"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself."
— C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity)
Lewis is, of course talking about the “preparing” God does in us making us more and more holy; in theological terms it is sanctification. As we prepare this month for the next Theology Café, (June 25) and our discussion on Heaven and Hell this is something we should consider. Is the God of creation, the one who made us in his image, the one who went through all the trouble to send his own son to die on the cross to save humanity, also going to let some go in to eternal damnation?
I chose Lewis because he had some interesting thoughts on Heaven and Hell He believed that Hell was not a permanent place of damnation for individuals, and that people in Heaven could actually “lure” people out of Hell. Hell is supposed to be a total absence of the glory and presence of God and therefore the people there do not realize that heaven awaits! (for interesting reading on Lewis’ thoughts in this area I suggest the Screwtape Letters, Pilgrim’s Regress, and The Great Divorce)
Was the “work” on the cross done in such a way that it doesn’t allow for all to enter into the Kingdom? Or is God glorified no matter how many people enter (or do not enter) Heaven? When John 3:16 says –“ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. “ What exactly is meant by “believe”?
Should we be more astonished that anyone gets into heaven more so than we are that some might be sent to hell? Why is it that we all feel that heaven is something that should be within everyone’s grasp but cannot believe a loving God would send anyone to the pit?
Lewis also said. “…The Damned are, in one sense, successful rebels to the end;… The doors of Hell are locked on the inside…” These are the things we will wrestle with in our next conversation, I hope you will ponder them and bring your thoughts to the gathering.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
In Community
In a Christian community, everything depends upon whether each individual is an indispensable link in a chain. Only when even the smallest link is securely interlocked is the chain unbreakable. A community which allows unemployed members to exist within it will perish because of them. It will be well, therefore, if every member receives a definite task to perform for the community, that he may know in hours of doubt that he, too, is not useless and unusable. Every Christian community must realize that not only do the weak need the strong, but also that the strong cannot exist without the weak. The elimination of the weak is the death of the fellowship. ... Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together
This Saturday we will gather for our first (in a long line hopefully) Theology Cafe. It may seem different than any other "religious" experience you have had in the past, mainly because it isn't a religious experience, it is an experience of spiritual community... Here is why it will be different, and why everyone has an equal voice:
A chain unconnected is a collection of links, useless for the work it was intended, and likewise people who are unconnected are somehow not complete.
A link connected in a chain is indispensable, no chain can work to its purpose without each individual link firmly in place, likewise each member of the community is indispensable when connected in their place.
From the early beginnings of the Church the community of believers was indistinguishable from its leaders when it met in common. Each person ate from a common table, lived in a common house, and worked toward a common goal. From the very beginning we were intended to be like that community of believers so many years ago. We were charged by Jesus to be different than any other group of people today, we were to come together in common, share worship in common, care for each other through the week and lift each other up. We were to have a love for God that overtook all other loves, and we were to love each other as we love ourselves. We were to be transparent, open, caring, merciful and all things good.
Each person, from the person sitting in the last row in the last seat, to the teacher was to be equal in their standing in the community. We are to live and breathe in community, no matter when we gather. Each person is important, and each person has equal importance. Our community is made up of people at different levels of their spiritual journey. We must ask ourselves; are we being faithful to each of these people, or are we being faithful to our needs and desires for how things should go? Like good ole Dietrich says above, “Every Christian community must realize that not only do the weak need the strong, but also that the strong cannot exist without the weak. The elimination of the weak is the death of the fellowship”.
We must above all else, above the delivery of the message, above the development of the songs, above the preparation of the room, remember that what we were called to do was to come together in community to love God and each other, everything else is a residual effect of that call from God. I hope to see you this Saturday, or any 4th Saturday of the month @ Theology Cafe.
This Saturday we will gather for our first (in a long line hopefully) Theology Cafe. It may seem different than any other "religious" experience you have had in the past, mainly because it isn't a religious experience, it is an experience of spiritual community... Here is why it will be different, and why everyone has an equal voice:
A chain unconnected is a collection of links, useless for the work it was intended, and likewise people who are unconnected are somehow not complete.
A link connected in a chain is indispensable, no chain can work to its purpose without each individual link firmly in place, likewise each member of the community is indispensable when connected in their place.
From the early beginnings of the Church the community of believers was indistinguishable from its leaders when it met in common. Each person ate from a common table, lived in a common house, and worked toward a common goal. From the very beginning we were intended to be like that community of believers so many years ago. We were charged by Jesus to be different than any other group of people today, we were to come together in common, share worship in common, care for each other through the week and lift each other up. We were to have a love for God that overtook all other loves, and we were to love each other as we love ourselves. We were to be transparent, open, caring, merciful and all things good.
Each person, from the person sitting in the last row in the last seat, to the teacher was to be equal in their standing in the community. We are to live and breathe in community, no matter when we gather. Each person is important, and each person has equal importance. Our community is made up of people at different levels of their spiritual journey. We must ask ourselves; are we being faithful to each of these people, or are we being faithful to our needs and desires for how things should go? Like good ole Dietrich says above, “Every Christian community must realize that not only do the weak need the strong, but also that the strong cannot exist without the weak. The elimination of the weak is the death of the fellowship”.
We must above all else, above the delivery of the message, above the development of the songs, above the preparation of the room, remember that what we were called to do was to come together in community to love God and each other, everything else is a residual effect of that call from God. I hope to see you this Saturday, or any 4th Saturday of the month @ Theology Cafe.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Evil in this world..
Theodicy,(from Greek theos, “god”; dikē, “justice”), explanation of why a perfectly good, almighty, and all-knowing God permits evil. The term literally means “justifying God.” (From Encyclopedia Britannica)
Our discussion this upcoming Saturday will be an attempt to understand why there is evil and suffering in this world. I am hoping for an open and exciting conversation.
There is no denying that there is evil, and all of us certianly understand suffering. The questions that are often asked are:
Why would a loving God allow suffering and evil?
Did God create evil?
Does the existence of evil and suffering in the world point to an inability of God to fix the problem?
Is God just an over-lording task master that drives us toward his will through suffering and fear?
If you have ever wondered about this, or if, like many people, this topic is blocking any kind of relationship you might want to have with God, we welcome your thoughts. This is a major topic of discussion, and for many people I have known, a real impediment to belief in a loving God.
Hope to see you at the Gathering Place, in Columbia Square, Martinez GA on Saturday May 28th from 7-9 pm. If anyone needs directions, let me know and I will get them to you offline.
Our discussion this upcoming Saturday will be an attempt to understand why there is evil and suffering in this world. I am hoping for an open and exciting conversation.
There is no denying that there is evil, and all of us certianly understand suffering. The questions that are often asked are:
Why would a loving God allow suffering and evil?
Did God create evil?
Does the existence of evil and suffering in the world point to an inability of God to fix the problem?
Is God just an over-lording task master that drives us toward his will through suffering and fear?
If you have ever wondered about this, or if, like many people, this topic is blocking any kind of relationship you might want to have with God, we welcome your thoughts. This is a major topic of discussion, and for many people I have known, a real impediment to belief in a loving God.
Hope to see you at the Gathering Place, in Columbia Square, Martinez GA on Saturday May 28th from 7-9 pm. If anyone needs directions, let me know and I will get them to you offline.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
The Law
I am preparing a talk/study/conversation this week about the Redemptive Nature of God. I cannot help but be drawn to the Law when I study about God's desire to redeem the lost. We are a people who abide by the law. We like the law, it keeps us all safe, it gives the world order, and it puts down lanes and lines that we are to stay within. But the Apostle Paul tells us that the law condemns us, that it is only there to show us our own sin. He says that if it were not for the Law, we wouldn’t know what sin was, for the law clearly points our sin out. Let’s look at what Paul tells us. In Romans 3:20 it says: For no one can ever be made right in God's sight by doing what his law commands. For the more we know God's law, the clearer it becomes that we aren't obeying it. You see, it seems that the Law was established just so we could see how far form the mark we are.
It is very true, the law shows us our sins. Let me show you, have you ever flown to Canada? When you fly to Canada the flight attendants hands out a piece of paper that allows you to claim your goods and also to make some required statements, it asks you three questions before you are allowed to enter. One, “Are you carrying any weapons?” Well that seems like a no-brainer, of course the answer is going to be no; who in their right mind would carry weapons into a foreign country (unless you are going hunting). The second question that is asked is, “Are you carrying any illegal drugs?” Even if you were a drug dealer would you answer this question with a yes? The third question is the one that gets you thinking. They ask, “Are you planning to visit a farm?” Now the wheels are turning, this is the question where everyone hesitates for a moment. Of course the answer must be no, since all the other questions are obviously no, so your hand is heading for the “no” checkbox, but in your mind you know something sinfully wonderful must be happening at the farm. So as you lean over the paper ready to check “no” just like you did for the other questions, but your mind is saying YES YES! You are hardly able to hold it in, the plane barely lands and you race to the rental car as fast as you can, and you are immediately on your way to the farm.
The Law says no, but we say yes. The law points out what we would rather be doing. It tells us “no,” prior to our asking. But if we are condemned so quickly, if our lives are so wrongfully bent toward sinning, what are we to do? As always the answer belongs to God, you see, He wrote a new Law for us, a law written in blood. We only have to go to the next verses Paul writes in Romans (3:21-27) to see it.
But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight--not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago. We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times. And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus. Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on our good deeds. It is based on our faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.
Paul wasn’t a deliberate law breaker, and God knows that we aren’t either. Paul understood that God doesn’t require strict adherence to the Law, He requires faith. Jesus paid the fine for our broken laws. The law points out our sin, and also points us inevitably to the cross where they were taken away…
It is very true, the law shows us our sins. Let me show you, have you ever flown to Canada? When you fly to Canada the flight attendants hands out a piece of paper that allows you to claim your goods and also to make some required statements, it asks you three questions before you are allowed to enter. One, “Are you carrying any weapons?” Well that seems like a no-brainer, of course the answer is going to be no; who in their right mind would carry weapons into a foreign country (unless you are going hunting). The second question that is asked is, “Are you carrying any illegal drugs?” Even if you were a drug dealer would you answer this question with a yes? The third question is the one that gets you thinking. They ask, “Are you planning to visit a farm?” Now the wheels are turning, this is the question where everyone hesitates for a moment. Of course the answer must be no, since all the other questions are obviously no, so your hand is heading for the “no” checkbox, but in your mind you know something sinfully wonderful must be happening at the farm. So as you lean over the paper ready to check “no” just like you did for the other questions, but your mind is saying YES YES! You are hardly able to hold it in, the plane barely lands and you race to the rental car as fast as you can, and you are immediately on your way to the farm.
The Law says no, but we say yes. The law points out what we would rather be doing. It tells us “no,” prior to our asking. But if we are condemned so quickly, if our lives are so wrongfully bent toward sinning, what are we to do? As always the answer belongs to God, you see, He wrote a new Law for us, a law written in blood. We only have to go to the next verses Paul writes in Romans (3:21-27) to see it.
But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight--not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago. We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times. And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus. Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on our good deeds. It is based on our faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.
Paul wasn’t a deliberate law breaker, and God knows that we aren’t either. Paul understood that God doesn’t require strict adherence to the Law, He requires faith. Jesus paid the fine for our broken laws. The law points out our sin, and also points us inevitably to the cross where they were taken away…
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