Noise in God's Ears

Some verses in the Bible just scare me plain and simple. I have the privilege of leading worship before Almighty God in High Point, as well as in RUF, the Stanford college fellowship I'm involved with. So when I come across warnings specifically dealing with public assembly and such, like this one from Amos 5, it hits me right between the eyes:

²¹I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
²²Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
I will not look upon them.
²³Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
²⁴But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

The point is that if we come to God in praise and live the rest of the week scorning his name in what we do the rest of the week, God is not pleased. In fact, he hates such assembling, and the sound of our voices is annoying to Him. It would be better if we didn't sing and instead came before Him with fear, trembling, and repentance, pleading for forgiveness. It would be better if we would go show our devotion to Him, rather than hypocritically singing it. So here is my encouragement for you: "let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18).

Wash Your Feet

Continuing my daily reading through John, I came across this verse. It's nothing new, but I think it is a good and necessary reminder: "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean" (John 13:10). Jesus is washing the disciples feet and has moved from talking about physical washing to a spiritual cleanliness. As Christians, we are totally clean. No sin is held against us. We have already laid our foundation of repentance and faith and need not lay that foundation again (Heb 6:1).

That is not to say that sin doesn't worm its way into our lives in a very real way, for "we all stumble in many ways" (James 3:2). Jesus was symbolizing the constant putting off of sin that needs to happen in the believers life. This is sanctification. Our feet will get dirty; that is certain, which is why we need to be constantly uprooting sin in our life. It cannot be allowed to cake in to our skin. It cannot be ignored, cannot be "gotten used to."

I've been convicted, challenged, and blessed by the 8-part sermon series that Pastor Mike Fabarez of Compass Bible Church in Aliso Viejo, CA just completed a few weeks ago on battling sin. We need to take drastic steps to hunt it down, rather than passively accept its existence. So, how's it going with you? Are there any sins you need to have washed off your feet, Christian? If you are not allowing Christ to wash you, then "you have no share with [him]" (John 12:8). But isn't it amazing that the Lord of glory would willingly stoop to do such a thing for us? Praise God for His grace!

On Hate

This was a question presented to me by my friend based on concerns about some of the verses we had been memorizing. The latter part is my response. I hope this helps anyone struggling with these verses. If you have anything to add (or correct!) please do.

So, I have some questions.

How do these verses make sense together?

“I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.” Psalm 139:22

“You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Matthew 5:43-44

Are we supposed to love and hate them at the same time? They seem to contradict, but how is that possible? I don’t get it. I know we kind of already talked about this, but it just doesn’t make sense.

I’ve got a quote from John Piper that may or may not help. This quote is from an article that is rather philosophical in its language, but let’s see if it makes sense to you:

“God's emotional life is infinitely complex beyond our ability to fully comprehend. For example, who can comprehend that the Lord hears in one moment of time the prayers of ten million Christians around the world, and sympathizes with each one personally and individually like a caring Father (as Hebrews 4:15 says he will), even though among those ten million prayers some are broken-hearted and some are bursting with joy? How can God weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice when they are both coming to him at the same time—in fact are always coming to him with no break at all?

Or who can comprehend that God is angry at the sin of the world every day (Psalm 7:11), and yet every day, every moment, he is rejoicing with tremendous joy because somewhere in the world a sinner is repenting (Luke 15:7,10,23)? Who can comprehend that God continually burns with hot anger at the rebellion of the wicked, grieves over the unholy speech of his people (Ephesians 4:29-30), yet takes pleasure in them daily (Psalm 149:4), and ceaselessly makes merry over penitent prodigals who come home?”

How does this relate to our discussion? Well… the point is that God is far more complex than we can imagine. We think of being in certain moods at certain times, but it seems that just from the way things go on earth put together with what has been revealed in Scripture, it is the case that God is in every mood all the time! That’s mind boggling! As Piper points out, God “grieves over the unholy speech of His people” yet “takes pleasure in them daily.” This is even more confusing than loving something you hate. Take pleasure in someone who grieves you? Our God is an awesome God!

We should not think that God has a schizophrenic nature. He has a perfect nature. He has the ability to consistently and totally feel the right way all the time!

And what are we supposed to do with this? The best I can come up with is that we are indeed to feel two seemingly opposing ways toward the wicked. We hate them. What does that mean? It means we count them our enemies (Psalm 139:22). What do we do with our enemies? We love them (Matthew 5:43-44). What does that mean? We seek their best. We pray for them, etc. We do NOT take revenge into our own hands! Remember David says “O that You would slay the wicked, O God” (v. 19). And the Lord says, “Vengeance is mine” (Rom 12:19). Furthermore, David wants the wicked to leave him, not be around him, not affect him in a spiritually negative way. So we are not going to be spending time with the lost in such a way that we approve of what they do (Psalm 50:16-18), because doing so will affect our character toward something God hates (1 Cor 15:33).

Absurdity 1: Miracles

It seems to me that the primary objection of people who deny the authority of scripture is the fact that it records miracles or otherwise seemingly impossible events.

Mr. Darrow in particular cites the creation of woman, the tower of Babel, Balaam's talking donkey, the wise men's star, the resurrection of the dead, and many others. I'll go through a few of these to point out the logical flaws in his reasoning.

First, the resurrection of the dead: Paul makes it clear in 1 Cor 15 that if Christ has not been raised from the dead, we are still in our sins, unforgiven; therefore, I think that it would be reasonable to say that this is something Christians should take quite seriously! It is the cornerstone of our faith, and without it we are to be pitied above all other men (15:19). Additionally, it was a central theme of the preaching of the apostles during the earlier years of the church. It is THE primary reason the apostles gave to unbelievers so that they would believe in Jesus Christ and receive forgiveness of sins (read Acts).

So what reason does Mr. Darrow give for denying this real, literal, physical, historical, space-time event? He says it's impossible to believe that dead men can be raised to life if we use our senses. Presumably here is he employing the inductive method of obtaining knowledge. He views an event over and over again (death) with his senses and it always turns out the same way (they don't come back to life), so he concludes that it will always turn out the same way (no one can ever come back to life). But I have a question for Mr. Darrow, to see if it is really impossible to determine with our senses whether someone has risen (and therefore CAN rise!) from the dead.

If you watched your buddy get flogged, beaten, crucified (suffocated), and stabbed through the heart with a spear, is it possible to determine for certain from this sensory experience that he did in fact die? I would say yes it is! It doesn't take a genius to know when someone is dead. Especially after that kind of treatment. Is it possible then also to find his tomb empty some short time thereafter? I'd say yes as well! Why should that be impossible? Are humans inherently incapable of determining whether or not a body is present in a burial room? I think not. Third question, would it be possible to touch someone alive who you determined was this dead, and see their scars? I'd say that is also not logically impossible with respect to sensory perception. Let's say Jesus did rise from the dead; does this mean that it's impossible to determine that he is alive with your senses? This seems foolish to me. The disciples were invited to touch him, watch him eat, listen to him teach them. If you did this, could you not reasonably conclude that this man was indeed alive? I think you could, and there is no good reason to believe otherwise.

So why would anyone ever say that it's impossible to believe that someone rose from the dead if we use our senses?

He mentions Balaam's talking donkey, and takes for granted that this will seem absurd to his reader. Now I'm going to confess something to everyone. Talking animals are really weird. I don't think anybody would dispute this. I would also like to say that only two instances of this are recorded in God's Word. Two times! It's weird! But absurd? I am not convinced that this can be determined from a strictly agnostic worldview. What would he have to be assuming to say that miracles are absurd? He would have to assume naturalism - that is, that supernaturalism is false. God does not exist and is not available for performing miracles. Now, what does this sound like?

It sounds like atheism to me, not agnosticism! So here we have an agnostic who says the Bible is absurd, which he ultimately backs up with atheistic philosophy. This is very subtle, and the person participating in this juggle of worldviews may not even realize he is doing it. It needs to be pointed out graciously. I suppose my main point for this article would be: A person with no worldview of his own (agnosticism) has no rational grounds on which to say someone else's is absurd. Furthermore, a person WITH a worldview can at best say, "From the perspective of my own worldview, Christianity looks foolish." With this, I wholeheartedly agree.

Next: Addressing the (Alleged) Lack of Evidence

Examine Yourself

Are you a Christian? Then do what the Bible says and MAKE SURE! Here is a sermon to help you do just that. The video should play automatically. If that gives you some trouble, go here. Scroll down and look for the green video boxes. The first is a 4 minute sample clip. The second is the full sermon.

I pray this is edifying for you.

Evan

Home for the Holidays

So I'm home for the holidays! Three precious weeks of freedom. I need to use them well, so I figured I'd spend a little while writing a blog - something I don't do enough. This one is not a really focused blog, just a few little musings about some things that have recently come to my attention.

1) On looking forward to better days

We all know those days we can't wait for. Especially this year around Christmas time that day is obvious. Everyone wants that day when they can rip open their presents to come super quickly. Some of us - yours truly - look forward to said days so passionately that we forget we have been graciously been given this day by God, and all the other days behind us, but not tomorrow. There are no guarantees for tomorrow.

Probably most of us are familiar with the verse in Matthew where Jesus says, "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matt 6:34). This is speaking of a practical way to tackle everyday life - take it one day at a time! We can apply this principle also to days that are going really well for us. Don't waste your todays looking forward to your tomorrows.

2) On the meaning of what is said

I recently came to the realization that the Bible does not always mean what it says. Now, before you spam me and send me viruses or post evil comments, let me explain. A while ago I had a chat with some guys outside a Harvest Crusade Festival. Their hermeneutic is really interesting. The motto, as I found out later on their website, is "God says what He means and means what He says." I thought, that sounds good. We can finally get away from the allegorically interpretations of Genesis and the gospels and get down to the meat of what the Bible says. Little did I know that they were more than serious about their literalism. Of course, I reject much of their theology (although they do hit the nail on the head in some places), because the Bible simply "doesn't mean what it says" sometimes in the same way that we "don't mean what we say" when we muse that someone "has ants in their pants" or that we are "so hungry could eat a cow" or that our large football playing friends "are tanks."

Apparently to some people, the Bible isn't allowed to use metaphor. "That's what the text plainly says" they will tell you, reminiscent of something I myself have told people many times over. Perhaps you'll be accused of twisting the text to meet your own theology. Foolishness I say. The men in that group at Harvest Crusade actually thought wisdom was a person who stood on rooftops shouting at people (cf. Proverbs)! They then took those verses (which portray wisdom as a female) and combined them with the fact that Jesus is God and that Jesus is called "the wisdom of God." From this they concluded that God was a female. They also concluded that the Bible is Jesus, since both the Scriptures and Jesus are called the Word of God. It has been rightly noted that such wooden literalism could build a fleet of ships! (Mr. Holding's words from his site www.tektonics.org).

Keep in mind that God is called a consuming fire (Deut 4:24), a sun and a shield (Ps 84:11), a rock, a horn, and a fortress (2 Sam 22:3). Perhaps we are to conclude that God is a physical flame. Maybe he's just a huge ball of burning gas. No, no. He is a big metal plate used for blocking arrows with 2 straps in the back to put your arm in. Oh wait, He's actually an inanimate chunk of minerals... for... standing on? You can see how utterly ridiculous this sort of reasoning gets.

So don't twist scripture and turn something historical into something super mystical or secret if it is unwarranted. But come on, when you're reading a Psalm, don't assume that God actually has wings we go under (Ps 17:8). If something sounds weird, check out the context, including the literary context. Word pictures are extremely common everywhere. Paul used them often. Jesus used them often. We should take them as such.

So in that sense I reject the strict literalism of "The Bible says what it means and means what it says."

3) On an old friend's blog

I was going down my AIM buddy list and looking at all the updated profiles. I came across one of an old friend from elementary school. He updates his profile whenever he writes a new blog, and I like reading them to check up on how he's doing. In case you're wondering - not well. He's pretty angry at everything it seems like and has no lack of supply of curse words. This blog was no different, except this one caught my eye because it was named "Karma and Other Meaningless Beliefs." Most of it was angry and insulting (not personally, in general), but he did have some notable points.

Essentially it was a rant about people who basically make up their own beliefs and call themselves "spiritual" but not "religious." The idea here is: what makes you think that all of a sudden you come up with your version of spirituality that has it more correct that everyone else? Most people of course realize the arrogance (and unreliability) of their position and conclude that everyone can pave their own path to God. "I'm not the only right one. I'm just the only person on my path! Everyone else has theirs and they all work!" This, of course, is just plain illogical and a glossing over of the difficulties between opposing views.

My conclusion: We need to gently show people where they have not yet fully thought through their beliefs, help them think through them, and point them to the cross.

There was also a good quote, which I fully agree with him on: "No one can realistically be indifferent to the existence of god." He's right! The common cop outs such as "Hell will be a party!" or "I guess we'll find out when we get there" are not reasonable. It's not fun to be punished. Period. I think that's part of the definition or something. It's also not fun to find out that you are going to be punished for eternity simply because you were too wrapped up in your little sphere of comfortable living to give any substantial consideration to the possibility that God exists and that He will judge all evil. That isn't something you're going to want to find out when you die.

My conclusion: We need to gently show people why Christianity is worth considering, help them consider it, and implore them to accept God's sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins - the only way of salvation.

From the looks of the ending of his post, it's obvious that this is not what my friend had in mind. He is only interested in ridiculing anyone with spiritual beliefs. We don't want to ridicule people, we want to love them and lead them and show them God's forgiveness. That's what this whole season is supposed to be about - God's love for His lost sheep (John 3:17).



Merry Christmas, all!

Where Home Is

There has been a lot of rearranging lately concerning where friends’ homes are. Many have moved down to the OC, and it has been extremely difficult to see them go. Soon I myself will have a new home, moving into the dorms on campus at Stanford. It has caused and will cause separation between friends when it is time to go home.

The Bible says that a Christian’s home is not in the world; rather, it is in heaven with Christ. It metaphorically relates this truth to people visiting a foreign country, being citizens of their homeland. “But our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). We desire heavenly things and put our minds on Christ and things above, as opposed to people who put their mind on earthly things.

I’ve noticed that when I am away from home (i.e. away from friends and family) I long to be back there, and to be with the people I love. I miss people, a lot. There are tears, many of them. And how often does this happen with my Lord? How often do I long to be home with Him, at peace forever? Tyler Sultze was our speaker last week at middle school camp, and he made some radical statements about our desire to be with Christ. He asked us to apply Philippians 3:7 to its extreme: “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” If we could give up the one thing that is most important on this earth to be with Christ, would we be content? He said that if he never saw his wife or unborn baby again, but instead went to be with Christ, he would be satisfied. And he hopes his wife thinks the same.

And what of the very thing that keeps me from Christ now? Do I mourn over the sin that separates him and me? Do I strive to be united with Him as much as is possible in this life by seeking to live as He lives? Sin is a terrible thing. It is a sign of our citizenship when we have godly sorrow over sin, yet it is never good to be unhealthily preoccupied with it. We need not spend all our time mourning, but rejoicing over the fact that our relationship with Him is real, and we are blessed. Philippians says, “we eagerly await a Savior from [heaven]” (3:20). We can’t wait to see our Lord Jesus. We look forward to being with Him finally.

So a change in perspective takes place. I may be sad that I have left my friends, or that my friends have left me, but my God is with me always, and He is who I most long to be with. Let us rejoice with each other that we can all await so great a future as fellow children of God.

Ephesians 5:15-20

Paul is writing the second half of his epistle to the church in Ephesus about Godly and holy living. He has switched from theology in his first half to practical Christian living.

In these verses Paul encourages us to walk “circumspectly,” or heedfully, being aware of the consequences of ouractions. He realizes that days are running low and time flies and often the time that does pass is not spent wisely. Paul encourages the church to use their time wisely, because the days we have are evil. This flows right into knowing what the will of the Lord is. Walking wisely means I will naturally know what the Lord’s will is for my life. One practical example of this is to not get drunk. We should allow the Spirit to consume us and control us, so that we will be encouraging each other with godly speech and always giving thanks to God. Of course, this principle should be applied to everything. We are controlled by none but the Lord. He is our only Master!

This passage seems to be pretty clear on how to apply it to my life. I need to be heedful of the consequences of my actions, not just doing anything on a whim. Paul used drunkenness as a specific action to be on guard against. Getting drunk would mean something other than the Holy Spirit is controlling my body, which goes directly against the purpose of salvation – to be freed from the control of the world and placed under the control of Christ. We Christians should walk wisely, being an example to others, and redeeming the time, not conforming to the pattern of this world but using every opportunity we have to do good. That idea is pretty revolutionary and completely destroys this idea of being able to put off doing good. We have only a certain amount of time here on this earth, so when we pass up an opportunity to do good in some way, that opportunity is lost forever and never coming back. We cannot ever add a day to our life, all we can to is take advantage of the opportunities we have, and that pleases the Lord. That is the Lord’s will.

I find the last verse to be appropriate for this time of year, seeing as we have just passed Thanksgiving. I feel like some people have an attitude that wants to stop even thinking about being thankful as soon as Thanksgiving is over. I know I was that way (More so than now. I am still working on it) when I was younger. According to this verse, giving thanks is an all-the-time thing for Christians. I know I’ll always have something to be thankful for, because I can always thank the Lord for saving me from myself.

Ephesians 5:8-14

These are some long overdue Bible journals that I had ready to post but never did. I kept telling myself it was because I hadn't typed up verses 1-7, but do you care? I didn't think so.

Ephesians 5:8-14

Paul is writing the second half of his epistle to the church in Ephesus about Godly and holy living. He has switched from theology in his first half to practical Christian living.

These verses talk about living as light – just as Christ taught to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16). We have been transformed from darkness to light and therefore should live like it! Paul lists a few fruits of the Spirit (or in other manuscripts, fruits of the light); those are goodness, righteousness, and truth. Our job as light is to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret” (vv. 11, 12). Only light can expose dark deeds, and we must realize that this light comes only from Christ, for we are asleep and dead to Him in and of ourselves, having no power to produce goodness.

I absolutely love this passage. It continually exhorts to take affirmative action when it comes to living the life of godliness (or in this case, the life of light), yet at the same time reminds us that the power comes from Christ alone! We were once darkness, but Christ gave us light, now lets share it with the world! By living such a life, we will have an increasingly clear idea of what God’s will is, “finding out what is acceptable to the Lord” (v.10). So many people wish they could know what God’s will for their life is; I do too! First we live according to His will; only then will we be shown what His will is for our lives. This isn’t usually what I want to hear, being human and having a slight case of what my mom calls immediatitis, but it is so true. Once I stop worrying about what exactly I’m supposed to do, start surrendering that to God, and start living like He wants me to, all the extra information comes to me in God’s perfect timing. Again, often this is not exactly the timing I’m comfortable with, but the point is that I’m closer to God because of the trust I placed in Him, and He is once again confirmed to be faithful.

The next exhortation of this verse it seems to me is to expose sin – in us and in others. As light, we will naturally reveal things; that’s what light does! Partaking in them would be shameful. Even talking about them would be shameful, yet sometimes I find myself caught up in sin. I have to remind myself that sin is a small problem for the God whose infinite love conquered it. It has no power over me because I have the power of God. The last verse is just awesome. It is a calling of the dead and asleep to Christ to rise and to wake, so that Christ may give them the power that He has over sin. Christ did that for me, and it is my job to spread that good news to others so they can receive that power as well.

Cautiously Carefree

Consider this part 2 in the series of paradoxes in the Christian faith. The last one was Swimming in Time, where we refuse to delay in completing what God has for us to do, yet always wait for His timing on all matters. This one has to do with worrying.

In the Bible we are commanted to "not be anxious about anything" but instead "present our requests to God" (Phil. 4:6) and trust him for all our cares. Jesus also reasons with us, asking "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matt. 6:27). Clearly stressing about how everything will turn out is not a good habit for a Christian to get into. We need to trust God for his faithful deliverance. He will take care of us: "...for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked" (Psalm 97:10).

However, God in no way intends for us to be naive in our actions. Jesus didn't live His life carelessly, doing whatever trusting it would all work out. He was practical in his decisions, and we should be too. He acted on what He knew to be true. When people came to Him and believed in Him, He did not simply accept them and "trust" that God would work everything out in their lives. The Bible says He actually would not entrust Himself to them because He knew what was in their hearts. He knew they weren't really committed to Him and so did not commit Himself to them (John 2:24-25).

Another thing to note is the Christ took action, deliberate and convicted action. When He saw the way Israel was treating the temple, He didn't sit back and say, 'Oh well, God will work it out for good. It'll all be ok.' He did quite the opposite! He wove together a whip and started making a difference - He took action on an issue He observed. The same goes for us. When Christ tells us not to worry about where we will get our food or clothes, that in no way means we sit at home playing videogames trusting that an angel will drop off our daily bread at the door whenever we need it. We work. Diligently. Heartily as for the Lord.

There is a balance that become necessary when living the Christian life. We wait, not procrastinate. We work, not worry. There is a middle ground that needs to be acheived if perfection is to be attained. We most definitely need to trust God to be our Provider and Sustainer (Carefree) but let us remain reasonable, knowing that God works through practical means (Cautiously). He favors the hard working. He loves the diligent. Yet let us always remember that all things are possible only through Christ who strengthens us.

Mr. Stanford

That's what Bobby Blakey called me the first time he IMed me after finding out I would be going to Stanford in the fall. It was not an easy decision for me, but I am totally confident that this is the plan God has for me. I'll miss my friends, but God will always be by my side.

Throughout this college process, my parents would incessantly inquire as to which colleges I was leaning towards and why. Well, which one I'm leaning towards is pretty obvious now. In fact, you could say I've fallen on it, if you want to keep the metaphor consistent. This summation attempts to explain why in a few words.

Why did I choose this college?

Some things I wanted to be true about my college

- Have fun

- Southern California, to be with friends etc.

- Honor God with decision

Reason I had for not wanting to go to this college

- I was afraid of working all the time

- I was afraid of compromising my Christianity

I had always been told to choose what college was right for me, as opposed to choosing a college simply for the big name, or reputation. Well, I don’t really like when people tell me to do what’s right for me. I know myself, and I know the truth. What I want is evil. “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). I’m not interested in dying anytime soon. The only way I can know I’m making the right choice is if I can be confident that God wants me to be there. That is what it means to honor God with my decision, and it might even mean I have to give up the most important thing to me that I’m looking for in a college.

That means all doors are open and I need to evaluate each school objectively, not closing the door on a school simply because it has a big name. So schools like MIT, Caltech, Stanford, Berkeley, and LA were all in the running, even though their prestige actually gave me a lower view of them because I assumed they were stuck up and full of themselves. But that’s my judgmental side coming through. See? Evil.

I was actually coming home from Sunday Night Bible Study, got talking with a few people there who went to UC Berkeley, and realized then what college I needed to go to. Actually I thought about a parable that seemed very applicable. It is the parable of the men who received certain sums of money according to their abilities. The ones who used what they were given were blessed. The one who was afraid of using what he was given was cast into “outer darkness,” where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Now, this is speaking of the kingdom of heaven, so the story being applied to college is a bit out of context; however, I have learned that there are biblical principles reflected through stories that can be applied elsewhere. For example, the Lord loves a diligent worker: “The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich” (Proverbs 13:4).

A fear of working hard was therefore out of the question, no college on the list accepts anyone they think cannot handle the workload, and I have been preparing for college level for quite some time now with all the AP classes and such. I decided that I needed to go to the place where I could use all my abilities for the glory of God. This doesn’t mean I would have to go to a Christian school. We are commanded to be in the world, yet not of the world. When Christ prayed for us he did “not pray that [God] should take [us] out of the world, but that [He] should keep [us] from the evil one” (John 17:15). We are also encouraged by John, who tells us that “whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith ” (1 John 5:4). That characterizes me. I have been born of God in a second birth, and I put my faith and hope in Christ for my salvation, regeneration and daily renewal. Now I must continue in that habit/discipline each morning and prepare myself for a rocky future. I can trust that God “will never leave [me] nor forsake [me]” (Hebrews 13:5). I may feel alone, or challenged academically, socially, spiritually, or physically, but I know that it is in God’s strength that I carry out the will of God, not needing to be fearful of failure.

O God in heaven
Please hear my cry
O how I need Your help now

I’ll be expectant
Waiting by faith
For Your answer come down

We don’t pray to a god who can’t save
We pray to the God who will hear

So I will call upon You
And watch for what You will do
You’re the help of Your people

You reach down from on high
And put joy in my life
So I praise You as faithful...

Swimming in Time

A few weeks ago I went to lunch at Taco Bell with a good friend of mine before school had to start (it was SAT's and seniors didnt have to be there until 1pm). Some of you may know us as Kevan. We were just finishing up our lunch and I asked what time it was. It turned out to be only 12:30, to which she exclaimed, we're swimming in time! That immediately made me want to write a blog about time, which I told her I would, and this is me letting my yes be yes (Matthew 5:37).

Swimming in Time. That was an interesting phrase to hear, and in one sense it is true; yet in another sense it is deadly. For the Christian, life is long and short. I am only talking about physical life, not eternal life, which is... well... eternal. We both have all the time in the world and no time at all. Don't let this confuse you too much; I'll explain what I mean.

We have all the time in the world

There isn't any need to rush through our lives. No hurry to grow up. No need to experience all of life in a day. We are not impatient, afraid of "wasting" time, so long as we are in God's will. "I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope." (Psalm 130:5). The Lord's timing is the perfect timing, and as long as he has decided now is not the time for a girlfriend, I will not seek a girlfriend; that now is not quite the time to leave my parents, I do not seek to leave my parents; etc. These things come in their own time, and I do not become discontent or impatient in waiting for them.

We have no time at all

So we better get moving. The message of the Bible has a sense of urgency attached to it. For example, Paul says that today is the day of salvation: "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor 6:2). Not tomorrow. We don't wait until we're old and about to die to accept God's good news to humanity. We accept it now, and we know God today, and we enjoy His blessing, and we do nothing until we put our faith in the Word of God. "Man who is born of woman Is few of days and full of trouble" (Job 14:1). We don't have much time to start living life before we've realized we missed it. We need not live it all at once, but if we don't start living now, we might not live at all. Let's give our lives to God, that He may pay us back abundantly and overflowing the life that He promised us.

We have plenty of time - no need to rush things. We don't have much time left - let us put off laziness and start worshiping the Lord with passion.

God's Gift of Life

This has been a hot topic of conversation/blogging lately with the long-awaited arrival of a brand new baby boy, Tyler Christian Blakey. I got the privilege of visiting him and even holding him for a few minutes. For a few pictures, you can visit www.godsongmusic.com and read Bobby's blog about his new baby! I'd like to brag that I'm a natural at handling babies after that experience, but he was asleep the whole time, so I don't know if it counts. Basically Bobby, Christa, and I sat around talking and waiting to see what the baby was going to do next. He stretched a lot, made a few funny faces, and there were a few times where it seemed like he was dreaming (Of course, every time he smiled we attributed it to the fact that he likes me, and every time he looked as if he were in pain we concluded that it must be a bad dream about getting a shot or another horrible hearing test).

Of course, we talked mostly about Tyler, how he was going to be raised and such. Topics such as Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy came up (neither of which Tyler will believe in), as well as some interesting ones about the experiences of childbirth. Bobby and Christa were both quite pleased to tell me that their experience so far has been wonderful (I'm sure the free dinner every night helps a little), and that it has basically contradicted everything they've heard about raising a child. First the pregnancy was supposed to be hard but that was pretty fun for Christa, she said. Then childbirth was supposed to be the most horrible thing, which was "intense" as they like to describe it, but nothing close to what they had been told. Next is the first few days home from the hospital in which the parents get no sleep, but Bobby and Christa are doing quite well, getting plenty of sleep, and have actually been having fun with their new child! (Novel concept I guess...) Perhaps some babies are different... but certainly for Bobby and Christa this one is truly a gift from the Lord!

"Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him." Psalm 127:3

The Lord gives life graciously, and often I forget that He does that for everyone including me. God has given me life, and given me loving parents to hold me and love me and feed me and stick with me through good times and bad. I got a little glimpse of that when I got to play a little tiny bit of that role in holding Tyler. In fact, God is the loving Parent who sticks with us through thick and thin and loves us unconditionally, and feeds us because we can't feed ourselves. I think I'm growing up and becoming independent and self sufficient now, on the verge of running my own life by myself. Fat chance. I'm just as dependent on the Provider now as I was almost exactly 17 and a half years ago. Can I make the sun rise each day, or the rain fall, or the wind blow, or plants grow? What I forget is that He will always have to take care of my needs, whether I want Him to or not, whether I like it or not, even whether I believe in Him or not.

So the question is simply, how do I respond?

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever." Psalm 23:6

Doubled Up

Has anyone ever heard the same message twice and said to themselves, "Ugh, not this again. What is the deal with the Pastor, doesnt he realize he just taught this 6 months ago?!" Has anyone ever wanted to say something, but then thought to themselves, "What's the point? It's all been said before, they don't need to hear it again." Has anyone ever heard the same message twice and said to themselves, "Wow, I don't think I could ever get tired of that message! God is so good!"

Personally, I've fallen into all three categories, so I'll let you in on a little secret: The first two happen when we're not giving our all to God! For whatever reason and with whatever excuse we have decided that something or someone else takes priority in our lives, and 'magically' that translates into a lack of excitement or even hostility toward the teaching of God's truth. It's actually quite simple; we are just too blinded by our sin to realize it. If we feel like God is boring or repetetive or far away, it's because we are actively doing something wrong (i.e. we are sinning, and God isn't pleased with it). In my life, the most common two things that I miss are Bible reading and prayer. The importance of these two activities has probably been stressed to me thousands of times, yet here I am, stressing it again to myself and to my readers.

It's amazing how quickly such joyful activities can become a burden, or get excused away due to other religious activities. I am a member at quite a few Bible studies, so it's easy for me to say to myself, "Dude, Evan, you are so spiritual. God is pleased with you. I mean, you get into the Word prolly twice as much as 99% of the world, so reading it every day is not that big of a deal. Just take a break tomorrow and worship him by doing what you love; go take a break and have some fun!" Wait what!? Red Flag! Sounds more like my sinfulness and complacency than Christ talking; wouldn't you agree?

The Bible takes no such stance with meditation on Scripture. Psalm 119 is a great psalm for the importance of the Word and way of God. Psalm 119:10-11 says

"With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments.
Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You."

I need to seek God with my whole heart, not half way. So diligently should I seek it and meditate on it and read it continually that it is hidden in my heart. Memorizing something takes time and effort and repetition. I'm sure making that transition from knowledge to application (head to heart) doesnt require any less effort. Besides, if God is the principle thing, the one thing we want in life and our only hope, then we will already be devouring His words like there's no tomorrow. I know a few people like that - they absolutely love the Lord and are a continually an encouragement to me to keep focusing on Him.

Once we get this down, the same message over and over again doesn't get boring. Instead it is encouraging! I hope this message was encouraging to you. But if it's same old same old "God is important, read the Bible, blah blah..." I'd do some soul searching. I know I had to before I wrote this one. I didn't know what to write, because I'd heard it all before. Hah. No more.

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." - Hebrews 3:13

Treasures of Wickedness

I'll be honest. I get so caught up sometimes in what is going to benefit me on earth, and base moral decisions with that as the most weighty factor. I recently wrestled at a wrestling tournament in which I had to forfeit first round to a girl, because the computer randomly paired her up with me, and we aren't allowed to wrestle girls at King's. This is based on the moral principle that men should treat women with gentleness, respect, and modesty. To be blunt, wrestling involves some sketchy situations that would certainly not be consider gentle, respectful, or modest if a girl was involved. So, I forfeited. I got about 4 positive responses and all other negative responses. So basically I did not win favor in the sight of man, nor the pleasure of placing higher than I did.

But who cares? Maybe a few wrestlers I half-know, or one of the assistant coaches. What does it gain me in the long run, though? I seriously hope I'm not looking back on that day for the next 50 years saying, "Man, if only I wrestled that girl..." It seems so important at the time, but when its all over, winning a few more matches doesn't matter one iota. How I lived my life is what will matter. People are more likely to look back and see a righteous pattern and use one of these incidents as an example than to praise me for getting 4th place in a small tournament rather than 7th. Proverbs says, "Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death" (10:2). Funny how God hits it right on the head every time...

Perhaps you've heard someone say before that "The man with the most toys in the end wins." That has to be the most ridiculously hollow philosophy to ever form on the face of the earth. Wins what? What toys? Who cares? Everyone's dead in "the end"! The only thing that's left, as Bobby has been stressing to us in High Point recently, is our relationship with Christ. We are either his friend or his enemy, and only that is truly eternal. "Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death" (Prov. 11:4).

So let us not waste our time any longer storing up earthly wealth or treasures of wickedness, because ultimately a life focused on doing that will only lead to disappointment, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matt. 6:33). The Lord will take care of our earthly needs if we make our focus living a righteous life pleasing to him.

"The hope of the righteous will be gladness, But the expectation of the wicked will perish" (Prov. 10:28).

A Christian According to John

Well, technically according to the Holy Spirit who led John to write these words, but for simplicity we'll avoid technicalities as much as possible. As many of you may know, there is a problem at The King's Academy. Committed Christians are few and far between, and sin is often overlooked as 'no big deal.' I do sincerely apologize for every and any way I have contributed to this. There is a probability that many people may think they are Christians and are not, or just claim to be, and are not, and I think I know how people are able to pull off this balancing act between professing and practicing. It has occurred to me that a lot of people are going through an entire high school career having no idea what it means to be a Christian. What are the criteria for being a Christian? How do I know if I am a Christian? What sorts of things characterize a non-Christian? These are questions I hope to answer in this blog by using First John as my primary source. I've found it has a plethora of straightforward statements concerning those who love and know God.

A Christian…

Walks in the light, and he who walks in darkness is not a Christian - "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth" (1:6).

Realizes that he or she is imperfect - "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us" (1:10).

Is obedient to the Word - "...He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar..." (2:3-6; see also 3:24; 5:3).

Loves his brother - "He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now" (2:9; see also 3:10,14-15; 4:20-21).

Does not love the things of the world - "If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (2:15).
The things of the world are - "...the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life..." (2:16).

Will never lose his or her salvation - "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us"(2:19).

Confesses Jesus Christ - "Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also" (2:23; see also 4:15; 5:1,10,13).

Abides in love - "Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father" (2:24). "For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another" (3:11) (see also 4:7-8; 4:16)

Practices righteousness - "If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him" (2:29; see also 3:10).

Is not involved in habitual sin - "Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him" (3:6; see also 3:8-9; 5:18).

Should not be surprised if the world hates them - "Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you" (3:13).

Has the Holy Spirit in them - "And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us" (3:24).

Overcomes the world – “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (5:4-5).

Has the Son of God – “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (5:12).

Is not under the sway of the wicked one – “…but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (5:18-19).

And once faced with all these criteria it suddenly becomes obvious why only by the grace of God anyone can ever become a Christian.

The Sin That so Easily Entangles

What a perfect way to describe the sin that we get ourselves into. I wanted to write about this because it's been popping up in my head lately as I've been wondering what to write about next, and I really feel the Lord has put it on my heart not only to say, but to carry out in my own life. The title is a reference to Hebrews 12:1, which goes like this: "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." I'll confess that I've been caught up in such a sin recently - probably a few of them, actually, that I don't even know about - but one specifically comes to mind. This verse is such a great encouragement to me to not get lazy. It reminds me of something Bobby said on Sunday that I thought was really good. He said when we realize how big God's love is compared to our sin, we can be set free, because when we look at it we think 'what a small thing for the power of an infinite God.' That has been a great help this week.

Sometimes I fall into thinking that God's power is just barely enough to help me stand up under the temptation of sin, but that just isnt true. I don't even know how it works, but compared with infinity, any amount is insignificant, no matter how very significant it may seem when I compare it with my own power. But that was my mistake, and that was why I fell into it - I was relying on my own goodness and power to overcome and reject it, but that ultimately crumbled. Only God's power is trustworthy and sturdy enough to withstand any temptations. Once we get a grasp on the extent of God's power and the fact that it literally lives in us through Jesus, we can see a sin that would otherwise ensnare us, and say "wow, why is that such a struggle; its such a ridiculous little thing keeping me from getting close to God." So that's been my mindset ever since. I also try to remember the pain that is caused when I willfully sin against God, and the chastisement that is promised in the Bible to those Christians who disobey their Father.

Basically it has to do with setting my mind on things above, and not thinking about all the struggles around me, which is what I find I'm doing when I fall into sin. Reading the Word is essential in accomplishing that, and its necessity cannot be overstated. So I started really reading John, not just telling people "well I've been thinking I'll start John." Sometimes I tick myself off, but I guess thats what it takes - gotta be sick of yourself. Biblically (Matthew 5) this constitutes realizing that you have nothing, no spirituality or goodness to offer whatsoever. Then on top of that you have to mourn, because if you realize you're evil and you don't give a rip, you haven't repented.

It's about time for me to cast off these weights and run my Christian race with endurance. God is waiting - won't you join me?

Passion

I've recently been pondering a word - its meaning as well as its relevance to my life. That word is, yes, you guessed it - passion! I suppose I'm going to be Captain Obvious here and say that we should turn to the dictionary for a meaning (definition) and the Word for its relevance. It seems that this noun can be affected in two directions. It can be a sinful one, such as "lustful passion," or it can be a positive one, such as "passion for God." I'm going to focus on the more positive side of passion.

Dictionary.com says passion can mean:
Ardent love (or any other emotion for that matter)
Boundless enthusiasm
Martyrdom
among other things.

Some synonyms are: ardor, dedication, devotion, excitement, fervor, fire, intensity, joy, wrath, zeal.

Basically the point I'm trying to make is that passion is not a light word. It's strong, and having a passion isn't an idea we can toss aside. Often that passion takes the first place in your life, good or bad. So, what does the Bible have to say about this strong word? Well, the actual word passion appears 6 times in the NKJV, and every time it is used with the connotation of sinfulness (esp. sexual). Does that mean the only thing there is to be passionate about is sinning? I don't think so. Let me give some examples of a godly passion in the Bible.

Matthew 21:12 refers to the time in Christ's life where he became angry to the point of violence. He became so angry that he "drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves." John 2 talks about Jesus making a whip of cords. Now, I don't know if anyone has any experience in making whips of cords, but I imagine it took a while, sitting there weaving the thing - under a tree perhaps. The point is, Christ was passionate about preserving the temple for its proper use, and keeping it undefiled. Surprisingly, no one rose up to oppose Him. I imagine it would be scary to see the Lord of heaven and earth angry, and thats just in a form we can comprehend! Jesus is passionate about driving out sin.

In Luke 13:24, Christ tells us to "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able." I remember reading in John MacArthur's Hard to Believe that the word "strive" has almost violent connotations. The narrow gate is something to we need to fight for. We need to be violently passionate when it comes to living the life of God. With this standard: "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26), what less than a passion to live for Christ will suffice? I'm sure a devotion lacking in any strength will also lack in power to truly bring us to the feet of Christ. It takes all we have, and nothing less. That's passion.

Ultimately, Christ exhibited this passion on the cross. He died for something he was committed to. He is passionate about God's glory, and obedience to Him, and the fulfilment of His will, and loving and saving His lost sheep. With that perspective, everything else just seems easy.

2 Questions:
1. Could you say you are passionate about the Lord?
2. What are you going to do about that?