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'Winging It
by Stan Smith
John 6 begins with John's version of the feeding of the 5,000. You remember that story. Jesus uses 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed a crowd consisting of 5,000 men (and whoever else was there) with 12 baskets left over (John 6:1-13). Good stuff. Next, Jesus sends His disciples across the Sea of Galilee and then does His famous water-walk (John 6:15-21). On the other side in the morning the crowd found Him again. But before they can even get in a good question, Jesus answered them: "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves… ( Click for more )
I've been reading Ephesians for the past few weeks. I found this quite interesting. 1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous… ( Click for more )
There is a well-known account of the Pharisees testing Jesus with a particularly difficult argument they themselves were having (Matt 19:1-12). "Is it right to divorce for any reason whatsoever?" Most Christians who have spent any time in their Bibles or in church have heard this story and know Jesus's answer. "What God has joined together let no man separate" (Matthew 19:6). I would guess, however, that even more prevalent than that answer is the other answer Jesus gave. "Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another,… ( Click for more )
It is standard morality in today's society that sex is primarily a recreational pastime that carries no special meaning and ought to be enjoyed fully without any meddling from backward, moral prudes. "You stay out of my bedroom and I'll stay out of your church." Even among self-declared Christians there is a sense that we've been too narrow on our sexual ethics and we need to lighten up a bit. So more couples are "living together in sin" to use a euphemism from an earlier era. More self-professed believers are arguing for the morality of homosexual sex … ( Click for more )
Given that Satan encourages people toward "not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man" (Mark 8:33), think for a moment about the large ramifications of such a thought process. If I am going to avoid Satan's ploy and set my mind on God's interests, not Man's, how would that look? Consider, for a moment, the mundane. Remembering that "from Him (God) and through Him and to Him are all things" (Romans 11:36), how would we think about ... sex? You see, in our normal mode of operation (you know, the sinful one, the one focused on Man's… ( Click for more )
There are some verses in the Bible that are, let's face it, just startling. Like when Jesus said, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26). Really? Wow! And these typically need some thought and explanation. One of those is this one from the lips of Jesus: "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or… ( Click for more )
According to New York Magazine, the total number of people killed in the 9/11 attack was 2,753. That included 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 police officers, 1,402 employees in Tower One, and 614 employees from Tower Two. At full capacity, the Twin Towers had a capacity of 50,000 workers and up to 200,000 visitors, but on that morning only 14,000 to 19,000 were inside. So the death count went from 50,000 to 6,700 to less than 3,000.
On the 4 aircraft that crashed that day, American Airlines Flight 11 lost 87 people, United Flight 175 lost 60, American Airlines Flight… ( Click for more )
It is my suspicion that if you have never questioned what you believe, you may not actually believe it. Well, perhaps that's not fully accurate, but the truth is that we always act on what we truly believe. James has an interesting phrase that we very often hear but don't take in. He says "the testing of your faith produces steadfastness" (James 1:3). If you haven't had your faith tested, there is a good chance that you lack "steadfastness." Believing what you believe is easy when it's not challenged. The question is what do you do with what you believe when… ( Click for more )
The Bible regards Satan as a real being. He isn't a myth, a feeling, generic "evil". He is an actual angel who fell from his first estate (Luke 10:18). He is real. In fact, the Bible has a lot to say about Satan. He was in the garden of Eden in the form of a serpent (Genesis 3:1ff) 1. He is called "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4), "the prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2), and other terms indicating a certain measure of power. He brought about Jesus's betrayal (John 13:27) and has "dominion" (Acts 26:18).… ( Click for more )
"Why, God?" It isn't an uncommon question. It isn't even a wrong question, at least not necessarily. The Psalms have several passages where people ask God why He allows the wicked to advance or why bad things happen. "Why do You stand far away?" (Psalm 10:1). "Why have You forgotten me?" (Psalm 42:9). "Why have You rejected me?" (Psalm 43:2). "Why are You sleeping?" (Psalm 44:23). And on and on. (Do a search for "why" in the Old Testament and you'll find ahost of these types of questions. In a similar vein, the Revelation… ( Click for more )
The Jesus we all know and love is a kind, gentle Jesus who accepts the poor and the wicked and is kind to everyone. He isn't mean or loud or far too pointed. He's just ... nice. This, of course, is in stark contrast to the biblical Jesus. You know, the one in the Temple with whips overturning tables and chasing people out. Or the one in the public square talking about the Pharisees -- the local, highly respected religious leaders. Indeed, Jesus's harshest words were reserved for this group of people. We've come to equate the term "pharisee" with a certain type of person.… ( Click for more )
One of the most startling biblical stories to me is the story of the escape of Israel from slavery in Egypt. You remember that one. It has been done even in the movies. (Who can picture Moses today without imagining Charlton Heston?) Moses kills an Egyptian in defense of a kinsman and ends up on the run in the desert for 40 years. There he encounters ... God. The burning bush that didn't burn sends him back to Pharaoh to tell him to "Let My people go." And Pharaoh -- shock of shocks -- says, "No." What follows is a display of power never before or after… ( Click for more )
Recently I've seen two of the Sherwood Pictures movies, Courageous and Fireproof. If you haven't, you ought to. Sherwood Pictures is the "movie arm" of Sherwood Baptist Church. They are movie makers who make Christian movies with very good Christian messages. Flywheel, believe it or not, is about a Christian used car salesman who decides to be an honest used car salesman for Christ and ends up, through all the difficulties that entails, having a booming business because people respect honesty. Facing the Giants is about a Christian football coach that leads his team… ( Click for more )
What is God's will for my life? Most of us have asked that at one time or another. Sometimes I think it's clearer than we realize. In Paul's first letter to the church at Thessalonica, we read this: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
It all flows together there -- rejoice, pray, give thanks. And it's all in superlatives -- always, without ceasing, in all circumstances. "This," Paul tells his readers, "is the will of God ... for you." … ( Click for more )
Read through the Gospels and you'll find story after story of Jesus healing people. It seems as if He healed people wherever He went. Why did He do that? You might say, "It's because He loved them." Not in the way you are thinking. "It was because He wanted their best." Again, not in the way you are thinking. "It's what a good God does." Not ... at all. (Think about it. God is good ... and lots of people, even people of faith, are not healed.) Despite the claim by many "health and wealth" teachers, He didn't do it because people are supposed… ( Click for more )
Why do we go to church? Have you ever asked yourself that? I know I have. When I was a younger Christian, I was quite sure that it was an institutional thing. I didn't see it as some sort of evil (like too many disaffected folks do these days), but I thought it was more of ... an unnecessary good. It wasn't a command, to be sure. You could be just as a good of a Christian without it -- of that I was sure. Maybe it's the product of years. You know, "Wisdom comes with age" ... that kind of thing. Maybe it's the product of too much experience of my own misguided ideas. You… ( Click for more )
Theodicy is the defense of God in the face of evil. The question of the skeptic is how a good God can allow evil. The accusation is that He is either not powerful enough or not loving enough to fix that problem. Open Theists try to excuse God by saying that He doesn't know what Free Will Humans will do and, so, can only respond to them, not prevent them. Others argue only slightly less offensively that God has limited His Sovereignty to Man's Free Will and is "forced" (they would never use that term) to let them sin. The Bible has a different response to the problem. … ( Click for more )
The "social justice" types who are urgently attempting to make Christianity into a "do-gooder" society and Jesus into our chief "do-gooder" will quickly point you over to Matthew 25:31-46, the "Sheep and the Goats" passage, as a quick prooftext. There we read, "I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me." Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, "Lord, when did… ( Click for more )
A "word of the day" entry: "anthropocentric". We can find a dictionary definition, but let's see if we can figure it out from its roots. "Anthropos" is the Greek word for "man" -- primarily "man" as a group, not a gender. You know ... humans. Then there is the "centric" part. I think most of us can figure that out. So, simply put, "anthropocentric" means "centered on humans". On one hand, it is fundamental to humans to be anthropocentric.… ( Click for more )
Ever consider the effects of television on your home and family?
Before the content there is the medium. Studies indicate that children under the age of 3 are very likely to have ADHD by the age of 7 if they're exposed to the medium of television. Content doesn't matter. It's the screen, the images, the constant inundation of input. Try to compete with that in everyday life. They also find it stunts their brain growth during the time that they're learning basic functions like depth perception and hand-eye coordination. But the medium is also detrimental to adults. One study indicated… ( Click for more )
One of the hottest topics these days in churches is the topic of music. All sides are deeply entrenched. "God doesn't like that kind of music." "God is glorified in music regardless of the style." "We need to use music in church that is respectful of God." "We need to use music that reaches people." And the argument, unspoken generally, is that the Bible doesn't really say. So ... is that true? I took a survey of biblical music and here is what I found. The main goal of music in Scripture is to express a response to God, not generate a response… ( Click for more )
There are those today who suggest that the concept of the church choir is outdated. However, if we look at the history and purpose of the choir, I suspect we will find that this ought not be the case. The “church choir” has its origins not in Roman Catholicism or in Christianity at all, but in the Old Testament. The first “church choir” was appointed by King David some 3000 years ago. These choirs were far more serious than anything we have today. Now these are the singers, heads of fathers' households of the Levites, who lived in the chambers of the temple… ( Click for more )
"He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Jesus concludes many of His parables with this somewhat amusing little comment. I mean, come on, how many people do not have ears? Now, the truth is we all know that Jesus is not referring to physical ears. Nor is He referring to the auditory reception of sound that we often call "hearing". We all know that what He is really saying is that those who are really listening will understand what He was saying in His parable. Now, consider this diagnostic. You're a "doctor" of sorts, and this statement is offered.… ( Click for more )
Heresies are a bad thing. Any orthodox person knows that. But I see some value in them. Orthodoxy is defined, at its root, as "right belief". Heresy is defined as "at variance with orthodoxy". Thomas Aquinas defined heresy as "a species of infidelity in men who, having professed the faith of Christ, corrupt its dogmas." In other words, it takes a profession of faith to qualify as a heretic. It also takes a "right belief". Heresies cause all sorts of problems. They cause division and schisms. They lead people from the truth. They lie and deceive… ( Click for more )
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