Jesus is my Pharmacist

We live in a world where where nearly every problem or inconvenience can be solved by one, simple action...taking a pill

Regardless of your ailment, be it physical, mental, or emotional, the pharmaceutical realm has an answer for you!

Got a headache? Grab an ibuprofen...

Stomach pains? Take some Tums...

Nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea? Yay Pepto Bismol! 

Can't focus? Throw down a ritalin...

Felling depressed? Pop a prozac...

Don't want to get pregnant? There's a pill for that you know?

It is quick, fast, usually painless, and completely under our control.


What more could we ask for? It is no surprise that a "down the hatch and off the mind" understanding  of life is so appealing.


But before you think that I'm here to tell you to stop taking any medicine and start drinking herbal tea and combining rare spices to cure diseases, please know that my problem is not with the pharmaceutical world.

In fact, I am very thankful for the medical discoveries that have brought us to the world we live in today. All these drugs I've mentioned serve good purposes and have helped people immensely. I only bring this topic up to reveal the ways that it can and has influenced our thinking in other areas of life.

Our belief that many problems can and should be answered with a glass of water and the gulp of a pill can lead us to also believe that every part of our lives should be quick, easy, and under our control.


No doubt this way of thinking has infiltrated the realm of Christianity.

Having a bad day? Read your Bible...

Got a test in 10 minutes you haven't studied for? Say a prayer...

Feeling guilty over something you've done? Go to church...

While each of these responses are good in and of themselves, the motivations that lead us to them can still be sinful. If you only read your Bible out of fear that God might "punish" you, or only pray after all your own efforts have failed, or only go to church to feel better about yourself, then you are treating God just like that bottle of aspirin in your medicine cabinet. If we act as though God is a pill that can be swallowed at our convenience and on our command then the ways we think about Him and our relationship with Him will become perverted and unbiblical.


This is anything but what God intended.


God did not call Abraham up from his family and say, "Oh hey! I'm God by the way, just wanted to let you know. I created the world and everything in it, no big deal. You go do what you want, but if you get into trouble just let me know and I'll try my best to help you out."


God did not save the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, give them His number and say, "Alright, you're on your own from here. I heard there's some nice land around here somewhere. Just give me a call if you need me."


And Jesus did not come into the world to say to us, "You see, I'm God's son. I came here to help you out if you need it. Other than that, you can just go about your daily business, and if things go wrong or if you start to feel bad about yourself, just give me a holler and I'll give you a hand."


God called Abraham not so Abraham could have a genie in a lam, but to begin a relationship with Him. 
God saved Israel not to give them a helping hand and let them go on their merry way, but to make Himself a people who would be His own and through whom He would build a relationship with the world. Jesus did not come to make us feel better about ourselves, but to show us just how sinful and in need of a savior we are. 


God's purpose was never to lend us a helping hand and then let us go about our own business, His purpose is to show us how helpless and broken we are. He is not and has never been a pill we take at our own discretion. That implies that we are the ones who rule over Him. 


In reality, we are a paralytic stranded in the desert dying of thirst and hunger, unable to save ourselves. God sees us in our helpless state, has mercy on us, picks us up, carries us to safety, feeds us by his own hands, and cares for our every need for the remainder of our lives. He is, in fact, the one who rules over us. Apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).


The reason this is so important to understand is because when we treat God like a prescription, we not only demean Him, we completely miss out on the fullness of life that is being offered to us every moment of every day.God saved us so that we could have a relationship with Him. He did that because He knows that a full, committed relationship with Him is the only thing that can bring us true happiness and satisfaction. 


Jesus makes it very clear when he says, "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." (John 17:3)


Yes, eternal life actually has nothing to do with us or our own desires, goals, achievements, and standards...it has everything to do with knowing God.


Treating God like a pill will never allow us to know God in his fullness. It will only cause us more frustration as we work harder and harder to provide for ourselves and try use God as a helpful "pick me up" when things get difficult.


I sincerely believe that growing in one's knowledge of God is the single greatest ambition a Christian can aspire toward.As one grows in their knowledge of God, so they grow in their understanding of eternal life. 


And in the end, what can be more important than the eternal?






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Is Eternal Life an Eternal Bummer?

 Eternal Life...

All Christians hear about about it, all Christians think about it from time to time, but do all Christians look forward to it?

If we're honest, I would say the answer to that question is no, unless I'm the only one.

I can remember being a young boy, sitting in a Church pulpit one weekday night during our yearly "Revival" (which I never looked forward to because it meant I had to go to Church every night of the week), and hearing a pastor preach on some obscure passage from Revelation. It was about judgement, of course, and he made a heartfelt attempt to convince us all that in THIS generation  Jesus would return. I don't know whether he just didn't care or was ignorant of the fact that every preacher of every generation since Christ ascended has said the same thing, but this guy believed it. Honestly, I think that if all these pastors would stop trying to convince us that THIS is the generation of Christ's return Jesus probably would have already come by now. I am of course kidding, but whenever I hear a preacher say these things there is a little piece of me that thinks, "Well now you've ruined it. Because you are so sure Jesus is coming back today, He's going to delay it just to prove you wrong."

But nevertheless, I endured through the sermon. He went on to talk about the return of Christ, the end of the world, and the New Heavens and New Earth. As he went through each of these, a particular emotion began to fill my entire body...any idea what that emotion was?

Fear!

All I could think about were all the things I wanted to do before Jesus returned. I wanted to graduate high school, go to college, get married, have a real job, be a dad, and so much more...But if Jesus returned this year then none of that was going to happen! This was a real problem for me. I attempted to read Revelation for myself to see if the pastor might have been wrong about what he was saying, but I couldn't understand a word of it and gave up after reading some jargon about a lamb reading a scroll and sitting on a throne. It made no sense whatsoever. I had no idea how my pastor could be so convinced he even knew what it all meant, let alone when it would happen.

But my fear was there, and the ideas of the return of Christ and Eternal Life were not welcome to the mind of a boy with such great aspirations for the future in this present world. Couldn't God just wait for me to fulfill my dreams?

Since that time my understanding of Eternal Life has significantly changed. I do not dread the event as I did before, but there is still a small part of me that thinks from time to time, "God, please just wait a little longer before you return...I really want to go to seminary, be a father, establish myself in a career, drive a hovercraft, and see the next Batman movie." Of course these are all extremely selfish thoughts, and I recognize them as wrong and sinful, but I cannot deny that they enter my mind from time to time.

So I have begun to consider that I am not the only one who struggles with the idea of Eternal Life. I'm sure the majority of you who will read this still have many relational, educational, and vocational milestones you have yet to achieve. I'd be willing to bet that the thought of either death or the return of Christ before you can accomplish these goals causes fear and anxiety, and that you do recognize this fear as sinful. Nearly all Christians would readily confess that the joy of being with God, in His presence, for all of eternity is incomparably better than anything we could accomplish here in this sinful world, but even though we admit it, we have a hard time believing it.

Eternal Life is a very hard concept to grasp, and a world without sin may be even more difficult. They are both so diametrically opposed to the world we live in today that we are unable to even begin contemplating what life will be like practically. Will we get hungry? Will we sleep? Will flowers bloom? Will there be seasons? Will there be ipods? Will we tell jokes? How will we recognize each other? What age will we resemble?

None of these questions can be answered in an objective way. We can speculate, but it's impossible know for sure.

These unknown factors are what make us uncomfortable with the concept of Eternal Life.

But this world is much different. We are extremely comfortable, we know what to expect, and we like it that way! We understand how this world works. We know what jokes are funny, what is socially acceptable, what sort of weather to expect, and so on and so forth. We love things like Facebook, ESPN, smartphones, coffee, movies, and music! Imagining a world where these things might not exist the way they do today makes us wonder whether we could really enjoy ourselves.

These are real issues that I, and many other Christians, struggle with every day regarding Eternal Life.

How do we get excited about the return of Christ and The New Heavens and New Earth when we invest so much of ourselves in this present world?

The answer is, we can't.

Even though we may say that we are excited about the return of Christ and know that it is something we should look forward to, our hearts and desires are tied up in this world, not in the world to come.

We are so caught up with ourselves in the here and now that we fail to develop a heavenly perspective on life.

Jesus confronts this issue head-on in Matthew 6:19-21 when he says, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Have you ever hoped you could get the inside track on what stocks to invest in? Let's say it's 1998 and you have $50,000 invested in Enron. Enron is a huge company that has been unbelievably successful throughout the 1990s. No one expects it to do anything but grow. One day as you're reading the paper (because more people read the paper in the 1990s), you see an article about a new company starting up called Facebook. You've never heard of this company before, and it sounds like a flop, so you pass over it and read on. Then, as you are walking to work that same morning, you're approached by a shady man in a long, brown trench coat who corners you and gives you some strange information. He says, "Look, I'm telling you, Enron is going to bite it hard, it's not gonna last. Facebook, though, it's the real deal. It will skyrocket. Take all you have out of Enron and invest it in Facebook. Trust me..."

What would you do in this situation? Most would think this strange man to be crazy, but in a few years his advice would be considered prophetic! He knew what was going to happen, he knew how things were going to pan out. He knew what one should invest in. If you took his advice, you would soon become a rich person with money and possessions to spare! If you rejected it, you would lose everything you had and hate yourself for the rest of your life over this missed opportunity.

This is exactly what Jesus is doing for us. He is publicly giving anyone who will listen insider information about what investments to make now that will have the biggest pay-off in the future!

Jesus tells us that investing our lives and looking for pleasure in this present world will lead only to disappointment and destruction. He also reveals that investing our lives and seeking pleasure in heavenly things brings eternal joy and satisfaction.

You tell me which one has a better pay-out...

Jesus gives us strong incentives to develop a heavenly perspective on life and addresses the core issue, our hearts. According to what Jesus says here, our hearts are tied up in the treasure we seek. If our treasure is laid up in things on earth then they, along with ourselves, will be destroyed and stolen because no treasure that is part of this world will last. If our treasure is laid up in things in heaven, then both these treasures and ourselves will be preserved and enjoyed for all eternity.

It's important to understand what Jesus means by "treasure" in this passage. Treasure is equivalent to what we find our pleasure in. If all our pleasure comes from earthly things that do not last then we are destined to be let down in the end, but pleasure in eternal things brings lasting satisfaction.

Jesus lays is out plain and simple: Treasure in heaven > Treasure on earth

Anyone is rejects this truth does so with a full understanding of the repercussions and to their own detriment.

Our lack of excitement about the return of Christ and Eternal Life is a sign that we have invested our hearts in worldly things. It is a sign that we do not trust God or believe that He has our best intentions in mind. It is a sign that our faith is lacking. The are harsh truths, and I speak to myself when I say this, but they are truths nonetheless.

We have a problem, and the first step to solving any problem is admitting its existence.

So how do we change? We must recognize what earthly things we are investing ourselves in.

Sports?
A relationship?
Music?
Sex?
Video Games?
Academic success?
Appearance?
Reputation?

I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
None of these things are evil in and of themselves, but when we make them idols and invest our lives in then we pervert their purposes. Rather than having dominion over them and glorifying God in how we use them we become enslaved by them and reject God for earthly things. This will only, ever, and always lead to disappointment.

We must take the advice of Jesus and reject these idols, not investing our lives in them but investing ourselves in heavenly things. To invest in heavenly things, we need to develop a heavenly perspective.

So how the heck do we do it!?

Paul answers this question perfectly in Colossians 3,

"If then you have been raised with Christ...Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth...Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry...Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and... forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 
(Colossians 3:1,5, 12-14 ESV, emphasis mine)

Paul points out two aspects of developing a heavenly perspective ("sett[ing] your minds on things that are above"). The first is putting to death our earthly, sinful desires and investments. The second is putting on, or investing one's life in, Godly desires.

So developing a heavenly perspective does not begin with putting on anything, but with putting to death those things that put distance between us and God, sin. Paul makes a pretty comprehensive list here, calling Christians to put to death sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desires, and covetousness. His point here is to help us realize that any sin, even what we would call a "small sin," is in direct opposition to God. In fact, it is our sin that prevents us from having a heavenly perspective. As long as we desire sinful things we will never long for a world without sin or consider the eternal implications of our actions. At first, this putting off of sin may seem overwhelming, but God has providentially taken care of this problem for us in Christ Jesus.

Jesus takes our sin and puts it to death for us on the cross by taking the punishment we deserve for the sin we have committed. All we must do to putt off our sin is accept the payment that Jesus has made! Once this has occurred we then receive Christ's righteousness and can "put on" Christ's character.

But God does not leave us to do this on our own either! He grants Christians the gift of the Holy Spirit, which puts new desires in our hearts. Desires to put on compassion, kindness, humility, patience, and forgiveness! All these things are bound together by one virtue, love.

The love he refers to here is not just any old worldly, selfish love, but the same love that God gives to His people. The gracious, unmerited, selfless love that we receive from God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the same love we are called to emulate. This particular love of God compels us to be compassionate, kind, humble meek, patient, and forgiving. Without God's love urging us forward, we are unable to do any of these things in a God-honoring way. Embracing God's will for us allows us to forgo our sinful desires and truly long the return of Christ when God's redemption will be fully realized and sin wiped out in a New Heavens and New Earth!

But life is not easy, and we still battle with sin each and every day. Sometimes our battles with sin seem impossible to win!

How do we continue to develop our heavenly perspective and resist our desire to invest our lives in things we know are wrong and unable satisfy?

Paul gives us that answer as well in Colossians 3:16, " Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

Paul offers two spiritual encouragements for Christians to grow in their desire for heaven, God's word and God's community. He begins by imploring us to let God's word "dwell in you richly." This refers particularly to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It reminds us that the Christian life does not begin in the Gospel and progress elsewhere, but that the Gospel is our home and our life. We must dwell on it each and every day as we drive out the constant temporal demands of this world and focus our minds on how to invest our lives in the world to come. The second spiritual encouragement is God's community. We gain new insight into the Christian life by hearing the teaching of God's word, participating in corporate worship together, and sharing personal experiences with one another through relationships. The Christian community also encourages us during difficult times and prepares us for the kinds of relationships that we will have in heaven.

These two encouragements  remind us that our final home is not in a world where sin is abundant, but a perfect, sinless world where God will reign in the presence of His people eternally. They also bring us closer to a point where we can truly long for this time rather than be fearful of it. When we put our hope in God we learn that apart from Him nothing can satisfy and that with Him nothing else is needed.  My prayer is that each of us can join together with the saints of old and with true conviction say,

 "Come quickly Lord Jesus!"

Does God Care About Fantasy Football?

Ok, I'll admit it...

I have a minor addiction to fantasy football.

For those who do not know what fantasy football is or how it works, let me break it down for you real quick. Thousands of groups of football fanatics gather together and form leagues. Then in August they sit down at their computers and draft real NFL players onto their fantasy football teams. Once the NFL season begins, each fanatic competes in a head-to-head competition with another fanatic to see who can score the most points and win the match-up. Points are accumulated based on how the players on your fantasy team perform in real life. Depending on how well each player does in his game determines how many fantasy points he gets you. For example, if 25 passing yards equal 1 point and every passing touchdown equals 4 points, then if the quarterback on your fantasy team throws for 100 yards and 1 touchdown in real life then he gives you 8 points (4 for the 100 yds and 4 for the TD) in your fantasy match up. The whole game is based on real life. Here's the hard part though, you only get to start a certain number of players each week and you have more players on your team than you can start. Any players you don't start have to sit on your bench and any points they score don't go towards you total. So if you have two quarterbacks on your team, you only get points for the quarterback you start each week, the one on your bench earns you nothing even if he scores more points than the quarterback you start. This is the real strategy of the game, knowing who to start and who to sit each week. It's also what drives fantasy addicts to the brink of insanity. Anyways, that's the gist of it. In reality, the only "fantasy" aspect of the game is that the players you draft for your team are not actually on the same team in real life.

And for what its worth, I don't care for the title "Fantasy Football." It makes me think of games played behind a computer screen in imaginary worlds that slowly waste away your ability to socially interact in the real world (Insert World of Warcraft joke here). Fantasy football is not that, but it can be just as  addicting. I think a title like "Stat Addict Football" would be more fitting, but alas, that is not an alliteration nor is it nearly as catchy as "Fantasy Football."

But I digress...

Let me share with you the event that led me to write this post. It was week 5 of the NFL regular season and I was a woeful 0-3-1 in my fantasy football league. I was nearly ready to give up on the season, but had not quite yet reached the point where I could lose interest in something I typically love simply because I was doing terrible (as has happened to me me with guitar, basketball, rapping, and many other ventures), so I pressed on for a win. Along with my pitiful record and sinking self-worth, I was also facing a very important decision that could make or break my future. I had two quarterbacks and was unsure which one to start! I looked at their completion percentages, the opponents they had faced, the quality of the receivers they were throwing to, and much more. Even after all my in depth research I could find nothing that made one stand out from the other. To make matters worse, I was also preparing to teach a Sunday School lesson at the church I work for and found this fantasy football dilemma very distracting to my concentration!

I know, I know, I must be a terrible person to let something as inconsequential as fantasy football prevent me from being able to concentrate on my much more important Sunday school lesson...but I'm trying to be real here, so welcome to my life.

Now back to the story...

As these two issues grappled for control of my mind, I began to feel very convicted.
(See, I do have a moral compass!)

In the midst of this conviction though, a strange thought entered my mind. I asked myself, "Marlin, why don't you just pray about which quarterback to start?" The moment this thought crept out I immediately shrugged it off as madness. I said to myself, "God doesn't care about my fantasy football team, and besides, asking for Him to reveal which quarterback to start would be wrong, wouldn't it?"

This was such a trivial matter that asking someone like God to help me out with it seemed like being best friends with Michael Jordan and asking him to teach me how to play gin rummy instead of how to improve my jump shot (although I don't think even Michal Jordan, himself, could help me out there).

Of course I would ask God for help if something terrible happened to me or someone I love, but something as simple as fantasy football just seemed out of his realm of interest. I mean, there are lots of people going through very difficult situations, they should take priority over fantasy football, right? Wouldn't it just be a waste of God's time?

But no matter what I told myself, I could not get the idea out of my head. So you know what? I did it. I gave in. I bowed my head and asked God for wisdom on which quarterback to start. After my prayer, I looked at my roster, chose one, and immediately felt at peace about the entire situation. From that point on I was able to concentrate fully on my Sunday School lesson without any distractions.

So Sunday morning came around, I taught my lesson, went to the service, and came home ready to revel in some fantasy goodness...And guess what happened!?

The quarterback I started scored more points that the quarterback I benched!

Turns out God really might care about fantasy football after all...

But I still lost my match-up, bringing me to an 0-4-1 record and making me the only winless team in my league.

Turns out God also wanted to humble me and keep the idol of fantasy football success at a distance...Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

But this interaction with God did get me thinking. I began to wonder why I thought it would be so wrong to pray to Him about fantasy football. Was it because fantasy football is fun and I do not think God wants me to have fun? Was it because I didn't think God cared about it? Did I not believe He had anything to do with it?

In the end all these questions led me to the heart of the issue, I had separated God from other areas of my life. In my mind I had compartmentalized Him, and the realm of fantasy football had nothing to do with the realm of God. The two coming into contact never even crossed my mind. That is why it seemed so strange to even consider praying about it.

And that was my great sin.

Does God not care about the little things in life? Should I try to separate Him from other parts of the world, creating the secular realm where God is absent and the spiritual realm where God is present?

I believe the answer to this question is an emphatic "No!"

There is no way we can read about God's sovereignty and believe he is not intimately involved in every aspect of our lives.

Psalm 115:3 - Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases

Proverbs 16:33 - The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord

Ephesians 1:11 - In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will

All Bible believing Christians will read these verses and think to themselves, "Yes, these are true, God is indeed involved in and controlling everything."

Yet we do not live as if this were true.

There is a disconnect between what we say we believe and how we act.

It's ok to admit it, we often do this without even realizing it.

So who is the culprit behind all this? Well, it's everyone who has bought into the belief that there is a disparity between the spiritual and the secular, myself included. This is the heart of the problem.

We divide our lives. On Sunday morning, Sunday nights, and Wednesday mornings (if you are extra spiritual) we go to church, experience a service/Bible study/prayer meeting and leave believing that our spiritual needs bar has been filled for the week and will last us until the next service. From there we go back into our secular lives and do secular things in secular ways, hardly paying any attention to what God might think of our desires, actions, and motives. We believe we've already done our time for Him on Sunday, the rest of the week is for us!

And why wouldn't we think this way, everything in our society encourages it. We are taught from a young age that there must be a distinction between the secular and spiritual. Separation of church and state proclaims that there is no room for spirituality in the sphere of education. Science is portrayed as God's arch nemesis, as if God and science are opposed to one another and cannot coexist.

Spirituality is relegated to one particular realm of society, entertainment. Sunday morning services are judged primarily on how entertaining the music and sermon are. Now there is nothing inherently wrong with a talented music team or a well-delivered sermon, but when we think of Church only according to these standards we begin to equate Church with other forms of entertainment such as movies, novels, and music. This view of Church renders us completely incapable of even considering God being involved in any other parts of life. We compartmentalize God and never consider that we are missing out on the most greatest relationship we could ever be a part of. We sin against the very God who died to make us His own, treating Him like a mere morsel of entertainment that we can choose to indulge in or toss aside based on our own selfish motives.

The world implores us to divide the spiritual and the secular, but that could not be farther from what God desires of His people.

I recently saw a Church marquee driving home from work that read, "GOD WANTS FULL CUSTODY, NOT WEEKEND VISITS." While I am not a huge fan of cheesy Church signs, I do enjoy the ones that catch me by surprise with a witty take on the world, and this one fell right into that category! And even though it's funny, it does convey the truth we are dealing with right now. God doesn't want us to glorify Him on Sunday only, He calls us to glorify Him everyday in everything we do. If we only give God our attention on Sunday and won't even give Him the time of day Monday through Saturday because we have too much work to do, too many people to see, or too many other priorities, then we might as well sleep in on Sunday. God won't give a flip whether or not we show up if our hearts don't belong to Him. God desires full-time worshipers, not part-time lobbyists trying to get on His good side for their own selfish ambitions.


Paul puts this very simply in 1 Corinthians 10:31 - "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

This verse reveals to us that what God really wants is a committed relationship that involves everything we think, say, and do. It reveals that it is indeed possible for us to bring glory to God in even the most simple tasks. It also leaves us without an excuse as to why God is not intricately involved in every part of our lives. If I can involve God, and even bring Him glory, in eating and drinking then I must be able to do the same in fantasy football/playing guitar/going to class!

This truth puts to death any belief that there is a divide between the spiritual and secular. Everything we do, from going to work to eating lunch to spending time with our friends and family, can and should be done with God in mind. He is there, he is present, and there is nowhere we can go that he is not.

This truth not only shatters a worldview in which God and the secular are separated, but encourages us to adopt a new, truthful, God-centered worldview! With the knowledge that God is involved in every realm of our lives, we can joyfully approach him in even the most simple tasks (i.e. fantasy football) for guidance, wisdom, and communion!

This truth has the power to revolutionize our spiritual lives if we will only put God's word into action. As I said earlier, we have a bad habit of knowing truths on Sunday but refusing to trust in or implement them Monday through Saturday. We must strive to apply this truth into our daily lives if it will have any affect or bring God any glory. Let us pray throughout each day that God would remind us that He is involved in even the smallest things we do. I believe that anyone who does this will discover a newfound richness in their relationship with God unlike ever before.

May we be a people who does not merely worship God with our lips, but with our lives! - Psalm 50

Do We Know God or Do We Know About God?

What does it mean to know God?

How do we have a relationship with him?

What does that relationship even look like?

Well, for starters, let's take a look at what a relationship with God is not...

Ever heard of the ABCs of Christianity? If you grew up in a Southern Baptist Church like I did, you probably know exactly what I am talking about. They are mentioned at the end of nearly every sermon, and sometimes again during the alter call (cue the hymn I Surrender All) if the pastor does not believe an adequate number of people have walked down the aisle. The ABCs of Christianity stand for Admit, Believe, Confess. Admit you are a sinner, believe in Jesus, and confess your sin to God.

Bing, bang, boom! Just like that you become a Christian.

Now you are free to head out, feeling good about yourself because you just chose to believe in God, and ready to go about your life as you did before. The only difference is that now you no longer have to deal with any of that annoying guilt that had been bogging you down. It's easy, relatively painless, and leaves you feeling great about yourself.

But is this really what it looks like to have a relationship with God? Must I simply believe and do these three little letters to receive the immeasurable forgiveness that comes from the blood of God's only, perfect son Jesus Christ? What about the rest of the alphabet? Where are the D-Zs of Christianity? Can we really sum up the whole Christian life in three little letters?

One of the most common expressions used when describing how to become a follower of Christ and begin a relationship with God is "accepting Jesus." I, for one, have heard this term used countless times and have even used it myself. If you are not familiar with this term and are wondering how it would typically be used in a conversation, here is an example:

"Hello sir, how are you today? Oh me, I am doing great! Do you know why? Well, it's because I have accepted Christ. Would you like to accept Him? All you have to do is follow the ABCs of Christianity..." You get the idea, both these encounters and this expression is usually awkward, unexpected, and difficult to define.

"Accepting Christ" is one of the foundational phrases in the always changing, ever expanding vocabulary of Christianity. Use this phrase along with "let go and let God," "open your heart to God's will," and "what would Jesus do" and you've got contemporary Christian lingo. This lingo is a hodgepodge of ambiguous, difficult to define ideas that may sound insightful and spiritual, but actually make no sense at all. The use of Christian lingo will be met with hearty nods and joyful smiles by all, because even though we have no idea what these things mean, asking would only reveal our ignorance, we would be utterly humiliated. Who would want that? So this lingo grows and grows, where it stops nobody knows...

What we fail to realize though, due both to our fear of being judged and our assumption that this Christian lingo is a sign of spiritual eminence, is that the phrase "accepting Jesus" is found absolutely nowhere in the Bible. I know, this is truly a shocking discovery, but now that we've brought it into the light I'll be the first to admit that I don't understand what "accepting Jesus" even means.

Can I get an amen?

Like myself, you have probably heard multiple endings added to this phrase. The first that come to mind are "accepting Jesus" into your heart, as your savior, or as your Lord, but one thing I have never heard is an actual definition of it.

So, what does it mean to "accept Jesus"?

It probably depends on who you ask. Some would say it means to recognize that Jesus was a real person, which would mean that pretty much everyone who has ever studied history or read a Bible could be considered a Christian. Most would probably take it a step further define it as believing that Jesus was a real person who was also the son of God, lived a perfect life, died for the sins of humanity, was raised back to life on the third day after his death, and then ascended into heaven to one day return again. This is the basic storyline for all of the Gospels, so "accepting Jesus" would mean believing that what the Bible says about Jesus is true. While I do agree with this, I also see some problems with this being the only necessary characteristic for someone to be Christian, and in turn, know God.

My greatest concern with what people define as "accepting Jesus" is that it oversimplifies the beauty of Christian conversion and waters down the richness of the Gospel. From this oversimplification also comes the possibility of misinforming people and allowing them to believe they have a relationship with God when they actually do not. Let me explain this with an illustration.

I am a very big fan of Peyton Manning, the quarter back for the Indianapolis Colts. I love to watch him play football. I watch his interviews, read articles about him, and talk about him with my friends. Sometimes, I talk about him like I know him. I refer to him simply at "Peyton" or "Pey-Pey" as if we are good friends, and as much as I wish we were good friends, the truth is we are not. I know it may be surprising to you, but Peyton Manning and I are not friends, I have never even met the guy. I know a lot about him, but I'm about as close to having a real relationship with Peyton Manning as John Daly is with a dietician.

This is the same kind of understanding people have of God. They have been to church, they have heard people preach, teach, and discuss the bible, they know things about God, and they even may know what God likes and dislikes. Because they have knowledge of things about God they assume they have a real relationship with Him. Please don't get me wrong, these things are good to know, but they are unable, in an of themselves, to constitute a real, personal relationship with God.

These people are fans of God, they would like Him on facebook, even add him as their friend, but they have never actually interacted with God in a one on one capacity for any significant period of their lives. They keep God at a distance (not a very friendly way to treat someone we call our Lord and savior). Most people who live like this would genuinely believe they are Christians because they have been taught that this is all it takes to be a Christian. It is this gross oversimplification of Christianity that gives people a false sense of security when they are, in reality, no closer to having a relationship with God than I am with Peyton Manning.

Now for those of you who do not believe that my previous illustration and explanation have been infallibly typed through me by the very fingers of God, I will also consult God's word to see what it has to say about this topic.

James 2:17-19 says, "17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds.' Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder." (NIV)

The main point I want to make from this passage is from V.19, where James says, sarcastically, that it is good to believe there is one God, but that even the demons (the sworn enemies of God himself) believe that and shudder. If the demons, who definitely do not have a relationship with God (at least not the kind I want to have), believe in God, then believing in God cannot be the only requirement for having a relationship with Him.

Okay, so the demons believe in God, big deal! What do they believe about Jesus, that's what really matters, right? Well, let's take a look.

When Jesus approaches a man who is possessed by a demon in the Gospel of Mark, the demon says, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!" (Mark 1:24 NIV).

The demon (remember, these guys are the sworn enemies of God) knew exactly who Jesus was. He called him the "Holy One of God," undoubtedly recognizing as God's son. Therefore, simply believing Jesus is the Son of God cannot be enough to constitute calling someone a Christian either.

So if "accepting Jesus" means believing what the Bible says about Jesus is true, then we would put ourselves in some pretty lousy company since even the demons know and believe that what the Bible says about Jesus is true. This leaves us with one of two conclusions. Either our understanding of what it means to be a Christian has been perverted or anyone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God, along with the demons, is in a right relationship with God and good to go.

I would argue for the former.

The purpose of this whole discussion is to reveal that the requirements to be a Christian have been watered down and oversimplified to coincide with today's culture of comfort, ease, and simplicity. Believing that what the Bible says about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is true is simply not enough! God's word is not an end in itself, our reading of it and believing its truthfulness must be met with a change of heart. Our lives must be changed if we are to call ourselves Christians. Remember what James said earlier, "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." (James 2:17). The faith we say we have MUST be followed by action, otherwise it is completely useless.

Knowing God is so much more and so much better than just knowing things about him. Knowing God means having a personal relationship with him. It means that our lives are completely changed upon believing in him and the sacrifice his son Jesus made on the cross. The decisions we make are influenced by our desire to reciprocate love towards a God who so perfectly loved us first. This results in a new found ability and desire to resist sinful habits, spend quality time with God in prayer,  study His will in the Bible, and live out his will in our lives. These are the ways that we know God, these are the ways that we engage with him in a real relationship!

On a final note of clarity, please understand that the purpose of this post is not to scare anyone. It is not my intention to make every single Christian who reads this post begin questioning their salvation. My intention is to unveil the oversimplified, watered down Christianity that is taught by so many today for what it is, a sham. If you have been taught these things, then I hope you will open the Bible for yourself, read it, and see how rich, beautiful, and deep is the love that God has for us! A love that, when fully revealed to us, can result in nothing but a genuine, repenting, loving, enduring relationship in return.

I have to give some props to A.W. Tozer and his book, The Pursuit of God, which inspired this post.
I highly recommend it.

If you have any questions or comments please post or send me a message.







 

Why Hands-On Theology Matters Right Now

The purpose of this blog is to discuss matters concerning hands-on theology. That is the common thread, no matter how random, that all my posts will hang from.

I will hang that thread in this post as I explain just what "Hands-On Theology" is about.

Let’s begin with the word “theology” and then work back to “hands-on.”

Most people lump theology into the basket of religion. They believe that religion dictates theology and that theology is born out of religion. While there is some truth to that statement, I would argue that the majority of one’s theology is formed apart from religion. I would also assert that regardless of what religion one might be raised in, he or she will inevitably be drawn to whichever religion corresponds best with the theology he or she has developed.

So what is the difference between religion and theology anyway? Well, according to R.C. Sproul’s book, Grace Unknown, religion is the study of a man’s behavior according to his specific beliefs (such as a Christian’s behavior being studied based on his/her belief in a singular God or a Hindu’s behavior based on his/her belief in reincarnation). Religion is man-centered and falls under other man-centered areas of study such as psychology and sociology. Theology, on the other hand, is the study of God. It is not the study of what man believes about God, but of what God has revealed about Himself to man. Theology is God-centered.

Now the first thing most people would say in response to this is, “If God has revealed Himself to humanity, why are their so many different religions and beliefs about Him? How can God’s singular revelation result in so many opposing belief systems?” This is a good and valid question, one that needs to be answered. One of the main reasons that there are so many different beliefs about God is because God’s singular, unchanging revelation of Himself is judged by imperfect human beings who are unable to grasp it completely or judge it impartially. Let me share an illustration that I hope will bring clarity to this concept.

One afternoon as you are driving home you see a man in the distance standing on the side of a bridge. As you come closer you notice that he is actually standing on the guard rail, looking down into the river below. You instantly realize that this man is preparing to jump off the bridge to his death. Your mind begins to go crazy, you wonder what to do, but before you are close enough to do anything he leaps off and disappears from your sight. You immediately slam on your breaks and call the police to report that you just witnessed a suicide. They take your call and tell you they will handle it. You drive home, your mind still churning over what you just saw. What would you think about this man?

Well, if you have had a relatively good life, you will think he was a fool to kill himself. You will be confused because you cannot understand why anyone would want so badly leave this world. You know life is sometimes hard, but overall you have had a good experience. It will be very difficult for you to relate to this man.

If you have had a relatively bad life, you might envy the man. He had the guts to do something you have considered but never found the courage to do. You could completely understand how he must have been feeling. Because of your overall bad experience with life you would be able to empathize with this man.

The experiences of our lives will shape how we think about this man. It would be impossible for us to be unbiased in our observations. Our convictions, emotions, and life experiences control our opinions and prevent us from being impartial.

Also, we do not know the whole story. In fact, if we had brought ourselves to watch the news that same night we would have learned that the man we saw was not actually committing suicide, but jumping into the water to save a family who’s car had careened off the bridge. All of our thoughts about this man were not only unbiased, but were also made without a full understanding of the situation surrounding his actions.

This is exactly what we do with God. This is why so many opposing beliefs exist. We decide what we want to believe about God based only on what we have experienced and without a full understanding of how God has revealed Himself. According to this process of reasoning, it is no surprise that there exists such a vast number of differing beliefs about God.

With so many biased, skewed views of God, how important is it that we truly know God in the ways he has revealed himself? I would say that it is of utmost importance! It really does make a difference in our day to day lives. For example, if you truly believe there is a God who created the world and cares about you, this belief will make a difference in your thoughts, decisions, and interactions. Or, if you believe that there is no God and life is random, purposeless, and of no consequence, then this belief will also dictate your life choices.

Based on how we experience and interpret God’s self-revelation, we will either form a right theology of God or a wrong theology of God.

God wants us to know Him truly, just as we want others to know us truly. If someone believes I am a thief because they saw me grab someone’s purse lying on a chair in a department store, I will want to let them know that I was grabbing it for my wife who accidentally left it there. God has revealed himself in certain ways, and there is a true understanding of his character as well as a false understanding of his character, just as there is with each and every one of us. Who we recognize God to be will influence the decisions of our lives.

I write all this to make a single point:

Theology matters! It makes a difference in our lives every single day!

We will either form a right theology of God or a wrong theology of God based on how we experience and interpret God’s self-revelation. In this interpretation we want to be unbiased and comprehensive. Theology is not something to be flippant or half-hearted about. It makes a difference in our lives and what we believe (whether right or wrong) will have consequences.

Now that we understand the significance of theology, let us approach the next aspect of this blog. What does it mean to make our theology “hands-on”?

“Hands-on” theology recognizes that theology matters. Its purpose is to take our theology and discover how it governs our day to day decisions. The “hands-on” aspect of theology is extremely important because it focuses on realistic, practical ways that our theology matters and makes a difference. It allows us to firmly grasp what we believe and apply it to our lives. Theology begins in our thoughts, experiences, and observations. Making it “hands-on” means moving our theology from our minds to our heart. From there our theology will manifest itself in every decision we make, every day.

What we believe about God matters right now!

We want to be certain that it is true.

How do we do that?

We get to know God.

How do we get to know God?

That will be the subject of my next post.

The Inaugural Post

I played football in high school.

I enjoyed it. I was able to start my junior and senior years as a free safety. I was pretty good, and even got offers to play at a few division three colleges. I graduated high school feeling content and happy with what I had accomplished. You probably would have too.

But when I look back on playing high school football today, I am filled with regret.
What caused my outlook to change so dramatically?

How could I go from being completely satisfied to utterly disappointed?

Well...after much thought, I have found the answer.

Although I was a pretty good player, I could have been much better. In fact, it was my natural athletic ability that prevented me from working harder to become better. I was athletic enough to get by with about 80% of my full effort. Because of this, I chose to slack off and stay where I was rather than work harder and improve. Take team sprints for example. I would be sure to finish in the top-10 every time, but I wouldn’t run hard enough to really challenge myself and strengthen my endurance. My 80% was enough to get by without getting in trouble, so I never capitalized on my potential. The realization of this sad fact is what has led to my regret.

I was not a good steward of the physical ability God had given me. I took what could have been used for greatness and settled for mediocrity. This fact repulses me to this day.

It was so easy for me to justify my lack of 100% effort. I would tell myself, “You’re doing enough to get by. You’re a starter, why work harder for something you already have?”

Now, I look back on these thoughts and am truly disappointed with myself.

What if I had given a 100% effort? Maybe we would have won more games, gone to the playoffs, been a team to remember; or maybe nothing would have changed at all. But either way, I will never know. All I know now is that when I think back on my high school football career I can only sadly wonder what could have been.

Fortunately, these sorrowful thoughts on my high school football career did not end in themselves. They resulted in a God-given birth to a new idea! I began to ask myself, “What things am I not putting a 100% effort into right now that I will regret in the future? How can I take my disappointing lesson from football and positively apply it to my life today?”

These thoughts led me to evaluate what in my life I was holding back on, what I was putting off, and how I could change my habits to better reflect the ways I truly desired to spend my time.

I had always wanted to start a blog, but put it off because of more pressing priorities. After my life evaluation though, I decided it was now or never. If I kept putting it off I knew I would look back years from now and find yet another disappointment in my life. So here it is! My blog has arrived!

Will it be good? Maybe...
Will it help people? I hope...
Will I have put forth an effort that I can look back on one day with joy? Oh yes!

So my question for everyone now is this:

What are you putting off now that you truly want to pursue?

Is it a hobby?
Is it a friendship?
Is it a new habit or the breaking of an old one?

Whatever it may be, STOP putting it off. Evaluate your life and the time you spend. Invest yourself in what is truly valuable. Be a steward of the gifts, talents, dreams, and abilities God has given you. Don’t just do enough to get by. Don’t be mediocre. Don’t waste your life and time on things that that have no real significance.

These thoughts led me to start this blog, I hope and pray they can help you as well.