Basics of the Faith

Have you ever considered what are supposed to be the most basic elements of the Christian Faith? I know for me I have always wondered where is the line between the basic course and the advanced course in Christianity. Today, I came across a list in Hebrews 6 that gives us some insight into what are some of the basic tenets of Christian Faith.

According to the author of Hebrews here are the starting points for developing a basic understanding of the Christian Faith:

1. Repentance from works that only lead to death (sin)
2. Faith in God
3. Ceremonial washings, baptism could be included in this
4. Laying on of Hands
5. Resurrection of the Dead
6. Eternal Judgment
   

For me I was surprised to see some of the items on this list included in the basic Christianity Course. To think that my understanding of laying on of hands and baptism should be a part my foundation level understanding of Christianity changes how I look at both my own faith and how I teach others. As a result over the next few weeks I will be taking a look at each one of these areas. It is my hope to to not only more fully develop my own understanding of these issues but to also help other Christians create a more solid foundation for their faith. As I work through some of these issues I would appreciate any thoughts or comments you have. Remember iron sharpens iron.

Changing WIU, Spoon and Macomb

A few weeks back I was asked by the Director of Next Gen Ministries at IBSA to look over some information regarding a possible new strategy of reaching campus. It is essentially, a church planting movement on the campus. Part of me was skeptical at first because I have seen too many college students become involved in a "college" church and then have problems finding a church after graduation.

Today I was reading some more about this idea and some of those who are leading the movement nationally. While I am still in the early stages of learning, I am nonetheless very intrigued. I have read a number of testimonies that have spoken to my heart. They talk about life changing gatherings of students all across the world. The things they testify are the things my dreams are made of. I do not know if this is the specific path God desires for the college ministry here in Macomb but part of me sure hopes it is.

If you have a few minutes take some time and check out this sites and let me know what you think.

http://campuschurch.net/
http://jaesonma.blogspot.com/

Spiritual Maturity

Do you think I sound spiritually mature? Are you spiritually mature?

This are some of the more difficult questions to ask within the church. They are difficult because they require us to make an honest evaluation of ourselves and those around us. So what is the standard for spiritual maturity? Is it Paul? Peter? Noah? Christ?

Simply put it is none of them. Yes, we are called to be like Christ but we can still be spiritually mature without obtaining Christ's spiritual maturity. Yes, we should see Paul, Peter and Noah as spiritually mature but once again we can be spiritualluy mature and not be like them. So how do we know? Believe it or not Scripture gives us some clues about what spiritual maturity looks like.

One such clue is found in Hebrews 5. Here we find that the ability to discern good and evil is a mark of maturity. In essence, the writer is saying to us that when we are able to consistently recognize the lies and deceptions of the Devil then we are showing signs of spiritual maturity. So can you consistently see his lies? If not why not? What is it that is keeping you from growing into maturity?

These same verse in Hebrews also tell us that our maturity is a result of training and practice. The word practice (in the original Greek) means a power or habit acquired through custom or use. To me this says that we need to work at seeing the work of the Devil. Even we do not want to do it we must be working on developing the habit. This same principle applies to other areas of spiritual growth. I know there are days when I do not necessarily want to be in God's word. I have so much that I feel like I have to do that I think "I just do not have the time to do it this morning and besides I have pretty good over the last few weeks, what is one missed day.." Well, if I allow myself to fall into this trap then one day becomes two and then three and then four.... While, I do not always follow my own advice I work hard at continuing in certain habits (i.e. reading God's word or praying for others) even when I do not want because I know that through these kinds of exercises I will be able to develop some spiritual maturity. What are some habits that you have that help you develop spiritual maturity? What safeguards do you have in your life to protect those habits?

And yes I would like for your to leave your answers to these questions in the comments section. :)

Success in Life

Last night I was asked one of the most difficult questions yet from my youth. Why does God choose some people and not others? It really made me think. Why does He choose some and not others?

To give you a little context we had been discussing the life of Moses. We had examined the fact that he was a failure at many things yet he was the man God used to lead His people out of slavery. We had also viewed a video that talks about some famous people who had suffered the agony of failure. The point of the evening was that we are all failures at something yet God still uses us. We are the great cloud of witnesses for the next generation of believers.

As I began to try and answer my student's question. Two ideas came to mind. First, in some cases such as Noah, Scripture describes the person as righteous or even the most righteous in their generation. Second, "I don't know but I am sure glad He does" God has been picking people like you and me to do His work for millenniums. Think about it. What was so special about Matthew, Mark, Luke, Paul, Moses, and Stephen?

What set this men apart was their faith. It was there choice to hope for things not seen. To look to the future and see God's glory. They understood the idea behind, my now infamous saying, "that the light at the end of tunnel was not a train but Jesus in Heaven." So what separates you from you the world? What separates you from your friends? Do hope for things you cannot see? Do have hope at all? If you have no hope for the future then today is your day to receive hope. Jesus is my hope and yours.

Gospel in The Desert

Many Christians struggle with how to best reconcile the Old and New Testaments. This was especially true for myself when I was a new believer. On the surface it appears as though the 2 Testaments show two different gods or at the very least a god who changed during the 400 or so years of silence. On the other hand, God is unchanging and He is the God of the Old and New Testaments. Today, I want to share with you something from Hebrews 3 that may help you better understand how the 2 testaments are not as different as they may appear.

In Hebrews 3 the writer compares Moses (plus his followers) and Jesus (plus His followers). The conclusion of this comparison is found in verse 19 in which the author simply states that it was because of their unbelief that the Israelites were not allowed to enter into the promised land (God's rest). This is in many ways the gospel in a nutshell. A person's unbelief is what will prevent them from entering God's rest (Heaven).

I know this is only one of the many ways in which the 2 testaments lineup with one another. What are some of the ones you have noticed and seen?

Why Did Christ Suffer?

First and foremost he suffered and died to pay the penalty for our sins. This is by far the most important reason for Christ's wounds. However, the Book of Hebrews tell us of another rationale.

Hebrews 2:18 tells us that Christ was not only tempted but suffered so that he could aid those who are tempted and those who are suffering. When I read this verse I thought, does this mean Christ could not somehow have been my Comforter before His time on Earth? I know the answer to that question is 'no' because God does not change. So how does this verse lineup with the truth that God does not change.

The answer is that for once it is about us. You see Christ's ability to comfort us in our suffering did not change because of His pain. Rather, our ability to connect with Him changed. Our understanding of His love and grace changed at the Cross. As humans we tend to be better able to receive comfort from people if we truly believe that they can understand our perspective on life. In the same sense, Christ's temptation and suffering allows us to more readily believe that He can comfort us because He has been there and done that.

Always remember my friends. Christ is waiting to exchange your yoke for His and His is much lighter than ours.

The Passion-Revisited, sort of...

Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ was released in 2004. When it came out millions of Christians and non-Christians flooded movie theaters. Thousands of churches had viewing events. For so long it was hard to escape hearing about this film. I have heard numerous stories of people coming to salvation through the truth in this film. Despite all of this I was some what hesitant to see it. I am not really sure why.

Some will say that I was scared to see the depth of suffering. I suppose at some level that was true. Nobody every gave me an accurate description of what they had seen in the movie. Because of this I convinced myself that I did not want to see it. This of course made me feel like I was a bad Christian. This was compounded by the fact that I was a minister and it was almost a requirement for me to see it. In the end, I am not sure why God never allowed me to view this film before now. It is one of those questions I may never get answered this side of Heaven.

Tonight God allowed me to see this film for the first time. To be honest, the gruesomeness of it did not bother me at all. I can see how many people would be shocked by this graphic depiction of Christ's suffering. For me though I have always imagined Christ great suffering. The weekend I was saved we were examining in great detail the full extent of Christ suffering and because of this His great amount of suffering has always been a part of my understanding of faith. This is not to say that the movie did not touch me.

For me the suffering of Jesus' parents was of keen interest. As most of you know, I have a 2 year old son and during the film I found myself imagining what I would be feeling if it was Aiden in Jesus' place. There is a scene in the movie where Mary (Jesus' mother) goes running to Him to help Him up and comfort Him. During this there is a flashback to a time when Jesus was a boy who fell and skinned His knee and we see Mary running to His side just like a good parent would. I cannot begin to imagine the intense emotional pain of Mary, Joseph, and God the Father.

Now I know the film may not be 100% accurate. Christians are well within their rights to discuss and debate some of the finer points of the film. I am not here to do that. I am here to say that I would recommend people see this film. I firmly believe that the heart of the gospel is clearly presented. If you have never seen this film, give it a chance. Open your mind and heart to what God wants to say to you with this film.

Doing Good Deeds

Is it easy for you to do good deeds? Does it come naturally to you?

If it does not then you should know that you are not alone. Truth be told doing truly good deeds does not come naturally. Our sinful nature prevents us from this. We as believers can train ourselves to do good deeds. If we do this correctly then good deeds will eventually become a part of who we are.

This training to do good deeds is nothing new. This kind of training was supposed to be one of the first outwards signs of how Christianity was different in the first century. In Titus 3:14 we see Paul telling his fellow laborers that the people must learn how to do good deeds so they can have a fruitful and fulfilling lives. Of course, this begs the questions, what are you doing to develop the habit of doing good deeds? What are you doing to develop this habit in others?

Let me know some of the good deeds you are doing.

Who is Your Mentor?

So who is your mentor? Who is the person you look up to? Who do you meet with (one on one) regularly to learn from?

As a Christian we are called to have spiritual mentors. Titus 2 describes many of theses kinds of relationships. In this chapter Paul examines how older and younger men and older and younger women are to relate to one another. But who is considered to be older and who is considered to be younger??

YOU! I believe you and I fit both categories. You see each of us has someone older and younger than us in the church and as such we are called to be mentored and to be a mentee. I suppose then the better question to have asked is who are you mentoring?