Does God Hold Nations Accountable?

Wow. Long time, no blog.

I tried a few last year, and didn't get much of a response and sort of....gave up.

But now I got a comment on a blog from a year ago and I'm all excited! Obviously, it doesn't take much!

Here's the comment, and I quote:

"So I've been thinking a lot about something that Peter said in Sun. School last week - that the Twin Towers and other disasters in the US is God's judgement on us. This bothers me for a number of reasons. One if God is judging the US we are assuming that we are His chosen nation and therefore come under His judgment as a nation which is not Biblical. Only the nation of Israel is God's chosen nation/people and the covenant of blessings and curses applies to them. Beyond that Heb. 8:13 tells us that the old covenant is obsolete - not the Davidic but the Mosaic. Jesus has replaced it with His blood. Therefore even the Israelites do not fall under the the old covenant any more. Jesus has given them a new covenant which we all chose to accept or reject. If we reject it, we will face judgment. Why do bad things happen? Because we are at war with Satan who is determined to destroy the Godly things of this world. We should expect events like 911 because we are at war with the principalities and powers of this world. It is not God's judgment on His chosen nation of the USA. Yes, we are moving farther away from God as a society and culture, just as nations have before us. But I don't believe God is so much concerned with what we do as a nation, as what we do as individuals. Am I going to far with this? What are your thoughts? How do we live as Christians in a nation that is moving farther away from God and will continue to do so? Should we focus on the salvation of the US or on the salvation on those individuals that God is calling to Him? "

Great comments and thoughts! Here's my response:

First off, I don't believe that the good ole US of A is God's chosen nation today, or any other day for that matter. If you google the subject, you'll find all sorts of people claiming this to be true. Many teach that the USA has replaced Israel and quote a number of OT texts. Some say that the "lost 10 tribes" of Israel ended up here in North America after being carried away by the Assyrians. Others say that since our nation was founded on the grounds of religious freedom by Christians and for Christians, then God somehow HAS to choose us and has granted us Most Favored Nation status. I don't believe any of that. Based on the Bible, God has clearly chosen one nation and one nation only, Israel. And there's no hint that America or any other nation has replaced Israel. Romans chapter 11 makes it clear that because of Israel's unbelief, they- the natural olive branches have been broken off and wild olive branches have been grafted in. America? Nope, but the Gentiles have replaced Israel... for a time. The gospel of the grace of God now goes out to every people and tongue and tribe and nation, while Israel is under God's judgement or discipline. Paul sums it up in ch 11 vs 25-29

25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written:
“The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27 And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.

So Israel has "experienced a hardening" which is only for a certain time- until the Church body is completed and the "full number of the Gentiles has come in". Then God will turn back to Israel and keep His promises to that nation. See, "God's gifts and His call are irrevocable."

Second, I believe that God DOES hold nations responsible for their conduct. Let's have a little look see at just one example from the OT. Jeremiah 25 has a fascinating prophesy in which God predicts the 70 year captivity of Judah. After centuries of spiritual adultery, God has enough and disciplines Judah. In fact, God uses another Nation as the HAMMER to execute the judgement.

8 Therefore the LORD Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, 9 I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,” declares the LORD, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. 10 I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

Notice how God describes the "hammer"- King Nebuchadnezzar as MY SERVANT. God uses this man and the nation as His servant, to execute His will. We see God's sovereignty in dealing with and controlling the nations.

Then, something else is said a little further down the chapter.

12 “But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt,” declares the LORD, “and will make it desolate forever. 13 I will bring on that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. 14 They themselves will be enslaved by many nations and great kings; I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”

We see that even though God used the king of Babylon and his nation as the hammer to pound Judah, God holds the nation responsible for their actions!!! We see these two parallel and seemingly contradictory truths of God. God is sovereign and all things are in His control; yet man is responsible for his actions before a holy and just God. These two truths are throughout scripture. On one hand, God "chose us in Him before the creation of the world" (Eph 1:4) and on the other hand, "whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." (John 3:36) God's sovereignty and Man's responsibility. But I digress... The point is that God cares about nations and holds them responsible for their conduct. There are many other examples in the OT.

Third, our responsibility today is to individuals, first and foremost. The great commission from Matthew 28 says:

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

I suppose that some might interpret the passage in a way that commands us to make disciples of nations- like I'm going over to Africa and convert Swaziland to be a national disciple of Jesus. No commentary that I have interprets this way. Instead, the interpretation is that we are to make disciples of individuals from all nations. And that clearly is the teaching throughout the New Testament. Individuals are saved, and sometimes in large numbers as on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, but they are individuals and not nations.

To summarize, I believe scripture teaches that God holds individuals responsible and holds nations responsible. Some have made the point that when England was at it's most powerful, it was sending out the largest number of Christian missionaries of any country in the world. And that as their missionaries dropped off, so did their world position- and the same has happened with the US. I don't think you can make too much of this (and I'm not even sure it's accurate), but you can say that if God holds nations responsible, then He can chose to bless nations as well. I might go as far as saying that it seems God blessed the US during it's history. But does power and prosperity lead to dependence on God? Instead it seems to lead to corruption, pride, self-reliance, and completely forgetting God. So is it a blessing from God at all? Does the NT teach us the power and prosperity will result from a faithful witness? Not hardly.

What are your thoughts?

Eric

Suggestions for Christmas

Good morning, afternoon, evening!

As the Christmas season is upon us, I thought it a good idea to make a couple of suggestions for what you might get your spouse for a gift- in the way of excellent Christian books. I know- how boring!

No listen- hear me out on this.

First, it doesn't have to be the ONLY gift you give your spouse- I'm all for something very romantic as well. Like the year I bought Annette a new ax handle for her ax and carved a nice heart with her initials inside it, right on the end. You should have seen her face on Christmas morning when she saw that! Why, she was out back in no time, chopping wood for a nice Christmas fire. So go romantic and go big or go home. Second, what could be better for your spouse than a book that will grow them spiritually? There are some tremendous Christian books out there. Let me give you a few recommendations, and...I'll tell you what I asked for!

1. First, you gotta get this one! It's called "Counterfeit Gods- The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters " by Tim Keller.

This book was just released a couple of months ago and is my number 1 top pick!!! It is a very simply written book that tackles the subject of where we put our trust, our hopes, our dreams. Of course we say "Duh....God!" But wait...what motivates you as a person? What makes you happy? Why do you DO the things you do, and ACT the way that you do? He digs past the surface and provides startling insights on who we really are as people. So not only does it clearly talk about the World and the counterfeit Gods it produces and follows, but shows how we as believers do the same thing, but oh so subtly. Keller is amazing! To get a taste of him, check out this link below. He was the opening speaker for the 2009 Gospel Coalition Conference, and spoke on The Gospel and Idolatry. Click on the video link when that page opens and see and hear his address.

The Gospel and Idolatry


2. Here's my number 2 recommendation- If Good Is Good...Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil by Randy Alcorn.

This book deals with very ancient questions about who God is. If God is all-good, why does He allow suffering? Maybe He's not powerful enough to stop it...BUT, if God is all-powerful, then why does He allow suffering? Maybe He's not all that good.... OR, if GOD is all-good and all-powerful, then why is there so much suffering in the world???? This is a CLASSIC question that many able writers have grappled with over the ages. Randy brings a clarity and compassion to this topic. It's not a theoretical discussion about philosophy- it's "my child has cancer...what about my faith now?" Or "my neighbor's son was hit by a car, what on earth do I say to her??" Every chapter has testimony of people that have experienced tremendous suffering or been faced with terrible evil. You'll be amazed at what they say about God! Check out Randy's intro to the book- he writes like he speaks.






3. And my third recommendation is a classic. It's called "The Return of the Prodigal Son- The Story of a Homecoming" by Henri Nouwen.

I read the book several years ago, but today, someone from church brought it for me and I re-read the majority of this afternoon. It's a beautiful little book about the story of the prodigal son. Nouwen has returned exhausted from six weeks of speaking, and is drawn to Rembrandt's painting of the prodigal, pictured on the cover of his book. He reflects upon the painting for hours and days, rereading the story from scripture again and again. He first sees himself as the prodigal and spends a third of the book from that perspective. Then, he comes to see himself as the elder son, the son who stayed at home with the father, but out of bitterness cannot join the party. Finally, he realizes that God is calling him to be more like the father in the story, stretching out his arms in love and forgiveness. A wonderful book!!

Okay! There's my three recommendations!

And what did I ask for, you say? Here's three things that are on my list that I gave my wife:

First, John Sailhamer's new book "The Meaning of the Pentateuch". If you haven't read Sailhamer on the OT, you ain't read NOTHING! See what John Piper says-

Piper on Sailhamer

Second, Carson's new magnum opus, "Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament". This is a huge volume that looks at every single OT quotation or paraphrase in the NT and answers five questions.

1. What is the NT context of the citation? What is the genre and literary structure of the book or chapter? 2. What is the OT context of the citation? Do these Markan citations come directly from Exodus, for example, or are they quoted from Isaiah's use of Exodus verses? 3. How was the OT quote handled or interpreted by Second Temple Judaism, or early Judaism in general? 4. From what text is the OT quotation copied. The Septuagint (LXX), the Masoretic text, or a Targum (scripture translated into Aramaic or Coptic). 5. What is the ultimate use or connection being made by the NT author's use of the OT. Is it simply to emote a connection, is it a use of a common OT idiom, is it a parable use, shorthand to evoking an OT story, or is there a belief that events in NT times fulfill a specific OT prophecy.

Third, the latest Showbread CD, "The Fear of God". Just remember...raw rock kills...(more about these guys in a future blog).

Oh I can't WAIT for Christmas!!!!

Eric

Acts 2- A Few Questions Answered

Today in Sunday School we had a little review of Acts 2. Afterwards, several people asked me some questions about this passage. Since they had these questions, maybe you did to. Here they are, including the answers that I gave.

1. Were the tongues a miracle of speaking or a miracle of hearing?

IE, was it possible that a particular person spoke, proclaiming the wonderful works of God, and the hearers each heard the SAME speech in THEIR tongue. Sort of a like a universal translator in which one person speaks and everyone hears it translated into his own tongue. This is a common question and one commentator, Abraham Kuyper says that the apostles spoke one pure language that someday we all will speak in heaven, and the others heard them speaking in their respective native languages. This however, is not correct. This was not a gift of hearing, nor was it a gift of pure speech. It was clearly a gift of SPEAKING in various languages. Acts 2:4 "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." A better translation ends this verse with "as the Spirit gave them utterance." It's clear then, that the gift of tongues was not of hearing but of speech, speaking other languages.

2. Who spoke in tongues?

There are two main views on who spoke in tongues in Acts 2. One view says that it was the 12 apostles, plus the 120 believers that were there waiting for the promise to be fulfilled. Acts 1:15 mentions this group of 120 believers or "brothers" as the marginal note says. So were they all speaking in tongues, all 132 of them? The second view says that it was just the apostles that spoke in tongues. There are several reasons for this view. 1) The closest antecedent of the pronoun "they" used in Acts 2:1 is the apostles mentioned in the last verse of chapter 1. 2) Christ gave the promise of the Spirit directly to the apostles as recorded in Acts 1. Notice what is said in vs 4 to the apostles: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about." And further in vs 8- "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." These verses specifically refer to the apostles receiving the spirit and power, so it seems they would be the ones speaking in tongues. 3) In Acts 2:7, the witnesses of the tongues remark "Are not all these men speaking Galileans?" We know that in Acts 1 vs 11 the angel calls the apostles "Men of Galilee" as they watched Jesus ascend into heaven. Based upon these three reasons, it seems that those speaking in tongues were just the apostles.

3. Did they all speak at once? Did they speak in turn?

One commentator described the situation in Acts 2 where all the apostles were speaking at the same time, each in a different language. As the crowd heard them, each would gather around a speaker speaking the language of his homeland. Other commentators say that the apostles probably spoke one at a time in an orderly manner. We simply don't know the answer to this one.

4. Was Peter speaking in tongues when he gave his sermon? What language was he speaking?

There is no indication whatsoever that Peter was speaking in tongues during his sermon. IE, he doesn't indicate he is speaking anything but his normal language nor do the hearers respond as if he is speaking a tongue. Since they all seem to hear and understand him, it must have been a common language that all understood. There are three choices- Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic. Hebrew is the written and spoken language of Judea and the Old Testament is mainly written in this language. Archaeological evidence in burial sites shows that Hebrew was an active language of the time. Because the Greeks had conquered Judea about 200 years prior to Jesus' birth, Greek was the trade language of the region. The New Testament is written in Koine Greek, and is a good indication that there were two languages active in that time frame in that region. In addition, Aramaic was the native tongue of Galilee and also a common tongue. Jesus' use of Aramaic is quoted a number of times in the gospels. So which was it? I throw out Aramaic, as not all there would have understood it. That leaves either Hebrew or Greek. I chose Hebrew, because Peter was preaching a sermon to devout Jews, convincing them of Jesus from the Old Testament scriptures and quoting from them. Undoubtedly, he would have used the native Jewish language- Hebrew.

5. Tell me again about the quotation from Joel?

Joel is one of the earliest of the OT prophets and his message to Judah is one that contains two elements: Judgment and Blessing. This is what the devout Jews would have thought when they heard Peter quote from Joel- "Oh boy, he's quoting from Joel which describes a terrible time of judgment upon our people. An army from the North will arrive and destroy the city and scatter everyone. And that's just what happened to our people when the Babylonians came. God judged us for our unbelief! But then God promises blessing! He'll pour out His Spirit on all people, which will be followed by wonders in the heavens. Then Mount Zion and Jerusalem will be a place of salvation. That hasn't happened yet- it was promised long ago that the Messiah would return to Mt Zion. But somehow, Peter is saying that what we see here today is what Joel was talking about." Judgment and blessing. As the book of Acts unfolds, we see that the message of the risen Messiah is brought to the Jews again and again. Some believe but in general, they persecute the new Christians. Peter speaks in Acts 3:19-20 and says "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you- even Jesus." The common message to the Jews is to repent from their sins and unbelief. Listen carefully- it seems that IF the vast majority of Jewish people had repented at that time...then Jesus would have returned THEN. It's almost as if Jesus is in heaven at that point, poised to come back. Why even Stephen when he is stoned sees Jesus STANDING at God's right hand, as if ready to return! But no...the Jews by and large will have none of it. Until finally, both Peter and Paul turn from the Jews and concentrate on the Gentiles. Then judgment falls on the Jews in AD 70 when Titus and the Roman army destroy Jerusalem. Jesus is then described as SITTING at God's right hand. So when Peter quoted Joel, we see the beginning of the blessing- the Spirit poured out, but the conclusion is postponed until later. When the Lord returns, THEN the rest of Joel will be fulfilled- the wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below.

Hope that helps!

Eric

Background for Tongues

This past Sunday we spend looking at the Old Testament usage of tongues/languages to get some background for our study in I Cor 14. New Testament tongues are first used on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 and the witnesses were Jewish people. With their rich OT background, what came into the mind of the Jews when tongues were spoken in Acts 2? We looked at 4 OT texts.

Genesis 11 The Tower of Babel



In this account, the people of that day decided to make a name for themselves by building a tower right into heaven. God looked down upon them and said "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do is impossible." So God went down and confused their language and scattered them. A Jew thinking back on this would conclude "God judged the people by confusing the language." God struck the very thing which binds men together- a common language. The result of this judgement? Various languages, the people are scattered, and they can no longer reach their potential.



Deut 28 Blessings and Cursings

Around 1500BC, near the end of Moses life, he gave a series of discourses captured in the book of Deuteronomy. The 3rd discourse is called "Blessings and Cursings" and is found in chapters 27 and 28. Chapter 28 in particular provides a series of blessings for Israel if they obey the Lord their God:

1 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.
2 All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:
3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.
4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.
6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

Later, come the curses for disobedience:

15 However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.
17 Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed.
18 The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
19 You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.

The curses go on for the remainder of the chapter in quite some detail. God describes how He will use foreign nation to punish Israel for it's disobedience:

49 The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand, 50 a fierce-looking nation without respect for the old or pity for the young. 51 They will devour the young of your livestock and the crops of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine or oil, nor any calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks until you are ruined. 52 They will lay siege to all the cities throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. They will besiege all the cities throughout the land the LORD your God is giving you.

When this punishing nation attacked and overran Israel, they would know it by their foreign language. It was a clear sign of God's judgement on their unbelief.

Isaiah 28 Woe To Judah

In this passage, we have the prophet Isaiah describing Ephraim, the northern 10 tribes, and their captivity by Assyria around 700BC. Ephraim's leaders are described as drunken men, with their faces in their own vomit. The leaders respond to this condemnation by mocking the prophet, saying that Isaiah is speaking as if to children. The response?

11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people, 12 to whom he said, "This is the resting place, let the weary rest"; and, "This is the place of repose"— but they would not listen.

In the remainder of the chapter and in the next, God describes how He will do His work, His strange work, of punishing the people by sending an army from a foreign nation. Because of their unbelief, He will punish them- they will know it by the "foreign lips and strange tongues" of the besieging army- that is how God will speak to them. Again, tongues are associated with judgement for unbelief.

Jeremiah 5 Spiritual Adultery

The prophet preaches against the rampant idolatry of the day in 600BC- the people have run after and served other gods and again and again committed spiritual adultery. God says in vs 9 "Should I not punish them for this?" Once again, the method of punishment is for God to send a foreign nation to inflict the punishment.

15 O house of Israel," declares the LORD, "I am bringing a distant nation against you— an ancient and enduring nation, a people whose language you do not know, whose speech you do not understand. 16 Their quivers are like an open grave; all of them are mighty warriors.

Now for the fourth time, we have God's judgement on unbelief connected with foreign languages.

Acts 2 The Day of Pentecost


Now go ahead to Acts 2 where the Holy Spirit comes down to form the church. Notice the details:


1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"
13Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine."

A couple of things to point out.

1. Jews from every nation witnessed the speaking in tongues- they heard them speak in the language of their home.


2. Some reacted with amazement and asked "What does this mean?"


3. Others reacted with unbelief and made fun.

Peter then stands up and explains the situation. The Jews have murdered their Messiah- due to their unbelief, they have crucified God's own Son and His blood is upon their hands. After many words, the Jews are convinced of their guilt and cry "what shall we do?" Peter replies that they must repent, believe in Jesus, and save themselves from this generation. Why the latter? Because it was going to be JUDGED by God...just a few short years and Titus would come through and grind Jerusalem to dust. What was the sign of the judgement upon them? Tongues- other languages.

That's why Paul quotes Isaiah 28 in I Cor 14:22 and says "Tongues are for a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers." When those with unbelieving hearts hear tongues...they know the judgement of God is upon them.

Finally, one more comment about Acts 2. The breaking of the language barrier is a sign that the Church of the Living God can do all things! All things are now possible for the church, the Body of Christ! All barriers now fall!

Eric

57 Varieties- An Unforgettable Experience

This past Monday, I took the day off from work and along with my friend Frankie the Greek, attended an all day conference for pastors and lay leaders in the far away land of Williston VT. The speaker was none other than world renowned theologian, author, and teacher, Dr. D.A.Carson. Dr. Carson has written a total of 57 books. FIFTY-SEVEN. Like in how many varieties good ole Heinz comes in! Carson gave four lectures of about an hour an a half each, and let me tell you...as the sign says...these were PURE FOOD for the soul. I have never ever in all my days heard anyone speak, preach, and teach like this man. His knowledge of history, politics, world events, and especially scripture coupled with his engaging presentation style left me completely amazed at his abilities. How can I describe it? Here's a little story...

I was saved in college due to the teaching of an older engineering student named Bruce. He held a Bible study every Friday night on campus. I was utterly amazed that he could open the Bible, find things, teach things, and pretty much know his way around the scriptures. I clearly remember one night some asked "what's the deal with anointing with oil?" And Bruce immediately replied "oh, that's in the book of James, right at the end. Let's have a look." Well, pardon me ma'am, but you could have knocked me over with a feather. I couldn't BELIEVE this Bruce guy knew about this anointing thing and where to FIND it. I said right there and then "I gotta get me some of that. I need to know the Bible." Thirty years later...well, I guess I know my way around the Bible a little bit. And I'm pretty conversant with the issues and debates going on in western Christianity today. Ahem.

But this guy. This Dr. 57 Varieties guy- totally and utterly blew me away with his profound knowledge of the Word of God. I feel like I did 30 years ago, listening to Bruce. I was a babe playing at his feet. I'm not kidding you.

His topic was "Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament- The Gospel According to Jeremiah". A full day in the book of Jeremiah! I took 12 pages of notes. I couldn't write fast enough.

In fact, the day spent under the teaching of this Man of God (yes, that's Man with a capital M) resulted in a range of responses from me.

• Encouragement- I now know the true meaning of "edify". I was built up in my most holy faith like no other time in recent memory.
• Wonder- at God's goodness and the amazing perfection of the Word of God.
• Conviction- I was convicted about several things as I heard him speak. My devotion, my study habits, my outreach, sin in my life. But done in such a way that I wasn't overcome by guilt, but with a desire to IMPROVE, to be the man of God (see, for me it's a little m) that I need to be.
• Refreshment- it was like cold water to a parched man. I couldn't get enough of the Word of God and the breaks came too soon. I didn't want him to stop.
• Joy- at the love of God and the work of Jesus on the cross.
• Sorrow- in one passage, Carson eloquently explained the tension between God as Light and God as Judge. Israel had committed adultery by going after other Gods and these sins are described in detail along with God's judgement, chapter after chapter. Then amazingly, right in the middle of this, the language turns and God begins weeping over His lost daughter "Let my eyes overflow with tears night and day without ceasing; for my virgin daughter-my people- have suffered a grievous wound." Jer 14:17 His VIRGIN daughter. After a couple hundred years of Israel playing the harlot, God the Father weeps over his virgin daughter. I was overcome by sorrow.
• Fear- Oh boy. I got a glimpse of the holiness of God and His abhorrence of sin. Not sure I've ever quite seen such a thing. It scared me right to the core. Enough said.
• Filled to Overflowing- by day's end I was totally filled...but spent also. Like after a long run- tired to the bone but energized at the same time. Over the course of the next day at work, several people asked "what is UP with you?" One person said "you look different today. Radiant." I felt like Dr. Carson had brought us into the presence of God, through his exposition of the scriptures.

An unforgettable day.

On another note, here's a little video you might like called "Perspectives".

Perspectives from Peacemaker Ministries on Vimeo.

So if Grandfather Goosey Gander doesn't get bedridden with the colly-wobbles, I'll write to you again next week!

Eric

PS- leave a comment!

Columbus Day

Greetings and Salutations!

Today is Columbus Day. So what do you recall from all your years toiling at school about good ole Chris Columbus?
In fourteen hundred and ninety-two,
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

Well of course we remember that little ditty. And of course we know that Columbus set out to prove the world was round, not flat. In fact, most school textbooks talk about how Columbus was opposed by the church leaders of his day that vehemently insisted that the world was FLAT as a pancake. We were told how even his crew almost mutinied because they were afraid of sailing over the edge! The children's poem ends with these lines:

Some people still thought the world was flat.
Can you imagine that?

This situation has been held up for 150 years as a classic example of how Christians oppose science. Opponents to Christianity smile smugly and nod knowingly as they think of poor Chris, surrounded by a mob of Christians screaming stupidly about how the earth is flat! They say Christians haven't gotten any smarter today, with they denial of Darwin and their babbling about Intelligent Design. Ouch! What a black eye Christians have taken over this incident! As the poem says, "Can you imagine that?"


Too bad it's a lie. A lie repeated in decades of school textbooks.

Did you know that? Did you know that virtually no one in the Middle Ages believed the world was flat, including the theologians and the main churches? It was a semi-fictitious book by Washington Irving called "The History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus" in 1828 that got the lie rolling. Those opposed to Christianity picked up on his inaccurate portrayal and found it a convenient caricature of Christianity. It became so popular, that it was perpetuated for over a century.

Want to know more? Here's a couple of links to get you going...


Justin Taylor
Wikipedia Article

What other lies are out there, that are perpetuated to make Christians look bad?

What's that got to do with Sunday School? Well, not too much...other than we have to try everything by the Word of God, and sometimes get rid of preconceived notions. Are we open to what the Word says? Do we have ears to hear? Often, our position is slanted and skewed, and is based on what we've heard somewhere. I asked Shep tonight, on the way home from play practice, about Chris Columbus. He told me that he discovered America and proved the world was round. I asked him where he heard that. "I dunno. Somewhere. School I guess." Often, that's how we answer when it comes to the Word. When pressed, we have no real biblical backing, no proof, no real understanding of the facts or the context or even the issues surrounding the subject. Instead, we have an idea, we read something somewhere, we faintly remember a sermon or a Sunday school class, we heard it...somewhere. As we continue our 1000 year study in I Corinthians, let's continue to be students of the Word- to work hard, to dig deep, and be open to letting the Word mold our thoughts, not the other way around.

Someone made a great comment to me after the class on Sunday with respect to the verse we talked about "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face." He mentioned that one understanding of this text is that now, in our bodies of sin and death, we are but a poor reflection of our Saviour. But you just wait until our salvation is complete, when Jesus will come and change our vile bodies, so they we be like HIS GLORIOUS BODY. Phil 3:21. Oh, I like that thought. It's so rich. We're supposed to reflect Jesus in all we do. We have no light of our own, but we reflect His glorious light. Just like the moon reflects the sun...

Have a great week!

Eric

Welcome Back Carter

After a year-long hiatus to get my hair done and my back waxed, and after being called out publicly seven times by Joe Carter, I guess it's time to post a blog or three...

So where are we??? Just like Days of Our Lives, The World Turns, and The Edge of Night, not much has changed in 12 months. STILL in I Corinthians. But at least we've made it into Chapter 13.

Chapter 13 is the "Love" chapter and part of my challenge has been for us to have a fresh look at this chapter and to really understand the context. What first comes to mind with this chapter are weddings and marriage ceremonies, where the chapter is often read. While the application is certainly appropriate, it's not the context for marriage- remember back in the dark ages when we studied marriage in Chapter 7 of I Corinthians? The context of Chapter 13 is spiritual gifts. Paul is addressing a misuse of spiritual gifts and at the end of chapter 12, he says "and now I''ll show you a more excellent way." Then comes the Love Chapter. The first verse of chapter 14 says "Follow the way of love...". So chapter 13 is his exhortation to exercise spiritual gifts in a loving way. That's how it fits in.

Last week, I was asked, as a Justice of the Peace (JP for short) to perform a wedding for a young couple in Addison. We discussed how the ceremony would go- the vows, the rings, and any readings. I told them that I'd like to read a passage from the Bible and they readily agreed. And what passage did I choose? You guessed it- I Cor 13 the Love Chapter! - sigh- I'll never learn...

Chapter 13 can be divided into three sections:

Verses 1-3 The Necessity of Love- no matter how complete the spiritual gift, if it isn't used in Love, then it's useless, a clanging symbol (the Dixie Chicks, as it were)!

Verses 4-7 The Character of Love- 15 verbs are used to describe love in both positive (Love is...) and negative ways (Love is NOT...).

Verses 8-13 The Permanence of Love- some things are for the present time only, but love is forever.

Our SS class will start on this last section this coming week. And I have a feeling that there might be some difference of opinion on this section. Let me explain....

Many respected Christians believe that certain spiritual gifts were exercised during the time of the apostles and stopped soon after the apostles died. The gifts ceased. These Christians are called Cessationists. John MacArthur believes in this way. These specific gifts are called "sign gifts" and accompanied the apostles to give credence to the word preached...until the New Testament was written. Sign gifts include tongues, prophecy, and healings.

Other respected Christians believe that all the spiritual gifts named in the New Testament continue on to this day, including the so-called "sign gifts". There are two main branches of believers in this group. One branch is made up of many pentecostal and charismatic churches and believes the sign gifts are generally part of the normal Christian experience. The other branch believes that the sign gifts are not part of everyday experience, but that God does use them in special circumstances or locations. IE, God can send the gift of tongues to a Christian today.

What has this got to do with the price of lobster in Maine (low these days) or I Corinthians? ALOT! Cessationist Christians use the last section of I Corinthians 13 to explain their position. This section describes three specific spiritual gifts that will cease- prophecy, tongues, and knowledge. Paul then uses two specific allegorical examples to describe the use of these gifts presently (NOW) and then when they stop (THEN).

Understanding what Paul means by NOW and THEN is the crux of the matter. When is "NOW" and when is "THEN"?? Is NOW during Paul's life or like... right NOW? Is THEN after the NT was written or like...later in our future?

Or should I say "NOW" and "LATER"???

So this week in preparation for the study, have a read through the chapter and see what you think. Are you a Cessationist? Or a Continuist?

And now for something completely different....

I read a great book this week called "Unmasking Male Depression" by Dr. Archibald Hart.

This book is written from a Christian perspective and I highly recommend it for anyone suffering from depression or that lives one someone that suffers from depression. One of the key premises is understanding how male depression differs from female depression, particularly in how the sufferer reacts to his depression. For example, males tend to be more aggressive in makeup and their symptoms tend to be along those lines- impatience, anger, critical outbursts can all be ways that men respond to their depression. The book's table of contents is below:

It can be obtained from Christian Book Distributors or Amazon among many places.

Have a great week and if the teakettle doesn't run away with the dishpan, I'll see YOU in Sunday School!

Eric