Friday Finding: A Life Long Battle with Legalism

Friday Finding slidding in JUST before midnight so it still counts!
It's been a LONG week and I know this will bless you the way it blessed me.
Thanks for the great content Marcos!

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Wesley's Faith-Journey: A Life Long Battle with Legalism

photo credit: Vu Bui via photopin cc

The following is a book review I [Marcos] wrote on the book "John Wesley, A Biography" by Stephen Tomkins.

John Wesley, A Biography, written by Stephen Tomkins, is an excellent biography of John Wesley, one of the fathers of evangelicalism. Tomkins, though negatively biased toward Wesley's theology, brings an authentic flavor to the telling of his story. Rather than presenting him as a hero without warts, Tomkins pours through Wesley's journals and stories in an attempt to paint the man as realistically as possible. The end result is a picture of a man far from perfect-though he preached perfection-and far from confident in his walk with God-though he preached faith. And yet, we also see a man so committed to Christ that few have ever matched his sacrifice and zeal for the work of the gospel.

John Wesley, A Biography is a chronological retelling of the life of Wesley. Tomkins looks not only at Wesley's teachings and adventures as a Methodist preacher, but also his childhood, love life, emotional life, spiritual journey, and family relationships. Due to lack of space I will focus on that which is of most interest to me: his faith journey and his lifelong battle with legalism.

John Wesley was born into an Anglican family that was, for lack of a better word, dysfunctional. According to Tomkins, Wesley's father, Samuel Wesley, once separated from his wife, without intending to return, because she did not support the new king of England and would not pray for him. "You and I must part," said Samuel, "for if we have two kings, we must have two beds" (10). But after his house nearly burned down during a visit Samuel decided to stay and take care of his family. "Less than a year later, on 28 June 1703, John Wesley was born" (11).

Wesley's childhood was loving, but stringent. According to Tomkins, his upbringing was exceedingly strict even by the standard of his day. Susanna, Wesley's mother, believed that children were naturally wicked and rebellious. As a result, Susanna sought to do a type of behavior modification by forcing her children's wills to incline toward good. Her parenting philosophy is summarized in her own words: "Break the will, if you will not damn the child" (13). Tomkins writes:

Susanna... [Wesley's mother] allowed 'no such thing as loud talking or playing'... When turned a year old (and some before) they were taught to fear the rod, and to cry softly... to be still at family prayers, and to ask a blessing immediately after meals, which they used to do by signs before they could kneel or speak... By the time they were grown, they all knew vast tracts of the Bible, some of them whole books, by heart. At meals times the children sat at a small separate table... They were allowed nothing to eat or drink between meals and were beaten if they asked... (12-13).

The strictness of his childhood did not end with adolescence or even adulthood. As a young man, before his conversion, Wesley dedicated himself, while studying at Oxford, to living a holy life. With holiness as his ultimate goal in life Wesley became quite fanatical. Of this time Tomkins writes, "he grew ever stricter on himself, writing a new self-catechism to review not only his daily deeds but also if his motives were sufficiently directed to the glory of God. He discouraged visitors to his room who might waste his time, and abandoned such frivolities as cards and dancing" (32). And yet this was only the beginning. Tomkins describes the evolution of Wesley's fanaticism stating, "As his goals were elevated, his self-analysis and self-discipline were turning into obsessions... He now updated his spiritual audit on an hourly basis and not only noted his successes and failures, but gave himself a score out of nine" (38).

This severe approach to Christianity continued for many years. However, events in Wesley's life began to change his theology and reveal to him a more joyful religion. It all began with Wesley's missionary voyage to America. During the journey Wesley's ship was caught in a fearful storm. Wesley feared for his life but he noticed a company whom didn't seem frightened at all. Wesley inquired as to the source of their super-natural peace and discovered them to be Moravians; followers of Luther, whose religion placed an "emphasis on justification by faith that the English church [to which Wesley belonged] had lost" (46). It was this confidence in salvation that gave them peace in the face of death. However, it was not until much later, in the midst of another spiritual crisis, that light shone for Wesley as he heard a Moravian "reading from Luther's Preface to Romans" (61). The experience was to be a life changing one. Wesley writes:

About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death (61).

However, and here is where I appreciate Tomkins genuine portrayal of Wesley, this experience was not the end of Wesley's struggle with legalism. Unlike those who would like to romanticize Wesley's conversion, Tomkins has no quarrels with diminishing its grand impression upon Wesley's story by admitting that he continued, for the rest of his life, to bounce back and forth between grace alone and grace and works.

Some assume that Wesley was simply a legalist. According to Tomkins, "The traditional evangelical understanding of [Wesley]... is that he was attempting salvation by works" (43). This is said to be the case even after his conversion and is admittedly Tomkins bias. I however have a different theory. Having been raised in a similar fashion to Wesley I also have found it a great struggle to overcome my natural legalistic inclinations and trust in Christ alone for salvation even under the light of gospel freedom. Therefore, in my point of view, it is as a result of his upbringing that Wesley struggled with legalism most of his life. In short, I believe his struggle with legalism was due to psychological factors, not theological failure. The overbearing discipline instilled in his mind as a child formed a lifelong habit of fanatical austerity that he never, even under the light of gospel freedom, seemed to escape for long.

But how is it that the gospel was never able to set Wesley completely free from the Pharisee within? Apart from his natural tendency toward legal religion instilled into his childhood psyche by his legalistic mother, there is another factor that I believe to be the main culprit: Wesley never seemed to learn that faith and feeling are complementary, not synonymous. All of his life Wesley seems to have been dependent on his emotions to reveal to him the state of his soul rather than to depend fully and totally on the promise of God despite what his emotions told him. It is my theory that Wesley was inclined toward grace when he felt close to God, but whenever he felt far from God he would default to the rigid lifestyle of his earlier years as a way of feeling close to God again. The tragedy of this deceptive flaw is that even after years of enduring hardship, persecution, and deadly mobs for the cause of Christ, Wesley poured out his heart to his brother Charles saying:

I do not feel the wrath of God abiding in me; nor can I believe it does. And yet (this is the mystery) I do not love God. I never did. Therefore I never believed, in the Christian sense of the word... I never had any other evidence of the eternal or invisible world than I have now; and that is none at all... And yet I dare not preach otherwise than I do... I want all the world to come to what I do not know (168).

Tomkins is therefore right when he says, "What a desolate spectacle... It is pitiful to see his faith, even after all these years, still so dependent on the vicissitudes of his emotions" (169). This was Wesley's downfall. He never realized, at least in an experiential manner, that feelings are never to be the grounds of our walk with God. They can come and go as easily as the wind shifts. We must learn to trust God's promises even when we cannot feel them to be true.

Even in the midst of this Wesley remained faithful to the Lord until his dying day. On Tuesday 1 March 1791 Wesley approached the end of his life. Weak, ill, and worn from a life of service he found himself unable even to write. "'After a last 'Farewell'', he died on Wednesday morning" (194).

While I have, up to this point, expressed my appreciation for Tomkins biography I do have one major point of contention with him: the way in which he dealt with Wesley's doctrine of perfection. Tomkins anti-perfection bias, in my opinion, prevented him from honestly assessing Wesley's true understanding of perfection. In his book A Plain Account of Christian Perfection Wesley clearly asserts that perfection is not the grounds for salvation and he distances himself, sometimes more and sometimes less, from the heresy of sinless perfectionism. Wesley's understanding of biblical perfection is "perfection in love". Wesley believed that Gods children can be perfected in love and have, what he refers to as "a purity of intention" and be free from "willful rebellion." Perfection in love, versus sinless perfectionism or absolute perfection which Wesley denied, is a concept easily found in scripture starting with Jesus who, after describing Gods love for his enemies said, "Be therefore perfect as your father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). When Luke quoted the same discourse he substituted the word "merciful" for "perfect" indicating that perfection is not a state of flawless obedience to every minute command but having a heart that loves like Jesus loves. Tomkins seems to skip over these facts and instead focuses on the more fanatical concepts inherent in Wesley's perfection doctrine such as instantaneous perfection and the self-awareness of having attained perfection. He, therefore, gives the impression that he is eager to discredit the doctrine of perfection and fails to give it a fair hearing.

In conclusion, I found John Wesley, A Biography to be an excellent resource on the life of the father of the Methodist movement. Of all the aspects of his religious life I found his spiritual journey to be the most interesting. While I believe Tomkins analysis contains a slight anti-Wesley bias, especially when it came to Wesley's understanding of salvation and perfection, I nevertheless consider this work to be exceptionally done and worth reading for anyone who wants to learn more about the man, John Wesley.

___________
This book review was completed in partial fulfillment of the course Church History II at Southern Adventist University. Originally published in Ezine Articles: Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/8321138

Freedom and Victory: Introduction

Freedom and Victory: Introduction

We all want to be free.

     It's why so many throughout history have risked health and home to stand against oppression in all its forms.  We've seen it recently in Venezuela, Ukraine, Thailand and other parts of the globe.
People will fight and die for freedom while others kill to silence these dissenters. There are no neutral parties in these battles.

     As I type this in Collegedale, TN I am forced to consider my own fight for freedom. I may not face the same imminent physical threat as the people in the nations mentioned above but I am also at war. Even while you read this, you (YES, YOU!) are engaged in an ongoing struggle.

     We have been born into a land of oppression. A land with an administration that has hijacked control from the rightful Ruler.
A land that offers all of life's joys to it's citizens, but actually forces them to live in chains.
A land that has painted a false reality to its inhabitants.
A land where evil has taken hold.
A land where scenes of greed, hate, fear, abuse, and death have become common!

     No, I haven't confused Collegedale for North Korea.
(Even though the police give as many tickets. Kidding!!)
Actually, I'm not just referring to a small territory in an isolated corner of the globe.
Because, in fact, our entire WORLD is in a conflict!

     If you've ever felt the hurt of losing a loved one or have been enraged at the oppression of the powerless, you can relate that those things should not exist!
If you've ever wondered why there is so much pain, so much hurt, and so much wrong in our hearts and in this world, it's because we are slaves to an enemy.
The enemy of God has hijacked the world and is killing God's children!

In the next few weeks, we'll consider this global battle.
I hope you think about your own battle as we focus on the freedom and victory that can is promised and given by the true King to those who choose to stand with Him.

Join us next week as we start our first multi-part series!!

EF

Friday Findings: How to Effectively Witness Online

I don't know about you, but I LOVE Friday Findings!

This one comes from a brilliant mind with wonderful insight. (Thanks, Adrian Zahid.)
Stick with this one, it's worth the read!

Click here for the original post!

How to Effectively Witness Online

1 WEEK, 4 DAYS AGO

POSTED IN: MINISTRY

An Opportunity Unparalleled in History
The internet and social media allows us great opportunities to share the Gospel. It has changed not only how the game is played but the game itself. It has caused huge disruptions across traditional media, business, healthcare, journalism, government and politics, and has touched many facets of our personal lives. Many of us enjoy sharing our lives with our friends and coworkers on social networks such as Twitter, Vine, Vimeo, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest among others. Social Media gives us a live stream of relevant news that engages us hour after hour.

We can instantly connect through mobile phones, tablets and laptops with social friends around the world. While many of us are savvy social media users a few of us have begun to look at the possibilities for using these tools for Christ. To use these tools effectively, it is important for one to know how to build social networks and audiences, understand the nature of online search and how to leverage these tools individually and as a Church.

To get a good foundation let us understand some history behind mass communication and its effect on the world.

A Brief History of Communication 
In the beginning, we (human beings) remembered every thing we said thus there was no need for writing things down. After the flood, with life spans significantly shortened, we began to jot things down on Papyrus so that others might read of our experiences and learn from us. This mode of communication remained fairly constant with few changes for several thousand years. The Eygptians innovated and wrote on stone, the Chinese invented paper and ink, the Europeans figured out the printing press and moveable type. Books were rare and considered a prized possession of the rich. When Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Cathedral, it took several months before the news traveled around the world. By the 17th Century, newspapers helped shorten the news cycle to a few days or months if you had to cross the ocean to the New World (America). By the late 18th Century, the wire (telegraph) and the telephone had completely revamped the way we communicated. The rise of radio and television allowed those with a lot of money or political clout to engage in mass promotion. Live events, like the Kennedy Assassination, the Space Age, wars and conflicts began to stream into homes. Now you didn’t have to be ‘there’ as long as you were able to see it on TV or hear it on the radio. Media still remained an expensive proposition and one that rested firmly in the hands of the rich and the powerful. Computers, which at one time, took up several rooms got progressively smaller and a small network, the internet, began to show promise of big things to come. By the middle of the 1990′s, the computers now fit on our desks and we began to “Get Mail” (Emails) and mobile phones were getting slimmer and less bulky by each passing year.

The early 2000′s brought a perfect storm as we hit the sweet spot between science, technology and search engines. Suddenly, any one with a connection to the internet could write some easy lines of HTML code (Website Development Language) and build a rudimentary website and attract investors and buyers. Technology experienced an influx of cash as private and corporate investors threw money at every idea to see what would be the next big thing. Few of those early dotcoms were the real big thing but it created a massive movement of the world’s economies from the Industrial Age to the Knowledge Age. We have entered what I like to call the Connection Age where everyone and everything is instantly connected through communication networks.

The Process of Making a Decision Unchanged 
Despite the fact the tools for sharing knowledge have increased the way our brains process information and make decisions has not changed since God created us. We begin by realizing we have a shortage or lack of something. This is the first stage known as ‘awareness’ or the process of becoming aware of our lack. We then begin to search for information. Our search usually begins with a question in our mind that we may express outloud to some one nearby or we might type a shortened version of it known as a ‘keyword’ into a search engine search bar such as Google. As information about our question becomes aparent we begin to take interest in the various answers with some taking precedence over others. Once we have consummed all the information we need on a certain subject we then move to make a decision. The decision could be to accept or reject the options available to us. Once we make a decision we then take action such as pressing “like” or “share this” or clicking “buy”. This decision making process is the same for purchase decisions made at the grocery store and online on stores like Amazon. We use parts of this decision making process when we are choosing a life partner. It is important to realize that Social Media and the Internet are just tools. Its what we do with those tools is what counts.

The Equal Opportunity
There was time when books were scarce and only the rich could afford them. Now with the rise of the technology a young adult can carry all of Mrs. White’s writings, hundreds of Bible Versions thousands of online sermons, podcasts, and Bible Commentaries in their pocket. Knowledge has not only increased but it has become accessible to any one who is connected to the internet.

Now any one can access free courses from some of the world’s top universities in any subject they choose at a time they choose. I have “sat” in classes at Oxford University, Masschusettes Institute of Technology, and Harvard Business School to learn from the very best in the comfort of my home, in my car, or on my Ipad and Iphone for free.

How to Gain an Audience
The old way was that you had to be ‘found’ by some talent agent and ‘selected’ by a network before you could begin to do your thing. These days anyone with an access to a web cam or HD camera can begin streaming content online and attract not only the attention of other interested individuals but corporations as well. Building an audience has never been easier and it is easier to create content that goes ‘viral’ (spreads fast) overnight.

Many people today have launched huge enterprises from their homes and garages online. People have leveraged the power of the Internet and the reach of Social Media to start home fitness programs, gourmet cuisine shows, blogs, and consumer advice sites. These ‘home grown’ enterprises not only reach audiences in the millions but are also sources of good income as well.

How to Leverage Influence 
It is said that the most important commodity in the world is attention. Corporations spend billions of dollars to gain the attention of consumers which is often fleeting and hard to come by. As content is delivered on ever increasing channels consumers are developing increasingly sophisticated ways to bypass and block messages that are not relevant or interesting to them. Celebrity endorsements do not have the same power they once did. These days online Yelp reviews can sink the revenues of restaurants faster than the paid restaurant critic of the local newspaper. People put more stock on in individual experience rather than paid advertisements with little relevance to them.

Influence online is just as powerful as it is in-person offline. Influence is developed through authenticity, personalization, and cannot be bought. Influence is built on results which in turn bring greater credibility. As more people try your workout program, diet, or gadget and like it they will be more likely share it with their friends. Some are early adopters who are willing to try products or services delivered in the beta stage or development stage. They like to give feedback and enjoy seeing their insights incorporated into the final design or product. Others are middle adopters who jump onto a bandwagon after a trend has matured. Still others are late adopters who stubbornly cling on to what works for as long as they can til they are forced to change. The early adopters tend to be product evangelists and have established audiences whom they influence through their enthusiasm, knowledge, and abillity.

The key to influence is to differentiate between early adopters, middle adopters and late adopters and implement strategies that are specific to their needs and wants . It is important to develop relationships with people online that are based on mutual trust before offering them services or products that they have to pay for. For example, if you are selling a workout regimen, have your audience try out the first 3 workouts to see if they like them and then those who want to buy the whole 21 workouts will buy them. Or better yet, provide months of free content so that you not only develop an audience and educate them so that they are able to make smart decisions about some of your deeper level product or service offerings at a price they can afford.

How to Use the Internet & Social Media to Get New Friends
Christ’s method of winning souls applies to the age of Facebook and Twitter. Our level of influence is limited only by how interested we are in gaining others’ trust and by meeting their needs.

Authenticity online is very important. I remember in my younger years, I once attracted a girl in college, online, through my college yearbook photo. Unfortunately, the photo I gave the yearbook was several years old did not represent my current image that I had created myself in, after all-night studying, and living on fast-food. She was clearly disappointed in my current level of fitness as she had fallen ‘in love’ with a very fit man in the picture. In the same way, who we are in everyday life should be the same we are online. Any failure to do so will result in mass condemnation online and a loss of trust that is hard to gain back as a fact that many fallen celebrities will readily attest to.

Create content that you have the most knowledge about personally. The reason why God has called so many different people in to His Church is because we were meant to attract others like us. I have tastes and interests that are probably very different from yours however we can both use our personal experiences and likes to attract very different sets of people.

Leverage your gifts online. Some of us are great on camera, others are better at writing or drawing, singing or taking pictures. You can research the demand for anything before you commit to something or you can experiment before you develop a niche. All social platforms and search engines offer analytics data where you can type keywords relevant to your area of interest and you will be most likely surprised that there are so many others who share your interests or are looking for content that only you can provide.

You can begin by researching who else is providing the same service or expertise in your chosen area. Evaluate them for professionality, consistency, level of engagement of their audience, and reach. Note what works for them and see how you can do it better or fill in gaps that they are not able to fill. Make a reasonable investment in research, education, and technology that is comparable to your level of involvement online. Don’t go out and buy a ten thousand dollar HD video camera on the first day but as your audience grows you might want to invest in better equipment, lighting, cameras etc.

Treat your audience with respect. Acknowledge that you are a ‘newbie’ or an expert if you are. Make sure you are consistent with your production. If you blog once a year or post a video of a cooking episode in your kitchen once every three months it will be hard to develop and maintain an audience. Be consistent with your production level and as your expertise increases make sure you the content you produce is still inviting to those who are new to your field.

How To Use Social Media and Search Data for Local Evangelism Planning

Search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing provide a free and enterprise level Search Analytical services to their users and advertisers. Programs such as Google Analytics, Omniture give robust solutions for analyzing website traffic or in helping to research key demographic data to assess demand for products and services in a given area radius. Local Churches can develop content strategies based on the needs of those searching in their immediate vicinity or develop ad campaigns to drive interested folks to events or microsites that contain information and a chance to connect.

Social Media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter can help you to develop audiences through direct offers, videos and written content. They can help you refine your seminar offers to specific types of people such as a parenting seminar for parents with kids less than than 5.

For advanced ministries or churches solutions such as Hubspot, Radian6, Hootsuite and other marketing analytics software platforms could prove useful.

How to Cross Borders & Enter Countries Closed to the Gospel
The internet can reach behind walls of separation set up by oppressive regimes and governments. We may not be able to preach and teach freely in many countries but that doesn’t mean that the citizens of those countries aren’t searching for something better. People in closed countries have ways of accessing information that astounds me and it is important that we make our information accessible to such groups. For security reasons I cannot go into detail about the ways that information filters through censors however it is enough to say that God will work with what you produce for His glory. Only in Heaven will we will learn about the far reaching effects of our humble efforts for Him.

Social Media and the Internet have proven to be game changers. What remains to be seen is if we through the power of the Holy Spirit can see a vision of what can be accomplished for God and resolve by His power to make that vision a reality. The world is dying for the want of a Savior and through the tools of Social Media we can use the Health Message, the Principles of abundant living in Proverbs, and the three Angels Messages to warn this world and prepare it for the Soon Coming of Jesus.

Is the Investigative Judgement biblical, or did Ellen White just make that up?

So, this blog is in no way meant to be a comprehensive, exhaustive study on the Investigative Judgment. There are plenty of other materials from smarter, more well-versed scholars. BUT since you're still reading this, I'm guessing you're interested enough to know more about it.
Thanks for pickin' a winner. ;)

First of all. . . 
Many people don't know what the Investigative Judgement is. Some think it's some weird, cult-y jargon exclusive to Seventh-day Adventist and assume that it originated with Ellen White because, hey, why not.
To some circles, the terms "Pre-advent Judgement" and "Investigative Judgment" can be interchangeable. We'll stick with the latter to avoid confusion.
We know that God will judge the world at the end of time, but what does that even mean?

What is the Investigative Judgment?
I would define the term to mean a judgment by God after he performs an open investigation. God is characterized as being fair and just.(Psalms 25:8) For this to be true, He must not be arbitrary, because that would not be fair. The sentence also must follow some sort of due process, or else He would not be just.

Is this thing even biblical?

There are many Investigative Judgments throughout the Bible. 

"Seriously, I didn't make this up!" -Ellen White

• Beginning in Genesis 3, after the fall God asked Adam and Eve "what happened" (the investigation) before He pronounced judgment.
• Genesis 11, God saw (investigated) that man was wicked and he passed judgment. At the tower of Babel, God “came down to see” (investigate) and then he judged.
• In Leviticus 10 there is also an investigative judgment. Nadam and Abihu took strange fire “before the Lord”. A better translation of that would be “before God’s face.” This signifies that God saw (investigated) their apostasy and then pronounced judgment.

Are there any examples of Jesus mentioning something like this?
Jesus tells parables that involve an Investigative Judgment!

• Matthew 22 tells of a wedding feast where the king comes in to see (Investigate) which of the guests are wearing the appropriate wedding garments.
• The parable of the talents in Matt. 25 shows that the Master checked the work (investigated) before he judged and gave the rewards.

One last example!

The most compelling biblical example comes from the sin of Achan in Joshua 7. 
Achan takes what he’s not supposed to after a war. (No one was to pillage the losing people)
He returns to the camp with it and hides it under his family tent. God tells Joshua that someone had sinned and gives him a process and method of investigation. God tells Joshua to begin this process the next day.
The next day comes, lots are cast and Achan is found to be the one who sinned but the investigation is STILL not over.
The tribunal goes to Achan’s house where the illicit spools are discovered under his tent and THEN judgment is executed.

God allowed the judgment to be delayed because He still was giving time for Achan to repent!


What does this mean for us, today?!

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him: and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:7

Ellen White did not come up with the concept of the investigative judgment, God did.
This process highlights His justice, fairness and ultimately His love.
He has given us evidence of His righteous process all throughout scripture.

The good news is also that we have time TODAY to admit our sins, turn to Him and be forgiven! So that when His investigation is concluded, we could receive the reward of eternal life in His presence that He has promised!

Jesus puts it this way:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.

-John 3: 16-21

For more information about the Investigative Judgment, Click HERE!

Peace and blessings,
EF 

Friday Findings (No Love... No Point!)

Today's FF is FIRE from the altar of God!
If you have 5 extra minutes to be inspired, take a look around the original post and be blessed.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Tina.

CLICK HERE to see the original post. :)

No Love...No Point!

My teacher made our class read a online article called "Godless Cities," where it named the top two Godless cities and the top Bible minded city. To my surprise, Chattanooga TN was ranked as the top Bible minded city. Actually most of these southern states are known as the "Bible belt." But what was interesting is that my teacher made a point of saying that it's ironic that these Bible belt states are the same ones who were supportive of slavery. 

Aside from how the author of the article defined "bible minded," I was really stuck in thought by his statement. It caused me to think, what difference does it make if anyone's city is considered to be the top Bible minded place? The reality is, Chattanooga made the list but Chattanooga still has a serious gang violence issue. Chattanooga still has crime. There are still homeless people in Chattanooga. Chattanooga has corporate greed. There are still prostitutes in Chattanooga. There are abused women and drug users in Chattanooga. Chattanooga still has racist and prejudice residents. Murders still take place in Chattanooga. Sexual immortality is still a reality in Chattanooga.

I don't even know the official numbers but Chattanooga has churches on almost every corner of this city. It's like people wake up and randomly decide to start a church. That's how many churches this place has. 

But the question is, has being bible minded and having churches on every corner, turned this city into a place that reflects true disciples of Jesus? 

The Bible does not say that people will know that we are His by how many Jesus t-shirts we wear. Bumper stickers we put on our cars. Flags we place on our porches. Buttons we wear on our suits. Commentaries we have on our shelves or any of that stuff. 

The Bible says "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35 NASB). 

This is THE sign! This is the TEST. This is the list that we should be striving to be on. It makes no difference to be Bible minded but not truly transformed by the word of God. And the evidence of our transformation is LOVE.  And if we love one another the way Christ loves us, a lot of the foolishness that happens in this Bible minded Chattanooga will slowly but surely be issues of the past. 

Friday Findings

Here's a great blog that NEEDS to be read!

Our late finding today comes from a new blogging team with stellar skillz and a real passion for Christ!

This is the link back to the original post.

When Mountains Explode...

            On May 18, 1980, Mt. St. Helens erupted. Located in South-Western Washington State, St. Helens had been seen as one of the most beautiful and peaceful sights in the Pacific Northwest. The mountain is one of several large volcanic peaks that make up the Cascade Range. Other prominent peaks include Mt. Rainier near Seattle, Mt. Hood near Portland, Oregon, and Mt. Shasta in Northern California. At its base was a picturesque lake where visitors camped and fished. The mountain was taken for granted, a landmark for people seeking escape from the constant buzz of city-life. It took but a moment for this vision of splendor to erupt in ash and magma.             

            For two months, geologists had known something was coming. Small earthquakes, a visible bulge on the surface of the mountain, and other anomalies hinted at the power stirring beneath the earth. Yet the fury of the final eruption astonished everyone.

The picture of Mt. St. Helens Eruption I remember
from my parents coffee table book.

            Throughout the spring as the mountain had been rumbling, the snow that clung to its sides had been slowly melting, continuing a cycle as old as Creation. The melting snow seeped into the earth. On May 18, as the pressure of the white-hot magma bulged upward an earthquake suddenly occurred and the spring-soft face of the mountain gave way. One of history’s largest landslides released two hundred years’ worth of volcanic pressure and sent a molten cloud of steam, ash, and magma rocketing across the countryside at nearly the speed of sound. It leveled everything in its path and radically changed the landscape. What had once been a peaceful recreational area at the base of a beautiful peak became a post-apocalyptic wasteland in minutes. Trees were leveled for miles, then stripped of all foliage even further away. Pieces of heavy machinery were tossed into the air like children’s toys. The beauty, stability, and majesty of the mountain was destroyed.

            Growing up, my parents had a coffee table book that detailed the eruption. I remember being fascinated by it. It had amazing pictures of the eruption and the resulting devastation. One set in particular showed the mountain as it had been, then the landslide beginning, then the landslide continuing as the first evidence of the eruption begins, and finally the eruption overtaking the peak itself.

            Today the peak that was once visible over 200 miles away is now a shadow of its former glory. And though plant and animal life has returned, the mountain will always be a testament to the ultimate fragility of all things.

Even now I find myself feeling a certain discomfort at the thought of a force powerful enough to detonate a mountain! Of all the features on this earth, mountains seem the most stable and indestructible. They seem to remain despite the onslaught of time and nature. Yet they are not impervious to all attacks as Mt. St. Helens clearly shows.

Years later and 1700 miles away, I remember standing at the summit of Jackknife Mt. on the shore of Lake Aleknagik not far from Dillingham, Alaska. I was a staff member for the Alaska Camps program. This particular week we were at a camp called Polaris. It was the evening after the kids were gone and one of the counselors and myself decided we would climb Jackknife to see the sunset. In Alaska, the sun sets very late during the summer season and even after it has set it does not get dark. Because of this, my counselor friend and I reached the top near midnight, just as the sun was setting, all orange and pink.

As I stood there I felt utterly fragile. I was at the top of a mountain, surrounded by other mountains, looking at mountain peaks as far as the eye could see. Turning around, I saw massive storm cloud gliding silently toward us, towering above the majesty around us, dwarfing the tallest peaks, yet even it was subordinate for it glowed brilliant pink as it reflected the setting sun. Never in my life have I seen such majesty. I honestly doubt I ever will again this side of heaven.

The fact is, everything on Earth is at the mercy of something else. No matter how stable or how dependable it seems it must always bow before another. In that bowing, there is fear. Not the condition of being afraid, as one would feel about a violent criminal, but the all-consuming knowledge that what you bow to is what determines the fate of your existence. Just as the storm must bow before the sun and just as the St. Helens was powerless in the face of geological forces, so you and I must bow.

Where will you bow? Will you bow before your career, believing that your income will make or break your existence and living in fear of its wrath? Will you bow before the opinion of others, jumping through hoops to make them happy with you? Will you bow before your family, sacrificing freedom and individuality in the name of loyalty and “not rocking the boat”? Or will you bow before your Creator? Will you say with the inhabitants of Heaven,

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created.”—Rev. 4:11

Everything on this Earth must bow before something. But He who created all bows before no one! He is the self-existent and self-sustaining Sovereign over all and only He is worthy of your devotion and only He is worth your devotion. You see He has the power to remove you from existence but the love to protect you from it at all costs. In a world where mountains can explode and lives fall apart, He remains the same “yesterday, today, and forever.”(Heb. 13:8)

Photo credit:

Gary Rosenquist accessed goo.gl/tdJ8h6

Superhero

This morning I woke up with this song in my mind. It was the Theme song last summer in the summer camp I served at.
I haven't thought about it in months! But I found myself needing a REAL superhero.

His name is Jesus.

He has saved my life and wants to do the same with yours!

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7

The lyrics are in the video if you want to sing along. :)

Be blessed!

EJ

Sin Makes You Stupid

Today we will be having a guest post from Marcos Torres!!

A great friend with a big love for Jesus. (We'll forgive him for being a Jets fan though ;)

The original post can be found Here.

 More blogs from "Jesus, Adventism and I" can be found HERE!

Write in the comment box below any reflections you may have had.

Enjoy and be blessed!

EF

Sin Makes You Stupid

The story of Samson is in my opinion, the saddest story in the Old Testament. Though other stories such as the fall of man, the life of Saul, and the sin of David are also sad, in my opinion the story of Samson is the most heart breaking. According to the Bible, Samson was born during a time in which Israel was living under Philistine rule due to their sins (Judges 13:1). Samson was born a Nazirite, (13:7) and at a very young age the spirit of God began to move on him to deliver Israel from their Philistine oppressors (13:25). However, Samson soon proved to be arrogant and disobedient to both God and parent (14:8-9). In the end, this mighty warrior who could have done so much for God died young and humiliated (17:31). Though there are many lessons we can glean from Samson’s life, I would like to focus on his lack of self-control, his pride and arrogance, and his weak prayer life.

It is very clear from early on that Samson lacked self-control. The very first story that is told of Samson shows him approaching his parents and telling them that he saw a Philistine woman that he wanted as his wife. Of course, marrying a Philistine was outside of the question for an Israelite, but Samson didn’t care about Gods standards. To him, all that mattered was that “she pleased [him] well” (14:1-3). The relationship ended in disaster. Samson should have realized then and there that doing things his own way would always result in disaster, but he did not seem to learn his lesson. At a later time we see Samson enter the city Gaza and spend a night with a prostitute (16:1). The Philistines attempted to trap him in the city by shutting the gates and waiting for him but by God’s grace Samson was able to escape. Once again, Samson should have realized that were it not for God he would have been a dead man, but Samson did not learn his lesson. A few verses down we see Samson once again in the arms of another woman named Delilah who consistently nagged him for the secret of his strength. How Samson did not see what was happening I do not know, but as the saying goes, "sin makes you stupid." On top of that, perhaps Delilah was so beautiful that he overlooked the obvious. This lack of self-control proved to be his ruin when he eventually revealed his secret to her and she betrayed him into Philistine hands (16:20-21).

Although Samson lacked self-control, perhaps an even greater weakness of his was his pride. Samson had come to a point where he thought he could play with sin and get away with it. He thought the strength he had would always be there and he failed to realize that apart from God he was as weak as a common man. Samson’s pride also becomes evident early on when he takes honey from a lion he had killed and eats it (14:9). This was a clear violation of his Nazirite vow which stated he could not touch a carcass. However, Samson did not seem to care one bit. Sometime later Samson was tricked by the Philistines. Instead of admitting that the Philistines were wicked people and getting away from them Samson took personal revenge on them by killing thirty Philistine men (14:19). The Philistines retaliated, and Samson did not back off. Instead he took three hundred foxes, tied them in pairs, and let them loose on Philistine crops with lit torches tied to their tails (15:4-5). Samson’s pride finally became his destruction when Delilah entered the picture. All along Delilah continued to tempt him to reveal the secret of his strength. Apart from his inability to walk away from her seductive beauty, I believe Samson also thought himself able to play with temptation and win. He did well at first by not revealing his secret to Delilah, but eventually she got it out of him (16:16-17). Had Samson humbled himself and realized his need of God and obedience to Him, Samson would never have fallen into such a trap.

While a lack of self-control and pride were serious weaknesses in the life of Samson, his greatest downfall was his lack of prayer. All of us are born with weaknesses, but through an intimate relationship with God we can be infused with the power to overcome those weaknesses. Samson knew no such relationship with God. The Bible only records Samson praying twice. The first time, Samson had just slayed a thousand Philistines single handedly. After the battle he found himself dehydrated with no water to drink and on the verge of death. Samson cried out to God and God saved him (15:18-19). The other time Samson prayed was when he was about to die (16:28-30). However, this time Samson’s prayer reflected a heart that had repented. The phrase “remember me” gives us a glimpse into the heart of Samson – that he had finally come to realize that apart from God he was nothing. However, even though the Bible only records Samson praying two times, I believe he prayed three times. The first time was after the battle, the third just before his death, and the second (which the Bible doesn’t mention) just after he was captured. After Samson revealed his secret to Delilah the Bible says:

And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him. But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house (16:19-21).

In one of his sermons, Seventh-day Adventist pastor Henry Wright refers to Judges 16:20 as the saddest verse in the Old Testament and I fully agree. Samson got up like before and thought he would be OK “I’ll go out as before” he said, but he had no idea that the LORD, his true source of power, had left him. My question to all those who read this story is this: What do you think Samson did? What do you think he did as the Philistines dragged him into the street? What do you think he did as they punched him and kicked him and spit on him? What do you think Samson did as the Philistines pulled his beard and slapped his face and cursed his God and humiliated him? What do you think Samson did as a group of soldiers held him to the ground while another walked over to him, knife in hand, saying, “I am going to cut your eyes out”? I’ll tell you what I think he did. I believe Samson prayed like he had never prayed before. I believe he cried out to God in utter desperation. “Please God! Don’t let them do this to me!” I believe Samson promised God the world, “I promise I will do whatever you ask Lord, I will give you my life! I’ll obey you for the rest of my life, but please don’t let them take my eyes out!” Interesting. Isn't this exactly what many of us do? We ignore God until we find ourselves in a mess, and then we cry out to Him with a million promises. But God did not answer Samson’s prayer. You see, it was the same prayer Samson prayed when he was dying of thirst. There was no true repentance, only fear of death. God wanted to get Samson to the point where he would no longer fear death. God wanted to get Samson to give his life over to him completely. God knew if he delivered Samson, Samson would go back to his old ways as he had done before. This was the only way that God could save Samson. He had to let it happen. How great the love of God! That He is willing to go to any length to save you and me! Thousands of years later, the son of God endured similar treatment at the hands of the Romans to the point that He cried out, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”(Matthew 27) But God did not deliver Him either. God knew this was the only way He could save you. So He let it happen. The story of Samson shows us that God is willing to go to any length to save you and me.

Samson screamed. He kicked. He cried. He bled. And then, he couldn’t see anymore. And he began to think. What did Samson think of? Perhaps all of the times that he had ignored God. Perhaps his past sins came to haunt him. In the midst of this he remembered the scriptures his mother taught him as a child about the mercy of God and in his darkest hour he finally reached out to the One whom he had long rejected. Then, in his final prayer we encounter a Samson who was no longer afraid of death. He had met God face to face. “And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life” (16:30).

So what does all of this mean for contemporary Christians? First of all, self-control is vital to success in the Christian life. Paul said, “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Corinthians 9:26-27). Second, pride is a dangerous attitude. Evangelist Alejandro Bullon said in one of his series, that “pride is the dumb idea that you can live without God.” Solomon said, “When pride cometh, then cometh shame…” (Proverbs 11:2) and Paul said, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Finally, the life of Samson teaches us that a life lacking in prayer is doomed to go nowhere. Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me” (John 15:4). Paul exhorts us to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). And Jesus Christ, the son of God prayed as though everything depended on it, and indeed everything did. If Jesus Himself prayed so earnestly, how much more should we? I pray that the life of Samson would be a lesson to all of us so that we do not repeat the mistakes that cost such a promising man his dignity, destiny, and life.

Red Hot Love

This is a FANTASTIC video for everyone watch, think about and share!

More great stuff can be found on this website:
Digma.com

Blessings!

EF