In multiple states in the US, it is illegal to possess venomous snakes at religious gatherings. These laws arose out of a need to stop a dangerous practice that was taking a lot of lives. In Mark 16, Jesus says that believers would be bitten by poisonous snakes and not be harmed. Well a few churches decided to put God and man to the test and purposefully get themselves bitten by snakes. If you were alright then you had enough faith. If not, you died. A few too many people died while attempting this and it had to be outlawed.
I don't know about you but it sounds a little ridiculous to me. Now don't get me wrong, I believe that God still miraculously saves people from snake bites. Thats not it question. What is in question is the fact that these people went around and obtained poisonous snakes and then got themselves bit just to see if it works.
While many people would say that that is little crazy and unwise, a lot of those people do it with their finances. They quote all the promises from the Bible about living by faith and having God take care of them, and yet never follow the financial principles laid out in the Bible. They believe that God doesn't justt work through the supernatural, He works through the spectacular. Don't get me wrong, he is spectacular, be the God I know works through the subtle and planned as well.
In the gospels there are a few instances of spectacular food multiplication. Twice in feeding thousands with bread and fish, and then a few times with casting the net on the other side. Jesus was in ministry 3 years and alive for 30 before that. I have to believe that for much of that time He simply obtained food and ate it. Perhaps it was so common that they felt they only needed to include a few instances, but I am not leaning that way.
My hope is that we have faith for financial miracles, but lets not get stuck in the thinking that that is the only way He works. God is working through sound principles. In conclusion, don't lose faith in the miraculous, but don't forfeit His principles in the process.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
A Message to the church
In my recent reading there have been a lot of messages concerning the church and how it is failing. Many books are being written by, for and about people who love Jesus but not the church. Others make statements that if Jesus were to return he would have some pretty harsh words for the church. Still others relate churches to modern day pharisees and worse.
While I would deny all of those claims, I am writing for a different purpose. It is my understanding that the church is the Bride of Jesus and He isn't planning of giving up on her. At the same time He is purifying her.
With that in mind I was driving the other day and the thought came into my head, what does Jesus have to say about the church? So I asked. And what He said was powerful and I will share it with you real quick.
Jesus responded by saying to me that He has more for the church. He is fighting and interceding for the church. He has great plans for us to share with Him as He courts us into eternity. He recognizes that we are not perfect and that should He come with judgement there will be some scary things but all of that is meant to bring us into fullness. Fullness in God cannot be acheived alone.
I suggest that we all repent for our sins and thoughts about the church (Christs Bride) and continue to ask Him about that fullness. And then we continue to walk with Him and each other towards that.
While I would deny all of those claims, I am writing for a different purpose. It is my understanding that the church is the Bride of Jesus and He isn't planning of giving up on her. At the same time He is purifying her.
With that in mind I was driving the other day and the thought came into my head, what does Jesus have to say about the church? So I asked. And what He said was powerful and I will share it with you real quick.
Jesus responded by saying to me that He has more for the church. He is fighting and interceding for the church. He has great plans for us to share with Him as He courts us into eternity. He recognizes that we are not perfect and that should He come with judgement there will be some scary things but all of that is meant to bring us into fullness. Fullness in God cannot be acheived alone.
I suggest that we all repent for our sins and thoughts about the church (Christs Bride) and continue to ask Him about that fullness. And then we continue to walk with Him and each other towards that.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
A legacy
This morning I went to a memorial celebration service for a friends father. I had met this man a few times and had good conversations but that wasn't the only reason I went. I attended this service to to honor this man and the impact that he had indirectly on my life. Many of the people that I am close to were mentored and shaped by this man. The service was interesting and good (if you can say that about a memorial service). He was not old and his death was totally unexpected if not untimely. But the service was bitersweet. There was lots of crying and there will be mourning for sure, but the service was about remembering his incredible life and the fact that he was with God now.
Throughout the service many people came up to the front and told of his impact on them. He would spend hours praying with them, helping them, encouraging them listening to them and walking alongside them. He made many of these people his family. Each one of these testimonies were from people I didn't know but they matched everything I had heard from my close friends. Many of my close friends actually couldn't be there today because they are overseas doing missions work. I couldn't help but think about how he was part of the reason they were over there in the first place.
While I was sitting there celebrating the life while mourning the loss of this hero of the faith, it renewed my resolve to live like he did. He may have died at an age they people may feel was young, he lived life to the full. Its not the quantity of time but rather the quality of the time that we spend here.
His transition may be hard on us down here, but for him it was minor. He lived with Christ here and graduated to the next phase of that. He still lives with Christ (only now he gets to see him face to face).
His life was lived for others and his legacy truly truly lives on. That is said at many memorials but his life was saturated with this legacy. I know this because people talked about it before his death. If you knew this guy and his name came up, you would immediately have to interject the impact he had on your life into the conversation.
Those are just three principles that I learned and reaffirmed my commitment to today. This mans life was more than a few principles though. So much more. Lord, thank you for loaning him to us for a couple decades. We were richly blessed by your gift.
Throughout the service many people came up to the front and told of his impact on them. He would spend hours praying with them, helping them, encouraging them listening to them and walking alongside them. He made many of these people his family. Each one of these testimonies were from people I didn't know but they matched everything I had heard from my close friends. Many of my close friends actually couldn't be there today because they are overseas doing missions work. I couldn't help but think about how he was part of the reason they were over there in the first place.
While I was sitting there celebrating the life while mourning the loss of this hero of the faith, it renewed my resolve to live like he did. He may have died at an age they people may feel was young, he lived life to the full. Its not the quantity of time but rather the quality of the time that we spend here.
His transition may be hard on us down here, but for him it was minor. He lived with Christ here and graduated to the next phase of that. He still lives with Christ (only now he gets to see him face to face).
His life was lived for others and his legacy truly truly lives on. That is said at many memorials but his life was saturated with this legacy. I know this because people talked about it before his death. If you knew this guy and his name came up, you would immediately have to interject the impact he had on your life into the conversation.
Those are just three principles that I learned and reaffirmed my commitment to today. This mans life was more than a few principles though. So much more. Lord, thank you for loaning him to us for a couple decades. We were richly blessed by your gift.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)