Sunday, July 12, 2009
Antediluvian Rivers
Just curious. Is there any reason why small rivers must join to make big rivers instead of big rivers splitting into smaller rivers? The Bible tells of a spring coming out of Eden and dividing into four rivers. Could those four rivers continued to divide to water the earth? I know I'm a physicist but I don't have any specific training in river physics. Any ideas?
Pergamos and Thyatira
We just studied the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. Growing up we often heard about the Ephesian church -- "You have lost your first love." We often heard about Laodicea and its lukewarmness. Preachers liked to emphasize the need for a vibrant passion in our relationship with God.
I have never heard a message on Smyrna or Philadelphia. Maybe a church with no flaws is less useful in preaching. Maybe a church under persecution is too far from American experience. I've never heard a message on Sardis, but since Sardis did nothing right they aren't a very good example.
But why haven't we heard about Pergamos and Thyatira? Pergamos was a that held fast to their faith in the midst of intense opposition. Even with martyrs dying in their midst, they were faithful. But God had something against them. They tolerated the doctrines of Balaam and the Nicolaitans. His message to them was that they should repent or He would come and fight against the heretics.
Thyatira was known to God for works, love, service, faith, patience, and works -- and works is listed twice. But God objected to their tolerance of Jezebel. God has violent judgment planned for Jezebel and her followers. Those who have avoided her heresy are encouraged to hold fast to their faith.
We have often heard that orthodoxy and works are not enough -- passion is necessary. We have not heard often enough that works and passion are not enough -- orthodoxy is necessary. Both Pergamos and Thyatira were praised for their passion and works, but condemned because they tolerated heresy.
I have two points. First, is that emotion is as dangerous as reason. In the last year I heard a speaker who was discussing worshipping God and listing various tools that God has given us to worship Him. The second was our emotions. The third was reason. As the speaker began talking about reason, he took time to warn us of the danger of reason. Then he gave the positive ways to use reason. Why was no warning given about emotion? Is there no spiritual danger in emotion?
If we are choosing a doctor, are we looking for one who gives us good emotions, or one who has the truth about our disease? If we are choosing mechanic, are we looking for one who gives us warm fuzzies or one who knows the truth about our car? If we are looking for a mate, do we trust our emotions or do we use our head? If we are trying to serve God, do we choose our church/religion with our heart or our head? Are we looking for thrills or truth? According to Rev. 2-3 the answer to the last two questions is "both".
So, what heresies is the church struggling with today? Bart Ehrman and Dan Brown and many other authors have been undermining the reliability of Scripture in the popular media with best selling books. You may not have heard about them, but they are having an impact on the popular concepts of our Bible. The church will be impacted (and many mainline churches already have).
The emergent church is adapting postmodern philosophies and embracing heresy in the process. While the holiness churches may not have been impacted directly, ACSI (our Christian school organization) has promoted emergent authors (as well as anti-emergent speakers). That means that our thinking may be impacted if we are not careful.
And worldliness is infiltrating the church. I'm not talking about standards (at least not right now). I'm talking about worldly thinking. Instead of thinking about life -- politics, economics, work, education, science, art, music, psychology, ethics -- in terms of what the Bible says and what God commands, we are making those decisions based on conservative radio and liberal media. Just one example will have to suffice for now.
An author I was reading recently was in London where anyone can speak about anything. An evangelist was doing his best to share the Gospel, though without much skill. He was confronted by a Marxist who was winning the argument. One of the Marxist's comments was "Your Jesus was not a nice guy." The evangelist didn't know how to respond. The author interrupted to agree with the Marxist and give examples of Jesus reproving the Pharisees, Herod, and the temple merchants. His question was, "Where did we get the idea Jesus was a nice guy?" I feel like we've replaced the judgmentalism that was prevalent when I was young with a feel good Jesus today. One of my coworkers was teaching the Gospels to Jr. High and the students were scandalized by the words of Jesus -- He wasn't nice. The God of the Bible (both OT and NT), like Aslan of Narnia, is good but not safe. Our concept of God has been influenced by the tolerance of our post-modern, politically correct society.
If we are going to serve God, we must be passionate about relationship, diligent about works, and orthodox in belief
I have never heard a message on Smyrna or Philadelphia. Maybe a church with no flaws is less useful in preaching. Maybe a church under persecution is too far from American experience. I've never heard a message on Sardis, but since Sardis did nothing right they aren't a very good example.
But why haven't we heard about Pergamos and Thyatira? Pergamos was a that held fast to their faith in the midst of intense opposition. Even with martyrs dying in their midst, they were faithful. But God had something against them. They tolerated the doctrines of Balaam and the Nicolaitans. His message to them was that they should repent or He would come and fight against the heretics.
Thyatira was known to God for works, love, service, faith, patience, and works -- and works is listed twice. But God objected to their tolerance of Jezebel. God has violent judgment planned for Jezebel and her followers. Those who have avoided her heresy are encouraged to hold fast to their faith.
We have often heard that orthodoxy and works are not enough -- passion is necessary. We have not heard often enough that works and passion are not enough -- orthodoxy is necessary. Both Pergamos and Thyatira were praised for their passion and works, but condemned because they tolerated heresy.
I have two points. First, is that emotion is as dangerous as reason. In the last year I heard a speaker who was discussing worshipping God and listing various tools that God has given us to worship Him. The second was our emotions. The third was reason. As the speaker began talking about reason, he took time to warn us of the danger of reason. Then he gave the positive ways to use reason. Why was no warning given about emotion? Is there no spiritual danger in emotion?
If we are choosing a doctor, are we looking for one who gives us good emotions, or one who has the truth about our disease? If we are choosing mechanic, are we looking for one who gives us warm fuzzies or one who knows the truth about our car? If we are looking for a mate, do we trust our emotions or do we use our head? If we are trying to serve God, do we choose our church/religion with our heart or our head? Are we looking for thrills or truth? According to Rev. 2-3 the answer to the last two questions is "both".
So, what heresies is the church struggling with today? Bart Ehrman and Dan Brown and many other authors have been undermining the reliability of Scripture in the popular media with best selling books. You may not have heard about them, but they are having an impact on the popular concepts of our Bible. The church will be impacted (and many mainline churches already have).
The emergent church is adapting postmodern philosophies and embracing heresy in the process. While the holiness churches may not have been impacted directly, ACSI (our Christian school organization) has promoted emergent authors (as well as anti-emergent speakers). That means that our thinking may be impacted if we are not careful.
And worldliness is infiltrating the church. I'm not talking about standards (at least not right now). I'm talking about worldly thinking. Instead of thinking about life -- politics, economics, work, education, science, art, music, psychology, ethics -- in terms of what the Bible says and what God commands, we are making those decisions based on conservative radio and liberal media. Just one example will have to suffice for now.
An author I was reading recently was in London where anyone can speak about anything. An evangelist was doing his best to share the Gospel, though without much skill. He was confronted by a Marxist who was winning the argument. One of the Marxist's comments was "Your Jesus was not a nice guy." The evangelist didn't know how to respond. The author interrupted to agree with the Marxist and give examples of Jesus reproving the Pharisees, Herod, and the temple merchants. His question was, "Where did we get the idea Jesus was a nice guy?" I feel like we've replaced the judgmentalism that was prevalent when I was young with a feel good Jesus today. One of my coworkers was teaching the Gospels to Jr. High and the students were scandalized by the words of Jesus -- He wasn't nice. The God of the Bible (both OT and NT), like Aslan of Narnia, is good but not safe. Our concept of God has been influenced by the tolerance of our post-modern, politically correct society.
If we are going to serve God, we must be passionate about relationship, diligent about works, and orthodox in belief
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