Recently, I have been playing catch up with our church in our four-year Bible reading plan. I like to try to read it once a year, but this year I wanted to slow my pace and read it with other brothers who are going on this journey as well. It has given me some great insight and personal reflection. This month we are reading through Genesis and I have been captivated by Genesis 45 which tells us about Joseph and his journey through life and circumstances that were beyond his control.Genesis 45 English Standard Version (ESV)
Joseph Provides for His Brothers and Family
45 Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Make everyone go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. 4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God.
I am pretty sure that you are familiar with this story. There is a great musical on this story and if you ever get the chance to see it or rent the musical on DVD, then do. Often, we think that we can control our daily lives and our circumstances, but some of us who are reading this and are writing this will definitely disagree with this on a broad basis. Sometimes life throws us circumstances that are beyond our control. For some that could be loss of a love one, cancer, tragedy, job loss and so on. Sometimes life throws us trials and tribulations that we cannot understand or that we may dismiss as spiritual attack. Sometimes it may be spiritual attack and sometimes it just may be from the consequences of our actions.
But we have to ask this question: Is God over everything? Is He in control of everything? Why does He permits such things from happening?
Look at Joseph:
His brothers despised him
They were going to kill him
He was sold into slavery
He was falsely imprisoned
He was left in jail after he interpreted dreams for the cupbearer and baker
He was left alone without his dad and homeland for a large part of his life
After all of this, many of us would have thrown in the proverbial towel and said, “Enough, I cannot take anymore! I quit” Or maybe we would just be angry and blame everyone else for our circumstances. Joseph had every reason to blame his life circumstance on his brothers and could have wallowed in that misery, anger and depression for the rest of his life. Instead he chose to trust God and lean on God’s understanding instead of his own understanding.
After all of this, he realizes through life’s trials and tribulations that God had a much bigger plan for his life than Joseph did. It didn’t matter what Joseph wanted or how he wanted to spend his life, because God sent him on a different trajectory. This was a path to save many lives and to keep a people from extinction. So it was not Joseph and his brothers, instead it was God who put him in these circumstances – was it fair? In the world’s terminology, probably not. In God’s plan – absolutely. It is amazing to read how God ordained this for Joseph and Israel and his eleven brothers and their people.
Instead of getting mad at our circumstances or upset or depressed or left alone, maybe we should turn our attention to God. Read His word. Study His word and reflect on it. Maybe we should pray and ask God for His insight and His guidance. Maybe we should get over ourselves and our circumstance and realize it was not you who sent me here, but God.
Matthew 13 English Standard Version (ESV)The Parable of the Sower
13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.9 He who has ears,[a] let him hear.”
The Purpose of the Parables
10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,and you will indeed see but never perceive.”15 For this people's heart has grown dull,and with their ears they can barely hear,and their eyes they have closed,lest they should see with their eyesand hear with their earsand understand with their heartand turn, and I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
The Parable of the Sower Explained
18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.[b]22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
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If you and I were to glance back on our life and look for that peace that can only come from Christ, would our lives bear the fruit of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness (and self-control)? That is not to say that we would not have trial and tribulation because for those of us who profess Jesus Christ as Savior then we know that those who love and truly follow him will face trials and tribulations of many kinds. I am not talking about this, rather, I am talking about that peace that should be evident in our life.
I want to focus on where I lives are currently at (where they have landed at this particular time in our life). I want to focus on the path that Jesus is talking about and ask ourselves these questions when we take a deep look at examining ourselves. Are we bearing the fruit of the Spirit? Are we in community? Are we serving Jesus Christ (we are true followers and not just fans)? Are we teachable? Are we humble? Do we exude spiritual maturity? If not, why not?
Have our lives:
Fell along the path: We hear the words (the Bible, the teaching and preaching of the Bible) and we do not understand it?
Fell along rocky ground: We hear the words, but have no root in the Word, in community and fellowship, a prayer life? And when trials and tribulations and persecution came along we immediately fall away from God?
Fell among thorns: We hear the words, but our focus is not on Jesus Christ and His Church, rather, it is on the ways of this world (living for our own desire and pleasures instead of God's will for our life). This, too, proves an unfaithful servant.
Fell on good soil: These are the true disciples of Jesus Christ. They hear the word and understand the word and apply that to their entire life and way of thinking. When they hear the word and fall on good soil (God's word and His wisdom and understanding they are truly following His will in all their life). These are individuals that you see that do face trials and do face tribulations and they are genuine. There is something different about them. Look around in the church, in your communities and in your work place - they are there! Are you one of them?
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When the Judgement of the Lord comes, and it will come, I do not want to be looking back at my life and saying I could/should have done it different. I don't want to be saying why did I make all those other things in my life a priority instead of what God prioritizes for me in His Word. I do not want to be second guessing myself at his Judgement Seat. Instead I want to hear the words, "well done good and faithful servant".
I do not want to live the life of a fake or follower. I want my life to bear his fruit daily. I want my life to be that life of a disciple. Does this mean that I will always have it right? By no means. However, with daily prayer, reading of the word, accountability and honesty along with repentance, I can move toward becoming the new creation that Jesus Christ gave me versus always falling back to that old self (our old sin nature).
Do you not know that those of us that confess that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and follow his ways have been bought with a price? A price that we could never pay nor endure?
As for me and my house, we choose to serve the Lord.
I've had some interesting discussions over the past week in two separate small groups on spiritual maturity and spiritual comfort zones. Some believe we should live in small, safe comfort zones while others believe we need to strengthen our faith and expand our comfort zones. Where are you living?
Have you ever wondered why life has trials and tribulations and we wonder why and how they keep coming our way? Have you ever looked back for an instant in your life and seen where you came from and what God has saved you from? Have you ever shared your life story (in a series of flashes) to someone who wants to know what's different in your life and why you are the way you are? And then see them to come to know the Lord?Have you ever wondered what God requires from you? Have you been frustrated in your daily walk because there are temptations (sin) that you cannot escape or that you continue to do over and over? Have you ever asked aloud what does God require of my life? What does the Lord want from me? How can I conquer these temptations? The apostle Paul gives us a snapshot of the new life in Christ in the New Testament. At one point, he tells us (the reader) that what he knows he should do, he doesn't. He also states that what he should not do, he does. He let's us in on a life of a believer (a disciple of Christ) and tells us that when we come to know the Lord immediately there is a war within us: The old self (sin nature) versus our new self (we are a new creation in and through Jesus Christ). The beautiful thing about this is that God knows that we are human and knows that we sin daily (and some of us hourly or even by the minute), BUT God in his infinite wisdom gives us a Helper (The Holy Spirit). Our bodies (those that confess, repent and believe in Jesus Christ as Lord) become a temple of the living God (the Holy Spirit resides in us).
How can we live in such a way that we are in God's will daily:
Proverbs 16:7 (ESV) 7 When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
1 Timothy 2:3-5 (ESV) 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man[a] Christ Jesus,
Ezekiel 18:23(ESV) 23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?
Micah 6:8 (ESV) 8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness,[a] and to walk humbly with your God?
Romans 13:10 (ESV) 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Hebrews 12:14 (ESV) 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
Galatians 5:22-25 (ESV) 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
Romans 12:1-2 (ESV) A Living Sacrifice 12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers,[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.[b] 2 Do not be conformed to this world,[c] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.[d]
Colossians 3:15-17 (ESV) 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 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. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
God doesn't want us to be religious, He requires us to seek His Kingdom daily. He tells us to put to death the earthly things in our lives daily. PUT TO DEATH! The Scripture doesn't ever say continue to wallow in unrepentant sin, to try to justify to a Holy God that sin is okay to continue to do and then call yourself a disciple of Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us to renew our minds, put to death sin in our lives daily, to pursue holiness, to share His gospel and to love and serve those who are in need: Widows, orphans, our neighbors and those that persecute us. The Bible calls us to choose God daily and to submit and obey to His will.
If you are living in sexual immorality and trying to call yourself a disciple of Christ something is seriously wrong. From www.Gotquestions.org, we read the following definition: "Question: "What is sexual immorality?" Answer: In the New Testament, the word most often translated “sexual immorality” isporneia. This word is also translated as “whoredom,” “fornication,” and “idolatry.” It means “a surrendering of sexual purity”, and it is primarily used of premarital sexual relations. From this Greek word we get the English wordpornography, stemming from the concept of “selling off.” Sexual immorality is the “selling off” of sexual purity and involves any type of sexual expression outside the boundaries of a biblically defined marriage relationship (Matthew 19:4–5). The connection between sexual immorality and idolatry is best understood in the context of1 Corinthians 6:18, which says, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.” The bodies of believers are the “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). Pagan idol worship often involved perverse and immoral sexual acts performed in the temple of a false god. When we use our physical bodies for immoral purposes, we are imitating pagan worship by profaning God’s holy temple with acts He calls detestable (1 Corinthians 6:9–11)."
We are called to one body to love our neighbor as ourselves and to purse holiness. We are called to be disciples (not just followers) of Jesus Christ and to look after widows and orphans and to turn away from the ways of this world (flee sin) choose God's ways.
What are some things in your life right now that the Holy Spirit is revealing to you that you need to confess, repent and to turn away from? What are some changes (degrees) that you can turn up or down to get back into God's will for your life? For some, it may be reading the Bible more daily. For others it may be getting some professional help (Good Christian/Bible based counselors) to help you forgive and cope with daily life struggles. For others it could be more - you need medical help to overcome certain disorders that can be destructive to your life and others. Whatever the change that needs to take place - don't wait. The Bible is clear to us that we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
Pray, ask, seek God's will in your life and surrender to His Will. If you think you are in His will (or you know that you are not) then examine your lives with Scripture and confess to things that you need to confess, repent of such things that you are called to do and share the good news with other Christians in your lives. And we you are freed from such sins (addictions and disorder and chaos in your life) Go and make disciples and share the Good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Sometimes I find myself surprised if not down right cynical when it comes to matters of people attending church and who are stuck where they are at. That is, to say, that when you and I visit a church or join a church what is our criteria?For my wife and I (when we first got married) we had some important criteria before joining a church together (as a family) and wanted to worship God:
Are they a Bible believing church?
Do they believe in the Bible and use the Bible as their sold authority?
Is there any compromise to scripture?
Do they have a healthy, vibrant and clean children's ministry (this was important to us because 12 years ago my wife was pregnant and that was really important to her)
Are the children in a safe environment?
Is there accountability in preaching? in Teaching? and in oversight (are there elders, a consistory or a board)?
Is the preaching and worship relevant to our daily lives?
Obviously, we found our current church and loved (love) everything about it. We love the children's ministry, we love the preaching and teaching and the worship and we found our family in community.
As I get older (more cynical) I find myself in tongue in cheek conversations where I hear people say things like:
I like this pastor over these other pastors because....
I like this worship leader over other leaders because....
I don't really feel like the preaching or worship meets my needs....
The men's bible study is too early...why can't they have a different time or evening or daytime?
What's up with the youth these days?
I am not happy with this (fill in your blank)
The cynic in me chuckles to myself and asks the proverbial question(s):
Why do we go to church?
Who are we there to worship?
Is church about my needs and my wants and my desires or is it about my act of worship toward the One who paid it all (for me)?
Are we going to church because of a Mega Pastor or talented worship?
Lance and I were talking the other day about church leadership, church oversight, and mega-churches and their dilemma in legacy plans for who follows the footsteps of these leaders.
These leaders are where we have to honestly draw the line if we are true disciples of Jesus Christ.
Don't misunderstand me in saying this because I love our worship team and I love our pastors and my church and if you were to ask any of these pastors, elders and deacons and worship leaders (and they were worth their salt) they would tell you and I that it is all about Jesus and what the Holy Spirit does. What God has done for us and who we should be there to worship. FYI - our church is not small at roughly 4000 to 5500 between all the campuses.
Please do not take this as me being critical to mega-churches because I am not. There is a lot of biblical and godly preachers that depend on the word and Jesus only - I am not talking about these men. I am referring to those of us who come to be entertained instead of worshiping the one and true living God.
Knowing what He has saved us from, we should not have any other posture in corporate community except to serve and to pray and to worship together even if that requires us to be on our knees in prayer and thankfulness - we should do it!
In Part 1, I explained my departure from the church, belief in God and my worldview while I was an atheist. In Part 2 ,I explained how my new belief in science, logic and reason began to break down when faced with the real world, emotions and personal experiences. In this last section, I'll explain how I came back to Christ, really researched Christianity, the Bible and my faith and ultimately came to the conclusion that what I was really frustrated with...was religion, the modern Church and the hypocritical people who called themselves Christians.
To the outside world, Christians get lumped all together. You, Me and Jesus get lumped together with the Westboro Baptist Church, Creflo Dollar and Ted Haggard. When you or I go to invite someone to our church or share the Gospel message with them, we are contrasted with anyone bearing the name Christian who has hurt, gossiped, judged or turned their nose up at that person. It's really sad.
How have some churches and Christians departed so far from Jesus' messages and the disciples teachings to the early Church?
According to Lifeway research, "a majority of Americans believe in God but do not want to attend or be associated with a Church" because they feel that modern churches do not accurately reflect Jesus' message. Barna Group Research echoes this by stating that "a majority of non-church attending Americans believe the modern Christian Church is known more for all the negative things they are against", than the Fruit of the Spirit and Jesus' message of love.
Despite the early disciples best efforts to explain Christ's message and record it in writings, somewhere around 300 AD - the Christian Church started to implement many of the old, legalistic rules of the Temple Model back into Christianity.
The Temple Model existed before Christ and grants extraordinary power to sacred men in sacred places who determine the meaning of sacred texts and then tell followers how to live and worship God. The obvious flaw of this system is our own human fallibility and the corruption this system entails. Jesus himself cursed the hypocritical pharisees and the Temple Model of His day in Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness."
Despite Jesus curses and the early disciples explicit instructions, ultimately men twisted Christ's message and used religion for their own devises for hundreds of years. The Crusades, The Inquisition, and legalistic rules added for conformity and to give power to the few.
This was once my view of God, Faith and the Church and ultimately why I left. I went to church for 20 some years and mostly heard a list of "Do's and Dont's" act a certain way, look a certain way and look down on those who sin or don't have the same beliefs as our group. Of course it's not often said explicitly but that is the perception I was given.
I know not everyone has had this same experience, but I also know that I'm not the only one who had this same experience with the Church? I hear people everyday tell me the same story but they insert their own personal details and often pain and hurt from the experience. How did we get so far off the mark?
For hundreds of years, we relied on the Temple Model of sacred men in sacred places who read the sacred texts and told us how to live and worship God.
But somewhere around 1530, William Tyndale translated the Bible into the common language - English and for the first time, encouraged followers to read the messages for themselves. How did the Church react? Tyndale was convicted of heresy and executed by strangulation, after which his body was burnt at the stake. He was threatening the power of the Temple Model.
Despite Tyndale's efforts almost 500 years ago, most Christians today are assimilated into the Church, show up on Sunday and listen to the Pastor's message but rarely pick up the Bible and read it or research it for themselves.
Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great churches who are Bible focused and are doing a great job today in teaching people the Scriptures but I think we often miss the most basic message of Christ.
The arrival and sacrifice of Jesus signaled the end of the Temple Model and the start of something new.
Jesus showed up and threw the Temple Model out. Jesus raised the standards so high that no one could meet them except through Him. The Temple Model is a you-centered approach to faith and the heart of the Temple Model is this question: "What must I do or believe to make things and keep things right between me and God?" It's based on personal works and adherence to rules rather than faith and trust in God and works through the fruit of the spirit.
Jesus came to show us we should be other-centered, Christ-centered. Upward and Outward Focused, not Inward. Everything Christ taught is about love and truth, he taught compassion with compromising truth. He loved and showed mercy and grace to the sinner but hated sin and called us to turn away from it.
When the Early Church struggled with this very issue, Paul got so angry at people who were trying to insert the Temple Model into Christ that he wrote to the Church in Galatia - "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love" Galatians 5:6
Forget everything else, if you miss this one - you've missed the entire point.
Instead of engaging in hundreds of rules for behavior modification and sacrifices for repentance, which is simply how to get more out of God for less obedience. With the Christ-centered model - we need to demonstrate, authenticate, and illustrate our love to God by radical service and love of other people - which in turn is obedience.
Trying to maintain the old Temple Model is no longer necessary and works ferociously against living, walking with and serving Christ.
I believe that my own struggles with faith and ultimately why I became an atheist was because I was raised in churches who unintentionally were keeping the Temple Model.
Once I broke free from this, read and researched the Bible for myself and felt the power of God's grace and love in my own life, everything changed. My attitude towards others changed.
The message is so simply. Love God, Love Others.
Christians get so caught up in theological debates, political debates and often times looking down at others that we forget Christ's most basic message.
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13: 34-35
Imagine a world where people were still skeptical of Christians because of what we believe...but envious of us because of how we treated and loved others?
In Part 1, I tried to give you my frame of mind when I was an atheist and why I left my faith and the church. In this post, I'll share how my atheism broke down and ultimately failed me and how I discovered that what I was really frustrated with, was religion and the Church.
My initial reaction was to write a long, voluminous diatribe trying to explain, in explicit detail, every possible angle to this post as I know many atheists will attack me, these post and my stance. But in the interest of the reader and not dredging up the same debates, I decided to keep it short and leave a lot out. That being said, I know atheists will attack my rational in this post but this is further evidence of exactly the point I'm trying to make. When I was an atheist, I believed that religion is irrational and dangerous and therefore took the approach that anyone who believed in religion needed to be discredited by any means. This meant mocking religious believers and leaders, proclaiming their religious institutions as irrational, and seeking to discredit the Bible by any means. All civility was tossed out the window in order to debate that my point of view was superior.
My atheism worked well for me in my controlled environment but my sole reliance on logic, science, and reason began to break down when I utilized it in human relations with other people in a not-so-logical world, especially in relationships where emotions like love were involved. In hindsight, I now know from neuroscience that although logic, facts, and science are helpful - ultimately the human species makes decisions based on emotions not logic and I found that trying to apply logical and scientific reasoning to the thousand or so decisions I needed to make everyday was not only futile but ludicrous to try. Inevitably, we use "thin slicing" in our decisions and it's difficult, if not impossible, to always remain logical and unbiased.
As previously stated, I also experienced that my atheism made me more confrontational if not militant towards my fellow mankind, specifically those who believed in God and faith. Rather than just living my life (happy in my logic and science) I felt the need to attack, belittle, and debate those who did not share my views. I wanted to prove them wrong thus making myself feel intellectual superior and elevate myself above their irrationality, when in reality, most people perceived me as intellectually arrogant and egotistical.
My atheism ethos often challenged believers to prove the existence of God which I would then debate incessantly in the form of disqualifying all their claims based on the grounds that they could not be proven using modern scientific principles and laws and thus were irrational. But as an atheist, I now realize that I simply replaced my beliefs and faith in God - to belief in science, logic and reason which in itself was making a bold intellectual commitment of faith about the nature of the universe, and I made this "leap of faith" while denying, in science, the same type of insufficient data. As Bill Maher once said on Real Time, “many atheists trade faith in a deity for faith in secularism.”
Ask yourself this question: Throughout human history, has science ever been wrong?
A PhD in Zoology and Professor of Biology for over 30 years at a leading liberal university told me, "Science is what we know about the natural world, given the amount of data available at that time in our human history. Scientific advances in the past have proven everything we know and thought to be fact at the time...wrong. We could make a scientific discovery next week that proves all of our textbooks and theories to be dead wrong." This professor, despite studying evolution for over 30 years, is a Christian.
Plus, there has been more than one study that has shown that even science is incapable of research bias. Most scientific research gets skewed by researchers because of their need for career advancement, funding for research programs, and competitiveness for staff and research facilities.
So putting my faith in science, logic, and reason was really not empirically true and free of outside bias. As Bill Maher alluded to, I simply traded religious mysticism for scientific mysticism.
A Freethinking Society Would Advance Humankind?
I often hear, and thought myself at one time, that if we could rid ourselves of religion and God, our society would be free to advance and evolve based purely on science, logic and reasoning.
In studying countries and societies who were atheist, the exact opposite happened.
Peter Hitchens, brother of outspoken atheist Christopher Hitchens, spent a lot of time in the Soviet Union towards it's end. “Godless society was sobering." He wrote of the riots that broke out when the vodka ration was cancelled one week; the bribes required to obtain anesthetics at the dentist or antibiotics at the hospital; the frightening levels of divorce and abortion under their atheist rules. It was not Utopia. Mankind did not advance. Government sponsored killing and human rights violations escalated. In fact, China (a supposedly atheist society) despite being a technological powerhouse in the world, is year after year #1 on the list of government sponsored deaths and human rights violations.
Nobel Prize winner Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn stated it this way "But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: 'Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened"
What's Love Got To Do With It?
Furthermore, my atheism ran into challenges of the heart. As a atheist, I had to prescribe to the idea that humans have no soul, and we are merely evolutionary advanced animals, so love is nothing more than instinct or hormones.
When a mother, father, husband or wife feels love and says, “I love you,” the atheist says they are not expressing anything metaphysical or spiritual. In fact, the atheist believes, they are just verbalizing their instinct to preserve their species or having increased hormones. Wouldn't that sound great on a Hallmark Card?
If we have no soul, then there is only the bubbling of the brain. Love is only a response to stimuli and hormones. Tell that to your wife or girlfriend!
The problem for atheists, is that majority of humans claim that they do feel love in mystical and spiritual ways. Anyone who has ever been in love can attest to this and our sometimes irrational thinking because of it. Christians believe that is because our love is connected to our soul and our soul is a metaphysical reality that assumes the existence of God, or at least the supernatural and points us back to our connection with God, our creator.
I've yet to find someone who has been alive more than a few decades who has not had at least one metaphysical, spiritual or supernatural event in their lives that cannot be explained using the laws of science, logic and reason. Despite what you or I have felt or experienced, my atheists friends claim this is just a momentary lapse of irrationality or that millions of people are just psychological delusional.
I Can't Change, Even If I Tried.
What I found profoundly fascinating (yet its not talked about in atheist and many scientific circles) is that science itself is actually seeing more and more evidence of God and Intelligent Design, specifically in chemistry and in the study of DNA. British philosopher, Dr. Antony Flew, was once a leading spokesperson for atheism and actively involved in debate after debate. However, recent scientific discoveries in the genome project have lead him and many others to question their atheism. Although Flew did not become a Christian or accept Jesus, he did admit he believed in a God. Researchers today are learning that DNA is so complex and contains such a specific, written code that if one mistake was made, we'd be a different mutated species altogether. Our DNA code is compared to the most complex computer program ever written, and in science and technology, a complex computer code has never existed unless it was designed, programmed or coded with an intelligent mind behind it.
Cognitive scientists are also becoming increasingly aware that a metaphysical outlook may be so deeply ingrained in the human psyche, that it cannot be expunged. While this idea may seem outlandish to my atheist friends —after all, it seems easy to decide not to believe in God—evidence from several scientific disciplines indicate that what you actually believe is not a decision you make for yourself. Your fundamental beliefs are decided by much deeper levels of consciousness, and some may well be more or less set in stone. This line of thought has led to some scientists claiming that “atheism is psychologically impossible because of the way humans think,” says Graham Lawton, an avowed atheist himself, writing in the New Scientist. “They point to studies showing, for example, that even people who claim to be committed atheists tacitly hold religious beliefs, such as the existence of an immortal soul.”
Hmm...God is so deeply engrained into our being that no matter how hard we try, we still feel his presence despite all our logical thought processes?
"Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?" - Psalm 139:7
"No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us." - 1 John 4:12
"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29:13
In the Part 1, I explained that these posts were not meant to be an apologetics study or debate of atheism versus faith but my own personal journey. Although I've spent some time researching a lot of the arguments for and against the authenticity of the Bible, the existence of Jesus, and if he really was the Christ or Messiah - There's a lot of evidence, historical writings, anthropological digs, etc. that we could spend hours debating, but I think one of the most compelling arguments for myself and my own faith, has been the early church and the disciples of Christ.
I often hear and believed myself that the Bible we have today and ultimately religion was developed by man in order to control and wrest power from the masses. We could argue that in the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, Roman Emperor Constantine envisioned a way to garner the support and conformity of the people and put the Bible together, along with other pagan rituals, in order to accomplish this. But none of this stands up to scrutiny or makes logical sense when you go back to the original disciples of Christ.
We now have evidence and fragments of the New Testament dating to within 30-50 years of the death of Christ, some 200 years before Constantine and the Council of Nicea. The writers of the New Testament (through scribes) were the original followers of Christ, the disciples, and they spent the rest of their lives in poverty, persecution, humiliation and were ultimately tortured and killed for professing what they had witnessed with and through Jesus Christ. In the case with Saul/Paul of Tarsus, he went from hunting and killing Christians, to becoming one of it’s biggest spokespeople after Christ had been killed and resurrected. In the same vein, James the brother of Jesus, did not believe until after Christ was resurrected. If Jesus resurrection was fake, why did these men change their beliefs entirely after Jesus was killed and go one to spend lives in persecution and ridicule?
If Jesus or his divinity was conjured up, as some claim, what did these early followers gain? Why would these eyewitness observers be tortured and die for fiction, with seemingly noting to gain?
The early disciples' prolific writings exist as a historical source. These writers also took the subversive actions of writing to women and slaves rather than pandering only to men, which would hardly have made their writings popular according to the culture of the time. Yet we still have these writings preserved and available as well as outside accounts of Jesus from other historical sources. The early disciples did almost everything wrong, according to the culture of the time, in trying to create a following or movement.
So if it was all made up, what did they gain?
These early disciples were pursued and hunted by the religious and government leaders of their day. Yet their lives, actions, writings and ultimately deaths gives us further evidence of their quest for truth and accuracy in proclaiming what they witnessed rather than creating popularity, control, power or a large following.
In Part 3, I finish my story by explaining how I discovered that what I really was frustrated with, was religion and the Church and how despite the early disciples and churches best efforts to keep religion out, eventually the old Temple Model crept back into Christianity and caused a lot of bad things to happen in the name of God and religion.
I'll leave you with one finally thought. If Jesus was not the son of God and even more God in human form and was just some guy killed 2000 years ago by the Romans. If this was the biggest lie ever sold, why hasn't it faded into history? Why are we still talking and debating him today? Why do more people attest positive life changes and supernatural events occurring from reading His book and experiencing His presence in our lives?
"But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while.35 Then he addressed the Sanhedrin:.......38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” Acts 5: 34-35, 38-39
If I were to look at the church from the outside in approach (as not being a Christian) in most American churches I would most like being skewed and left with hypocritical opinion of the church. That is, to say, that I would probably ask why do I need God if Christians continue to do the same thing that they did before and continue to sin and keep on sinning. I would say how can they judge me when they keep doing the very things that they say that they are saved from.If I were to look at most men in these churches in America, I would be disappointed by the statistics that compare the world to them, meaning there probably wouldn't be much difference.
If I were to be real with these American churches that were just lukewarm, I would look to the book of Revelation and say to them what Jesus said to one of his churches about being lukewarm - he would rather have that church be hot (on fire for Him and His will) or cold (worldly) instead of lukewarm (which is like vomit in His mouth).
Based on the way that some Christians live, some in the world can conclude that the salvation of that church (living like the world) is like a lottery ticket - meaning that they can be "saved" and also live like they used to live by continuing to keep living the same way as before (this is the world's view). I would caution any church against living a lie such as this...you will be held accountable by misleading others.
Let's test that against Scripture:
Romans 6 English Standard Version (ESV)
Dead to Sin, Alive to God
6 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self[a] was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free[b] from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
Slaves to Righteousness
15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves,[c] you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Salvation is a free gift from God. The cost of discipleship, however, is a life time process that we strive for as His children through our lives to have our sanctification finally completed by His return.
Please understand this point: Works is not a means to salvation and never will be. The Book of Romans states: Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy He has saved us. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Bottom Line: No matter what we do, can do or will do, works will never be good enough to earn our way into heaven.
So now I say to the churches that are neither cold or hot, but rather lukewarm. To the churches that compromise biblical truth because of family circumstances and/or worldly convictions and/or worldly condemnation - do not compromise the Bible, do not bend the truth do not accommodate the world's desires if it jeopardizes God's truth!
Some of you may read this and think that I am saying to then persecute those who sin. Stand firm and hate both the sin and the sinners that are transgressing the body of Christ - that is not what I am saying at all. I am speaking to the Church that is lukewarm and not following Christ's will. I am asking them to stick to the truth, to trust the Lord with all their heart and to lean not on their own understanding. To acknowledge the Lord in all that they do and He will make their paths straight. To the church that is cold - Repent! To the church that is lukewarm - Repent!
If the world is asking me to compromise Scripture to be accepted by them, then I am going to deny myself to the world and trust God! Really it is a simple choice. A humble reminder to everyone is that ONE DAY there will be a judgement! One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.
Either you know Him and He will testify about you to His Father. Or He will deny you and say depart from me for I never knew you. Some of the churches may be just doing that - playing church and denying the very existence of why we need a perfect Savior (just going through the motions - these are those that Jesus talks about that will say Lord, Lord and He will say to them, 'depart from me for I never knew you').
Jesus said that His sheep know His voice and follow him. Scripture tells us to pick up our cross and follow Him. Jesus tells us that the world will persecute us just as they persecute Him. If I am going to error, then I am going to error on the side of Biblical truth instead of the desire of the world's version of bent truth.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord! What about you and your house?
45 Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Make everyone go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. 4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God.
