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desert

Is God Still Working or Has He Left Us Behind?

As the first beam of light danced into the house on a warm June morning, I finished up breakfast and my grandparent’s house and looked forward to yet another day of summer vacation. This buck-toothed, elementary schooler sat looking out the huge window that stretched the length of the living room. I had already changed into my daily attire — basketball shorts, a t-shirt, and above all…wristbands (I wore them everywhere: to school, to the mall, to church, to funerals…). Funny enough, as I looked out the window at the basketball court, I knew my daily schedule and what to expect that day:

  • 9:00AM – Basketball
  • 10:00AM – Basketball
  • 11:00AM – Basketball
  • Noon – Lunch
  • 1:00PM – Basketball
  • 2:00PM – DuckTails, Talespin, Darkwing Duck 
  • 3:00PM – Basketball
  • 4:00PM – Super Nintendo
  • 5:00PM – Dinner

To be honest, I had a pretty predictable schedule that day. Or at least I thought so. As my mom walked into the room, and she must have noticed I was already dressed for basketball. She knew my intentions. Right around then, she uttered the most debilitating words I could think of: “David, before you go out and play basketball today, I want you to read for 1 hour!” I blinked. I thought to myself, “This must be a bad dream.” Reading? Reading is for school. Reading is for August through May. Reading isn’t for summer vacation. Not only reading, but reading for an hour? That’s 60 minutes more than I cared to read. The next hour was like being killed by paper cuts. Each minute dragged as if an anvil were attached to the minute hand as it struggled around the clock face. I stared at the words on the page, somehow knowing what each word meant but having no clue of the overall message of the book I held in my hand. Pure. Torture.

Me trying to read

You could say that I hated reading at that time in my life. Or maybe I didn’t hate reading itself — maybe I just hated what it kept me from (i.e. basketball). A lot of things have changed since then. I’m grateful those days are gone, as I’ve become an avid reader since. I’ve discovered the role of books in growing my mind, personality, and emotional health. Funny enough, now I have the inverse problem — instead of not wanting to read, I want to read all the time. And there are so many books — but how does one choose?

As I considered the number of books out there, I am reminded of the words of Thomas Brooks, a preacher in the 17th century. In weighing what books are important for someone to read, he made an overarching claim about what he considered two books every follower of Jesus should continually read and know with all their heart. Now, I’m sure you guessed one of them: the Bible. What might surprise you is the book he named second. He called this book, The Book of Providence. Now, some of you might read this and wonder, “Is that book still in print? I’ve never heard of it.” If you did not pick up on it, the clever Mr. Brooks is using a metaphor. When Brooks speaks of providence, he is referencing God’s care and order over the world, aligning every person, platypus, and particle just how he wants it in his grand design. In short, the God of the Bible is pictured as a grand conductor bringing exactly the symphony he wants out of the everyday circumstances of life. He is suggesting that as important as reading the Bible is, one must also learn to look at God’s providence in the everyday circumstances that surround us in light of what we read.

Providence Humbug

The pandemic and world uprisings of 2020 have certainly left their mark.

Maybe you hear the word providence and think it really doesn’t belong in times such as ours. Perhaps you think this idea that God controls all the details in our world has been cheapened by the events of the past 15 months, or even maybe the belief belonged to a time where people were more gullible. After all, we have seen countless die from COVID-19, hospitals filled to the brim, and unrivaled levels of political unrest in varying countries. One could easily come to the conclusion God has taken his fingers off of the pulse of this word. Or has He?

One thing you can say about the God of the Bible is that he loves to act in ways that people cannot see. In other words, he claims he providentially runs the world even when things are going south. Just look at what Jesus said in Matthew 24:

3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

Notice some of the things Jesus lists here: wars, rumors, of war, famines, natural disasters. That’s some pretty heavy stuff happening there. These are all events that would lead human beings to naturally fear and assume God’s control must be wavering. Yet, did you notice Jesus’s response? “See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet…all these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” Let’s just note how absurd that sounds to human ears at first. If you look at all the ways human beings believe God should function, this blows them all out of the water. Jesus is reminding his disciples (and those who come after them) to maintain their confidence and walk with him even amid societal and economical chaos. It’s like Jesus does not even flinch. His underlying assumption? If He created the world, He certainly has no problem sustaining it (and human beings) on a day-to-day level.

That leads us to our next question: if He rules and reigns over the world, what gives with the last year and the absolute chaos that has come from the coronavirus? You’re telling me God ordained such a thing? According to Jesus, yes He did. But why? 


While I was at work in the next room over, I came back to find my friend sprawled out on the floor after over and hour of meticulous editing.

Continuing with the music analogy, a friend and I have recently been writing and recording songs. It has been one of the most fun experiences I can remember as we bounce ideas and lines back and forth off one another. Now, I’m a little more experienced than her musically, so what happens is she often comes up with the song ideas and is really influential in the lyrical side of things. I, however, produce and write the musical parts. These include what instruments play and especially what harmonies are sung. What would shock people about writing harmonies is that they always don’t sound beautiful. In fact, if you sang four pitches together from any pop-song harmony and that’s all you sang, you’d probably cringe. It creates tension and dissonance in your ear. As I was teaching my friend how to write harmonies, I showed her how you look for the emotional part of each phrase to throw one of these harmonies in there, and then immediately release it. The result? Four notes that might sound hideous songs together, if immediately resolved to different notes, can sound beautiful and drive the emotions of someone listening to a song. That’s what tension in music does — it plays on your emotions. If there was ever a part of a country song that felt like it reached deep in your soul, I would almost guarantee you’ll find one of these harmonies. In many ways, you can see the parallel between dissonance in music and the way Jesus Christ brings dissonance through tragedy and change in our world. An isolated event that might seem heinous, when woven into his grand plan, can function in a way to bring growth and thriving to his people. John Calvin, a famous theologian from times past, put it like this: God can draw beautifully straight lines with crooked sticks. 

So where to does this lead us? Is there any consolation we can have regarding the past year? Are there things we know God is doing to give us better confidence in these times? Yes. I think through God’s Word, we see three specific ways God has guaranteed to move that can give us confidence during these times.

Our Sanctification

When you hang around younger people as much as I do, you are not surprised to hear the same questions over and over again. One of the questions I get the most is, “What does God will for my life?” I think most reading this article can understand the heart behind such a question. Scanning the pages of Scripture, we never see a book that details “God’s Plan for (Your Name)’s Life,” as if God were giving us this ultra-defined instruction manual for how our life should go. However, to think the Bible cares nothing about the issue might be a little short-sighted. We actually get insight into God’s will for our life in 1 Thessalonians 4:

Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your _________…

Oh, snap! If you just read that right, Paul is about to give God’s plan for the Christian. He says, “For this is the will of God…” I’m listening. What is the will of God?

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.

Sanctification. He lays out what this looks like: sexual integrity, self-control, caring for your neighbor, amongst other things. This is not just avoiding bad things, it is spreading goodness and kindness to the world around us. Are you disappointed? Were you hoping for something, you know, a little more…useful? 

I think there is some inherent beauty in this statement for two reasons. Firstly, while most of us long for God to answer a particular request so that we can continue “in our path,” Paul reveals how God seeks to give us something better than that longing. God does not always care so much about giving us step-by-step directions as he cares about making us into a particular kind of people. What kind of people are these, you ask? The kind of people who will be equipped to thrive, flourish, and spread His steadfast love and gospel message to our fallen world, regardless of what we face. While we want God to equip us for a situation, He instead equips us for a lifetime. Secondly, Paul’s words show us that whatever circumstance we find ourselves in (poverty, sickness, cancer, persecutions, broken relationships), God is still able to bring this about in our lives. 

How can we relate this to our current context? Obviously, some of us have lost jobs or a huge chunk of our income (that is my situation). Okay. Christ is still working for our sanctification. He is still equipping us to flourish even amid poverty. Amen. Some of us have lost loved ones. The touch of death has been a cold one, perhaps too familiar to some of us. Yet, Christ is still working for our sanctification, knowing that if we are in Him, we too will conquer the grave as He conquered the grave, never to die again. Through this pandemic, we see that God has not stopped running the world. He is showing us that moth and rust really do destroy, that the breath of our loved ones really does fade, that this world is not our home, and any attempt to lay down permanent roots is frivolous because it would be like painting and decorating your hotel room when you’re only there for the night.

To be continued

fathers

Knowing Them Instead of Just Knowing About Them: My Reflections After Another Father’s Day

Father’s Day represents a relatively new celebration that honors a role that has existed since the beginning of time.   While Father’s Day may be an institution of human beings, the calling of fatherhood finds its foundation in its reflection of God himself.  So if men are called to be a reflection of our God, we need to consider a simple description of Him.

The Bible describes God as triune, which means three-in-one (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). One of the persons of the Godhead is described as the Father, so have you ever wondered why men who have children inherit a name that mirrors their father?  It may be understood that men, as fathers, are called to be a reflection of God. Another way to explain this reflection can be understood in how earthly fathers should interact with their children. In doing so, they mirror how God the Father interacts with his children.  If this concept is true then we, as fathers, need to begin by looking at how the Bible describes God the Father for our cues on fatherhood.

God as Our Heavenly Father

The Bible describes God the Father in many ways. Some attributes only He holds as a transcendent being, but some characteristics are those that men should mirror or reflect towards their own children. Let’s examine some of them:

  • Protector: Psalm 68:4-6, “Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him! Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.” 
    • Here we see God described as one who protects for those who are vulnerable and are in need of security, like the fatherless or widow.  Throughout the scriptures, God provides a place of refuge for those who need shelter and protection.  Earthly fathers are called to mirror this attribute as a protector for their children. 
  • Provider: Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
    • God, the owner of all things, is not a stingy God but one who uses all that He has to meet the needs of those He loves. There is never a moment where God the Father does not actively taking care of His children’s needs, so also an earthly father must be active in seeking to meet the needs (emotionally, physically, and spiritually) of their children.  

Based on the above two attributes, you might think that we as a culture have this fatherhood thing down. I mean, numerous men spend a lot of energy making sure that their children are well provided for and protected.  Men give a lot of time and effort to ensure that their children are safe and sustained.   So, there is some truth to thinking that we, as a culture, have the role of fatherhood figured out. 

But do we understand fatherhood to be only about provision and protection?  Are these the only ways that we relate to God the Father to find joy and peace as His children?  Yes, provision and protection are two significant aspects of fatherhood, but these two parts of fatherhood were only meant to be a road that leads to an even better destination in the calling of fatherhood. 

But before we get to that better destination, do any concerns arise in your mind when thinking about children who are well cared for and have a sense of security?  These are children who would never worry about a meal, having the necessities of life provided or spend too much time worrying about safety as they lay their head down at night, but is that all that God the Father offers us as his children?  Is merely having a full belly, clothes on your back, and a sense of safety all that we need? Surely not!

If we think fathers are only providers and protectors, how are we any different from a caregiver at an orphanage? Now I know that may seem so harsh, but imagine a child in an orphanage who just was adopted, and even got an adoption certificate displaying their new family name. They never once had to worry about food or even the idea of being safe daily, but not once did they ever meet their new father. Not once did they get to hear his voice or feel the embrace of his arms. Would we consider that a successful adoption?  No way! Deep inside, humans desire to spend time with our fathers and be known by them. We all know of stories in our communities where children had everything they needed materially but still struggled because their fathers never spent time with them or honestly knew their children. 

A Road to a Better Place

I do not say these things to shame anyone or heap guilt upon the shoulders of any father.  Instead, I want to call all fathers into something more, into something better.  Fathers, we are invited into something grander than providing full bellies and a sense of security.  We have been called to mirror the intimacy experienced with our Heavenly Father.  So while provision and protection are necessary as part of being a father they are external roads that lead to the better inward destination of affection and understanding. 

Affection and understanding are both aspects of our Heavenly Father, so let us look at a few passages of the Bible:

  • Understanding: Psalm 103:13-14, “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame, he remembers that we are dust.”
    • God understands his children at a deep level and knows the very nature of their frame or their very core self. It is this understanding that elicits compassion in vs. 13. God, our Father, understands each of us at a deeper level than merely food and safety- he knows us personally. 
  • Knowing: Exodus 2:25, “God saw the people of Israel and God knew.” 
    • The people of Israel were in the midst of a real struggle, and it was not merely the oppression as slaves in Egypt, but thinking they were alone in this dark time. This shows us that a part of the aspect of God the Father is affection drawn from a deep understanding of his children in the daily struggle. 

As a pastor, I have been in numerous conversations with people whose story goes something like this:  “My father was a good man, he always provided for me, and I never felt threatened by him, but he did not know me.  He did not know my likes, dislikes, fears, or struggles.  We just kind of were together but never had an understanding of each other.”  We live in an age where children are well cared for and safe, yet have never experienced such emotional brokenness.  I believe this is in part due to fathers not allowing their affection for their children to grow out of an understanding of who their children indeed are.  Fathers can know facts about their children like birthdays or eye color, but this is a far cry from knowing the joys and pains your children experience daily.  This is more than a reminder but I believe this is a path forward where we can see our children begin to flourish with more than full bellies and safe homes.  This path forward includes two missing but pivotal parts of fatherhood that all fathers can grow in: time and talk. 

Time 

The idea of time with your kids is not a novel concept, yet it is one of the most important ones to move into a better understanding of your kid’s real needs.  Time is nothing more than being present with your children, whether that means laying on the carpet playing with your 5-year-old, or playing video games with your 12-year-old.  The point of time is to be present with your child intentionally and consistently.  Here is a great question to help you find those intentional and consistent times to be present in their lives: what do each of you like to do? After you get that answer, invite each other into those spaces.   Some of my fondest memories of being with my father revolve around building things, hiking trails, and playing a sport.  I may not remember every moment, but I knew he was present in my life, and it added a level of stability to my upbringing that mirrored my Heavenly Father in significant ways.  Instead of just sitting there, each of you doing your own thing apart from the other, find ways to share time doing what one (or both) of you are already doing.  Finish the deck outside, and spend time together doing it. But also make sure you put down the pen or hammer to pick up the game controller or Legos doing things they like to do too.  A child needs to understand the constant presence and time with their earthly father so that they can realize these same truths one day about their Heavenly Father.  

Talk

While being present is a massive part of earthly fathers mirroring our Heavenly Father, there is still one significant component to our role as fathers. We must begin to use this time for good conversations.  Now, God has perfect knowledge of all his creation and nothing hidden from his eyes, so he does not have to search for the right questions to gain new information. We do!

The destination for all earthly fathers is sitting beside your child, asking the right questions to know and understand them more deeply.  I know of many dads who seek to find out the details of a day and what things happened in it — I am one of those.  However, we must also make sure to ask the more penetrating questions that get to core issues of fears, struggles, delights, and ultimately identity.  Instead of merely asking, “what did you do today?, find ways to invite more penetrating questions. Here are some examples:

  • Where are the things you really enjoyed today, and why? 
  • What did you struggle with today? 
  • How did you react to a hard circumstance today? 
  • Did you find yourself getting angry today, and what was it?
  • Was there anything you experienced today that was new and exciting, why?

Make it a habit as a father to know where your child finds joy and what causes them great fear. Spend intentional time engaging in the deeper waters of their hopes, dreams, likes, and dislikes. In doing so you are seeking to gain a better understanding of your child.   We can not fully love as fathers until we know where to best apply the tender care of grace in our children’s lives. We cannot know best where to use the tender care of grace without more time spent in quality talking about deeper things.  

Let me close by reminding us of the intimacy and love we experience with our Heavenly Father, who knows us well and meets us in our time of need. One of the greatest sections of scripture that teaches us that God knows us so well and meets our needs from this deep knowledge is Hebrews 4:14-16:

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

This text shows that God became man to know us better but more importantly to provide salvation out of His deep love and sacrifice. May we seek to move down the road of fatherhood to the better destination of time and intentional talking. Only then will our children find it easier to flourish under the better care of our Heavenly Father. 

What happens when you treat roads like destinations?  You get the fatherhood of 95% of men – unsatisfying and painful.  Yet, if we strive to use these as the paths alongside time and talking as God intended for us, then it will lead to life and flourishing for our children and fathers themselves.

mark

Marked by Fear: COVID-19 and Mainstream Christianity’s Grappling with the End Times

Artwork by Aidan Rodriguez (2020)

Memories are precious things to me. Maybe you understand if you are the sentimental type as well. I remember one distinct time in college where a friend gave me a thank you note written on a napkin. Yep…still got it. Chances are if you’ve ever given me a note or a card, your message is sitting neatly in one of my memory boxes out there. All this to say – if a person gives me something, I likely will hold onto it for a while. This is even more true if someone gives me a piece of artwork. A few days ago, a friend of mine gave me the choice between two pieces of artwork he had drawn. He had decided to paint a portrait of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Knowing I was a huge fan and that I grew up watching it, he thoughtfully offered up a piece of artwork that I know took him a long time to create. From the moment he showed me, I was blown away! I loved this show growing up, and I could not believe he was thoughtful enough to give me that gift. 

Artwork by Aidan Rodriguez (2020)

As I brought the piece of artwork home, I scanned it in greater detail. Sure enough, the artwork had the patented New York City moon in the background with Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo flexing in front of it. However, as I zoomed in, I noticed a little mark that you find on almost all pieces of artwork – the initials “AR” and the year 2020. Go ahead and look around your house – no matter what artwork you own, it will almost always have a distinguishing mark somewhere on the canvas. Have you ever wondered how ingenious a practice that is? No matter where a piece of artwork goes, it will never go unidentified. There in plain sight is a mark of ownership. That painting or drawing belonged to someone and was created by someone – even if it has now passed hands through the years. As long as it hangs on my wall, it will always I will never be able to escape that mark – whenever I see it, I will remember exactly who gave it to me and when I received it.

However, as I have contemplated the piece of artwork now framed in my bedroom, a much different mark came to mind – a much more notorious mark. The week before my friend gave me this piece of art, I had just had multiple conversations with different people at my church and in my community about the fears they had amongst the COVID-19 situation. Their specific fear? That the worldwide pandemic would usher in the end times and result in a time of great tribulation.  If you have been around evangelical churches at all, you probably know what I’m talking about – the dreaded mark of the beast from Revelation 13. A few of the people I spoke with specifically referenced the talk of a microchip given to people during the vaccinations. The more I speak with people, the more I am beginning to hear this kind of language. So is there anything to the claim?

 

The Mark of the Beast and It’s Checkered Past

For some, the mark of the beast is one of the worst parts of the end times. For others, you might be wondering, “What’s that?!?” Before we look at the mark and if there is any relation to our current pandemic, let’s back that thang up and look at where the idea comes from:

Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666. (Revelation 13:11-18)

Above you will see a quote from the book of Revelation. If you are not familiar with a Bible, that is the very last book of the Bible. If you have never read it, it is the book of the Bible that most resembles what our culture would call a comic book or science fiction because of its vivid imagery. John, one of Jesus’ disciples, wrote the book of Revelation. It contains some of the most spectacular displays of visual imagery in all the Bible. In this part of the book, we read of the beast (some Satanic figure) who “causes all…to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark…” Now the tricky part about this passage (and the book of Revelation as a whole) is that it has been interpreted so many different ways over the years. The newest and most popular interpretation in the American Bible Belt is that this mark is some physical marking/technology (credit cards, microchips, tattoos, armband, bitcoin, etc.) that everyone will receive in the end times. The popularity of this view undoubtedly has to do with recent movies and the popularity in the 1990’s of the Left Behind series. Countless churches have broadcasted these movies to their members – from Teenagers all the way to Seniors. This is the understanding most evangelicals have regarding the mark of the beast, which vicariously leads to countless Facebook posts that give “proof” that the mark of the beast is on the horizon.

But hold your horses. Is that really what Revelation means by the mark of the beast? Firstly, let’s take a look and see if there are any legitimate reasons to see that in our present world. Secondly, and maybe even more importantly, let’ ask why is this such a fascination in mainstream Christian culture?

 

Revelation: The Book Where Everyone Gets a Mark

There are a couple glaring holes in the abundance of Facebook posts about the mark of the beast being the next microchip, cryptocurrency, or vaccine on the market. The first problem is that people often do not read the verse in its entirety. 

Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.

Notice what John does here. He introduces the idea of a mark on the right hand or the forehead. After that, he mentions how this mark is necessary to buy and sell goods. But notice what comes next in the verse. He notes “the mark…[COMMA], that is, the name of the beast…” Commas are important. If you and your spouse are sitting on the couch together around 4:00PM, there’s a difference between you saying, “Hey, let’s make a little Italian, baby” and “Hey, let’s make a little Italian baby.” The comma in the passage above shows that John clarifies what this mark is: the mark is actually a name. 

The second and more dangerous problem is mainstream Christianity’s view misunderstands the book of Revelation as a whole. What do I mean? If you read the entire book, the beast isn’t the only one marking people. In fact, he’s not even the first to mark his people. The truth: every single person in Revelation has something on their foreheads. Let’s take a look at a couple examples:

Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. (Revelation 7:3)

They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. (Revelation 9:4)

Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion, stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. (Revelation 14:1)

They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. (Revelation 22:4)

The first interesting thing to note: look at the multiple places where this mark is referenced. With all the attention Revelation gives to God marking his people on their foreheads with his name, why the heck have we likely never heard about the above passages? Why do you hear debates on what physical mark of the beast and not the mark of God? It appears that the beast has written the name of his people on their foreheads to imitate God, who has written the name of his people on their foreheads. 

You will notice this kind of imitation happens throughout the book. Satan routinely tries to do the same things God does. The only problem? He sucks at it. He can’t quite do it because he’s not God. Let’s take a look at some of the ways he does it:

  • God is a Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Spirit) vs. Satan tries to make an unholy trinity (the false prophet, the beast, the devil)
  • God has a wife (19:6-10) vs. Satan, who has a prostitute (Revelation 17)
  • God marks his people with a seal on their foreheads (Revelation 14:1) vs. Satan, who marks his people on their foreheads (Revelation 13:11-18)
  • God is a 7 vs. Satan thinks he’s a 7, but he’s only a 6. In fact, he’ll only and forever be a 6 (666 – Revelation 13:3)
  • God has a Lamb who actually was slain, but truly comes back to life (Revelation 5:5-7) vs. Satan who has a dragon that appeared to be slain, but its wound is healed (Revelation 13:1-3)

Notice everything listed in the above section. Everything God does, Satan tries to imitate. Everything Satan does, God does better. The only problem is that each imitation is a cheap knock-off. I mean, which one is better – a wife or a prostitute? One is with you because she loves you and is committed to you. The other is with you because you pay her. One will remember your birthday, the other won’t care if you exist when she leaves your room. 

So what does this tell us about the mark in the book of Revelation? The mark (or seal) on the forehead is a mark of ownership and devotion. It’s a way of saying, “Who do you love and who do you belong to?” In other words, those who belong to God are marked by him or sealed by him. God’s people are devoted to Him despite any sufferings they might incur (which makes these passages extremely encouraging if you think about it). However, the beast has his people as well. Those who do not repent and throw themselves on the mercy of Christ, they do not have the mark of God on them. They have a much different mark. They are marked, even if they don’t realize they’re marked. What Revelation is doing is anticipating the great and final judgment, sorting out humanity into two sides: those who belong to Christ and those who do not.

Is the mark of the beast a literal marking or a piece of technology? Although popular opinion says yes, I would respectfully disagree. I don’t think it was going to be some microchip hidden in a vaccine, I don’t think it will be a credit card embedded in an arm, or really any other fanciful Facebook post. ‘Why?’ you might ask? Honestly, while the book of Revelation describes a literal second coming and a literal end of history, it does so in a way that often uses vivid metaphors to attempt to describe the indescribable. I do not think these are literal marks a person can see on the skin. Whenever Christ does come back, I don’t think humanity will be divided between those who have God’s literal tattoo on their forehead or Satan’s literal tattoo on their forehead/arm. 

 

What Can We Learn From This?

Perhaps yet a better question is to consider why these speculations exist and what it reveals about us as human beings. Why, when disasters happen or new technology is invented, does the human mind run to these? Let me make a couple observations, but before I do, please know I am not saying all these are true for every person reading this. Some of these observations will characterize this person, others will characterize that person.

  • Observation #1 – The craze over the mark of the beast demonstrates how movies have a huge impact on the way we understand the world
      • I could be wrong, but I have a hypothesis about the popularity of where this comes from in mainstream Christianity. I would wager the majority of this speculation finds its origin in the movies and media people have consumed. If you did not have the Left Behind series of the 1990s and the teaching that spawned from that series, I’m not sure this struggle would be as real as it is for some.
  • Observation #2 – The craze over the mark of the beast demonstrates how evangelicals have a void of deep and applicable teaching that will help us understand our Bibles
      • I think the fear of the mark of the beast is a culmination of an increasing trend in evangelical churches over the last 100 years. As I heard someone say the other day, “Evangelicals have two speeds when reading the Bible: 1) things necessary for salvation, and 2) not important.” Unfortunately, many churches have unofficially adopted this reasoning. When was the last time we heard deep and applicable teaching regarding the Lord’s Supper, the Atonement of Christ, how to read Leviticus, how Revelation relates to Exodus, etc? If our church is only teaching “Healthy Marriages,” “Good Finance,” “Right Character,” “Kindness,” – all of which are good things – then we can expect confusion when we open our Bibles. We have become a proverbial 30-year old taking spoonfuls of spiritual Gerber from devotionals and teachers who do not stretch and challenge us. You might have a church of 50, 500, or 5,000. But think about it: if 90% of us in each situation don’t enjoy, meditate, or read the Bible except on a shallow level, has that really gotten us anywhere? This is especially true about the book of Revelation. I think most of us unknowingly take what we’ve heard about Revelation in our right hand hand and news headlines in our left, matching them up to see the future. That kind of reading will never get us anywhere. You can even tell something is amiss, because instead of our reading leading us to confidence (which is one of the purposes of Revelation — to show that no matter what, God’s people will overcome because Christ will overcome), it leads many to anxiety.
  • Observation #3 – The craze over the mark of the beast demonstrates it’s natural for fallen human beings to fear
    • When some people fear the potential of the mark of the beast, I think it shows a
      Needless to say, I would not be looking forward to a punch in the mouth from Iron Mike
      Needless to say I would be moderately nervous about a punch from Iron Mike
      genuine fear. In this case, it is a fear of pain and suffering that is part of being a fallen human being. For example, I don’t want to get punched in the mouth by Mike Tyson. If I know I’m getting punched at 10:00AM tomorrow by Iron Mike, around 9:55AM I’m going to be a little nervous. I know he punches so hard that my lip will probably wrap around my face. In the same way, if a Christian knows suffering is coming, they do not necessarily look forward to it. They know it’s going to hurt. But their overwhelming trust will cause any anxiety to be overcome because they know any suffering is temporary and will be ultimately redeemed by Jesus Christ. However, that’s not the whole story. I think perhaps the biggest reason for the craze over the mark of the beast is…
  • Observation #4 – The craze over the mark of the beast demonstrates a hidden idol in the hearts of evangelicals: worldly comfort.
    • Out of all the observations, I think this one is the most widespread. It is more than the natural fear in observation #3. As evangelicals, especially in America, we struggle with the idol of comfort and riches more than we ever give ourselves credit for. I think one part of this mark of the beast passage really scares a lot of people: “Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.” Undoubtedly in all this, there is probably a hidden affection for worldly comforts that many do not realize is there. But that is the great message of Revelation: first comes suffering, and that suffering is real. But for those who endure comes a greater pleasure and treasure than we could ever imagine. Behind many of our Facebook posts is a desire to have our cake in this life and the next. Many of us “trust” the Lord, but you know what we also trust? Our mutual funds. Our pension. Our nice car. Our ideas for a future. Security is not a bad thing. We are creatures who long for security and hunt for it for it everywhere. The only problem comes when we seek security from a life that is so fragile. That’s like trying to build a bridge out of toothpicks. It might be possible, but a great collapse will come when you walk on it. And yet we have a gracious God who calls us to abandon these false idols that will only ever let us down on the day we really need them.

Revelation helps us pull back the curtain of this life to show us what is really at stake. It shows us how suicidal it is to live our lives for the present when we know how things will end. The whole point of the mark of the beast is actually to give Christians comfort. They will not receive some “accidental marking” by getting a microchip only to find out tomorrow, “Oh no! It’s the mark of the beast!” No. The point of the mark of the beast is to highlight God’s marking his people. If he has saved us, he will hold us to the very end. That holding might come by rescuing us from hidden idols like worldly comfort, but it also might come by holding us through oppression because the world knows who we belong to. Either way, our Savior will come and we will be rescued.

So is there any relation between our current COVID-19 crisis and the End Times in general? Of course there is! But in one sense it is just like every other natural disaster — hurricanes, tornadoes, financial crashes, plagues. All of these are anticipating a judgment to come. It’s funny that Christians were asking the same questions during plagues of the past. However, here’s what we do know: we are closer now to the second coming of Christ than we have ever been. If he does not come today, we will be closer tomorrow than we have ever been. If he waits and 1,000 years from now he has still not come, then 3020 will be closer yet to his coming. Until then, we wait and we do his work of loving and sharing the gospel — not with anxiety, but with confidence in our Lord and the mission he has given us until our death or his return.

Ask-1024x683-1160x665

You Really Wanna Know Me? Good Questions to Ask Others In An Age of Secrecy

College was a special time for me. I still remember the day when my Dad dropped me off and drove away. It was a hard day for both of us, but especially for him. I had never lived on my own before and had very little clue about what life for the next few years held for me. In those years, I would find out much about myself, as well as how to function without the help of my parents. To be honest, those years were some of the best years of my life. Many friendships developed, and a few of them I keep track of today. One particular friendship near and dear to me was my college roommate. We were very close – like brothers from another mother. At one point, we had lived together for almost two years, sharing the same 15’x15’ dorm. 

I remember one night, we were both heading for bed and were brushing our teeth. Something came over me at the moment as I looked at him in the mirror with toothpaste running down my cheek – “are you going to take your contacts out?” He looks at me, slightly puzzled, and says with a smirk, “when do you ever remember me taking out or putting in contacts?” I thought about it for a second, and then said, “Well, I don’t.” In fact, there was no contact solution, contact case, or any sign of contacts that have ever been in our room. He didn’t wear glasses, and he never squinted in class. He had perfect vision. But for some reason, I had been convinced all along that he wore contacts.

It’s funny how well you think you know someone only to realize that there is so much you don’t know. In extreme cases, a person can think they know someone and be completely wrong about them in the first place. Lots of dating relationships have ended with one party screaming (or worse, texting🙁) the other party saying, “well now I know the real you!”

 

The Secret Life of Being Well Known

Knowing other people can be a tricky thing. But being well know can be even trickier. Living in 21st century America, it doesn’t take long to realize the paradox that exists in most of us. Seemingly all of us have a desire to be known. Think of the whole social media phenomenon. We have followers. We have groups. We have pictures of our meals. We have the selfies where we get to take pictures of ourselves in action. We are people who want people to know us. Yet, on the other hand, there is an aspect of our lives that human beings seem desperate to hide. We post the beautiful cake we made on Instagram, but not the three cakes we ruined in the process of making that one. We post our best pictures, not the ones that make it look like we have a double chin. We don’t post our fights and failures. We post the medals and success stories. That leads us to our present time – we’ve never been more well known while being radically unknown at the same time.

While our culture frantically looks for ways they can be known, yet live in secrecy, what if I told you the Christian life is radically different? I know, I know – there are many professed Christians out there who live isolated lives, not knowing others and settling for the hashtag life of the world around us. They emphasize their own walk with Jesus. But is that really the best life? Is that really how our lives were designed to be lived? 

 

All About Me, Or All About Them?

If you grew up within churches, especially if you are in the South, one of the phrases your ears have heard over and over again is a personal walk with Jesus. Growing up in this culture, one of the things I’ve noticed is the unsaid rule of not pushing in too closely to those in your church. Living in South Georgia, this culture and mindset are alive and well. “That’s between me and Jesus!” can often be the slogan.

But is it? Whatever “it” is – is “it” really just between you and Jesus?

Before moving on, I think it is important to look at the way most religions in the world work. Most religions function by emphasizing one of two things: 1) the individual believer, or, 2) the “congregation” as a whole. Let’s give two quick examples that show us the extremes of each of these:

  • New Ageism: As American as Apple Pie
    New Ageism (almost 100% individual) – New Ageism is one of those religions that has a particularly American flavor. Usually associated with meditation, harnessing the power of crystals, and feeling the spiritual life from within, this religion has found increasing popularity in American culture. This is mostly because New Ageism makes no claims on a lifestyle one should or should not live. To many, that seems as American as apple pie. It is a religion by your own rules. It allows a person to feel spiritual while not being tied to any moral standards. In the end, New Ageism, in some sense, is about the individual at the end of the day.
  • Roman Catholicism (almost 100% corporate) – While you might hear some of the same terms in Roman Catholicism that you hear in Christianity (“Jesus,” “God,” “salvation”), there are some things you will rarely (if ever) hear about in a Mass gathering. One of those is a personal relationship with Jesus. Why is that? Because Roman Catholicism, while referencing the individual believer now and again, is almost completely about the Roman Catholic Church. That is where the spotlight always shines. You need to go to the Church for salvation. You need to go to the Church for grace through the sacraments. Whether in life or death, you need the Church as a whole all of the time. Therefore, you cannot live a faithful life and find salvation apart from coming to Mass. Indeed, the Catholic Church, in some sense, is about the Catholic Church at the end of the day. 

Almost any religion you find will either venture off into one of these two extremes. Either it is all about the individual, or it is all about the congregation as a whole. But which of these does Christianity fall into?

Most evangelicals would probably think it falls into the first category – 100% individual. After all, don’t we need a personal relationship with Jesus? After all, that is what “gets us to heaven,” right?

Evangelicals going as fast as they can in the opposite direction, not seeing the pitfalls of it

One of the things I’ve noticed about evangelicals as a whole is we certainly can be extreme people. We emphasize certain aspects of our faith until blue in the face. For instance, we evangelicals know we aren’t Catholic. Catholicism is all about the Catholic Church. So what we do is peel out in the opposite direction and make it all about a personal relationship with Jesus. But where has that gotten us? I would have a tough time finding someone who thought Christianity in American is in a good place. We’re driving in the opposite direction as fast as we can, but the thing we might not realize is that we are driving that Chevy right off the cliff.

100% of Two Things 

This is where, as Christians, we must turn to the Bible for clues. Is Christianity almost 100% personal or 100% corporate? Let’s list a few verses

Individual

  • Mark 1:14-15 – Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
  • Romans 10:13 – “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
  • Acts 2:37-38 – Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

If you believed Christianity was merely something individual, you would feel great about the above verses. These verses – all popular ones many grew up hearing – demonstrate for Christianity to be Christianity, there must be an emphasis on a personal relationship with God. Hence in the Mark passage above, Jesus’s call to the people to personally repent (i.e. “repent and believe in the gospel”). The same situation occurs in Romans 10, although significant baggage exists with these verses. Most Christians have heard Romans 10:13 in regards to the altar call – a borderline sacrament in Southern religion. However, this is not what Paul is talking about. He is not referring to an audible, one-time call at the end of a church service. Paul is referring to a life-long act of turning from sin and trusting in Christ. But notice, that call is personal. It is something the individual must do. Even the first sermon ever preached after Jesus rose from the dead had a personal aspect to it. The people who heard Peter preaching in Acts 2 asked, “what shall we do to be saved?” Notice what Peter said – he put repentance in the hands of each individual. He calls each one to “repent and be baptized.”

However, as we will see, that is not the whole story. For Christianity to truly be Christianity, it cannot be only personal. See how some of these verses break the mold of individualistic faith:

Corporate

  • 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 – Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
  • Ephesians 4:1-3 – I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
  • Galatians 6:1-2 – Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he mentions how God has given each individual a spiritual gift if they have been born again. But notice what he says here in chapter 12 about the purpose of that gift; a person is to exercise that gift for the common good. Whatever spiritual gifts are, they are predominantly for other people. That is far from a Jesus-and-me view of the faith.

Still, yet more, the Galatians passage highlights an important role in the life of Christians – walking with one another through sins and struggles. Paul tells them that if anyone has been caught in a transgression (which is, ohhhh, everyone in their life as a Christian from time-to-time), it is the job of the members of the church to help them. They are to “bear one another’s burdens.” That is quite a job. That is one of the reasons God established his church here on earth: they are a community of believers who help one-another defeat the stranglehold sin has on their lives. This will be a controversial line, so I will clarify it after I say it: that means we can’t merely pray for others and trust God to overcome certain sins. Notice the fifth word in that phrase: merely. I’m not saying a person shouldn’t pray. I’m not saying a person should not trust God. I am saying that, when God gives us a primary tool for fighting sin (the local congregation), we can’t pretend like he didn’t give it and just start praying for deliverance as if that is the only thing we are to do. No way – pray…but do your other job, too! Get your hands dirty in their life, and pray for the humility to let others do the same in your own life in your fight with sin.

From what we saw above, Christianity must emphasize the individual, but it can never do so without simultaneously emphasizing the congregation. Christianity finds itself in an odd place when compared to man-made religions like Buddhism, Roman Catholicism, and Hinduism. It is both 100% individual and 100% corporate. In this sense, the Christian life must involve the individual and others for it to be uniquely Christian. If you de-emphasize one, you lose the essence of the faith. You might be wondering at this point: is this where we find ourselves in our current church culture? Evangelicals have emphasized the personal relationship with Jesus to such a point that we have been making out with a religion very different from Christianity. Her voice sounds like Christianity from afar (talking about Jesus, “breaking chains,” and connecting people to God) but in reality, it is more like New Ageism with Christianized lipstick. 

 

Questions, Questions, Questions…

Assuming most of those reading this article will struggle more with involving other church members in their lives, what can do about improving in that area? Maybe the real questions are as follows: 1) How can we allow ourselves to be known? 2) How can we know others? Let’s take a brief look at the first question, and then an elongated answer for the second question.

So how can I allow myself to be known? Whew! Isn’t that hard? There is something in us that just wants to hide at the idea of someone knowing parts of us that we would never want to reveal. Yet, that is part of the Christian life. There is unbelievable freedom in that. I think the only way for this to happen is for the gospel to absorb into the fibers of our lives. This is why we must read the Bible (again, not just devotionals about the Bible), meditate on the Bible, pray for a love for the Bible, pray throughout our day, and utterly build our life on the Savior. It must be a day-to-day thing. When this happens, the Christian begins to believe something they have already known. What is it? It’s the fact that, on the cross, Jesus said worse things about us and our sin than anyone else ever could. You might read that and think, how is that helpful David? Stay with me here: if the Father – who knew all the secrets of my heart, all the wicked things my hands have done, and all the wicked things I will act on tomorrow – looks on me and does not condemn me because of Jesus’s crosswork, I suddenly become a lot less concerned if others think I’m a freak because I struggle with ________ sin. There’s nothing new under the sun, and that includes the sins I fight. I’m not a freak, I am normal in the worst kind of way until Jesus returns. And so are you.

The second question, how can we know others? is a little more tricky. Yet, there is a particular answer: questions, questions, questions. Knowing others, in one sense, is all about questions. It’s about asking, not just questions, but the right kind of questions. Let me give some examples below, first of some not-so-good questions and then some questions that are examples of good questions:

 

Stinky Questions that Usually Lead to Nowhere

  • How are you?
  • What’s going on?
  • What’s new in your life?
  • How’s your week been going?
  • How’s your marriage?

There are two things you might notice about these questions. The first: these questions are the go-to questions of most churchgoers. If you walk into a church gathering on a given week, you will undoubtedly be asked one or all of these. The second thing you will notice about them: they can all be answered in one or two words. Let’s go down the potential answer for all five: Good. Not much. Same ‘ole. Good. Pretty good. Here lies the main problem with these questions – one can easily evade them or answer them in a shallow fashion just out of habit.

So if these questions don’t cut the mustard, which ones do? Let’s take a look at some examples:

 

Questions that Help You Minister to Others

  • Questions regarding your week
    • What was the worst part of your week? (Follow up question: And why’s that?)
    • What was the best part of your week? (Follow up question: And why’s that?)
  • Questions regarding relationships     
    • What has been the greatest struggle with your wife/husband?
    • How have you encouraged your spouse recently? (Follow up question: What’s something your spouse has done recently that has encouraged you?)
    • What’s been the hardest part about parenting _______ recently?
    • What specific ways have you seen your singleness as a gift recently?
    • What specific ways has your singleness been a struggle recently?
  • Questions about emotions
    • Where have you been tempted to doubt the Lord’s goodness or power recently?
    • What is something that has made your heart for the Lord leap recently?
  • Questions about their spiritual pulse
    • If you had to use three words to describe your alone time with the Lord in the past two weeks, what would those three words be?
    • What is one key thing the Lord has taught you through his Word during the last week?
    • What are some things you have been praying for recently and haven’t seen?
    • What are some things you have been praying for and you have seen the Lord grant?
    • Who was the last person you got to share the gospel with? (Follow up question: How did it go?)
    • What sins have you been struggling with the most this past week? (Follow up question: In what actions did you see them come out in your behavior?)
    • Where have you seen growth in your fight against sin recently?

What do you notice about some of these questions? Most importantly, you can’t answer them without thinking. This is where the job of you, the congregation member, becomes so important. Listen for clues as to how the person is doing. This will tip you off on how to pray for them, how to speak the promises of God to them, and ultimately how to continue to walk with them through the struggles of life. 

Caring for people in a truly Christian way is not something we are naturally good at. We often avoid the mess, afraid of what others will think of us if we begin to pry a little. But with the Lord’s help, he will use us in their lives just as he will one day use someone else in your life. Until then, arm yourself with these two things: good questions and a listening ear.

Gate

A Gateway to Glory: God’s Kindness In Our Suffering

This article is part three of three in a series on God and suffering

______

I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness; I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too. I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more.

– Anne Frank

 

It was a beautiful early-spring afternoon. The rays of a golden sun beat down on my face, however, my insides felt like the darkest winter. I was going through a trial unlike any other I ever faced. Very few, if any, knew about it or know about it now. If you spend any time around me, you know I can be a pretty peppy guy. I guess you could say up to that point in life, I had lived a semi-charmed life. Don’t get me wrong – I had been through trials and heartaches. But this was unlike any other pain I ever faced. More personal. Deeper. It was the kind of hurt you don’t wish on anyone. I remember getting the unexpected news over the phone. I walked outside. The sun was now going down, and my fists clenched the mixture of grass and soil. There I was, on my knees. Salty tears running down a face that rarely ever cries.

We all dread days like those. We do everything we can to avoid them. However, they come. And not only do they come, they come like an unwelcome visitor: more often than we’d like, at the least convenient times, and longer than we’d wish.

So then, what do we do with the pain and suffering we experience? I think it’s a subject many Christians seek to avoid. Either it hurts way too much to think about the past, or we don’t want to admit some distrust exists in our hearts toward God. We might not say it out loud, but it’s there. However, I think this is the perfect spot to hear the Bible out on the matter and see what comfort it can give. 

In the last few weeks, we have dove headfirst into God’s intentions for suffering. It has not been an attempt to comfort those who suffer as much as it has been an opportunity for us to learn how God uses suffering in the life of people. These are things we need to know before we suffer, or we will find ourselves completely debilitated by the thorns inflicted by this life. 

Throughout the last few weeks, we have looked at why vague approaches and trite comments in relation to suffering do nothing for us. Telling yourself things like “God is getting my attention” or “I’m going through this for a reason” might sound good and well, but these thin clichés never can deal with the complexities of life. Instead, they often leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth and a suspicious eye towards God. If we want hope amidst our suffering and the ability to help others in their own affliction, we must move past these shallow truths by taking a look and resting in some of the reasons the Bible gives for suffering.

 

A 3D👓 View of Suffering

Growing up in Orlando, you get your fair share of theme park experiences. One genre of rides that always fascinated me was the 3D movie experiences you would find at Universal Studios. Usually, the park staff would hand you a pair of glasses at the entrance to the ride. If you looked at the movie screen during the ride without those glasses, it would seem like an ordinary movie. You put those glasses on, though? All of a sudden, the ride came to life! Water and animals would begin flying not just towards the screen – they would be coming right for your head! Sometimes, you’d completely duck out of the way even though you knew it was real. However, another aspect of these rides defies reason: how the audience is captivated by things they see every day. Usually, the ride would go through meadows and rivers where you would see flowers, rivers, and bees in 3D. You’d hear the, “ahhhhs” from the audience. The strange thing? Everyone in the audience has already seen these things in real life. Why are they suddenly captivated by them in a 3D ride? As I reflected on this, I think I realized the answer. Though the audience had experienced these objects in real life, they now saw their inherent beauty in a new light.

This is exactly what the Bible does to our understanding of suffering in the life of a Christian. In fact, one whole section of the Bible seems dedicated to teaching the follower of Jesus how to suffer well. In a very similar way, what we read takes our understanding from a flat view of our suffering that only produces suspicious questions and bitterness to a 3D view that allows us to take exhilarating joy in our God. In the process, he takes the fear of suffering in the life of the Christian and begins to transform them – making them into a completely different person in the process. By looking at a few specific reasons why Christians suffer, we can begin to make more sense out of our own suffering. Again, not all these will apply to every case of suffering, nor is it an exhaustive list. However, it is a good place to start.

 

  1. Natural Consequences for Sinful or Foolish Actions
    • Bible: The Lord possessed [wisdom] at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago [wisdom] was set up, at the first, before the hills, [wisdom] was brought forth, before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, [wisdom] was brought forth…When he established the heavens, [wisdom] was there. (Proverbs 8:22-27)
    • Explanation: While a few of the reasons on this list are well known among many Christians, this one is not often considered. The big idea? If you fight against the way the Lord made the universe, the design of the universe itself is going to reach out and slap you back. That’s right, not necessarily God. He doesn’t have to in every instance, because His creation does it for him. This is true for both those who follow Jesus and those who do not, and it best represented in the book of Proverbs. If you don’t know, the book of Proverbs is essentially the Bible’s school of hard knocks. It provides the Christian with street smarts that will serve them well as they journey through life. One of the big ideas from Proverbs can be found early in the book, but especially here in chapter 8: “Ages ago [wisdom] was set up, at the first, before the hills, [wisdom] was brought forth, before he had made the earth with its fields…” Notice the writer describes wisdom as something like a concrete slab God used to lay the foundation of creation (wisdom was “set up” before the hills before he made the earth). In other words, God has knitted a way of living life into the world.
      The theology of Proverbs demonstrated
      Therefore, if a person steps outside that path, God doesn’t have to sit in the heavens and slap them. That might be the case in other religions, but not in Christianity. He doesn’t have to. He designed the world to slap you if you slap it. For instance, God made us to be the kind of creatures who speak what is beautiful and proper at all times. However, if a person steps outside of this way of being, they will meet all kinds of natural backlash. They might destroy their friendships one at a time through gossip. They might lose their job because of their mouth, making themselves into an employee the boss cannot trust. They might even submarine their marriage. Is God backslapping them for their rebellion? I would argue he doesn’t have to. Why? Because he made the world in a way where if you don’t walk according to wisdom, there will be natural consequences. Undoubtedly some of you have been a part of small groups where someone might have asked for prayer against anxiety (or even worse at times, “persecution”) regarding a specific relationship or job. However, in many cases, the problem might not be anxiety or persecution. It’s because that person is rejecting the wisdom of the Lord and getting slapped around by the world. See the first two minutes of this video as a good illustration of this.
  2.  So that you can be a witness to those who do not know Christ
    • Bible: I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. (Philippians 1:12-14)
    • Explanation: Okay, if we’re being honest here, this is one of my more favorite sections in the Bible. Paul is writing to the church at Philippi, but he is not writing to them from the Ritz Carlton. No, no, no – he’s writing to them from jail! You would think that would lead to a melancholy letter to this church, right? But what does Paul have the audacity to say? “I want you to know…what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” What?!? It’s almost like Paul is wildly excited about how the Lord had used this present suffering in life. He notes how his suffering was ordained by the Lord that he could share with a ton of the praetorian guard (Roman military members) who were holding him captive. Paul is essentially saying, “Yo! Don’t feel sorry for me! The Lord is doing amazing things while I’m in prison! Pray the Lord would continue to use me in this way!” This is where we see one of God’s most specific instances for suffering in the life of his children. He uses their suffering as an amplifier so that the gospel can be both seen and heard in the lives of non-Christians. Suffering, especially the kind that goes on and on, demonstrates to a lost world that a person’s treasure actually lies in Jesus Christ and not the circumstances of their situation or health. Some of you who follow Christ that have long term maladies and diseases, this is one of the most beautiful portraits of the gospel Jesus has called you to. A great pamphlet on this subject, though it is more specifically geared towards cancer, is John Piper’s short pamphlet Don’t Waste Your Cancer. I would totally recommend it to anyone, even if you have not experienced a great amount of suffering in your life. When God’s saints find joy in Christ despite pain and anguish, it is a testament to the beauty and pleasure of God himself. That is the beauty of Christianity which is so different from the religions of the world that most people know. Jesus Christ is not just someone who just gets you someplace (i.e. to heaven) like the gods in other religions. Rather, Jesus Christ is the highest pleasure, joy, and delight to our hearts. That’s what allows the Christian to praise in the midst of suffering. Why? Because though they might be crippled, the One who makes their heart throb is still ever before their eyes. Though their body might be wasting away from a long term disease, Coronavirus, or cancer, they haven’t lost what their heart loves and longs for most – God himself. 
  3. To have mercy on the person suffering by saving them from the greater consequences of sin and rebellion
    • Bible: Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:27-32)
    • Explanation: This reason might be the hardest for Christians to understand, as well as the hardest to explain. One of the reasons God has for suffering is to use it to save a Christian from further deception that sin can bring. One of the situations where we see this in the Bible is 1 Corinthians 11. Here, Paul tells of how some of the Corinthians took the Lord’s Supper in an “unworthy manner” (there is a debate about what this means, and I won’t address it today). He tells them it is for this reason that some of them had died. Yep. God took their life because of them doing so. I’m guessing that sounds harsh to your ears, doesn’t it? But notice what Paul surmises from this: “But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined.” He is saying the death of these church members was the Lord’s kindness to them. Why? “…So that we may not be condemned along with the world.” In other words, God was protecting them from being further hardened or seduced by sin to a point where it endangered their souls. I am sure you will have a ton of questions about this, so please reach out to me if you want me to clarify. It would have to be a whole post in and of  itself probably. The big idea at the end of the day: God uses suffering to save Christians from consequences and hardening from sin. He inflicts pain to spare us, which is why the Scripture often refers to God as a loving Father. Loving fathers train, encourage and discipline their children. Similarly, God can use suffering in a way that strips away a person’s delusion when that person thinks they are living a godly life, but perhaps not really. Let me give an example: a person might attend church every Sunday, volunteer frequently, and might participate in Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. However, a person can do all these things and still live a paganized-Christian life. They do not see their lives as a vessel for serving God. They make Christ part of their life, not the consuming fire that dominates their thoughts and affections. They confuse the American Dream for the Christian life, using good and helpful programs even like Dave Ramsey’s course. However, they use it to give the feeling God is rubber-stamping their wealth building, not realizing it might actually be greed dressed up as wisdom. God can use suffering in situations like this to reveal their “dream” for their life is actually a crappy one, and the life He has for them in Christ is far superior, even if it comes with tears.
  4. To strengthen/humble you
    • Bible: So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. (2 Corinthians 12:7)
    • Explanation: Can a person be strong and humble? Aren’t those antonyms? Well, according to Paul, they are not! In 2 Corinthians, Paul demonstrates that God gives trials and suffering to simultaneously humble and strengthen a person. Now, the reason this strikes Americans so odd is because of our self-sufficiency. However, from God’s point of view, self-sufficiency is the height of human arrogance. Why? Because it is an overestimation of one’s own strength and a denial that one needs moment by moment sustenance from the Lord. In this passage, Paul cites how God gave him a painful struggle which he calls “a thorn in the flesh.” Nobody really knows what this thorn was, however, the point is just as clear. God gave him this to humble him. Now, this sounds a little funny because most of us would not think of Paul as a person who needed humility. However, the Lord knows our hearts much better than we know them. I noticed this hidden arrogance in my own life while reading Proverbs a couple years ago: whenever I read something good and praiseworthy, I would think of how I did those things. Whenever I would read of the fool, I would think of someone else. God in his great knowledge knew exactly what Paul would need, and that was a large dose of humility – even if it hurt! To hear Paul talk about this is even more amazing, as he later rights, “Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10) Paul could recognize the anguish of these sufferings, yet he knew as he went through them he was growing in the Lord. Again, this sounds funny to us because we think of strength as the absence of pain and suffering. But the Bible invites us to see our suffering in a new light – like a bouquet of grace that is spreading the aroma of Christ to areas of your life that still smell pretty rank. In the process, you are made into someone incredibly strong, though your body is wasting away.
  5. To show you both the passing nature of this life as well as where all pleasure and treasure stems from
    • Bible: But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. (Hebrews 10:32-34)
    • Explanation: Out of all my favorite verses about suffering, this one is near and dear to my heart. The author of Hebrews describes how these people came to faith in Christ. What did they receive from the world in response to their new-found faith? A t-shirt? A baptism certificate? Nope. They got floggings, public reproach, and the government-mandated seizure of their property. How did they respond? Did they appeal to their rights as a citizen? Did they start a Change.org petition to get their property back? No. Notice what the author says: “…you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.” You might need to double-take that sentence. They just got all their things stolen, and what was their response? They are overjoyed, but not because they had their stuff stolen. They are overjoyed that they get to suffer for Christ in this way. They received the opportunity of a lifetime to show their treasure was never in their house, or retirement, or children, or television. It was, and will always be, in Christ. It’s easier to have things taken away if you know you have something way better than that coming. In a way, these people’s suffering reminded them of everything they possessed, even their own families and bodies, was on its way out. This life is passing by, and it will end one day. This is where suffering is such an effective tool by the Lord. It drives the Christian to look to eternity with a bittersweet smile in their heart, even if it pains them so dearly now. They know that money, kids, family, a wife, a husband, success – all good pleasures in this life – are nothing compared to seeing our Creator face-to-face. In fact, think about those pleasures for a second. Who made them all? Do you think it’s by mistake that you find those appealing? No way! God made them like that! If he can make simple things like that that make your heart go wild, imagine what else he can do. Think about his character, that he could think up something like that. That’s the crazy thing about the God of the Bible: he is the source of all pleasure. That means everything you love, every feeling that makes your heart skip a beat, is in some sense a shadow. The unfortunate thing is that so many times we play around in the shadows thinking we are grasping hold of what really will bring us joy. We don’t realize those shadows are meant to lead us to the person those shadows come from — himself. The good news in this? For the follower of Jesus, one day we will see him. And one look from his gaze will eclipse a life-time of earthly pleasures. Though our bodies might be crippled in the dust in agony, there is an aspect in which God uses that to make our hearts sore to the heavens.

 

A Gateway to Glory

There I was on that lawn – those same hands that clinched soil eventually released it. Slowly, those hands lifted up to the heavens despite the agony. I remember it like it was yesterday, although now it is the distant past. It was a day of great loss. But what if I told you that all my memories from that day weren’t bad? Would you believe me? Don’t get me wrong – the bad was really bad. The loss was real. But not everything on that day was lost. I met someone that day – someone unexpected. I met someone I already knew. In my suffering, I saw the beauty of Christ. Did it replace my pain? No. But I would never be the same after that day. I caught a glimpse of what the Lord was doing in my life, even as my heart sunk to the depths of an ocean of anguish. What I saw was not an explanation of why I was going through these things. I was not after answers. Rather, it was a portrait of who he was making me into. Through my hurt, I was learning to trust him more. So I sang. I sang through tears and thanked him for his faithful character. Through my anguish, my heart did not run from him but clung to him. In bringing trials and pain my way, the Holy Spirit was making me into someone in the future who I would not recognize if I saw him today. 

That’s what suffering does for followers of Jesus. It’s Father’s greatest and most effective tool. A tool he uses on all those he loves dearly and calls “son” or “daughter.” A tool that does far more for us than a life of comfort, ease, and everything going according to plan. Indeed, suffering is the gate we must walk through. In a sense, this thorny path is the gateway to glory. I think this is why Jesus said, “Narrow is the road that leads to life, and few are those who find it.” Did you catch that? Few. Though we walk through that gate now, and it’s thorns hurt more than we can ever dream, there is a day when all the thorns will be removed. All the aches will be bandaged. All the wounds of our hurts will be healed. And what our hearts truly longed for in this world, they will finally receive – forever and only Jesus.

workout

Total Body Workout: Exercising My Spiritual-Gift-Muscles During a Shelter-in-Place

Do you remember taking those 20 to 50 question tests that help you determine your spiritual gift, and then looking on the ministry spreadsheet for areas where you could exercise your newly identified gift? It was great if you had the gift of teaching, then there were multiple options in Sunday School for you to use your gift.   If you had the gift of hospitality, then you certainly need to serve on the social events team. Or maybe if you had the gift of mercy, you were perfect for the shut-in visitation team. No matter what the test revealed, your spiritual gift was there was going to be a spot for you to fill unless, of course, your spiritual gift was sarcasm.  These tests and the ministry spreadsheet were helpful to allow you to begin to discern where you might be able to serve in the numerous programs that churches tend to offer. But what happens when the programs stop or the church no longer gathers on Sunday, or Wednesday, or any time really? Does this mean you are no longer able to use your gifting for the church, or does it mean maybe we need to re-examine God’s intention for gifting us as the church?

 

No Spreadsheet Required

During this period of a global pandemic, we have been allowed to clarify a lot of things: where are we wasting time in our days? What do we truly value and need? What is the church?  Yet, there is more clarity that can be brought to what we deem as normal in the life of the church. One of the most significant categories of thinking that we must allow to be shaped is our understanding of spiritual gifts.  If we tend to view our spiritual gift as something related merely to a ministry spreadsheet, then we will tend to encounter several problems, which include:

  • We minimize the use of our spiritual gifts to a location like the church facility.
  • We reduce the power of our spiritual gifts to be something only meant for programs. 
  • We wrongly feel a burden for not using our gifts during seasons of isolation (sickness, work-related travel, or even now — global pandemics

However, if we can take a brief survey of the Bible’s explanation of spiritual gifts, we can begin to see the gift we have been given to serve the church in a brighter light.  After seeing the gifts more clearly, we will understand how to show those gifts both while we gather and even more now that we’re scattered. 

In 1 Corinthians 12, we see Paul speaking about understanding the gifts correctly, and he begins in verse 4-7 explaining gifts this way:

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (emphasis added)

One of the truths we need to understand here is that God, the Father, is the one who empowers all the services. The services are meant to take place in the body of Christ. And the Holy Spirit is the one who distributes gifts to each. All three persons of the Godhead are active in a person’s use of their spiritual gifts.  Why would Paul want the church at Corinth to understand the gifts are given by our Triune God (meaning he’s three persons)?

Well, one reason is that Paul is trying to help us see that our spiritual gifting is an aspect of being unified to God himself.  Every follower of Jesus Christ is placed in the body of Christ for a specific purpose, as we read above “for the common good.”  This means several things: the fact that everyone is gifted if they have God’s Spirit in them, and that the gift is not dependent on a building but a people — the people of God.  One implication for us right now is that if we think our spiritual gifts are intended only to be used when we are at a church facility, we have unknowingly minimized God to a building.  Now, I do not think any of us would say this, but if we only practice our gifts when we gather, then we have quarantined God to a specific location.  

Instead, may we understand that our gifting is a result of our connection between God and his people, which means no matter our place in a city or in the globe, we are called to love others in the Body of Christ for their common good.  God is not confined by any geographic location, and neither are we when it comes to using our spiritual gifts for the common good of the Body of Christ.

Next, look at Paul’s words to the letter of Romans, where we read in Romans 1:11-12 these words; 

“For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.”  

Paul here is not saying that he wants to give them a gift, but instead they may be strengthened in their faith by his gift. Essentially, he is saying, “I long to be with you that I may use my gift to strengthen your faith.”  Paul is helping them to understand a significant point of the purpose of spiritual gifts, which is that they are given to strengthen the faith of other believers. This is way different than what we think. That means they are not necessarily for the purpose of running programs of your church.   Don’t get me wrong, I know we need some idea of structure and programs within the church to keep our ministries organized and on track. But, I am afraid if we immediately correlate our spiritual gifting to filling in a hole in a ministry spreadsheet, we will reduce the power of the gifts to nothing more than running the church programs.  I don’t know about you, but in my own mind, I think, “Oh God, forgive us for thinking so little about the power of the gifts of grace we have been given.”

 

The Purposes of Our Gifts

Paul shows us the primary purpose of gifts within the body of Christ is, 1) to strengthen one another’s faith in the certainty of our great God, and, 2) to prove the promises he has given us through Jesus Christ.   God, in His kindness, has called us the church to come alongside each other for one key role – to strengthen each other’s faith. The evidence of using our gifts well is not whether we have a well-run program, but if the people around us are growing in their trust and obedience to the Lord.  God desires a people who believe in him, which will be seen in love for Him, and an ever-increasing faith in His promises. When we link our gifts to just running programs in the church ministry, we, unfortunately, limit the power of our gifts. May we see God’s design with gifts is to strengthen the faith of others so that others in turn can see God’s influence reaches far beyond the church’s programs. 

Finally, we need to understand the implications of the two above statements being correct. What does it mean for using our gifts during seasons of isolation? If we believe the gospel, that a holy God has saved a people from the wrath they deserve by substituting his son to take their place, that he calls us by faith to become co-laborers with him, and we think that is a once-a-week thing, have we not settled for less?   Knowing that our God is not limited by any geographical location or particular programs frees us to believe that our gifting is connected to a people for the common good of strengthening their faith in God’s great promises. This simply means that any burden that you — the nursery worker, the bulletin folder, or the greeter — are feeling during this season of isolation from the gathering may be illuminating a needed adjustment in your practice of spiritual gifts.  You may be settling for something good when God has called you to experience and be so much more.   

 

Parting Recommendations

We are given the Spirit as a seal and guarantee of our inheritance as co-heirs with Christ and also are given specific gifts for the strengthening of other’s faith.  There is no more significant time than right now that we need to use our gifts for the building up of the faith of the body of Christ. Today you have been called as part of God’s eternal purpose as he is making a people for himself. These people trust, love, and worship him — especially when all else looks hopeless.  So in closing, let me offer a few suggestions on how to continue to exercise your spiritual gifts for the common good of your church:

  • Never underestimate the importance of prayer! I know, we all say we pray for each other, but make intentional efforts to pray specific promises of God over the people in your local church.  Go through a page of your church directory every day and then give them a call, text or email letting them know the exact promise you prayed for them.  
  • Take time to use your skills, whether that is writing, baking, singing, or creatively making a craft and send it to the people of your church.  In doing this, you are reminding others that God has not forgotten them, and you simply are a vessel in the hands of our creative God to show them this. 
  • Do not underestimate the ministry of listening. Spend time listening well — not interrupting to talk about yourself or give your thoughts — but listening well. You will help them to acknowledge the struggle they are feeling and will know more specifically how to encourage them as well.  Call a fellow church member and ask questions that can’t be answered with a yes-or-no: 
    • “What is your greatest struggle during this season?”
    • “How has God shown Himself mighty through this?” 
    • “What emotions are you wrestling with during all this?”

Remember, our God is not limited by a place or a program, but He is mighty to use His people to strengthen the faith of others in his unshakable promises.  May we all seek to be used for others during this season of isolation, and in doing so, build up great anticipation for the day when we do get to gather again as God’s people, and more importantly, for the return of our great God and king.  Grace and peace in Christ Jesus to you all. 

NETFLIX

Binge-Mode: How to Make the Most Of Our Time in Seasons of Forced Isolation

Have you ever noticed how selective our memories are? Some of the most impactful moments of our lives will not even show up as a blip on the radar. However, sometimes the most random occurrences are those you will never forget. To this day some of my clearest memories come from my elementary years. Of course, there is a lot of reasons to remember some of it. I was, after all, a Dream Lake Dragon. Our

My ballin’ elementary school mascot
© Dream Lake Elementary School (Apopka, FL)

classrooms were old airplane hangers from whenever the property functioned as an airport. Our playground was by far the coolest (and maybe least safe) playground I’ve ever seen in my life – a humongous pirate ship made out of monster truck tires and splintered wood, tire fortresses, and an abundance of rope swings. However, one memory sticks out from each year: day #180.

Any teacher will tell you about day #180. It’s also known as the last day of school. I remember anticipating the last bell as the whole class would count down from 10 seconds and sprint out the door. What did this newfound freedom mean for me? Well for the next 3 months, here’s what my schedule looked like most days:

  • 8:00AM-11:00AM – Basketball
  • 11:00AM-2:00PM – Video Games
  • 2:00PM-5:00PM – Hang out with friends
  • 5:00PM-7:00PM – Basketball
  • 7:00PM-9:00PM – TV and Video Games

Those were some productive days, right? I think everyone who has ever experienced a summer vacation knows what I’ m talking about. Usually, they are times of prolonged laziness where stay up way too late and get up even later. Looking back on it, those summers were an odd time of life.

What might be even odder is the current period in which we all live. Not in the last 100 years has society all over the world come to a grinding halt in so many ways. Many parents find themselves at home not working. Many kids just got the word that school has officially been canceled in their area for the rest of the year. It is like all of us have entered this summer vacation-like dream, and still worse, none of us knows when it will end.

But that leaves us with a question: for those of us who are in this time period of life right now, what can we do? Or maybe you are a parent during this season – what can you have your kids do? Go to the park? Forget that – it’s closed. Vacation – yeah, I’ve heard cruises are just awesome right now. They have a few “Buy 4 nights/get 86 nights free” packages, allowing you to float endlessly around the Caribbean.

I think if many of us are honest, times like our present ones bring out the worst in us. If we look at our unofficial daily agenda, it looks something like this:

Facebook – check. Instagram – check. Pinterest – check. TV – Check. Facebook again – check. And again – check. And again – check. Wind down with some TV – check. Sleep.

Maybe I’m in a boat by myself, but when I see that, I don’t want my life to look to consist of just that. I’m sure many people would agree with me on that. If you take a look at most of our wasted days, I don’t think it’s because we want them to be consumed with TV and social media. However, the days kind of just happen! But that leaves us with a question –

In this time of prolonged waiting, what can we do to redeem the extra time the Lord has given us?

 

Before How, Who?

Before we get into things we can do, someone might certainly say, “David, c’mon! Nothing is wrong with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or TV. Do you know what I would say? “You’re totally right!” But, that does not really settle anything– there are other questions that need to be asked. One of those questions is “who are we made to be?”

God has spread all kinds of hidden gems all over his creation for us to discover and use in creativity.

If you look at the beginning of Genesis, you’ll notice in chapter 1 that God creates human beings and gives them a distinct task. “Be fruitful and multiple, and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28a). Most of us have heard that part. But then he continues, “…fill the earth and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” In the original purpose for mankind, they were to rule over the earth as under-rulers: ruling over the earth while God rules over them. They were to extend God’s glory throughout the whole earth, harnessing all the creative potential in our universe to develop culture and technology. This is why God is not surprised that we have cell phones. God created electromagnetic fields, knowing one day we would discover how to hone their potential into something beautiful. It’s as if God has created this world as a technological Easter Egg hunt – humans walk around and find little nuggets of creative resources God put there in creation. They then use these to build products and culture. God designed that way knowing we would grow in our abilities and understandings of how to use this world for the most good and for His glory.

However, as we all know the Bible continues. We later read about how humanity sins against this God and inverts the created order. Instead of living as under-rulers with God being their head, they seek to define good and evil themselves and in the process fall from grace. The result? Now the creation is under a curse until Jesus Christ returns one day and sets the universe right again. But until then? Genesis 3:17-19 details how creation will not fight back against humanity. Now instead of exercising dominion over creation, we make ourselves servants of the creation. Talk about an upside-down universe! 

Here’s how this impacts you and I  – we live in a world that has many good things in it. However, we must fight back so that these good things do not rule over us. In other words, we will be tempted to destroy and waste our lives with good things. How might this happen? Easily. You take something good like Netflix or Facebook. Those are fantastic technologies that can provide great entertainment. However, if you are watching hours of those a day and not using the creativity God has given you, there is something that has drastically gone wrong. These good things, added up over the course of time, can zap years from your life. The New York Post did a recent study in December of 2019 and concluded the average American will spend 8.9 years of their life watching TV. 8.9 years! Again, there’s nothing wrong about watching television or surfing Facebook, but the big question remains: “are these things exercising dominion over you instead of you exercising dominion over them?”

With this in mind, I think the Bible would call us to be intentional how we spend our time. Watch TV – and have a blast doing it – but do so setting guards over yourself. I would suggest limiting your time to a certain amount of minutes per day. Same goes for other entertainment like Facebook and Pinterest. Build-in other activities into your schedule. What other activities you might say? That leads us to our next two thoughts: activities that have us spending time directly with the Lord and activities that foster our creativity as human beings.

 

How We Relate to God Directly

  • Set Aside a Time to Hear – The very best habit you can develop in your life is the daily routine of reading the Bible. Notice what I did not say. I did not say listening to your favorite Bible teacher. Notice I did not say reading a devotional. Not that any of these are bad, they are not the same as personal study and neither one will teach you how to read the Bible like reading it yourself. Just you, the Bible, and a pen in your hand. Try to read through books over the Bible over the course of a couple weeks or months, doing so a few verses at a time. But why would we do this? In an age that so desperately wants a “fresh word from God,” it’s ironic because God has already spoken. Maturity in Christ cannot be gained apart from the frequent study of His Word. It’s impossible. Sure, you might grow in some Bible facts here and there, but they will never be applied to your life. Maybe you or someone you know struggles with reading? Someone in my family did as well, but they now use an audio Bible. Set the Bible to slow and have it read to you, pause it, take notes, then resume. Don’t know where to begin this? Let me give you my format for your own reference: I get a composition notebook and a pen. I write down the date, then ask the Lord to give me wisdom in reading His Word and to open my mind. From there, I start reading, usually a couple verses at a time. From there, I start writing down what I see. I start asking myself questions, writing them down as I go and try my best to answer them. I usually do this anywhere between 20 minutes and 45 minutes. In the end, I ask big questions and try to answer them: 1) How does this text point to Jesus Christ? 2) What does this teach me about God? 3) What does this teach me about myself?
  • Set Aside Times to Speak– After you have finished your Bible study, you might want to take 5-10 minutes and speak to the Lord based on what you just read. However, that is not the only time during the day in which you can go to him. Try to schedule out multiple slots during the day to go to the Lord in prayer. Set a timer for 15-20 minutes if you have to and put your phone on silent in the other room. The normal routine I shoot for is this: 10-15 minutes of prayer in the morning after I study the Word. 20-30 minutes praying during the lunch hour. After that, I try to pray the Psalms between 15-20 minutes before I lay down at night. You might wonder what I mean by praying the Psalms. Take a look at some videos I’ve created to learn how to pray the Bible. It’s a habit I started years ago, and now I will never go back to any other way. I included a book on the subject as well just in case you would like to read it. 
  • Make Some Calls – One of the ways we relate to God is almost counter-intuitive: through his people! Christianity in its true form is impossible to live in isolation. Why? Because it requires you to both know others and be known yourself. The three ways God changes us into a people devoted to him are, 1) through His Word, 2) through prayer, and, 3) through your local church. That is how he designed it! With that being said, pick up your phone and try to intentionally make calls to people in your congregation. Check up on them, not just with the “how are you doing’s?” Rather, ask questions that require them to think about their answer so you can really hear how they are doing. “What has your mind be most anxious about during this time?” “What promises of God have been hard to believe during this time?” Pray with them over the phone. Download a membership directory from your church’s website and pray through your whole church once a week, taking a little time each day to do so.

 

How We Display Our Love for Him in How We Creation

One of the ways you can redeem this time is through skills and trades. While that first word might be familiar to most of you, the second word has lost some of its luster in recent years. A skill is something that you can do. For instance: reading, athletic ability, horseback riding, billiards, etc. Then what’s the difference between skills and trades? Trades are skills that you can do later for income. For instance, you can learn photography with the hope of one day having a side business where you photograph people’s weddings. Or you can learn computer programming with hopes of one day making a career out of it.

Try to find certain skills or trades you can improve on during this time. Don’t know where to start? Here is a list of some options all over the map, for the creative and nerd alike:

  • © Masterpieces, Artwork by S. Bleise
    Become a Graphic Artist on the Computer – Maybe you want to learn how to draw cool superheroes, create logos, design t-shirts, or make a whole career out it. Well, that is totally possible – for free! Inkscape is a great program you can download at no cost. Well, I shouldn’t say no cost – it does cost some hard work to get good at it. They have training videos on this same site, plus you can probably type in “Draw__________ Inkscape” on Youtube and get a ton of free tutorials. For example, imagine one of your little girls being able to draw a Unicorn fiesta!
  • Writing – Practice your writing. Start a blog or start writing a story. Pick up a book on how to write well and improve your writing. For those of you who like writing non-fiction and would like to work on your writing, take a look at this book. It’s about quoting and how to interact with other people’s arguments. Sounds boring right? But it was crazily-enough one of the most fun books I have ever read. Alright, enough of the nerdy stuff…
  • Do photoshoots for families, people who are typically impoverished and can’t afford them, and explore the world of light and color God created
    Photography – Have you ever thought it would be neat to capture memories in your family as well as possibly do get some spare money on the side? Find a camera and take a class on photography over the internet. You literally could become a master at this by the time June or July rolls around. Think about it: you would be able to help people in some extraordinary ways, able to give the gifts of memories to people for the rest of your life. One of my favorite websites for things like this is Udemy. They provide dirt cheap classes. If you wait around a week or two, they usually offer 90% off on all their classes, so never settle for paying full price. Right now you can find a photography class for $16. By the time you see this, it might have gone up. If so, just wait a week and look again. What if your picture hangs up in someone’s living room 80 years from now? Pretty cool, right?
  • Learn a Language – ¡Hola amigo! Pasa esas papas fritas. I know you might have passed high School Spanglish, but what would it be like to actually speak another language? What if you could go on one of the mission trips and actually speak to everyone in Spanish? Duolingo is a free resource you can download on your phone or use on your computer. Give it a shot! They have a ton of languages to choose from!
  • Baking – Maybe you love shows like The Great British Bake Off. Make it your goal to learn 3-5 supremely difficult things during this time. Maybe that will be a 15-layer cake or an epic cake design. Use your time to work on projects like this that can use to benefit and serve others after this pandemic ends. Also, you can gladly leave a slice of any project you are working on at my door. Please, someone, learn to make chameleon cakes! Is that not the coolest thing you’ve ever seen in your life? Ahghghhhhhhh!!!!
  • Computer Coding – Look at learning how to do basic websites with HTML and CSS. Then start moving to programs like Visual Basic, C#, and other cool programming languages. Christ has given us the ability to make computers – now we can learn how to use this technology in a way that exercises dominion over it. You can find sites for these all over the internet. This could be the foundation for you building websites or one day getting a job as a computer programmer. When most people think of that, it is they think of a rocket scientist. However, if you are somewhat familiar with computers, you can learn just easier than you think. If you can follow instructions and bake brownies, you can learn code. CodeAcademy.com has free scholarships for kids affected by COVID-19 right now, so maybe take advantage of that.
  • Music – Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be around a campfire and all the sudden be able to pull out a guitar? Think of the fun and warmness you could provide at that moment, giving people a memory they will never forget? Interested? Look around for a reputable teacher in your area. If you are in the South Georgia area, I have a small militia of guitar students who need practice teaching. For a fraction of the cost of normal music lessons, you could begin your journey and give some of my students an opportunity to teach! Contact me if you are interested! Other instruments you could learn: piano, digital audio workstations, harmonica (check out Udemy.com for this), and cajon.
  • Reading – Research shows that reading stimulates the brain infinitely more than reading on a laptop, smartphone, or watching TV shows. Maybe you haven’t read in a long time. Pick up a book that might help you in your walk with the Lord. Or maybe go on a journey in a work of fiction. Either way, use the brain the Lord has given you. Maybe you struggle with reading – what if during this time, you were able to correct to that? Maybe you’ve convinced yourself that’s not possible? I have a friend who has helped people who struggle in reading (kids and adults) learn to excel in it and love it! Contact me if you are interested. For those who are readers already, here are some of the good books I would recommend that I have read:
    • Prodigal God by Tim Keller
    • East of Eden by George Steinbeck
    • Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney
    • Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (harder read)
    • Desiring God by John Piper
    • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (great for kids)
    • Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ by Andrew Naselli
    • The Chronicles of Narnia or The Harry Potter series (if your conscience allows you in these area)

 

As the people of God, our risen Christ has re-made us to be many things – intentional and self-controlled are two of those things. We know both of those must be present in order for us to live fruitful lives that will glorify our king. With this possible prolonged season of isolation in front of us, may we prayerfully seek the Lord both in our activities with him and our activities that reflect him through creativity.

heart in hands

Coronavirus and The Human Heart: The Near-Perfect Match For Fear and Anxiety

In my home, there is a straightforward question that I try to squash like an annoying fly at an outdoor picnic.  It may seem simple, but if this question is allowed to take root and grow in the hearts of my family, it can cause lasting damage. Now, the loss is not that the answer to the question is so devastating by itself, but that far more significant damage is done by allowing my family’s hearts to linger there for too long. Is your interest peaked, yet?  Are you also wondering if you have allowed something into your home that could cause so much damage? 

Well, here it is.  I, as a father and husband, fight with to keep my family from asking the “What if” question. You know the one I am talking about:

  • Your timid 4-year-old child who hears a sound, and asks, “what if there is a monster outside?”
  • Your over-achieving 14-year-old is uncertainty about their grade on a test they just took, “What if I fail and then do not pass the class?”
  • Your super-organized wife, who is continually checking her schedule, asks, “What if we do not get everything done before our guest come over?”
  • Your quiet elderly neighbor, who hears on the news of a potential economic crisis and says, “What if they run out of money and my social security runs dry?”
  • My own struggle of longing to be the perfect husband and father asking, “What if I just really mess something up?”

Now you might be asking, “Really? You seek to squash every little, “What if…” that you hear?” This seems so trivial. The plan and simple answer is, “Yes!”  Wondering why? Is it because you do not want your family or neighbors to ask questions about life?  Well, of course, I want others around me asking questions about life, but we need to see that the issue with, “what if…,” is that it actually creates space in the human heart for fear.  Fear is the perfect fertilizer in the soil of the human heart to grow either deep trust or great anxiety.  

Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”   The human heart is like a warm greenhouse that must be well guarded lest you allow the wrong things to take root and cause destruction.  The heart can produce both life-stealing plants and life-giving plants, and it all depends on what you allow to grow in well-fertilized soil.

God has created the human heart with the capacity for fear, so we know that fear is not always a bad thing.  Fear within the human heart is a time when there is an increased vulnerability to influence, so how we allow fear to enter our hearts is of great importance.  Fear is a good thing when aligned with proper biblical wisdom. For example, you can fear the Holiness of God.  This particular fear’s highest good is that it reminds us we are small and in need of Jesus.  Think of the scene in Isaiah 6, where Isaiah was taking in a vision of the throne room of God. He immediately was overcome with fear and had an increased awareness of his sinfulness and complete need of forgiveness. Or imagine that moment your four-year-old heard the noise outside, and ask that question, “What if there is a monster outside?” Your child has fear beginning to settle in their heart and they are in an increased moment of vulnerability to influence. Your child will either be influenced by his thoughts of the monster or by the steady and calming words of you.  Fearful moments happen so that we can train our hearts to trust in the mighty hand of God and not be influenced by the things of this world.  

Right now, we are being bombarded daily by a variety of global media sources that create fear, primarily around COVID-19.  As we have already seen, fear is the perfect fertilizer for either deep trust or high anxiety.  Let’s talk about anxiety for just a moment, and then we will speak about how to deepen our faith in moments of fear.  Friends, let me remind you that fear is not always the problem, but what you allow to grow in the soil of your heart during these times of increased influence can be. 

            Anxiety throughout the Bible is often expressed as a divided heart. When looking at Luke 10 in the story of Martha, Mary, and Jesus, we see a perfect example of a split heart in Martha. Jesus and his disciples have come to their home, and Martha is busy trying to play the ideal host. As she is busily serving her guest, she becomes anxious. She approaches Jesus, saying, Lord tell my sister to help me. Jesus responds to her with these words, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things.”   In saying this to Martha, he reveals to her her anxiousness is because her heart is divided over many things: from serving her guests well, to Mary not serving and many other things. Her heart is divided at that moment, and anxiousness has arisen deep within her heart.  We see here that anxiety is the heated conflict of different expectations and loves with a human heart (a sermon we preached last year elaborates on this).  

Daily we are being fed with information that will create fear. Fear creates a heart that has an increased vulnerability to influence, especially towards worldly things. Anxiety is the conflict in a heart over opposing loves and expectations. The COVID-19 season we are in is a perfect storm for people to lose all hope and move into a high season of anxiety. Yet this does not have to be the case for God’s people because we have been given everything necessary to find this to be a high season of deep trust in our mighty God. We have got to stop listening to our hearts in moments of fear by asking “What if?” questions so that we do not fan anxiety into a flame. Instead, we must begin to preach to ourselves things that are good, right, and pure — namely, the truths about who God is.

Here are three types of fears that breed high anxiety in this season and biblical truths that you can preach to yourself instead of asking the ‘what if’ questions:

  1. Fear the world is out of control – This is probably the most common fear in seasons like we are in today with COVID-19, where we feel like the virus has finally shown us that the world is simply out of control. It is in seasons like this where we question the power and might of God, or his goodness towards his creation.  Instead of letting your heart ask all sorts of ‘what if’ questions, thereby allowing your heart to be influenced by a whole bunch of maybes. Seek to read about God’s mighty control.  You can read Job 38-42 and find solid biblical truth that will lead you to deepen your trust in God, who is higher and more potent than all things. Or you can read 1 Peter 5:6-10, which says that part of casting all your anxieties on him is humbling yourself under his mighty hand, knowing this mighty hand cares for you.  When the fear that the world is out of control creates a heart easily influenced within you, spend time preaching to yourself that Your God is mighty than all things.  If there is just one rouge molecule on the earth, God is no longer sovereign over it. Take comfort in how the Word of God repeats time after time, “God is Sovereign! Whom then shall I fear?”
  2. Fear of not having enough – This is probably the second most common fear in seasons like our current one. This is when grocery store shelves look empty, and paychecks look thinner, and a whole lot of ‘what if’ questions begin to creep into our hearts primed for influence.  Yet, we do not have to be consumed by the power of lack but preach to our hearts that God is a providing God.  You can read Luke 12 or Matthew 6 that teach about the truth that we are not to worry about what we are to eat, drink or wear because our God knows our need.  One of the great true and right things about God that we must learn during times of fear of not having enough is the idea that God is a provider of our daily needs. He never tells his people to build bigger storehouses, but to deepen their trust in him as he promises to provide our daily bread.  This is an echo of the truth in the book of Numbers with the idea of manna, which God said he would give daily.  Now God promises to daily provide the grace of God through the bread of life, Jesus Christ himself, so that we deepen our trust in the faithful God.
  3. Fear of losing things we love – This is a very personal fear because it hits all of us in different ways since we all love different things. It may be the home that you built from the ground up or the retirement that you spent your whole life accumulating. It may be your beloved pets or those in your family, which you love so dearly.  The fear of losing loved ones is deep and can produce extreme seasons of anxiety. You can let your heart become overwhelmed by the potential loss of a loved one, or you can preach to yourself about the presence of God himself.  Freedom from the anxiety of possible losing things you love does not result from the absence of that thought but by the presence of more significant thought. Psalm 73:23-28 shows us that the author of this psalm actually found comfort and peace in knowing that God is continual with him. Our ability to fight against fear and anxiety comes as we preach to our hearts that God is a present help because he will never leave us or forsake us.

We know that we will experience fear in our world and that during seasons of doubt, our hearts will be fertile ground for great things or high anxiety.  Anxiety rises as we listen to our hearts, “What if?” questions, so instead, we must preach to ourselves the character of God in Jesus Christ.  In this season of COVID-19, we must train ourselves not to allow fear or questions of “what if?” to rule our hearts, but let the God who controls all things reign supreme. May we seek God and his kingdom above all things, and the peace of God will sustain us.

Hospital

Sick-of-Home or Sick-at-Home: COVID-19 and a Reminder of God’s Intentions for Your Suffering (Continued)

This is part two of a three-part series on God and our suffering.

 We are officially in the waiting period during the current COVID-19 crisis. The virus has impacted the world more than anyone would have ever anticipated. How long this crisis will continue is uncertain. Some are guessing weeks, others months, and still others over a year. While most of us in the United States are now accustomed to prolonged stays within our houses, I wanted to continue writing on the topic of suffering. “Why?” you might ask? Because I have found it is much easier to learn about suffering before you suffer. While many have greatly suffered during the current crisis, there are countless others whose lives have not been dramatically impacted yet. It is for these people I continue to write, not knowing whether an escalation of suffering is coming or if the current crisis will indeed end by mid-April or May.

As we pick up from the last blog post on suffering, we will continue in this post to look at God’s purposes for suffering in the lives of human beings. While I originally thought this would be a two-part series, the length of these articles has forced me to make it into a three-part series. Previously we saw how most in our culture have the same view of suffering. We called this the Earth-Mirrors-Heaven view; the idea that our life on earth is an indicator of how God feels about us. However, we saw the bevy of people in the Bible  (Noah, Moses, Anna, Peter, Paul just to name a few) who experienced prolonged suffering and opposition in their life with whom God was pleased. Those figures showed us how both of the following graphics aren’t necessarily true like we unknowingly believe in our gut.

Even after knowing this, we still have not spoken about the actual reasons for suffering. That is where we will begin today – with general reasons for suffering in this world. The Bible claims these reasons for suffering are universally true in the life of every person, whether they follow Jesus or not. In many ways, these reasons work as shadows that lurk behind every heartbreak we encounter. From there, we will examine God’s purposes for suffering in the life of the person who does not have faith in Christ. Finally, we will move to suffering in the life of the Christian, but that won’t be touched until the final article set for this week.

 

General Reasons for Suffering

These reasons for suffering are true in every case. Whether you find out news that you have cancer, get your wallet stolen, experience a deadly pandemic, or the loss of a loved one – these reasons are universally true.

 1) The Fall

  • Bible: Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned —  for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. (Romans 5:12-14)
  • Explanation: The Bible gives a specific reason that accounts for all suffering. It claims that all suffering has its ties back to Adam and Eve’s first sin. Most Christians call this “The Fall.” Notice what Paul says in the book of Romans: because our first parents’ transgression, sin came into the world and death/decay through sin. Here’s something very important to note: this means humanity was not created to suffer. That is not in our biological make-up. For those of you who have been to funerals or children’s cancer hospitals, you know these never feel normal. And they never will. Adam and Eve’s sin made them sinners by nature, passing it down to all those after them (including you and me). This is why the Bible can say we are born sinners – not because we pickpocket the doctor as he pulls us out of the birthing canal – but because our natures are corrupted. We are born with a heart that wants to rule itself, not submit to God’s good ways. We are both heartbreakers who will sin against others and the heartbroken who will be sinned against. 

2) “That’s Life” Living in a Fallen World

  • Bible: Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity (Ecclesiastes 2:13-15)
  • Explanation: This is one of those verses that many unfamiliar with Christianity would not expect to find in the Bible. It comes from the Wisdom portion of the Bible (Job, Proverbs, Ruth, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon). These books seek to familiarize the reader with suffering and teach them how to suffer well. One of the books carries the distinct tone of someone who realizes he just can’t win in this life – Ecclesiastes. In chapter two, Solomon (the author of the book) writes about how he looked out into the world and witnessed that living a life that revolves around the Lord pays off in most situations (“Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly”). Yet at the same time, anger and confusion well up inside him. He notices how the wise have it no better off than the fool: “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” He is essentially saying, “What the heck?!? Have I loved God for nothing?!?
    ©1989 National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
    I’m suffering just like the wicked man!!” Solomon felt like he had been Clark Griswold-ed – expecting a nice, fat Christmas bonus but instead getting a one-year membership in the Jelly-of-the-Month Club. What is Ecclesiastes doing here? It makes more sense if you see that the book is written from the viewpoint of earth looking up to heaven (the opposite of a book like Job that begins with the perspective of heaven looking down). In Job, you know what’s going on the whole time because you so the exchange between God and Satan in the first two chapters. Ecclesiastes does not give you that vantage point. Solomon dares to remind the reader of what we all truly long for – a life without toil, frustration, pain and death – and how that longing is a good thing! However, that kind of life cannot be expected in the present age. If you live long enough, you will suffer. You will bury people you never dreamed you would bury, and you will lose more than you ever thought you could lose. However, the place your heart really longs for will be realized one day if you are in Christ. Until then, hold on to Jesus and His Word with all you have and take Ecclesiastes’ final words with seriousness: “The end of the matter, all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

 

Specific Reasons for Suffering

To the surprise of some, God does not give the same promises for all humanity regarding suffering. In other words, the way the Bible’s storyline does not allow a person to read promises in the Bible to anyone and everyone in pain. There is one major dividing line Scripture insists on that differentiates suffering into two camps: those who have repented of their sins and those who have not. This is what makes Christianity so different – it is impossible to throw out fortune cookies about how to deal with suffering. Whether a person knows the Lord or not makes all the difference in whether there is any hope in their suffering or not. Let’s look first at those who might not know the Lord. What are some reasons for their suffering?

Reasons Non-Followers of Christ Suffer

1) A warning shot for final judgment

  • Bible: There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5)
  • Explanation: In the above passage, you will note how some people came to Jesus with some CNN headlines. The governor of the province, Pontius Pilate, had punished several Jews for an unknown act. Their punishment? Death by sacrifice. Pilate killed these men and mixed their own blood with the blood of the animals they sacrificed to the Lord. This was an atrocity in Jewish culture! The people wondered, “were the men who suffered this fate worse sinners?” You can understand where they’re coming from – that was a horrible death. They reasoned these dead men must have had some secret sins no one knew about for God to destine them for that kind of suffering. However, Jesus’s response catches the crowds off guard.  He essentially says, “No way!” before citing another freak accident that happened closeby. Jesus describes another event where people were out for a stroll in a nearby city. Tragically, a tower came crashing down on a few innocent bystanders. 100% accident. Jesus essentially tells them, “It’s not because of their wickedness they suffered this fate.” But then he drops the mic: “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Wow! Confused? Here’s what he means: every ounce of suffering a non-Christian feels works like a warning shot, an appetizer, of a much more painful judgment to come. Maybe you who are reading this would not consider yourself a follower of Jesus – hear this warning. You think the pain and suffering you feel is bad? Can you imagine longing for it as if it were enjoyable? This life is as good as it gets for you. Every experience of suffering acts as a warning of greater judgment, getting louder and coming closer with every moment a man or woman does not repent. It does not have to be that way though — Jesus Christ calls all humanity to turn from their sins and escape this wrath to come.

2) To show the religiously lost they do not know God after all so that they would be saved

  • Bible: “For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 5:3-5
  • Explanation: Out of all the ones on the list so far, this reason is the biggest stretch to find in the Bible. I honestly do believe it is there, and in multiple places. The text above comes from 1 Corinthians, where Paul is rebuking the church for their arrogance in how they had avoided church disciplining of a man who who was currently in a sexual relationship with his mother-in-law.  They probably thought they were being tolerant, or that they were “loving” the man by not doing this. However, Paul reminds them the kindest and most loving thing they could do was exercise church discipline on the man. In doing so, they were figuratively “handing this man over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh.” But what does he mean by that? He means the church would stop treating him like a Christian and would let the man chase after his sin, knowing the pain, suffering, and heartbreak is going to come. Not if you’re like me, at first that does not sound very loving. But look at how Paul clarifies it: “so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” Paul is saying that God may use the suffering this person encounters because of their sin to show them they did not know Jesus in the first place. When they begin to taste the bitterness of their life of sin, they may remember the sweetness of what they heard about the grace of God in Christ. Therefore, the suffering these people go through alerts them to the fact that they may have been religious people, but not Christians. Maybe a modern-day analogy will help. In the South, many people think as long as a person genuinely repeats a sinner’s prayer or responds to an “altar call,” they are a Christian. The Bible would be very wary of that. It assumes that mankind is so lost, we even use religion and Christian-ish things to still love their sin and stay in control of our own lives. Many walk around who have repeated prayers and walked aisles, but they show no evidence of what the Bible would call a Christian. I was one of those between the ages of 8 and 16. Therefore, we see God is so merciful that sometimes he uses suffering in the life of someone who looks like a believer but is not to lead them to the gospel of Christ.

 

Reasons Followers of Christ Suffer

 To be continued…

suffering

Sick-of-Home or Sick-at-Home: COVID-19 and a Reminder of God’s Intentions for Your Suffering

This is part one of a three-part series on God and our suffering.

I hate scary movies. Actually, let me rephrase: my friends hate scary movies. Well, not quite; more accurately: my friends hate scary movies when they sit next to me. Anyone who has been to a thriller at a local movie theater and sat next to me knows just how traumatic of an experience it can be. During the most intense parts, my seat mysteriously empties as I crawl into my neighbor’s lap – despite their best efforts to push me away. I confess I might be a little bit of a scared-y-cat when it comes to movies. Perhaps the most intense thriller I remember was in the early 2000’s – M. Night Shyamalan’s classic Signs starring Mel Gibson. The movie centers around Graham Hess (Gibson), an Episcopal priest who appears to “lose” his faith before regaining it.

Mel Gibson, Signs, ©2002

In the beginning, Hess seems like an awfully conflicted man without reason – that is, until a flashback reveals the source of his conflict. Before their eyes, the moviegoer watches a scene six months earlier as a car struck Hess’s wife during a pre-dinner walk, pinning her to a tree. The injury kept her alive long enough for him to drive to the accident and say goodbye. I can still picture the emotional scene to this day, as Hess says farewell to his wife for the last time. 

Though Signs took many unexpected plot turns, it ultimately focused on the theme of how people grapple with faith in one hand and suffering/devastation on the other hand; hence the deliberate portrayal of Hess as an Episcopal priest. The movie is meant to provoke thought in the movie-goer about how they wrestle with their own suffering. 

Saying Nothing While Saying Something

Reflecting on the movie and the suffering of those around me, I’ve noticed some particularly alarming trends. One such trend is how many of my fellow Christians have a thin view of suffering in its relationship to God. You can see it because their suffering usually leaves them spiritually traumatized. I find this particularly true with those who have been raised going to church. Don’t get me wrong – this is not me criticizing them. I don’t think they are the ones to blame. For the first 30 years of my life, I had a poor understanding of suffering and God’s intentions for it. I think we’ve all been taught poorly in this area. 

The Bible has a ton to say about God and suffering. For the most part, many pastors and teachers either gloss over it – or worse – they focus on one aspect of suffering while they miss others. Now think about this – if all of us have little to no understanding about suffering, how do you think that will impact us when we actually do suffer? I’ll tell you the results – we will be the kind of people who rely on trite sayings that sound somewhat profound, but honestly don’t heal our wounds at all. You’ve probably heard some of these: “God is just getting your attention,” or “You’re going through this for a reason.” However, like a wedding speech given by a drunk groomsman, these popular phrases seem to say a lot, but think about it – do they really say anything at all?

“God’s getting my attention” – okay. Why? Am I dying? Am I sinning? Does he hate me? Is he happy with me? Is he angry at me? Is something coming that I need to know about? 

“You’re going through this for a reason” – uhhh…that’s helpful…kinda…ish? But you know what would be way more helpful? Hmmm…how about a hint at the actual reason. Or how about at least a layout of the options? Is it a good reason? Is it a bad reason? Is the reason because of my spouse? Child? Friend? Cat? 

I’m curious: can you begin to see the problem with these? By reflecting on some of our thin beliefs about suffering, a question emerges: how can we grow in our understanding and see the Lord in our suffering? I mean, wouldn’t you want to know how to handle your own suffering better? I sure would. Three things will really help us here: 1) we need to examine what we believe deep down about God and suffering, 2) look at what the Bible says about suffering and how that is way better news for us than what we believe in our gut, and, 3) look at the kaleidoscope of reasons the Bible says suffering exists. Then we can compare that list to our own suffering (this will be the subject of the second article).

Earth Mirrors Heaven

What do we really believe about suffering? I think the vast majority of Americans believe the same thing about God’s relationship to suffering, even if they are not a follower of Jesus. I call it the “Earth Mirrors Heaven” view of suffering. Here’s the gist of it: earth is the mirror of heaven in the sense that however my relationship with God is doing (how pleased he is with me), that will be reflected for the most part on earth (what my life is like here). If God is pleased with me, my life will generally be good. If he is not pleased, my life will be taking a turn for the worst. Here’s what this would look like if I drew it:


Now before I go any further, let me say this: 1) I do not believe this is what the Bible says about suffering, and, 2) I don’t think most people (me included) realize how much we believe this. Let me give some examples and you will see how you might unknowingly default to this belief. Most people will not fall into the first two categories, but everyone will fall into the third.

 

  1. Hard Core Fans in Earth Mirrors Heaven – Prosperity Teachers. If you tune into the television station TBN, you will find the hardcore fans in the Earth Mirrors Heaven belief. These TV preachers will say something to the tune of how God shows his pleasure with someone by making them healthy and wealthy. “Do you want to see a Christian who God is pleased with? Just look at their success on earth. Look at the ones with successful businesses, excellent financial portfolios, beautiful wives, and multiple cars.” These are your run-of-the-mill false teachers that even those who don’t follow Jesus look at like, “Are you kidding me?” Examples: Joel Osteen – Lakeview Church, Bill Johnson – Bethel Church, Joyce Meyer – Joyce Meyer Ministries.
  2. Big Fans in Earth Mirrors Heaven – The Moral (But Unbelieving) Church Member. There is a more subtle version of the belief that Earth Mirrors Heaven. Surprisingly, it infects those who sometimes appear to be the most faithful church members, however as Jesus warned, many of these probably do not know Him. Their relationship with God is not about a day to day walk of enjoying him. Rather, they are content to keep the outward form of religion. Their life mostly revolves around looking godly. They might give money, but they give so they can have the feeling that God is pleased so that they may hoard (or blow) the rest. They keep all kinds of commandments, but they do so to feel better about themselves. If tragedy strikes those in this group, they are often confused. “Why?” After all, they have kept the rules! They have attended church gatherings! They have an expectation that their deeds should have been seen in the heavens, therefore the result should be a better life. They do not say this out loud like the above group of Hard Core Fans of Earth Mirrors Heaven, but you can see the root of the belief there.
  3. Fans-Who-Don’t-Know-They’re-Fans in Earth Mirrors Heaven – Most Christians (Including Me at Times). I was counseling a young Christian leader in 2011. He was broken-hearted, but more than that he was concerned. We sat there in a room on a late July afternoon. His girlfriend just broke up with him and he wanted to be married so badly, but he was concerned God would no longer bring him a wife. Why? Because years earlier, he had slept with a previous girlfriend. Though this guy truly did love the Lord, he thought this was God’s way of giving him what he deserved for past disobedience. But notice his first response to trial – I think we will all find it familiar. His first instinct is to say, “what did I do wrong?” He flips through his past sins like they’re the Yellow Pages, finds the most egregious one he can think of, and says, “Oh God, have mercy because you must be punishing me for that! I’m sorry!” Here’s what this young leader didn’t know at the time: it was his underlying belief that Earth Mirrors Heaven that drove him to deep anguish. You would never put this guy in groups 1 or 2, but can’t you see how, at his core, his belief was somewhat similar?

 

Isn’t that interesting? There is something almost hardwired in us to think of suffering in this way. But is that the way the Bible describes our suffering? As you read, you begin to discover that is not the case. Just think of those the Bible highlights as those who were particularly faithful:

  • Noah was mocked for 120 years. Not only that, he probably had to listen to friends and relatives drown as the floodwaters started rising.
  • Sarah had to suffer through 30 years of uncertainty and emotional turmoil before God kept his promise.
  • Joseph rotted in a jail cell for the better part of a decade because of a false accusation.
  • Moses wanted the Lord to kill him because he was so sick of the Israelites attacking his motives and leadership.
  • Anna lost her husband while they were both still young and spent the rest of her days single.
  • Paul and Peter were beaten their whole ministries and were eventually executed.

Am I forgetting someone?!? Oh yeah, Jesus Christ. He’s kinda important in the Bible, since all of the Bible is about him.

In fact, it’s hard to think of anyone who loved the Lord with all they had that didn’t go through a life of intense suffering and/or persecution. Godliness, for the vast majority of those in the Bible, turns what we believe in our gut on its head. It often times (though not 100% of the time) looks like this:

Notice what this diagram is not saying. It’s not saying, “God is pleased because my life sucks.” No, it is instead saying, “Despite how bad things look, God is inherently pleased with you because of Christ.” 

Yet the Bible goes beyond this — it shows how others lived comfortable and good lives — yet those people should have zero confidence that God is pleased. They might have a good life now, but judgment is coming if they do not repent from their sins and trust in Christ’s death. But how could God do this? How could he show such injustice by treating those who know and love him with suffering while treating those who hate him with kindness?

 

The Day Injustice Was On Our Side

Where do all these questions lead us? It seems like a dark road, doesn’t it? That is…unless you see where that dark road leads. That is…unless you see who has walked that dark road before. One of the great comforts of Christianity is the fact that God knows injustice and suffering differently. The gods of Islam, Buddhism, and any other religion might know about suffering, but never do they humbly enter into suffering themselves. Right at the moment we have our questions about God’s injustice, we see something curious about him: he is the God who knows injustice firsthand. The greatest day of injustice the world has ever known is when Jesus Christ, the maker of everything, perfect and spotless, was treated like the most vile murderer, self-righteous fool, rapist, and thief. And why did he willingly do this? So the real murderers, self-righteous fools, rapists, and thieves could go free. 

There was a day injustice reigned. And what did God bring about on that day? The forgiveness of many and the greatest good the world will ever know. This sheds light on that dark path we walk on as Christians. It shows us that oftentimes, we can’t trust what we can see with our own two eyes. It shows that each of these can be true in this life, and we can’t say one is universally true:



However, as we’ll examine on the next blog, the Bible shows that God uses suffering as the gateway to glory. It shows that suffering does not have the last word. In fact, suffering has the ability to do something beautiful to us and in us — not just in the next life, but rather in this life as well.

 

To be continued…

 

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