As we consider the lost lives of our soldiers today, I cannot help but think of a great milestone in our recent military conflicts. Less than a month ago, the major target of our soldiers, Osama Bin Laden, was killed
-
Though few like to contemplate the eternal destiny of a US soldier who rejects Christ, there is little argument about Osama‘s fate in Hell.
-
Since Bin Laden was also a warrior, the question must be asked, “Why do we consider our own soldiers heroes and Osama a villain?”
-
The answer is simple. There is a difference between good and evil. Good and evil are not based on ones perspective, but are based on the unchanging character of a holy God. I will not suggest that our country has always done what God has expected- though we should have. But Mr. Bin Laden clearly violated the principles and teachings of our God and creator. Osama justified killing innocent people, whereas our Bible teaches that innocents should be protected.
-
Some have called our brave soldiers and the politicians who gave them their orders murderers because they must kill in battle. The Apostle Paul clarified that rather than murderers, rulers and the soldiers under them are ministers of justice to restrain evil.
-
Romans 13:3-4 KJV 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
-
God uses rulers and soldiers to restrain evil. As we consider that many of our soldiers have given their lives for this ministry of service, we should be thankful to both them and God that evil men do not go unchallenged in this wicked world.
-
I do not celebrate Osama Bin Laden’s eternity in the Lake of Fire. I wish that instead he had repented and been the recipient of God’s grace in spite of all the evil he did. But I am glad that our God does not leave evil unchecked either in this life or in the next.
-
Let us also be somber as we remember that many of our countrymen have crossed from this life to the next as they were used in God’s eternal plan, and that the battles fought were more than flesh and blood, more than gun and sword, but were for the holding back of the spread of true evil.
-
Today we remember- we reflect on those soldiers who gave their lives for our good. May we also remember that there is a difference between good and evil, between truth and error, and between a hero and a villain. Let us remember the heroes as we honor their sacrifice of life for what is good.
-
As we consider the battle for good and evil, let us not forget that Jesus Christ gave His life in order to defeat sin and death. Because He died, our evil (our individual sin) can be atoned for if we believe and trust Him.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
When Will Jesus Return?
By the time many of you read this, May 21st will have come and gone. For some of you that date has little significance. For the Millers, it is quite important, for it is the first birthday of our youngest son.
-
The date also has some significance for those who have been listening to Family Radio. I personally am not a listener, for they have promoted many unbiblical doctrines. Among them is the idea that we can know the date of the Lord’s return. Harold Camping, the president of Family Radio set the date of God’s judgment and the rapture of the elect as May 21st, 2011. So what should our response be to those who set such dates?
-
Christ was very clear in teaching that only God the Father knows the timing. “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” (Mark 13:32)
-
It is tempting to think that Camping and his teaching will become irrelevant after May 21st, but as we look at the history of past date setters, that might not necessarily be the case. In the 1800’s William Miller taught the 2nd coming would be between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844. When it didn’t happen, a new date of Oct 22, 1844 was set.
-
After that date came and went, some followers left, but many just tried to find a new explanation. Out of this came Ellen G White (founder of 7th day Adventism). They decided that Jesus was moving in heaven on that date, not coming to earth. (Notice the extreme they went to to defend the false teaching)
Another group, led by Jonas Swendahl taught that 1844 was just the beginning of the last generation and that meant the 1844 date was 30yrs off. He set the date at 1874. When that date came and went, one of his followers, Charles Taze Russell decided 30yrs wasn’t long enough for a generation and so he added 70 yrs to 1844 to bring the date to 1914 and founded Zion’s Watchtower Tract Society (Jehovah’s Witnesses). The date was later changed to 1925, 1941, and 1975.
-
Harold Camping himself has a history of date speculation. In 1992, he published the book 1994? 1994 has come and gone, yet Camping has now predicted 2011. Deuteronomy 18:20-22 gave those in Old Testament times a way to test the prophets. If their predictions did not come true, they were to be rejected. We shall see if Camping and Family Radio are rejected, or if their followers will come up with some sort of excuse.
-
Much of Camping’s errors come about because he applies a spiritual meaning to the text instead of just reading it with the normal use of language. This is a dangerous interpretation method. It allows the individual teacher to decide what the hidden meaning is. All kinds of ideas can then be created with no real Biblical support.
-
May we, instead, study the clear meaning of scripture rather than being led astray by every wind of doctrine that comes along. “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:” (Ephesians 4:14-15).
-
The date also has some significance for those who have been listening to Family Radio. I personally am not a listener, for they have promoted many unbiblical doctrines. Among them is the idea that we can know the date of the Lord’s return. Harold Camping, the president of Family Radio set the date of God’s judgment and the rapture of the elect as May 21st, 2011. So what should our response be to those who set such dates?
-
Christ was very clear in teaching that only God the Father knows the timing. “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” (Mark 13:32)
-
It is tempting to think that Camping and his teaching will become irrelevant after May 21st, but as we look at the history of past date setters, that might not necessarily be the case. In the 1800’s William Miller taught the 2nd coming would be between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844. When it didn’t happen, a new date of Oct 22, 1844 was set.
-
After that date came and went, some followers left, but many just tried to find a new explanation. Out of this came Ellen G White (founder of 7th day Adventism). They decided that Jesus was moving in heaven on that date, not coming to earth. (Notice the extreme they went to to defend the false teaching)
Another group, led by Jonas Swendahl taught that 1844 was just the beginning of the last generation and that meant the 1844 date was 30yrs off. He set the date at 1874. When that date came and went, one of his followers, Charles Taze Russell decided 30yrs wasn’t long enough for a generation and so he added 70 yrs to 1844 to bring the date to 1914 and founded Zion’s Watchtower Tract Society (Jehovah’s Witnesses). The date was later changed to 1925, 1941, and 1975.
-
Harold Camping himself has a history of date speculation. In 1992, he published the book 1994? 1994 has come and gone, yet Camping has now predicted 2011. Deuteronomy 18:20-22 gave those in Old Testament times a way to test the prophets. If their predictions did not come true, they were to be rejected. We shall see if Camping and Family Radio are rejected, or if their followers will come up with some sort of excuse.
-
Much of Camping’s errors come about because he applies a spiritual meaning to the text instead of just reading it with the normal use of language. This is a dangerous interpretation method. It allows the individual teacher to decide what the hidden meaning is. All kinds of ideas can then be created with no real Biblical support.
-
May we, instead, study the clear meaning of scripture rather than being led astray by every wind of doctrine that comes along. “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:” (Ephesians 4:14-15).
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Who Is In Charge Anyway?
I once helped with some carpentry work for a family who had a little boy who was about six years old. He was quite a talker and would come out and watch us work and try to “help.” Our job was to build a small landing with steps leading up to that landing. A fairly simple job, except they wanted the steps to come up from three sides with a diagonal. What made the task even more challenging was that the ground was not level leading up to the steps. Thus I was measuring and remeasuring before I started to build. The little guy who was “helping” finally asked, “do you know what your doing?”
-
I had to admit to him that the reason I was doing all the measuring was because I didn’t know what I was doing until I had all the information I needed to plan the design, but before explaining that I said, “not really.” He said, “I thought so.” His dad who was helping me was a bit embarrassed, but it left the question: who was really in charge- the dad who owned the house, his friend who was helping figure out how to build the steps, or the little six year old kid?”
-
Figuring out who is in charge on the job site can be funny when a six year old wants to lead, but it isn’t quite as funny in the church. So who is in charge in a church setting? For those with a Presbyterian or Centralized governing body, the church simply looks to their synod or headquarters for decisions. Most evangelical churches, however are independent of such bodies and fall into either a congregational or pastoral rule.
-
Ephesians 5:23 and Col 1:18 make it clear that Christ is the one who is in charge of the church. Still decisions must be made, and because we are all sinful humans, each form of church government has it’s challenges. One of the dangers of a centralized structure is that if just a few leaders stray from the faith, they can influence a large number of congregations. On the other hand, I fear the worst danger of congregational and elder rule is selfishness.
-
Paul actually gave a warning of what would happen when congregations followed their own selfish desires rather than keeping Christ as their head. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3). I fear that is what has happened in some of the extremes of the seeker sensitive movement.
-
In order to counter that tendency, some churches have moved to elder rule. That also has problems. Often there is elder rule without elder accountability. Because pastors are sinful, they too are prone to selfishness. Thus Peter warned, “Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.” (1 Peter 5:3) Hebrews 13 and I Timothy 5, show that pastors are to rule, but Peter has made it clear that it is to be by example. Further they are to be held accountable for their actions. When Paul told Timothy, “them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear“ (I Timothy 5:20), he was talking about rebuking the pastors ( if 2 or 3 witnesses).
-
Ironically, one of the reasons why some congregations tolerate tyrannical pastors is because they tickle their ears. Thus you have a situation of selfishness on the part of both the pastor and the congregation. May we remember that Christ is to have the preeminence in the church, not the congregation or the pastor. “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” (Col 1:18) Therefore, both pastors and congregations must set aside their selfish desires and put Christ first.
-
I had to admit to him that the reason I was doing all the measuring was because I didn’t know what I was doing until I had all the information I needed to plan the design, but before explaining that I said, “not really.” He said, “I thought so.” His dad who was helping me was a bit embarrassed, but it left the question: who was really in charge- the dad who owned the house, his friend who was helping figure out how to build the steps, or the little six year old kid?”
-
Figuring out who is in charge on the job site can be funny when a six year old wants to lead, but it isn’t quite as funny in the church. So who is in charge in a church setting? For those with a Presbyterian or Centralized governing body, the church simply looks to their synod or headquarters for decisions. Most evangelical churches, however are independent of such bodies and fall into either a congregational or pastoral rule.
-
Ephesians 5:23 and Col 1:18 make it clear that Christ is the one who is in charge of the church. Still decisions must be made, and because we are all sinful humans, each form of church government has it’s challenges. One of the dangers of a centralized structure is that if just a few leaders stray from the faith, they can influence a large number of congregations. On the other hand, I fear the worst danger of congregational and elder rule is selfishness.
-
Paul actually gave a warning of what would happen when congregations followed their own selfish desires rather than keeping Christ as their head. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3). I fear that is what has happened in some of the extremes of the seeker sensitive movement.
-
In order to counter that tendency, some churches have moved to elder rule. That also has problems. Often there is elder rule without elder accountability. Because pastors are sinful, they too are prone to selfishness. Thus Peter warned, “Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.” (1 Peter 5:3) Hebrews 13 and I Timothy 5, show that pastors are to rule, but Peter has made it clear that it is to be by example. Further they are to be held accountable for their actions. When Paul told Timothy, “them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear“ (I Timothy 5:20), he was talking about rebuking the pastors ( if 2 or 3 witnesses).
-
Ironically, one of the reasons why some congregations tolerate tyrannical pastors is because they tickle their ears. Thus you have a situation of selfishness on the part of both the pastor and the congregation. May we remember that Christ is to have the preeminence in the church, not the congregation or the pastor. “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” (Col 1:18) Therefore, both pastors and congregations must set aside their selfish desires and put Christ first.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
