Category Archives: Apologetics

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C.S. Lewis Society introduces Tyler & Family to France

I have had the privledge to get to know Tyler over the last few years.  He has a passion to reach those who have not met God’s love.  He is taking the adventure of a life time by going to France for the C.S. Lewis Society to spread God’s message of love to Europe.

He recently sent me this email to invite anyone who is interested in learning more of this great adventure (please read and check it out!):

“Lisa and I want to invite you and your family to attend an evening event at RockHarbor Church on the 24th of September (next Thursday).  As you know we are about to leave for France to spread the good news of Jesus as the European Field Directors for the C.S. Lewis Society.  RockHarbor has offered to host a night for us to share our passion and heart for the least evangelized continent on the globe.  I really hope to see you there.

Also, would you be willing to forward this invitation to 3 to 5 christian brothers or sisters whom you think would be blessed by attending as well?  I realize I am competing with things like back to school nights and bible studies,  but with your help it could really make a difference in having this be a great event.

For Christ’s glory,

Lisa and Tyler Geffeney

RESPONDING TO THE CALL TO “GO”

“The Geffeney’s journey to Evangelize Europe”

ROCKHARBOR Church

3080 Airway Suite 100, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

In the Lab: **Child Care Provided**

September 24, 2009   6:45 P.M.

(please RSVP # of kids to lisageff@yahoo.com)

Coffee and desserts will be served

Our-story.jpg

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First Importance Part 2: 1 Corinthians 15

This is the 2nd of Mike Erre’s sermons on 1 Corinthians 15–a pivotal section of scripture regarding the first importance of the resurrection.

The last part of 1 Corinthians 15 is confusing to our modern reading because we miss the cultural context, and we lack back 1st century knowledge of the Old Testament.  Mike does a great job of walking us through the what Paul is saying.

We have to remember that Paul was a famous preacher/communicator so when he said these words to a crowd of  1st century people, they must of understood it as clearly as we understand the newspaper.

Mike ends with a magical time of helping us to picture the grandeur and excitement of heaven.  Enjoy!

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Cornerstone: Christ is ALL & without Him there is NOTHING!

This is a powerful sermon by Greg Boyd about the Messianic prophecy regarding Christ being the cornerstone.  He points out the emptiness, void, and nothingness that we have without Him.  Without Christ, we try to fill the void and despair of our meaningless existence by so many fleeting and worthless endeavors.

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The GREAT Adventure, Part 3: Your Story

What is your story? Join us in this 3rd part of 4 sermons on God’s love and grace.

There is a great website that walks you through the process of creating your story to share: www.5clicks.com

THE UNEXPECTED ADVENTURE

Taking everyday risks to extend the grace of God

THE HOPE THAT IS WITHIN US

15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect-1Peter 3:15

WE ALL HAVE A STORY TO SHARE

-Our friends are interested

-Our friends can relate

-It is hard to argue with

PAUL’S GRACE STORY-ACTS 26

9“I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth…On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them. 12“On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15“Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ ” ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. 16‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. 17I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ 19“So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. 20First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. 21That is why the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. 22But I have had God’s help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”

_________–vv. 9-11

_________-vv. 12-18

_________-vv. 19-23

STORY TIPS

Theme

-The central issue in our lives that shows the_______ in our spiritual outlook before and after knowing Christ.

Middle Handle

-we need to keep it simple, clear, and __________

Conclusion

-End with a question that requires a ____________

Scripture

-Think of one key verse that relates to your story.

Language

-avoid religious clichés and insider language

Length

-Be_________ and to the point

Put others first

-keep focus on your friend

-Emphasize those aspects of your story that will relate

PRAY FOR AN OPEN DOOR

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.-col. 4:3


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The GREAT Adventure, Part 4: The Bridges

This is the 4th and final part of our sermon series on grace, love, and God.

THE UNEXPECTED ADVENTURE

Taking everyday risks to extend the grace of God

HELPING SPIRITUAL EXPLORES FIND THE GRACE OF GOD

So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” -2 Cor. 5:20

REMEMBER THIS IS A ___________ AND NOT AN EVENT

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field-1Corinthians 3:5-9

-Process oriented

-Team based

-Spirit driven

BRIDGE ONE: __________ RELATIONSHIPS

As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, 7but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. 8We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. 9Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. 10You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. -1 Thessalonians 2:7-12

-Genuine

-Grace filled

-Authentic

BRIDGE TWO-THE ______________

1Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you…… 3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,–1Cor. 15:1-3

The bridge illustration

THE UNEXPECTED ADVENTURE

3And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.-Col. 4:3-6

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First Importance Part 1: The Resurrection 1 Corinthians 15

Mike Erre at Rockharbor Church has been doing a series on 1 Corinthians.  I have attatched for your listening interest the 1st of his sermons concerning 1 Corinthians 15 which is a pivotal section of Scripture describing the importance of the Resurrection of Jesus.

Mike points out:

  • without the resurrection our faith is worthless
  • the word used in this passage and throughout the New Testament means trust in something that you know to be true
  • 1 Corinthians 15 is a creedal statement dated to approx 36 A.D. (only 3 years after Christ’s death)
  • there is substantial historical and testimonial evidence for the resurrection: crucifixion=death, empty tomb=skeptics need to ‘show me the body’, appearances=many and so convincing that cowards became martyrs, tranformed lives=Saul to Paul, doubting Thomas, and James the younger brother of Jesus…cumulative evidence–what event best explains all of this? A: The resurrection
  • gospel accounts: women first to see Him (only way women would be first witnesses would be that it really happened this way); non embelished, simple accounts (not enough time for legend & very real, down to earth accounts), etc…
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The GREAT Adventure, Part 2: God’s Story

This is the 2nd of 4 parts to a sermon series about grace, adventure, and God’s love. Enjoy!

The Gospel Message

The Unexpected Adventure

Pastor Bucky Dennis

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” Romans 1:16-18

  1. _________________________

  1. God is _________

“…God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in god, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16b

  1. God is _________ (absolutely pure)

“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:16

  1. God is _________ (a good judge)

“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you.” 2 Thessalonians 1:16

  1. _________________________

  1. We were created good, but became _________.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

  1. We deserve _________ (physical & spiritual)

“For the wages of sin is death…”Romans 6:23; Hebrews 9:22

  1. We are spiritually _________ (“morally bankrupt”)

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags…” Isaiah 64:6; Ephesians 2:8-9

The Gospel Message

The Unexpected Adventure

Pastor Bucky Dennis

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” Romans 1:16-18

  1. _________________________

  1. God is _________

“…God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in god, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16b

  1. God is _________ (absolutely pure)

“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:16

  1. God is _________ (a good judge)

“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you.” 2 Thessalonians 1:16

  1. _________________________

  1. We were created good, but became _________.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

  1. We deserve _________ (physical & spiritual)

“For the wages of sin is death…”Romans 6:23; Hebrews 9:22

  1. We are spiritually _________ (“morally bankrupt”)

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags…” Isaiah 64:6; Ephesians 2:8-9

  1. _________________________

    1. Christ is _________, who also became man.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1, 14; John 8:24

    1. Christ died as our _________.

“He himself bore our signs in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and life for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:21

    1. Christ offers us salvation as a _________.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23

  1. _________________________

    1. You and I must _________.

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12

    1. We must trust Christ to be our _________

and _________.

“…because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

    1. The result is a spiritual _________ by the Holy Spirit.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

  1. _________________________

    1. Christ is _________, who also became man.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1, 14; John 8:24

    1. Christ died as our _________.

“He himself bore our signs in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and life for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:21

    1. Christ offers His forgiveness as a _________.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23

  1. _________________________

    1. You and I must _________.

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12

    1. We must trust Christ to be our _________

and _________.

“…because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

    1. The result is a spiritual _________ by the Holy Spirit.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

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The Mercy of God in the Old Testament

I continue to search for brief articles pointing out the true God of the O.T.  A friend and fellow physician who has an AMAZING website has a GREAT article summarizing key points: 1. God of O.T. is merciful; 2. God of O.T. NEVER killed innocent people 3. God of O.T. ALWAYS asked/pleaded with people to repent.

I have also cut and pasted it for you here:

The Mercy of God as Found in the Old Testament
by Rich Deem

Introduction

Jonah and God’s Mercy

Most Christians know Jonah as the reluctant prophet who was swallowed by a whale in order for God to convince him to go to Nineveh. Atheists often get caught up in the whale part of the story, not realizing that the story reveals that the ancients believed that God was merciful, although, at time, they often wished He hadn’t been.

Rich Deem

According to Richard Dawkins, Yahweh, the God of the Bible, is “jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”1 Absent from any of Dawkins’ description of God is His mercy. People tend to think of the God of the Old Testament as cruel and unforgiving, whereas the God of the New Testament is seen as the God of mercy, who sent Jesus to atone for the sins of the world. The Old Testament prophets were always warning the people about the wrath of God should they stray from the path of righteousness. However, what is usually ignored by atheists is God’s mercy for those who did repent of doing evil. Yes, God judged many people groups, but not before warning them.

Jonah and God’s mercy?

For those of you who only remember the whale part of Jonah’s story, here is a brief synopsis to get you a better background about Jonah. God called Jonah to travel to the city of Nineveh to warn them about their impending judgment, because of their wickedness.2 Jonah had different ideas, and attempted to flee from God by paying for passage on a foreign ship.3 However, God was not amused and sent a violent storm.4 The sailors were terrified and eventually figured out that Jonah was the cause of their endangerment, which he eventually admitted to them.5 Jonah was thrown overboard and God directed a great fish (or whale – the Hebrew is not that specific) to swallow Jonah and take him to the shore.6 Once expelled from the whale, Jonah decided to do what God had originally requested and travelled to Nineveh to preach repentance from their evil.7

A number of Christians assume Jonah was reluctant to go to Nineveh because they were known for their cruelty, and he feared for his life. However, the account gives a different reason why Jonah did not want to go. Jonah actually wanted God to judge the city of Nineveh and kill all their inhabitants. He was disappointed that the king and the people repented of their evil and were spared from God’s judgment.8 In fact, Jonah was so angry with God that he asked God to kill him.9 After that conversation, Jonah left the city and sat outside of it hoping that God would still destroy the city.10 God caused a plant to grow overnight to give Jonah shade during his watch, but then caused the death of the plant the next day. Jonah was furious about the plant.11 God pointed out that Jonah’s priorities were completely messed up, since he was more concerned about a plant that gave him shade than the fate of 120,000 souls in Nineveh:

Then the LORD said, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?” (Jonah 4:10-11)

So, it was clear to Jonah that God was merciful and He would reconsider His judgment of evil if the people repented.12 Since Jonah wanted no part in God’s mercy, he tried to avoid following God’s instructions to warn the people.

Did God warn others?

Atheists would like you to believe that the God of the Old Testament just randomly killed people for no good reason and without warning. It turns out that atheists often don’t present the entire stories about God’s judgment. For example, in the greatest story of judgment, God sent a flood to kill all humanity except Noah and his family. However, Noah preached to the people of the coming judgment during the 100 years he was building the ark.13 In another famous example, God destroyed the cites of Sodom and Gomorrah, because of their evil. In fact, all the men of Sodom (including both young and old) attempted to rape the two angels who came to warn Lot of the impending judgment.14 Although warned,15 the men attempted to harm Lot, but were prevented when the angels caused them all to become blind.16 In many lesser known stories, God warned the people prior to executing judgment. Some of these warnings were heeded17 and others not,18 with the expected consequences. God’s own people were often recipients of God’s judgment, when they refused to heed His warnings.19 Here is a short list from the writings of the prophets:

Prophet Warning to Result
Isaiah Judah Judgment
Jeremiah Judah Judgment
Lamentations Jerusalem Judgment
Ezekiel Jerusalem, Tyre, Egypt Captivity in Babylon
Hosea Israel Judgment
Joel Tyre, Sidon, Philistia Judgment
Amos Israel Judgment
Obadiah Edom Judgment
Jonah Nineveh Repentance
Micah Israel Judgment
Nahum Nineveh Judgment
Habakkuk Judah Judgment
Zephaniah Judah Judgment
Zechariah Tyre, and other cities Judgment

It is a well known principle that God regularly warned people of impending judgment and He personally indicated that He would relent if they changed their ways.12 So, the atheists’ idea that God killed people without warning is false.

Does God kill the innocent?

Did God kill any innocent people along with the evil ones? In the two most famous examples of God’s judgment discussed above, the text clearly says that all the people God killed were evil.20 When God was about to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham asked God if He would destroy the cities if there were 50 righteous people in them.21 God said no. Then Abraham asked the same question if there were 45 righteous people. Every time he dropped the number and got the same answer. The fact is that God would not have destroyed those cities if there were any righteous people in them. The few righteous who were in those cities He warned ahead of time to get out.22 In another example, Abimelech, king of Gerar, took Abraham’s wife because he lied saying that she was his sister.23 However, God prevented Abimelech from sleeping with her and warned him in a dream. Abimelech heeded God’s warning and was spared from death.23 Eliphaz the Temanite, in his discussions with Job, acknowledged that God did not judge the innocent with the guilty, but that those who act sinfully will incur God’s judgment.24 So, God does not destroy the righteous along with the evil.

Conclusion Top of page

In numerous instances, atheists cite the Old Testament for examples of where God killed “innocent” people. However, the texts show that the innocent are not judged, but only the guilty. In addition, virtually always, the guilty individuals were warned ahead of time about their sin. Jonah is often known as the reluctant prophet, although the reason for his hesitation was not due to the cruelty of Nineveh, but because he feared its people might repent and God might spare them. Jonah wanted God to kill all the people of Nineveh, but feared His mercy. So, Christians are not the only people who often seem to want to see God judge people for their evil, rather than praying for their reconciliation with God. Jonah reveals that God was known for His mercy even in Old Testament times. Even though God is merciful, His mercy extends only to those who heed His words of warning. There is no toleration for evil in God’s kingdom, so those who insist on testing God’s resolve toward sin will find themselves judged, and incarcerated in God’s jail.


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The GREAT adventure, Part 1: Grace & Love

Enjoy this teaching time about God’s amazing grace and love for us.  Here is the outline:

THE UNEXPECTED ADVENTURE

Taking everyday risks to extend the grace of God

AMBUSHED BY GRACE

4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.-Eph. 2:4-9

FALLING INTO THE HEART OF GOD-Luke 15

Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him. 2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”-Luke 15:1

People matter to God

–the loss of connection

-a heart that seeks and finds

–the celebration of heaven

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. –Luke 15:

HELPING SPIRITUAL EXPLORERS FIND THE GRACE OF GOD

-Lead with love

Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.-1 John 3:18

–live an authentic faith

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.–Matt. 5:13-16

-pray for opportunities

3And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.-col. 4:3

–take every day risks for God

5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.-Col. 4:5-6

20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” -2 Cor. 5:20

PRAYING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO EXTEND  GOD’S GRACE


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“You should take your kids to see the tolerance museum.”

We were told a party the other night that we should take our kids to the tolerance museum.  I was dying to ask: What is tolerance? But I got distracted and let the opportunity slip away.

The best and briefest summary of the tolerance issue that I have found is written by Koukl:

When Tolerance Is Intolerant

 Gregory Koukl

      There’s one word that can stop you in your track.  That word is “tolerance.”

      Let’s take a look at the confusing and mistaken ways tolerance is used in our culture today. 

      Using the modern definition of tolerance, you will see that no one is tolerant, or ever can be.  It’s what my friend Frank Beckwith calls the “passive aggressive tolerance trick.”  Let’s start with a real life example. 

      I had the privilege of speaking to seniors at a Christian high school in Des Moines.  I wanted to alert them to this “tolerance trick,” but I also wanted to learn how much they had already been taken in by it.  I began by writing two sentences on the board

“All views have equal merit and none should be considered better than another.”

“Jesus is the Messiah and Judaism is wrong for rejecting that.”

      They all nodded in agreement as I wrote the first sentence.  As soon as I finished writing the second, though, hands flew up. “You can’t say that,” a coed challenged, clearly annoyed.  “That’s disrespectful. How would you like it if someone said you were wrong?” 

      “In fact, that happens to me all the time,” I pointed out, “including right now with you.  But why should it bother me that someone thinks I’m wrong?”

      “It’s intolerant,” she said, noting that the second statement violated the first statement.  What she didn’t see was that the first statement also violated itself.

      I pointed to the first statement and asked, “Is this a view, the idea that all views have equal merit and none should be considered better than another?”  They agreed. 

      Then I pointed to the second statement—the “intolerant” one—and asked the same question:  “Is this a view?”  They studied the sentence for a moment.  Slowly my point began to dawn on them.  They’d been taken in by the tolerance trick.

      If all views have equal merit, then the view that Christians have a better view on Jesus than Jews is just as true as the idea that Jews have a better view on Jesus than Christians.  But this is hopelessly contradictory.  If the first statement is what tolerance amounts to, then no one can be tolerant because “tolerance” turns out to be gibberish.

      “Would you like to know how to get out of this dilemma?” I asked.  They nodded.  “Return to the classic view of tolerance and reject this modern distortion.”  Then I wrote these two principles on the board:

“Be egalitarian regarding persons.”

“Be elitist regarding ideas.”[1]

      The first principle is true tolerance, what might be called “civility.” It can loosely be equated with the word “respect.”  Tolerance applies to how we treat people we disagree with, not how we treat ideas we think false.  Tolerance requires that every person is treated courteously, no matter what her view, not that all views have equal worth, merit, or truth. 

     Don’t let this new notion of tolerance intimidate you.  Treat all people with respect, but be willing to show them where their ideas have gone wrong.  The modern notion of tolerance actually turns this value on its head.  It’s one of the first responses deployed when you take exception with what someone has said.  “You’re intolerant.”

      To say I’m intolerant because I disagree with someone’s ideas is confused.  The view that one person’s ideas are no better or truer than another’s is simply absurd and contradictory. To argue that some views are false, immoral, or just plain silly does not violate any meaningful definition or standard of tolerance.

      The irony is that according to the classical notion of tolerance, you can’t tolerate someone unlessyou disagree with him.  We don’t “tolerate” people who share our views.  They’re on our side.  There’s nothing to “put up” with.  Tolerance is reserved for those who we think are wrong, yet we still choose to treat them decently and with respect.

      This essential element of classical tolerance—elitism regarding ideas—has been completely lost in the modern distortion of the concept.  Nowadays if you think someone is wrong, you’re called intolerant no matter how you treat them.

      Whenever you’re charged with intolerance, always ask for a definition, then point out the contradiction built in to this new view.

      Most of what passes for tolerance today is intellectual cowardice, a fear of intelligent engagement.  Those who brandish  the word “intolerant” are unwilling to be challenged by other views, to grapple with contrary opinions, or even to consider them.  It’s easier to hurl an insult—“you intolerant bigot”—than to confront the idea and either refute it or be changed by it.  In the modern era, “tolerance” has become intolerance.

      As ambassadors for Christ, however, we choose the more courageous path.  In Paul’s words, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God”  (2 Corinthians 10:5).  In a gracious and artful way, we accurately speak the truth, and then trust God to transform minds.

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What about those grey areas?

Many believe that the Bible teaches us that all moral choices are black and white when in reality, the Bible teaches the reality that life is hard, correct moral choices are challenging, and there are plenty of grey areas.

Mike Erre teaches from a passage of 1 Corinthians that helps us to be able to navigate through those moral grey area choices that we ponder every day.

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Yo Adrian: A Pastor from Sri Lanka shares his heart

Pastor Adrian from Sri Lanka came to speak to our church.  He plants churches, rescues widows and orphans (Sri Lanka is predominantly Buddhist and Buddhists believe that widows are not to be helped because their bad karma caused them to be a widow etc.–news to me! wow!), and is someone who is passionately changing the world for Christ.  A couple from our church is in Sri Lanka for a year helping with his ministry.  Here is a letter written by him that speaks of his brokenness and his passion. Enjoy!

This is the sixth week I have been in pain. I know Ophelia must have kept all of you informed, but I thought I must also give you my version.

I was in Korea for the Lausanne leadership summit – it was challenging and meaningful, but the highlight was for me to attend Dr. Paul Yonggi- Cho’s church. This was a highlight for me for several reasons:

  1. Over 750,000 members in the church. I was very impressed by the numbers,
  2. Impressed that the Lord took a very ordinary person to do an extraordinary work.
  3. I was also touched by the fervor and passion of the people. The service was simple (Good music, well organized) but the passion with which they worshiped and ministered to those around was unbelievable.
  4. They read the Apostles creed and the Lords prayer together – I did not expect this. I am amazed that there are so many people in our churches who do not know the apostles creed and the Lord’s Prayer. We must teach this to our people, specially in a context like Sri Lanka where we dealing with first generation Christians

I was seated and absorbing all of this, when suddenly it seemed to me that the Lord was speaking to me.

I was a good evangelist in Youth for Christ, but now I have settled down to be the Leader of a Church planting movement, committed to its growth. I have given myself to establish programs that major on social justice and mercy, looking for ways of developing relevant Theology for Asia. Caring for the orphans and widows. Majoring in developing relevant models of ministry for the Church in Asia. In the midlist of all of such good and worthy projects, I have moved away from my primary call of reaching out to those outside the Kingdom of God.

This conviction came upon me in a real sense. The wonder of the church no more attracted my attention, I was confessing and rededicating me life to align with the purposes of God.

The following Sunday I shared this with the Kithu Sevana community, they responded in an amazing way. We prayed together and that evening I developed a pain in my shoulders. I am not a good patient at the best of times – but the pain was so sharp, I was walking around in unbearable pain for three weeks, the Doctors were treating me but I found no relief. The sad part was my trusted Doctor and friend Kumar Fernando was out, caring for people in the North. When he subsequently returned, I visited him and he prescribed some pain killers and sleeping drugs and muscle relievers. This helped me to finally sleep and I continued with the Physiotherapy and the shoulder pain has lessened greatly.

I learned the following lessons:

  1. Care for those who are sick – This has never been my strength. I am committed to a big picture, I am committed to seeing it happen, and many times I have willfully dodged my responsibility of caring and sometimes because I was so preoccupied with the big picture, I never saw the physically hurting people. Compassion is a prerequisite for ministry, without compassion, we will use people rather than serve them.
  2. Reaching out to those outside the Kingdom of God is a spiritual battle. This needs preparation, a deep walk with the Lord and much fasting and prayer and the unity of the body. Did I rush to do the right thing without much preparation?

This might sound childish, but I wonder if this could this be a spiritual attack to derail my commitment to reaching out to my people in more intentional manner.

I will let you judge the situation.

Sine last evening I am again in pain and unable to sleep. I was thrilled that the painful episode with my shoulder was coming to an end, only to realize that I have developed a sinus infection that has given rise to an asthmatic cough. (This is something that I battle all the time. I go on coughing throughout the entire day, and the worst is in the night when I can’t fall asleep due to the coughing.) At some point I cough so much in the nights and go into spasms.

At the moment I am exhausted and in deep confusion. My theology says God heals, but at the moment I have been in pain for seven weeks. (Many people in the Church have experience divine healing when I prayed) Does God heal only a few? How about the people who never experienced divine healing. Should we assure healing for all or should we simply pray for all, believing that God can heal but allowing this to be an act of God?

What is our responsibility for those who have never experienced healing – condemn them as people of no faith or love them as those who are suffering and we do not know the reason. Some of the evangelists that I have met and even well meaning Pastors and friends, based on erroneous theology add more pain and guilt on the poor and suffering. Their examples says see how God has blessed me, but the same God has withheld blessing from you. (They may not say this so directly but that’s what they communicate)

It is interesting for me to note that Jesus never asked people to give and testimony of how people got healed through his healing ministry to validate his preaching and healing ministry or even to give Glory to God, but on the contrary he asked them not share with any one, but in one occasion he asked the leper “to go and show your self to the priest”

Mark 1:43-44

43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them. (From New International Version)

TRIUMPH-LIST ATTITUDE IN PREACHING

Those who understand their role to serve the people will give up this triumph-list attitude in preaching but will communicate the Gospel in a manner to encourage and not to condemn. When people come to church, they come condemned and battling many issues and unresolved problems, they know they have failed God even in worse ways than we can even imagine.  The Church must offer hope, encouragement to the week and hurting so that they can go back to their world and make a difference for Jesus Christ.

THE CHURCH MUST PREACH GRACE BOLDLY, OFFER GRACE LAVISHLY AND PREPEARE A GRACIOUES COMMUNITY THAT SERVES A GRACELESS COMMUNITY.

I am convinced that triumph- listic preaching continues to do more harm to our people than good. We may be communicating to our people we are far superior and above them. They may admire us for such spirituality, but can never relate to us. Brokenness on the other hand, permits me to be real and celebrate the blessed assurance of JUSTIFICATION BY HIS GRACE and share my feeble attempt to reach SANTIFICATION through his sustaining Grace. This brings hope to those who are battling sin and doubt and make us shepherds they can relate to.

I wonder whether any of this make any sense to you, if so I am glad-If not I need help


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Is the Bible filled with contradictions?

Bart Ehrman is a New Testament critic and an agnostic who is doing his best to disprove the Bible’s authenticity.  This is a 1 hour clip from Stand to Reason podcast in which a true New Testament scholar (Ben Witherington) refutes (very easily, I might add) Bart’s attempts at “Jesus Interrupted” (Bart’s newest book title).

Comments? Questions?

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Kingdom Living: Listen & Look for God moments

In Mike Erre’s newest book: Death by Church, he has an important chapter titled: Postures of Incarnation.  We need to show the world the incarnation through out actions.  We need to prayerfully watch and listen for the God moments–those moments every day where God is nudging us to show his love to others.

“I used to hate interuptions to my ministry until I understood that interruptions were my ministry.”-Henri Nouwen

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Is there really a satan? PART 3

This is the 3rd part of a 3 part series on the Biblical foundation of the spiritual truth of the demonic, the evidence of the demonic, and some evidence of the demonic learned from experience and C.S. Lewis. Uberlumen has chosen this 3 part series because we in the western world have lost site of the demonic.  As one friend has said: Don’t you think satan is real if Paul wrote about him?  Part of our Christian growth and walk must acknowledge the truths that we don’t like to think about and that we put into question in our society.
“The commonest question [I am asked about The Screwtape Letters] is whether I really ‘believe in the Devil.’
Now, if by ‘the Devil’ you mean a power opposite to God and, like God, self-existent from all eternity, the answer is certainly No.  There is no uncreated being except God.  God has no opposite.  No being could attain a ‘perfect badness’ opposite to the perfect goodness of God; for when you have taken away every kind of good thing (intelligence, will, memory, energy, and existence itself), there would be none of him left.
The proper question is whether I believe in devils.  I do.  That is to say, I believe in angels, and I believe that some of these, by the abuse of their free will, have become enemies to God and , as a corollary, to us.  These we may call devils.  They do not differ in nature from good angels, but their nature is depraved.  Devil is the opposite of angel only as Bad Man is the opposite of Good Man.  Satan, the leader or dictator of devils, is the opposite, not of God, but of Michael.
I believe this not in the sense that it is part of my creed, but in the sense that it is one of my opinions.  My religion would not be in ruins if this opinion were shown to be false.  Till that happens–and proofs of a negative and hard to come by–I shall retain it.  It seems to me to explain a good many facts.  It agrees with the plain sense of Scripture, the tradition of Christendom, and the beliefs of most men at most times.  And it conflicts with nothing that any of the sciences has shown to be true.”-C.S. Lewis, The Joyful Christian, pg 145
“One of the things that surprised me when I first read the New Testament seriously was that it talked so much about a Dark Power in the universe–a mighty evil spirit who was held to be the Power behind death and disease, and sin.  The difference is that Christianity thinks this Dark Power was created by God, and was good when he was created, and went wrong.  Christianity agrees…this universe is at war.”-C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
“…so we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”-2 Cor. 4:16-18
As C.S. Lewis has pointed out in his ‘essential Christian reading’ book: The Screwtape Letters in which a young demon is mentored by his ‘uncle’ demon:
“Dear Wormwood…Your man has been accustomed, ever since he was a boy, to have a dozen incompatible philosophies dancing about together inside his head.  He doesn’t think of doctrines as primarily ‘true’ or ‘false’, but as ‘academic’ or ‘practical’, ‘outworn’ or ‘contemporary’, ‘conventional’ or ‘ruthless’.  Jargon, not argument, is your best ally in keeping him from the Church.  Don’t waste time trying to make him think that materialism is true!  Make him think it is strong, or stark, or courageous–that it is the philosophy of the future.  That’s the sort of thing he cares about…your affectionate uncle [demon]…Screwtape”
I also learned a great deal from a book on spiritual warfare titled:  The Invisible War by Chip Ingram
I also came across a very interesting and thought provoking article from Greg Boyd’s Blog where he discusses with a scientist the idea that there is too much evil for the kingdom of darkness NOT to exist…
Please share your insights with us.
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Is there really a satan? PART 2

This is the 2nd of 3 part series on the Biblical foundation of the spiritual truth of the demonic, the evidence of the demonic, and some evidence of the demonic learned from experience and C.S. Lewis. Uberlumen has chosen this 3 part series because we in the western world have lost site of the demonic.  As one friend has said: Don’t you think satan is real if Paul wrote about him?  Part of our Christian growth and walk must acknowledge the truths that we don’t like to think about and that we put into question in our society.
PART 2: Here are a podcast and a blog site by a missionary friend of mine who experiences the angelic and demonic daily in his ministry (we experience them daily as well but just live lives unaware of them).
  1. The reality of the demonic: a podcast from a missionary in the middle east
  2. The reality of the demonic (part 2) by same missionary
  3. Here is a brief story of the demonic from the same missionary

I have also come across some stories from my friend Mike Erre.  In his book about the Kingdom: Death by Church, he points out that we must shift our understanding of the kingdom, the Bible et al by taking a warfare worldview–the world is truly at war between evil and good. 

I know Mike to be very analytical and ‘western’ in his mindset.  So when Mike shares his personal experiences with the demonic on pages 104-106 of his book, I know that these stories are true, accurate, and VERY real.  I remain a healthy (or unhealthy?) skeptic without my own personal experiences with the demonic although I am thankful, and I have had several unexplainable experiences with the angelic and likely the demonic (without knowing it! which is the problem–it happens all the time, all around us but we have been duped into disbelief).

What are your thoughts on this subject? Please leave comments.

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Part 3: Do Christ & Christians show us God?

Join us in our 3rd of 5 part series titled: Show me God.  In this sermon, we discuss one of the ‘new’ atheists favorites–They claim that the world would be better off without Christians and religion in general…

Show Me God

Christianity

Dr. Drew Lawson and Pastor Bucky Dennis

 

 

The God Who Shows Up

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” John 17:20-21

 

Fact or Fiction:  Christianity is Bad.

 

Truth –We Have an Image Problem!

  • Judgmental

  • Hypocritical

  • Insensitive

 

What did Jesus say about these issues?

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. 24 Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!  25 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! 26 You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too. 27 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. 28 Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Matthew 23:23-28

 

 

Dare – Will the Real Jesus Please Show Up!

 

In the Church

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35

 

In Me

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.14“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16

 

What can I do about it?

  • Honesty: About my unchristian attitudes and actions

  • Authenticity: Pursue the Path of genuine transformation

  • Compassion: Serving others with humility and love

 

Will the Real Church Please Show Up!


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Book Club

A few of us took a book club organized by one of my mentors.  It was 6 Christian classics each year with audio commentaries.  It was AMAZING. For those of you who have asked about the books, here is the list.  They are ALL worth reading but I have put my summary opinion.  (*=good read; **=must read)  Anyone have any other opinions who have read these books please share with us by leaving a comment below:

Year #1

Confessions by Augustine

Of the Imitation of Christ by Kempis**

Here I Stand by Bainton*

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners by Bunyan

Purity of Heart by Kierkegaard*

The Screwtape Letters by Lewis*

Year #2

Reading the Scripture with the Church Fathers by Hall*

How the Irish Saved Civilization by Cahill*

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs*

The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Burroughs

Holiness by Ryle**

How Should We Then Live? by Schaeffer