Arguments.

Are arguments wrong?

While I'm looking back at my week I think this is the crux of my week. I have read many arguments on Facebook, been in arguments over board games, and even talked about conflict-resolution in premarital consoling. I have been around passive people whom are always trying to stop an argument. Passive-aggressive people who want to speak there voice but thats just "their opinion." Then there is a aggressive people who are always looking for an argument no matter what. This is the dynamic that we live in.

Should I argue or should I let things slide off my back? I have been seeing many Christians argue about theological differences. I heard a funny quote: "You are going to be bashed if you pastor a church called Mars Hill." Is it helpful for Christians to argue on the Internet? Does this hinder non-Christians view of the movement of God?

For me this argument has helped me converse with people at my work about Christians and the differing view points. If I didn't have people like Peter Enns and his honest discussion about the humanity of the Biblical text I would have never been able to relate to some of my friends who are distracted by the "errors" of the Bible. But on the other side of the spectrum I see families clinging to any pastor who explains the cohesiveness of the family.

We can see that on both of these ideas there are strong and passionate arguments against them. What is negative about this is when we see people bashing each other left and right. It is important to remember that no matter the argument you are still dealing with a person. Even if you say two nice things about them and then dig deep into that person no matter how dirty or mean they seem, it still is harmful. Some people do make statements that call you to argue and attack the statement, not the person.

I would love to see a more cohesive community of Christians. Where people are lifting each other up despite there different ideas. Rabbis in Jesus' time would have different ideas, they thought that the Bible was open ended and there was different ways of interpreting it. This would obviously bring up arguments. We can see this over and over again in Jesus' ministry, but he had John the Baptist to back up his new way of thinking. John was a respected rabbi in the Jewish community, so in turn this would make Jesus a respected rabbi. We can see that this would give him authority that all he would have to do is speak and people would follow. Jesus became a controversial man, that he needed to go through the "way of doing things" to get his point across. He is God and could have done it anyway but he chose to communicate this way.

Why am I explaining this?

We need to note Jesus' way of doing things and look at how he got his authority. Arguments are inevitable, especially if we are asking the right questions and trying to grow in our faith. Do you have the authority to bash other pastors or people to get your point across? Do you really know if the differing view is really a cult? Let's be honest and frank, but stop the name calling.

Bible Vs Prayer!

At the youth group I help out at we have a question can where high school kids can ask any question they would like about the Bible, life, or anything under the sun. These questions are normally answered in a discussion on Sunday morning. I though that I should answer the questions a little more in-depth on my blog. I hope to highlight blogs and other resources that I find and know.

1st Question: What is better to do "Pray" or "Read your Bible?"

This is a question that I think the answer is simply drawn with little thought. I prayed and though about this through the lenses of a person who is trying to develop a walk with Christ as a center part of there life.

I think I need to answer the question before I show my study on this. I would say that you need one, just as much as you need the other. You need prayer while reading the Bible and you need the Bible to know how to pray. I would say it is like a car you need tires and a engine to drive with out one the other will not work. The next steps will be looking at the importance of the Bible and how prayer relates.

I want to start off looking at why we uses the Bible and then I will show some verses that amplify prayer. "... let the Bible be the Bible, and so to let God be God—and so to enable the people of God to be the people of God, his special people, living under his authority, bringing his light to his world."(NT Wright) There are many discussions that tear down the Bible but I want to look at it as the authoritative word of God. We are Christians and the book we follow to find out who God is and what he has done is the Bible. As John Piper would explain that our feet have to be planted in the text and we need to hang on to every sentence of the Bible to learn how to walk in our life. N. T. Wright compares the Bible to a five act play. The first act is the story of Scripture is creation, then “fall,” then Israel, then Jesus, and finally the church. Act five is unique in that it is an unfinished narrative. Its opening scene began with the apostolic age that we find storied in the New Testament, and will reach its consummation in the final scene as evidenced in such passages as: Romans 8, 1 Corinthians 15, and parts of Revelation. Currently, we are living as part of the fifth act, in the age of the church, which remains open-ended. In this scenario, biblical authority would be expressed through the imagination of the actor based on the scripts of the first four acts of the story. Such improvisation unleashes the postmodern imagination to dream about how “my small story” can matter within the “big story” of God. 


You need prayer to keep this conversation going. You need to know what Jesus is doing in your life and what he has done in the past. the Bible is the most important way to do it.

We need to understand the Bible to continue to be apart of the Biblical tradition. We need to see what the people in the Bible are doing. These people are interacting with the God who they(and I) believe created them. The Jewish culture wrote an entire collection of Prayers which is now called Psalms. This is an example of what a whole community could say to their God.(Goldingay 21) Psalms like Psalms 91 explains characteristics of God which helps us understand the God whom we are following. Jesus the God-man even prayed to his father who was God. This is important because this is the defining figure of the Christian faith and he is praying. Several times Jesus leaves to pray by himself, and Jesus shows his disciples how to pray. I believe that Jesus is the best example of prayer that we have. http://marshill.com/media/pray-like-jesus This link is a great series of Jesus praying and how we should follow his prayers.

Like I said before the Bible is important and it shows us how to pray. Which in turn we need to read the Bible to pray. It is not a question in which we should or should not do but rather how we can use the other to compliment.




If you have more questions about the Bible please post!


How do you pray?


What are your stories of prayer answered?


How has the Bible help you get closer to God?

Leprosy.

40A man with leprosy [8] came to him and begged him on his knees, az “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

41Jesus was indignant. [9] He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.

43Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44“See that you don’t tell this to anyone. ba But go, show yourself to the priest bb and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, bcas a testimony to them.” 45Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. bd Yet the people still came to him from everywhere

This really spoke to me about Gods grace. Jesus healed the man even though he would not obey. This seems so much like me. God always forgives me and call me to be one of his followers even though I will end up deliberately disobeying him. I find it much better to follow but Gods grace is amazing.

My last semester in school.

This semester i want school it be life changing...

I have been challenge to think about the injustices in the world. I CANNOT GET THIS OUT OF MY MIND. As I was thinking about this, I thought I was going to be able to change the world. Then the earth quake happends in Haiti and I feel helpless again. What can I do. As I was praying and thinking last night a thought came into my thats its the Lord's Kingdom I am supposed to be partnering with. I need to stop trying to do everything myself. With self-denial comes with not only loving your neighbor as yourself but loving God. These are two equal things. I think loving and worshiping God will help me refresh. I need to let God help me with my cross. This burden is to much for me to carry. Another thing I have to remember is the importance of community. Community should be involved in everything I do. I need people working, worshiping and loving with me. I encourage everybody who reads this blog to partner with me, to love God, love the community are you and seek justice.

The woods.

The woods and wilderness makes me love God more. I am planing on studying all about why God met people on mountain tops. I know it is silly but I think more while being still in the erie silence of the woods. I love reading the Bible and praying while I'm up in the mountains by myself. Is this the way things are supposed to be. Are we not supposed to be distracted by cell phones and crazy hustle and bustle of day to day life.

I feel while your in the mountains living with people the conversation about God just comes. People are more willing to talk about creationism more then just science because they are taking back by what God has done up there. If you are reading this and you don't believe in God as the creator, explain to me why trees and birds and bugs are so interesting. I think being "freezing" in the mountains for the last week I have come to appreciate God and what he has created. I am not going to become one of those crazies who think Styrofoam cups are the worst thing in the world. I'm not going to join Peta. I just love Gods creation. I think people need to get out and explore it more.

White Trash

I think I am comming to the grips that I am white trash. 

My parents live in a trailer behind my mothers flower shop.

Right now I am wearing a motorcycle shirt and a trucker hat.

I am listening to country.

I like big trucks.

I like harley davidson motorcycles.

I like to shoot guns. 

I like to shoot animals.

My house has trash piled sky high infront of it.

If you see any other white trash attributes let me know...

Learning

I have been thinking about writting a new blog about something theological. Everything I want to write about I feel I need to have more info on. So here is my stand to study this summer as much as I can.

I say this but I also feel limited. This is because I do not have very many books. I do not have a well stocked library on the info that I want to learn about. 

I pray that God changes my mind in very many different ways. I want to learn and with my learning be able to teach other. 

How we talk about God.

I have been reading Exodus because I want to understand how the Old Testament shapes the New Testament. 

I was struck by something early on in Exodus 3 and 4. This is where Moses see God(a  Theophany). What intrigues me he the most is how God tells Moses to explain who he is to his people.  

"Exo 3:16  "Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt."

Here it can be I am the Lord God of your ancestors.  This is something I have pondered over for a couple of days. It was not a heavy explanation of who God, its just the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob. No more explanation. I find this crazy God does not tell Moses to explain who He is. God just simply speaks of who he has been God over. 

Moses as everyone else would, does not trust God in this endeavor. He says the words I say all the time, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?"(Exo 4:1) God simply explains to Moses to show the a sign to the people. Turn his staff into a snake back into a staff.

I feel that God is simpler then we try to make him before other people. God is amazing and we need not to try to force him into something he is not. God told Moses to explain who he has been.

This is something I have been thinking about, who has God been, in history, in my life, and in peoples lives around me. This is why I really love understanding the Bible.

One thing I want to look at is in Acts when Paul is speaking to Gentiles and contrast this to he explains God to them.

Act 17:24  "The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 

Act 17:25  nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 

Act 17:26  and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 

Here God is explaining as the God of Creation(Acts 17:24a). Something pretty simple to show and explain. The other day I was in Best Buy with my friend Jake, and we were looking at huge TVs and they were showing a should of insects and sea creatures. We both turn to each other and ask a question "How can people not believe in God with creation being so beautiful and complicated. I feel God should be easy to explain. 

I love the next statement being a closet pentecostal, "He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands"(Acts 17:24b) God is not constrained to a building. I think if Paul was here in our time he would say that God is not contained by the four walls of a church. You can experience God anywhere. I personally love to experience God in nature. I love going on hike, bike rides being in the wilderness. Seeing God beautiful creation is something that brings me closer to my creator. I love my friend Nick who when he always see a beautiful California sunset thanks God. This is a place I think we need to be when we explain God to people, who do not believe in God.

The next two verses I will group together. Seeing that God creates human beings, gives them life, gives them everything. He did not exclude anyone, this is something I think I need to focus and ponder on.

I think it is important to see how you view God. I think its important to explain him simply. Gods not all the complicated. Theology is complicated, lets not make God complicated. I am saying this and I love to argue theology, but is arguing theology Going to get people to search for God? This is something I am going to ponder this summer. Something I will try. I thank God for life and beauty.

Tithing

I have been bothered by the economy down turn and all the churches focusing on tithing. I just got finished reading Habakkuk  this whole book is about one man speaking to God on the behalf of Israel because they are about to be destroyed. Lets just say God does not change his mind and he is still going to destroy Israel and Judah. 

"Hab 3:17  Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, 

Hab 3:18  Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. 

Hab 3:19  The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds' feet, And makes me walk on my high places. For the choir director, on my stringed instruments. "

Even after this Habakkuk puts his home in God. This is should be our position in hard times. No matter we should have hope in God.

On another note, tithing shouldn't be focused in every Church service which I have seen at most churches I have been to lately. Here is what one of my teachers said(I am going to keep his identity a secret because I didn't ask for permission)

"The Foursquare position is that tithing is 'God's financial plan for the Church.' This is argued on the basis of Deut. 14, Mal. 3, and Luke 11:42/Mt. 23:23.

Now that I've given you the 'party line,' I should tell you that I respectfully disagree with this position. I don't see tithing actually being renewed as a principle under the new covenant. Jesus' affirmation of tithing should be seen on the same level as his affirmation of offering sacrifices (Mt. 5:23-24). That is, if Jesus affirms sacrifices, but we don't see any reason for them to continue to today, I need much more than a passing affirmation of people tithing at the time to see it as being renewed under the new covenant. Further, where one would expect Paul to refer to tithing as a means of gathering a collection to provide for others (1 Cor 16; 2 Cor. 8-9) he doesn't. He talks about regular, sacrificial, and generous giving, but doesn't mention anything about setting aside a tithe. In light of this, therefore, I see that the NT principle seems to be bound up in being a regular, sacrificial, and generous giver. Ten percent seems like a good place to start, and I practice that, but I don't see it as a requirement. For some, giving sacrificially may mean less than 10% (for some 3 or 5% would be a sacrifice because of their income). For others giving sacrificially would mean giving more than 10%. 

Overall, the key thing is to give because it all belongs to God anyway. There's no magic formula associated with tithing (those that argue that you won't be blessed if you don't give the 10% have a very low view of God in my perspective - God 'sends his rain on the righteous and the wicked'). If you give 10% of your income great. If you do more than that great! If you can only sacrificially give less than that is great as well."

Stop worrying about you paychecks and you programs and start worrying about people.

The church and consumerism.

I have been thinking a lot about Israels call to be different, to be not the norm. While I was in Ezra and Nehemiah during a Jan Term(a 8hr a day, for five days intensive) at my school I heavily noticed this. Ezra and Nehemiah is all about the build of the temple which established Israel as a nation and Gods chosen people. In these book they struggle with a sin that threatens them into being sent into exile again. This sin is some of the men have taken on foreign wives.(Ezra 9:1-5) Ezra ask for forgiveness in an extensive prayer taken on his burden of his people on for himself.(Ezra 9:6-15) “His(Ezra) apparent despair provokes them to seek hope for Israel at any cost, and his abandonment to grief stirs them to impatience for some more positive response.”(Kidner 70) This brings the Israelites to make a drastic and I would say necessary decision to be different then the world around them. Israel decides to send away all the foreign wives and their children.(Ezra 10:3) This was by no means was the Law called for, but it was a necessary evil. They need to separate themselves from their sin and move into what God called them to.

So since we have been grafted into this(If you are a gentile)(Romans 11:17-24) I think we too have a call to take drastic measures to be different and set apart from our community. The reason foreign wives were such a problem in these passages in Ezra was because they were bringing in their pagan gods and heathen tradition.(Goldengay) Israel was becoming these other nations and not being set apart like they should be.

I believe Jesus as well gives a call that I think the church is missing out on. In the simple book of Mark he tells a story of a rich young ruler who ask a question. The question he is asking is “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”(Mark 10:17) Jesus responds in I would say a sarcastic way. He states that the young ruler knows the ten commandments and keeps them.(Mark 10:19) The ruler say “of course I do.”(Mark 10:20) Here comes Jesus with a stinger. A call to be different then everyone else. A call to change his whole life completely around. Jesus says "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." (Mark 10:21) This man went away sad. He had tons of property and possessions.(Mark 10:22) I think it is crazy here because it does not say this man had lots money but he had lots of possession.

Why as the American church are we striving to win people for Christ with the coolest possessions?(well thats how I view it in my eyes?) I have heard of many churches recently having to lay off pastors because they could not make budget in this recent economy. What if instead of this the churches sold their million dollar buildings or sold their 30,000 dollar sound boards? Do we really need these things to reach Christ? Are we really being different then the culture around us?

I would say no. I recently stepped foot on a church campus and I thought I was at Mall of America. Is this what God really wants? Are as a church supposed to be consumerist just like the rest of the world? Are we supposed to go into dept on new building that are supposed to reach a community? Is the call to give all your money to the poor a lost thing?

I would like to know everyone else thoughts.