the group was amazing. Every contestant I talked to was entirely THRILLED to be there and infatuated with the Bible.
We registered then left to go back to the van cuz my dad and brothers were staying across the Potomac River in Virginia cuz of the price difference. We got them settled in, then they drove us back.
Remember the GPS?
We relied on it for directions again...
Bad, bad, bad idea...
Next thing we knew, we were lost AGAIN! Funny thing...poor Matthew needed the bathroom AGAIN! So after a thousand "recalculating"s and random stopping on street corners to try to find a bathroom we FINALLY made it to the hotel.
Now I need to explain something else. My mom HATES the thought of eating out, so whenever we go anywhere, we bring our own food. We had two LARGE coolers, and about 5? 6? totes full of food. PLUS all our suitcases. We overflowed two bellhop carts AND all our arms were full. We eventually managed to get our luggage upstairs.
Remember my headache? It never left, but steadily got worse. After seeing all those homeschoolers, I was now studying with urgency, but after a little while, I couldn't even think, my head hurt so badly. At eight I went to bed, setting my alarm for 5:15 AM, and praying for God to take away my headache, allow me to sleep, and give me peace.
I woke up at 5:15 the next morning and my headache was completely gone! Praise God! I studied for the next hour and half then got ready for our first session that began (or was supposed to) at 7:45 PROMPTLY (with risk of elimination for late people).
The session was really cool, and included many of the sponsors of the National Bible Bee including the president of HSLDA, Patrick Henry College, founder of World Magazine, etc. Then they showed an awesome movie about the Bible Bee which u can actually watch...http://www.biblebee.org/nationals2009/videos.php
After that, during final instructions, they told us to be sure we wore our huge placard (picture the signs hung around National Spelling Bee competitors' necks) all day.
Ok...that was NEVER mentioned at registration. I knew there was NO way I was getting back up that elevator. There were a couple thousand people in the hotel. ALL of them LOVED the elevators. Sooo, wonderful Susanna came to the rescue and braved the looooooong lines to bring me my placard.
K...this is where the homeschoolers' traits started coming out. Soooo...there are 300 contestants, right? Now each of those 300 contestants had a registered parent who was to sign them in and out of testing rooms, then leave.
LEAVE!!
Did u get that? LEAVE!
300 contestants...2 parents and 10 siblings each...
I looked at the line waiting to get into the room and thought; "You know, we're never gonna make it into this room." I happened to find a way to squeeze into the room (they actually opened another door so two contestants at a time, not one, could sign in.) The room was full after fifteen minutes, and the crowd outside looked like no one had even entered. It was insane.
The Bible Bee staff kept calling out on their microphones, "Parents, please leave your children and exit the room. Say your goodbyes, and leave! Please! We CANNOT fit you all in this room!" SOME parents (and their ten children minus the one contestant) left.
Then the Bible Bee people realized the groups they had assigned us to for testing rooms were all screwed up. They had Seniors testing with Primaries and vice versa. We were NOT given the same study material, so that wouldn't have worked so well! They tried to rearrange the groups. Did I mention testing was SUPPOSED to have begun an hour and a half before this point?
Yea...then there was the whole problem of having all thee age groups scattered across this room. They finally got us semi-divided into groups, and began randomly taking people into testing rooms.
Theeeen...someone realized, "Oh, silly us, we have kids testing just above this room where these 300 contestants (and the random parents now disguised as contestants) are waiting, and naturally, they’re all talking."
OH! side note- The groups of people talking? Boy groups and girl groups. They were COMPLETELY separated. There was ONE group of a mixture of guys and girls, and they didn't even LOOK homeschooled! *gasp*
Anyways, for the next three hours, over and over and over again we heard "SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" randomly repeated over the loudspeakers.
BUT... Bright side-I met two cool girls who BOTH memorized from NKJV and it was amazing to be able to quote chapters in unison with them. ABSOLUTELY amazing! I can't explain how it felt to know we'd all worked hard at those verses and they'd encouraged all of us so now we could speak them to others.
I waited awhile, avoiding the eyes of the runners taking us to testing rooms and enjoying my time meeting the contestants and quoting with them, then realized God was giving me HIS perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3-4) and I needed to just go and get tested and not put it off. As I volunteered to be taken up for testing, I felt like I was signing my life over to meet my final fate, but oddly I wasn't really that nervous. I made it up to the testing room and the FIRST passage I was asked to quote, I HONESTLY thought the lady asked me to recite "2 Timothy 3:15-17" I was soooo excited cuz I knew that passage sooo well! I jumped right into it and finished with a loud, "2 Timothy 3:15-17".
The judges looked at each other with sick looks and I knew something was wrong. "I think u misheard her," one judge told me. All I could think was "What? No...that's what she said!" The judge repeated the reference for me.
"1 Timothy 1:15-17."
AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
I couldn't believe it, but they let me redo the passage. I was so grateful cuz a guy came in after me and did the same thing (although he repeated the 1 Timothy reference) and they didn't let him repeat it. I knew all four passages they asked me, and I also knew all four Bible knowledge questions. I felt great!
That afternoon the Bible Bee staff improved things from the chaos that had ensued all morning. After it had taken an hour and a half to get contestants into the testing room that morning, they decided to move us to the downstairs ballroom and tape off the sections so we were easily divided. OH! And parents were asked not to enter the room.
The first part of the afternoon was a written test. I felt confident cuz the one at locals was soooo easy. This is the part where God decided to teach me who to place my confidence in. The test was the hardest thing I'd ever encountered. I knew hardly ANYthing. I mean, seriously, who knows who drilled an underground well or something in the old Testament that was named after him and what other name Solomon was called by?
I made it through the test, thoroughly reminded that it is GOD who arms me with strength (Psalm 18:30). After the written test we went back to the ballroom and found a seat. I sat in the back row next to one of the girls I had quoted with that morning. I found out that the chair I was sitting in meant I would be the 300th contestant tested... Yay me! It was actually a fun afternoon. I'll admit. I even met a girl who knew my youth pastor's wife's cousin...weird...
Finally, after four hours of waiting, I was led up to the testing room and I sat in a chair outside the room, waiting to be called. A middle-aged African American man came to the door with a HUGE grin on his face and called me into the room. "What's your name?" He asked me. "Hannah? Hannah is a beautiful name. Hannah, do you know what your name means? Hannah means grace of God and comes from the Hebrew word _____. The origin of the word ____________. It was interesting that Hannah named her son Samuel which derived from the word ________ meaning__________. But anyways, Hannah, what is your favorite Bible passage?" He made me feel so comfortable and “at home”.
I named Philippians 3:7-10 in which Paul pleads to know God more.
Then the man said, "Well, Hannah, may I pray for u before we begin?" He began his prayer, and I have never heard a prayer so filled with Scripture. The first Bible passage he prayed for me was Philippians 3:7-10. I jerked my head up, astonished that he'd known those verses word perfect, but then, he proceeded to pray a dozen or so more various verses for me. It was amazing.
That oral round didn't go so well, and I had to pass two of my passages cuz I didn't know them at all. But that judge...wow...I'll never forget him. Especially after what happened next. After I had finished, the others in the room told me he had done the same thing for every one of them. He knew every passage they had named and prayed over 100 verses throughout the afternoon for different contestants.
When he talked, it was Scripture. He knew His Bible, and literally everything he said was the Bible. Someone asked him how he knew so much and he asked us to quote Malachi something or other that talks about giving God a tithe of everything we have. He told us that included our time, he believed, and since he became a Christian at age 18, he had spent at least 2 hours and 40 minutes every day reading the Bible. He reads the ENTIRE Bible through every 17 days.
EVERY 17 DAYS!
He has never sat down and tried to memorize, yet he knows most of the Bible by heart. I got his autograph! I'll never forget him and his challenge to us to do the same.
After dinner, we had "evening entertainment" which consisted of two VERY GOOD sermons by Alex and Brett Harris first about "Learning It!" then "Speaking it"! and "Living it!" which is the Bible Bee's motto (“it”, obviously being the Bible.) Brett's sermon was an incredible challenge to not just know what we know in our head, but know it in our hearts. It is possible to win the National Bible Bee and still go straight to hell. It is so possible. And sooo scary. Brett was crying by the time he finished his messgae and so was I, for that is what I've been so afraid of about this Bible Bee and AWANA at our chuch; that we fill kids' heads with knowledge about God and all the right answers, but in their hearts, they would never know the Savior.
Brett told us, "In fifteen minutes from now, you will know who is advancing to compete tomorrow. In fifteen hours from now, you will know who won the Bible Bee. In fifteen days from now, you will just be recovering from this event, and in fifteen years from now, no one will remember you were here." It scares me and makes my heart ache when I realize how much knowledge I am feeding my little kids at Awana every week, but how easy it is to skip right over to what it means to their heart.
After Alex and Brett’s messages, Joel Belz stood up to anounce the finalists, but instead of reading a list of names, he told us that like so many elections, there was a “precint in the left wing of the hotel” that had not sent in their test results. Apparently their scan tron machines were down for awhile, slowing down the grading process. To fill the time, Mr. Belz put Alex and Brett on the spot, allowing anyone in the room to ask them any question to which they must give an answer. That was pretty exciting!
I didn’t make it into the semi finals, but I felt like I’d won. Only 20 people advanced. The ones who advanced knew every passage mostly word perfect, which is saying a lot when nearly 2000 verses are involved. They were under intense pressure. I slept sooooo well that night! Friday, I listened to the Bible be recited from 8 AM to 6 PM.
The little kids reciting were ADORABLE! They spoke with such passion and knew their verses so well. I definitely recommend watching the video!
http://www.biblebee.org/nationals2009/webcast.php
K, so another little side note; I read one of the boy's (Truman Falkner) favorite Bible verse and why he loved the Bible Bee before going to D.C. and I was immediately amazed by what I could tell was an intense love for and devotion to God. I really wanted him to win.
Thursday, I tried to find him and eventually did. He was sitting in a chair with a Bible on his lap. A group of guys sat around him as he instructed them from the Bible. Then I really, really wanted him to win.
THEN I ended up in his testing group for the first oral round. He recited all the verses word perfect and answered all the knowledge questions correctly, so he was given a bonus question, which he also answered correctly. Then I really, really, really wanted him to win. Then I noticed that as we sat in the testing room as others were tested, instead of aimlessly looking around the room, his head was bowed (nearly hidden behind another chair) and his lips were moving in silent prayer the entire time.
He advanced to the second day! Then to the final round! His voice was completely gone, and all he could do was whisper. He didn’t win first place, but he took second.
The guy who took first place was the guy I dreamed about 6 months before the Bible Bee-the conservative homeschooler…Yes, I literally DID have a dream about him and my entire family recognized him from my dream description as he kept advancing throughout the competition.
The banquet was delayed for two hours, because tiebreaker rounds had to keep being held cuz the contestants knew all the verses word perfect!
Each contestant was given a certificate and "The Word of Promise" Audio dramatized Bible on CD at the banquet, which is proving to be a pretty amazing help! I got to meet the AWANA president and the former president of HSLDA at the banquet. However, I doubt they knew as much of the Bible as Truman did. Those winners are my new heroes, especially the little kids.
I stayed up until past 12:30 meeting other contestants and talking with them.
It was truly amazing. I met MANY godly young men and women who are already doing amazing things for God. One boy I met preaches every week at a church in Africa! He said they didn’t have a teacher and new converts were trying to teach the Bible which they did not know. Although he may be young, he knew the Bible, so he was asked to preach. I could see his passions for Africa as he told us of the beliefs they had and how mighty Jesus is to save them. He explained their entire belief system and how to combat it with the Bible.
Then my mom made me go to bed. I doubt I'll ever see any of the contestants again, but this has definitely had a big impact on my life.
The next three days as we toured the city and visited places I’d only dreamed of seeing like Ford’s Theater, the Washington Monument, the White House, The Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson’s Memorial, Theodore Roosevelt Island, Arlington Cemetery, and many Smithsonian museums, I couldn’t help but think how useless the touring was. Compared to learning, speaking, and living the Bible, touring seemed tasteless now.
We were looking at dead people’s statues, dead people’s tombstones, and hearing dead people’s stories. All those were huge reminders to me that the other tourists we came into contact with would soon be dead. I would soon be dead. What am I doing here on earth that will last? Am I building on the true foundation, Jesus Christ, and what am I building on it? Gold, silver and precious stones or wood, hay and straw? When my works are tested by fire in the day of judgment, will they stand? God really challenged me with those thoughts.
There were actually two more neat things that happened in D.C. One- I was interviewed by someone from the Washington D.C. Public Library about the National Bible Bee and Martin Luther King Jr. (pretty sure those have hardly any connection), and I got to share the gospel on a DVD that will be played in that library!
Two-Remember my third dream? Randomly, a week before we left, Hosanna, one of my good online friends, mentioned that I'd only be two hours from her. I randomly (jokingly) mentioned that it'd be nice to meet. She randomly (seriously) replied back that her mom thought she should. Ok...so background info; we actually haven't talked much in the last year, but before that we talked a LOT. Anyways, the people she had plans with that day which hindered her from immediately jumping at it, cancelled on her, and she ended up making the drive and spending the afternoon with my family! It wasn't even awkward as I'd imagined!
So, yea...one week...three dreams...one AMAZING God! Isn’t it cool that of all the vastness of the universe and the intricacies of creation God would take time to write in my story an amazing week including the fulfilling of my three dreams? God is so amazing and good!
Now how’s that for a short summary?
First of all, before I start, I should say this: I've had three dreams for as long as I can remember. First- To participate in a major Bible memorization competition. Second- To visit Washington D.C. Third- (This dream not for as long) To meet one of my online friends I met through the forums on the CBH Ministries website four years ago.
K, so anyways, that out of the way. Wednesday morning, November 4, my family woke up at 3:30 AM to leave our house at four. We all piled into our van (my friend Susanna got to come with us. I was SO excited!) which had luggage packed to the ceiling, under the seats, and on our laps. We’d had the brilliant idea of borrowing my sister's GPS for the trip, and after we'd traveled for a half hour (yes, we DO live in the middle of nowhere) the satellites finally started picking up reception.
So far so good...
Well, not really...my brother James came down with a bad cold (fever, headache, etc.) the day before we left, and my brother Matthew woke up that morning with it. But life must go on, and we still headed off to D.C.
As the day wore on, I began to start developing a headache. I had slept literally an hour or two the night before at best, so I felt exhausted, too, but I couldn't sleep, and I wanted to just study, study, study so I didn't do terribly in testing the next day! My headache kept getting worse, but I kept studying. I was almost to the end of the second category passages, and had just begun quoting I Peter 3:9-12 when things started getting crazy.
We were about 20 minutes from the J.W. Marriott hotel when we found another van headed to The National Bible Bee. When the highway split, they went one way, and we the other. Ahhh, the GPS found a shortcut for us, right?
Ummm…
Yeaaa….
We found ourselves in some woods. Interesting for just outside our nation's capital. Theeeeennnn we started nearing the city (somehow I doubt we took a "shortcut") and the GPS lost satellite completely.
IN D.C.
IT LOST SATELLITE!
Apparently it doesn't do too well around tall buildings. So now we're lost, and when it finally DOES get signal, it says, "Recalculating!" over and over again as it tries to get us back to where we need to be. When we finally DID get back on track, there was this whole roundabout thing where we kept getting off at the wrong exit and of course the GPS could be heard "Recalculating" again!
Finally, we arrived at our destination...or so the GPS told us. There was just one slight problem- there was NO hotel, especially not the J.W. Marriott, where we were. That’s when we figured out we were really lost. My dad was getting REALLY annoyed by the constant "recalculating" at this point, AND the heavy traffic was NOT helping things, especially all the crazy D.C. drivers!
So as we're stopped at a traffic light, my mom rolls down the window and tries to get directions from this random security guard which D.C. seems to have PLENTY of. He told her to call information and ask for the hotel number.
Meanwhile, two things are happening. One: My sister Alisha has called my sister-in-law Laura who happens to be at home near a computer that can easily access maps. Two- my brother Matthew starts shouting, I guess a little louder than he's been the last few hours, that he needs a bathroom NOW!
So taxis are honking their horns, the GPS is recalculating, Mom's on the phone with the hotel, Alisha's on the phone with Laura, Matthew's shouting that he NEEDS a bathroom, and I'm STILL trying to get through I Peter 3:9-12.
Dad decided to stop in the MIDDLE of the street to let Matthew out (and just decides to stay there as traffic maneuvers around us), Mom got a NEW address from the hotel (apparently, we somehow had the zip code where the address number was supposed to be?) and Laura finds a D.C. map.
Yay! Happy ending, right?
Uh, yea...sure...NOT!!!
NOW the GPS is saying, "Turn right here," and Laura with a map is saying, "Turn left here."
AHHHHH!
An hour and a half later (I'll spare u the rest of the details) we arrived at the hotel. Dad dropped my mom and I off so we could register, cuz if I wasn't registered by a certain time, I was automatically eliminated from the competition. We walk inside and, lol, I don’t know if I can describe the scene I met...The lobby was immaculate-the chandeliers were the size of our van. BUT it's not the chandeliers I noticed first. It was the HOMESCHOOLERS! How do I know they were all homeschooled?
Well, clue number one was the fact that all the girls were wearing floor-length dresses.
Clue number two was that their hair fell past their waist...
Clue number three...well, they were all knitting.
Clue four…they all had ten kids. Ok not all, but it seemed like it! I felt like it was attack of the homeschool conservatives on this ritzy upscale hotel! And now I was suddenly feeling intimidated by the fact that I’d had dreams about such homeschoolers putting me to terrible shame at the Bible Bee!
I will have to say, though, that while the atmosphere was entirely conservative, and while I was afraid most of the contestants would be forced into this by their parents, the group was amazing. Every contestant I talked to was entirely THRILLED to be there and infatuated with the Bible.
We registered then left to go back to the van cuz my dad and brothers were staying across the Potomac River in Virginia cuz of the price difference. We got them settled in, then they drove us back.
Remember the GPS?
We relied on it for directions again...
Bad, bad, bad idea...
Next thing we knew, we were lost AGAIN! Funny thing...poor Matthew needed the bathroom AGAIN! So after a thousand "recalculating"s and random stopping on street corners to try to find a bathroom we FINALLY made it to the hotel.
Now I need to explain something else. My mom HATES the thought of eating out, so whenever we go anywhere, we bring our own food. We had two LARGE coolers, and about 5? 6? totes full of food. PLUS all our suitcases. We overflowed two bellhop carts AND all our arms were full. We eventually managed to get our luggage upstairs.
Remember my headache? It never left, but steadily got worse. After seeing all those homeschoolers, I was now studying with urgency, but after a little while, I couldn't even think, my head hurt so badly. At eight I went to bed, setting my alarm for 5:15 AM, and praying for God to take away my headache, allow me to sleep, and give me peace.
I woke up at 5:15 the next morning and my headache was completely gone! Praise God! I studied for the next hour and half then got ready for our first session that began (or was supposed to) at 7:45 PROMPTLY (with risk of elimination for late people).
The session was really cool, and included many of the sponsors of the National Bible Bee including the president of HSLDA, Patrick Henry College, founder of World Magazine, etc. Then they showed an awesome movie about the Bible Bee which u can actually watch...http://www.biblebee.org/nationals2009/videos.php
After that, during final instructions, they told us to be sure we wore our huge placard (picture the signs hung around National Spelling Bee competitors' necks) all day.
Ok...that was NEVER mentioned at registration. I knew there was NO way I was getting back up that elevator. There were a couple thousand people in the hotel. ALL of them LOVED the elevators. Sooo, wonderful Susanna came to the rescue and braved the looooooong lines to bring me my placard.
K...this is where the homeschoolers' traits started coming out. Soooo...there are 300 contestants, right? Now each of those 300 contestants had a registered parent who was to sign them in and out of testing rooms, then leave.
LEAVE!!
Did u get that? LEAVE!
300 contestants...2 parents and 10 siblings each...
I looked at the line waiting to get into the room and thought; "You know, we're never gonna make it into this room." I happened to find a way to squeeze into the room (they actually opened another door so two contestants at a time, not one, could sign in.) The room was full after fifteen minutes, and the crowd outside looked like no one had even entered. It was insane.
The Bible Bee staff kept calling out on their microphones, "Parents, please leave your children and exit the room. Say your goodbyes, and leave! Please! We CANNOT fit you all in this room!" SOME parents (and their ten children minus the one contestant) left.
Then the Bible Bee people realized the groups they had assigned us to for testing rooms were all screwed up. They had Seniors testing with Primaries and vice versa. We were NOT given the same study material, so that wouldn't have worked so well! They tried to rearrange the groups. Did I mention testing was SUPPOSED to have begun an hour and a half before this point?
Yea...then there was the whole problem of having all thee age groups scattered across this room. They finally got us semi-divided into groups, and began randomly taking people into testing rooms.
Theeeen...someone realized, "Oh, silly us, we have kids testing just above this room where these 300 contestants (and the random parents now disguised as contestants) are waiting, and naturally, they’re all talking."
OH! side note- The groups of people talking? Boy groups and girl groups. They were COMPLETELY separated. There was ONE group of a mixture of guys and girls, and they didn't even LOOK homeschooled! *gasp*
Anyways, for the next three hours, over and over and over again we heard "SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" randomly repeated over the loudspeakers.
BUT... Bright side-I met two cool girls who BOTH memorized from NKJV and it was amazing to be able to quote chapters in unison with them. ABSOLUTELY amazing! I can't explain how it felt to know we'd all worked hard at those verses and they'd encouraged all of us so now we could speak them to others.
I waited awhile, avoiding the eyes of the runners taking us to testing rooms and enjoying my time meeting the contestants and quoting with them, then realized God was giving me HIS perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3-4) and I needed to just go and get tested and not put it off. As I volunteered to be taken up for testing, I felt like I was signing my life over to meet my final fate, but oddly I wasn't really that nervous. I made it up to the testing room and the FIRST passage I was asked to quote, I HONESTLY thought the lady asked me to recite "2 Timothy 3:15-17" I was soooo excited cuz I knew that passage sooo well! I jumped right into it and finished with a loud, "2 Timothy 3:15-17".
The judges looked at each other with sick looks and I knew something was wrong. "I think u misheard her," one judge told me. All I could think was "What? No...that's what she said!" The judge repeated the reference for me.
"1 Timothy 1:15-17."
AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
I couldn't believe it, but they let me redo the passage. I was so grateful cuz a guy came in after me and did the same thing (although he repeated the 1 Timothy reference) and they didn't let him repeat it. I knew all four passages they asked me, and I also knew all four Bible knowledge questions. I felt great!
That afternoon the Bible Bee staff improved things from the chaos that had ensued all morning. After it had taken an hour and a half to get contestants into the testing room that morning, they decided to move us to the downstairs ballroom and tape off the sections so we were easily divided. OH! And parents were asked not to enter the room.
The first part of the afternoon was a written test. I felt confident cuz the one at locals was soooo easy. This is the part where God decided to teach me who to place my confidence in. The test was the hardest thing I'd ever encountered. I knew hardly ANYthing. I mean, seriously, who knows who drilled an underground well or something in the old Testament that was named after him and what other name Solomon was called by?
I made it through the test, thoroughly reminded that it is GOD who arms me with strength (Psalm 18:30). After the written test we went back to the ballroom and found a seat. I sat in the back row next to one of the girls I had quoted with that morning. I found out that the chair I was sitting in meant I would be the 300th contestant tested... Yay me! It was actually a fun afternoon. I'll admit. I even met a girl who knew my youth pastor's wife's cousin...weird...
Finally, after four hours of waiting, I was led up to the testing room and I sat in a chair outside the room, waiting to be called. A middle-aged African American man came to the door with a HUGE grin on his face and called me into the room. "What's your name?" He asked me. "Hannah? Hannah is a beautiful name. Hannah, do you know what your name means? Hannah means grace of God and comes from the Hebrew word _____. The origin of the word ____________. It was interesting that Hannah named her son Samuel which derived from the word ________ meaning__________. But anyways, Hannah, what is your favorite Bible passage?" He made me feel so comfortable and “at home”.
I named Philippians 3:7-10 in which Paul pleads to know God more.
Then the man said, "Well, Hannah, may I pray for u before we begin?" He began his prayer, and I have never heard a prayer so filled with Scripture. The first Bible passage he prayed for me was Philippians 3:7-10. I jerked my head up, astonished that he'd known those verses word perfect, but then, he proceeded to pray a dozen or so more various verses for me. It was amazing.
That oral round didn't go so well, and I had to pass two of my passages cuz I didn't know them at all. But that judge...wow...I'll never forget him. Especially after what happened next. After I had finished, the others in the room told me he had done the same thing for every one of them. He knew every passage they had named and prayed over 100 verses throughout the afternoon for different contestants.
When he talked, it was Scripture. He knew His Bible, and literally everything he said was the Bible. Someone asked him how he knew so much and he asked us to quote Malachi something or other that talks about giving God a tithe of everything we have. He told us that included our time, he believed, and since he became a Christian at age 18, he had spent at least 2 hours and 40 minutes every day reading the Bible. He reads the ENTIRE Bible through every 17 days.
EVERY 17 DAYS!
He has never sat down and tried to memorize, yet he knows most of the Bible by heart. I got his autograph! I'll never forget him and his challenge to us to do the same.
After dinner, we had "evening entertainment" which consisted of two VERY GOOD sermons by Alex and Brett Harris first about "Learning It!" then "Speaking it"! and "Living it!" which is the Bible Bee's motto (“it”, obviously being the Bible.) Brett's sermon was an incredible challenge to not just know what we know in our head, but know it in our hearts. It is possible to win the National Bible Bee and still go straight to hell. It is so possible. And sooo scary. Brett was crying by the time he finished his messgae and so was I, for that is what I've been so afraid of about this Bible Bee and AWANA at our chuch; that we fill kids' heads with knowledge about God and all the right answers, but in their hearts, they would never know the Savior.
Brett told us, "In fifteen minutes from now, you will know who is advancing to compete tomorrow. In fifteen hours from now, you will know who won the Bible Bee. In fifteen days from now, you will just be recovering from this event, and in fifteen years from now, no one will remember you were here." It scares me and makes my heart ache when I realize how much knowledge I am feeding my little kids at Awana every week, but how easy it is to skip right over to what it means to their heart.
After Alex and Brett’s messages, Joel Belz stood up to anounce the finalists, but instead of reading a list of names, he told us that like so many elections, there was a “precint in the left wing of the hotel” that had not sent in their test results. Apparently their scan tron machines were down for awhile, slowing down the grading process. To fill the time, Mr. Belz put Alex and Brett on the spot, allowing anyone in the room to ask them any question to which they must give an answer. That was pretty exciting!
I didn’t make it into the semi finals, but I felt like I’d won. Only 20 people advanced. The ones who advanced knew every passage mostly word perfect, which is saying a lot when nearly 2000 verses are involved. They were under intense pressure. I slept sooooo well that night! Friday, I listened to the Bible be recited from 8 AM to 6 PM.
The little kids reciting were ADORABLE! They spoke with such passion and knew their verses so well. I definitely recommend watching the video!
http://www.biblebee.org/nationals2009/webcast.php
K, so another little side note; I read one of the boy's (Truman Falkner) favorite Bible verse and why he loved the Bible Bee before going to D.C. and I was immediately amazed by what I could tell was an intense love for and devotion to God. I really wanted him to win.
Thursday, I tried to find him and eventually did. He was sitting in a chair with a Bible on his lap. A group of guys sat around him as he instructed them from the Bible. Then I really, really wanted him to win.
THEN I ended up in his testing group for the first oral round. He recited all the verses word perfect and answered all the knowledge questions correctly, so he was given a bonus question, which he also answered correctly. Then I really, really, really wanted him to win. Then I noticed that as we sat in the testing room as others were tested, instead of aimlessly looking around the room, his head was bowed (nearly hidden behind another chair) and his lips were moving in silent prayer the entire time.
He advanced to the second day! Then to the final round! His voice was completely gone, and all he could do was whisper. He didn’t win first place, but he took second.
The guy who took first place was the guy I dreamed about 6 months before the Bible Bee-the conservative homeschooler…Yes, I literally DID have a dream about him and my entire family recognized him from my dream description as he kept advancing throughout the competition.
The banquet was delayed for two hours, because tiebreaker rounds had to keep being held cuz the contestants knew all the verses word perfect!
Each contestant was given a certificate and "The Word of Promise" Audio dramatized Bible on CD at the banquet, which is proving to be a pretty amazing help! I got to meet the AWANA president and the former president of HSLDA at the banquet. However, I doubt they knew as much of the Bible as Truman did. Those winners are my new heroes, especially the little kids.
I stayed up until past 12:30 meeting other contestants and talking with them.
It was truly amazing. I met MANY godly young men and women who are already doing amazing things for God. One boy I met preaches every week at a church in Africa! He said they didn’t have a teacher and new converts were trying to teach the Bible which they did not know. Although he may be young, he knew the Bible, so he was asked to preach. I could see his passions for Africa as he told us of the beliefs they had and how mighty Jesus is to save them. He explained their entire belief system and how to combat it with the Bible.
Then my mom made me go to bed. I doubt I'll ever see any of the contestants again, but this has definitely had a big impact on my life.
The next three days as we toured the city and visited places I’d only dreamed of seeing like Ford’s Theater, the Washington Monument, the White House, The Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson’s Memorial, Theodore Roosevelt Island, Arlington Cemetery, and many Smithsonian museums, I couldn’t help but think how useless the touring was. Compared to learning, speaking, and living the Bible, touring seemed tasteless now.
We were looking at dead people’s statues, dead people’s tombstones, and hearing dead people’s stories. All those were huge reminders to me that the other tourists we came into contact with would soon be dead. I would soon be dead. What am I doing here on earth that will last? Am I building on the true foundation, Jesus Christ, and what am I building on it? Gold, silver and precious stones or wood, hay and straw? When my works are tested by fire in the day of judgment, will they stand? God really challenged me with those thoughts.
There were actually two more neat things that happened in D.C. One- I was interviewed by someone from the Washington D.C. Public Library about the National Bible Bee and Martin Luther King Jr. (pretty sure those have hardly any connection), and I got to share the gospel on a DVD that will be played in that library!
Two-Remember my third dream? Randomly, a week before we left, Hosanna, one of my good online friends, mentioned that I'd only be two hours from her. I randomly (jokingly) mentioned that it'd be nice to meet. She randomly (seriously) replied back that her mom thought she should. Ok...so background info; we actually haven't talked much in the last year, but before that we talked a LOT. Anyways, the people she had plans with that day which hindered her from immediately jumping at it, cancelled on her, and she ended up making the drive and spending the afternoon with my family! It wasn't even awkward as I'd imagined!
So, yea...one week...three dreams...one AMAZING God! Isn’t it cool that of all the vastness of the universe and the intricacies of creation God would take time to write in my story an amazing week including the fulfilling of my three dreams? God is so amazing and good!
Now how’s that for a short summary?
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Right or wrong?
I’ve recently found my mind dwelling on a topic. It has dominated my conversations in the past week and kept me up (one night) to 3:30 the following morning in my pursuit to the answer to my question. I think, in some obscure ways, the question has been on my mind for years, but recently, it’s been staring me in the face in a way it never has. It has become more personal, and as a result, I’ve been on edge about anything remotely close to the topic surrounding my question.
The question jumped in front of me about a week ago, and I jumped up with an answer before truly thinking about what I was saying. After I’d contemplated what I’d just said, I realized the implications of what I’d just said were far deeper than I’d originally imagined.
But now I suppose I’m getting ahead of myself. “What’s the question?” you scream. Ok, ok; calm down! My question is this; where do you draw the line between what is right and wrong when it comes to media, and do the same standards apply to everyone? How far can we actually go in listening to and watching media that only glorifies Christ? All movies are created by sinful people and therefore tend to include sinful practices. Even in the most family-friendly movies we see the characters sinning, and their sin brushed off as good because of the outcome it brings in the end. How is that avoiding ‘every appearance of evil’ as we are encouraged to do in Scripture?
One afternoon last week, I began discussing with a friend the topic of a certain popular movie that has been recently released. Many of my friends had fallen in love with the film and its characters, while I’d also heard others rail against the film and condemn it as a wrong, sinful movie, unfit for Christians to see. I was curious why my friend had enjoyed the film, so I was glad when she began to elaborate. She told me of the many biblical parallels she found throughout the movie, and how encouraging the movie had been to her commitment to save herself completely for her future husband. I was amused and a bit shocked since I’d heard the exact opposite from other Christians. I was confused as to how one Christian could uphold the movie as good and another denounce it as sinful. Was someone lying to me or unjustly prejudiced about the film?
A few days later, I happened upon the topic of that same recently released movie with another friend. She had not seen the movie, but was certain she would hate it since her boyfriend had told her it was not a pure movie. She then directed all my comments to her boyfriend, and we began discussing the movie. He told me right off the bat that the movie was inappropriate for Christians to see as it represented the embodiment of sin and included other inappropriate behavior by the characters. We didn’t end up talking to much about the film after his initial comments because we were derailed onto a subject that was only a subtopic of the movie.
However, we were then quickly pulled into another discussion about music genres in which he said, “People portray using rock music as being okay if it's about God and spiritual things. But labeling something like rap as "Christian" doesn't make rap any better.” Interesting. I immediately disagreed, arguing that the style of the music doesn’t make it bad, but the words and message behind the songs. I don’t listen to secular music; only Christian music with God-honoring lyrics. But he was arguing that even some supposedly “Christian songs” were bad because of the style of music. The second part of the question I had been pondering crossed my mind. Can something truly be right for one person and wrong for another? Why did grey areas like this create so much confusion?
I sat down the next day and tried to come to a conclusion on the matter. Does all this mean we should only watch Christian moves and listen to Christian hymns? Is that the only way to avoid the pitfalls of watching and inadvertently buying into the unbiblical message the writer is ‘preaching’?
Hmmm…maybe we should start by defining Christian media. I was listening to a sermon by Matt Chandler as I did the dishes and vacuumed the house this morning, and found something he said to be particularly helpful. “I find the idea of Christian music to be humorous. Music can not be Christian; it does not have a soul. It can’t get saved. Music is music…the very serious matter of following Christ looks like this: Find the things that stir your affections for Christ and saturate your life in them. And find the things that rob you of that affection and walk away from them. That’s the Christian life as easy as I can make it for you.” Movies are amoral. Music is amoral. Hmmm, then maybe something CAN be right for one person and wrong for another. That movie brought one friend closer to God and drew another away from Him. Certain styles of music draw me closer to God while drawing others away from Him. How that is possible, I don’t distinctly understand; however, the apostle Paul tries to explain this for us in Romans chapter 14.
1 Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.
2 One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.
Ok let’s (as Matt Chandler so commonly says) unpack this. The foods discussed here are the unclean animals discussed in the Old Testament, correct? Some Christians were still living under the requirement of the law that said they should abstain from certain unclean animals, and Paul said that was ok. Other Christians were living apart from the law and eating those animals, and Paul said that this too was ok. Both were ok as long as they were done in faith. Why was it ok for one to eat a certain food and another to abstain from it? Because eating or abstaining from eating that food stirred their passion for Christ:
5 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
I think Paul’s key point here is that we should do all things with thanksgiving to God. If attending church on one day over another creates in us more vibrant worship of Jesus, we should chase after that. If eating certain foods cause us to take our focus off Jesus, we should avoid that. The same thing goes for the kind of music and movies we allow ourselves to come under the influence. If something stirs our affections for Jesus, we should follow that and enjoy it. If it distracts us from Him, it has to be removed from our lives. We need to be fully convinced in our own minds that what we are doing is bringing us into closer communion with Christ.
14 As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.
22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.
23 But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
God created all food. Food is not unclean; however, if you’re struggling because you’re unsure whether the food will create worship and thanksgiving for Christ in you, by all means, abstain from the food. Once again, we see the same application for media. For one, a movie does not stir in them affections for Jesus but directs them to focus on themselves or the world, but to another, that same movie is vibrant with biblical parallels that encourage and strengthen their relationship with Christ. Each one must watch or abstain from that movie in faith, knowing the reaction of their own heart.
3 The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.
4 Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
10 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat.
13a Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another.
Paul knew the sinful tendency we all have to compare our lives to others. “My walk with Christ is stronger than theirs because I don’t listen to a certain type of music,” we may be tempted to say. Or maybe, “They’re walking in legalism! Never in the Bible does it say that we should avoid certain types of music!” But Paul warns us to examine our own lives and not to judge what others are doing. God will judge each in the end; He doesn’t need our help. I like how Paul finishes verses 13 and transitions into his next main topic.
13b Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.
15 If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died.
20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.
21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
No food (or type of music) is inherently sinful by itself; however, if because we are eating it, listening to it, etc, we are causing a fellow Christian to desire it even though they know it will rob them of their affections for Jesus, then we should abstain from doing that or speaking of that while we are around them.
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
This is the final guideline Paul places on Christians concerning this matter; if it causes division or fighting, just stay away from it. Our focus should not be on the activity itself, but on the joy and intimacy with Christ it produces within us.
Paul said, “I count everything loss compared to knowing Christ.” Matt Chandler paraphrases this: “The question’s not ‘Is it right or is it wrong?’” But rather, ‘Does it get me more of Christ, or does it rob my awareness of Him?’ That’s how Paul lived his life. He’d say, ‘I count that as loss. I’m not interested in that. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s ok to do it. When I do it, it robs me, so I’ll have nothing to do with it.’”
What if we viewed all of life with that kind of attitude? What if instead of searching Scripture to find what is right and wrong (and end up stumped on all the ‘grey issues’ not clearly outlined in the Bible) we simply asked ourselves whether something would bring us closer to God or draw us away from Him? What if we stopped judging other Christians by what they did or didn’t do on controversial issues, but instead followed what we know Christ wants for us and sought peace in our relationships with others? Just a little something to chew on and ponder...
The question jumped in front of me about a week ago, and I jumped up with an answer before truly thinking about what I was saying. After I’d contemplated what I’d just said, I realized the implications of what I’d just said were far deeper than I’d originally imagined.
But now I suppose I’m getting ahead of myself. “What’s the question?” you scream. Ok, ok; calm down! My question is this; where do you draw the line between what is right and wrong when it comes to media, and do the same standards apply to everyone? How far can we actually go in listening to and watching media that only glorifies Christ? All movies are created by sinful people and therefore tend to include sinful practices. Even in the most family-friendly movies we see the characters sinning, and their sin brushed off as good because of the outcome it brings in the end. How is that avoiding ‘every appearance of evil’ as we are encouraged to do in Scripture?
One afternoon last week, I began discussing with a friend the topic of a certain popular movie that has been recently released. Many of my friends had fallen in love with the film and its characters, while I’d also heard others rail against the film and condemn it as a wrong, sinful movie, unfit for Christians to see. I was curious why my friend had enjoyed the film, so I was glad when she began to elaborate. She told me of the many biblical parallels she found throughout the movie, and how encouraging the movie had been to her commitment to save herself completely for her future husband. I was amused and a bit shocked since I’d heard the exact opposite from other Christians. I was confused as to how one Christian could uphold the movie as good and another denounce it as sinful. Was someone lying to me or unjustly prejudiced about the film?
A few days later, I happened upon the topic of that same recently released movie with another friend. She had not seen the movie, but was certain she would hate it since her boyfriend had told her it was not a pure movie. She then directed all my comments to her boyfriend, and we began discussing the movie. He told me right off the bat that the movie was inappropriate for Christians to see as it represented the embodiment of sin and included other inappropriate behavior by the characters. We didn’t end up talking to much about the film after his initial comments because we were derailed onto a subject that was only a subtopic of the movie.
However, we were then quickly pulled into another discussion about music genres in which he said, “People portray using rock music as being okay if it's about God and spiritual things. But labeling something like rap as "Christian" doesn't make rap any better.” Interesting. I immediately disagreed, arguing that the style of the music doesn’t make it bad, but the words and message behind the songs. I don’t listen to secular music; only Christian music with God-honoring lyrics. But he was arguing that even some supposedly “Christian songs” were bad because of the style of music. The second part of the question I had been pondering crossed my mind. Can something truly be right for one person and wrong for another? Why did grey areas like this create so much confusion?
I sat down the next day and tried to come to a conclusion on the matter. Does all this mean we should only watch Christian moves and listen to Christian hymns? Is that the only way to avoid the pitfalls of watching and inadvertently buying into the unbiblical message the writer is ‘preaching’?
Hmmm…maybe we should start by defining Christian media. I was listening to a sermon by Matt Chandler as I did the dishes and vacuumed the house this morning, and found something he said to be particularly helpful. “I find the idea of Christian music to be humorous. Music can not be Christian; it does not have a soul. It can’t get saved. Music is music…the very serious matter of following Christ looks like this: Find the things that stir your affections for Christ and saturate your life in them. And find the things that rob you of that affection and walk away from them. That’s the Christian life as easy as I can make it for you.” Movies are amoral. Music is amoral. Hmmm, then maybe something CAN be right for one person and wrong for another. That movie brought one friend closer to God and drew another away from Him. Certain styles of music draw me closer to God while drawing others away from Him. How that is possible, I don’t distinctly understand; however, the apostle Paul tries to explain this for us in Romans chapter 14.
1 Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.
2 One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.
Ok let’s (as Matt Chandler so commonly says) unpack this. The foods discussed here are the unclean animals discussed in the Old Testament, correct? Some Christians were still living under the requirement of the law that said they should abstain from certain unclean animals, and Paul said that was ok. Other Christians were living apart from the law and eating those animals, and Paul said that this too was ok. Both were ok as long as they were done in faith. Why was it ok for one to eat a certain food and another to abstain from it? Because eating or abstaining from eating that food stirred their passion for Christ:
5 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
I think Paul’s key point here is that we should do all things with thanksgiving to God. If attending church on one day over another creates in us more vibrant worship of Jesus, we should chase after that. If eating certain foods cause us to take our focus off Jesus, we should avoid that. The same thing goes for the kind of music and movies we allow ourselves to come under the influence. If something stirs our affections for Jesus, we should follow that and enjoy it. If it distracts us from Him, it has to be removed from our lives. We need to be fully convinced in our own minds that what we are doing is bringing us into closer communion with Christ.
14 As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.
22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.
23 But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
God created all food. Food is not unclean; however, if you’re struggling because you’re unsure whether the food will create worship and thanksgiving for Christ in you, by all means, abstain from the food. Once again, we see the same application for media. For one, a movie does not stir in them affections for Jesus but directs them to focus on themselves or the world, but to another, that same movie is vibrant with biblical parallels that encourage and strengthen their relationship with Christ. Each one must watch or abstain from that movie in faith, knowing the reaction of their own heart.
3 The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.
4 Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
10 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat.
13a Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another.
Paul knew the sinful tendency we all have to compare our lives to others. “My walk with Christ is stronger than theirs because I don’t listen to a certain type of music,” we may be tempted to say. Or maybe, “They’re walking in legalism! Never in the Bible does it say that we should avoid certain types of music!” But Paul warns us to examine our own lives and not to judge what others are doing. God will judge each in the end; He doesn’t need our help. I like how Paul finishes verses 13 and transitions into his next main topic.
13b Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.
15 If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died.
20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.
21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
No food (or type of music) is inherently sinful by itself; however, if because we are eating it, listening to it, etc, we are causing a fellow Christian to desire it even though they know it will rob them of their affections for Jesus, then we should abstain from doing that or speaking of that while we are around them.
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
This is the final guideline Paul places on Christians concerning this matter; if it causes division or fighting, just stay away from it. Our focus should not be on the activity itself, but on the joy and intimacy with Christ it produces within us.
Paul said, “I count everything loss compared to knowing Christ.” Matt Chandler paraphrases this: “The question’s not ‘Is it right or is it wrong?’” But rather, ‘Does it get me more of Christ, or does it rob my awareness of Him?’ That’s how Paul lived his life. He’d say, ‘I count that as loss. I’m not interested in that. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s ok to do it. When I do it, it robs me, so I’ll have nothing to do with it.’”
What if we viewed all of life with that kind of attitude? What if instead of searching Scripture to find what is right and wrong (and end up stumped on all the ‘grey issues’ not clearly outlined in the Bible) we simply asked ourselves whether something would bring us closer to God or draw us away from Him? What if we stopped judging other Christians by what they did or didn’t do on controversial issues, but instead followed what we know Christ wants for us and sought peace in our relationships with others? Just a little something to chew on and ponder...
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