Signs and Wonders conclusion...

The Conclusion:

My previous two blogs have established both the good and the bad that come with spiritual gifts from my own experience and the experience of others. Yet, why not go to the source. No one in the Bible talks more about the spiritual gifts than the Apostle Paul. He lists the gifts three different times in his epistles, and two of those times came from one book (1 Corinthians chapters 12-14). It seems even he needed to reign in the believer’s at Corinth concerning the gifts because there was confusion and discord going on. Paul recognized that the gifts were a good thing that came from God, but certainly not the most important. He exhorted the Corinthians to “pursue love, but desire spiritual gifts.” The gifts were to serve the purpose of encouraging the saints and to be a sign amongst the non-believers that God was indeed real and active. Yet, Paul had to set boundaries, because there seemed to be chaos afoot. People were speaking out during times of teaching. People started speaking in tongues which no one could understand without interpretation. He never condemns the gifts, but he points out the necessity of order within church meetings with the central theme being that of love. Churches today should sincerely try to apply the order and direction Paul gives, for it is just as relevant today.

Why do we need them…?

Many today would pose the question “why do we need the spiritual gifts, when we have the Bible?” It’s a good question. I believe there are several reasons why the spiritual gifts are a useful tool in this day. I use the word tool, because they are meant to perform a job or a work. It is a tool which God uses to touch peoples lives in various many ways. Ultimately, it is a super-natural aid that points people to Jesus and equips them to fulfill His plans on the Earth. They are for multiplying, encouraging, and equipping the church. They are a sign that God is real and active. I would go out on a limb and say that if there were no longer any manifestation gifts active we would have “a form of Godliness without power.” God the Holy Spirit is still with us and if we are open to Him He will move through us to touch others. I’m sure there are several other reasons to embrace the gifts, but for now this explanation will do.

Where do we error concerning the gifts…?

This is where I like to say that a really important gift within the church that is often overlooked and badly needed is discernment. It is my prayer that God would give me spiritual discernment and a word of wisdom over any other gift. For the manifestations that we witness have their source in one of three places. God, human, or satanic. I believe some error when they mistaken a manifestation that is not from God for something that comes from their own imagination or psyche. The problem becomes worse when that person believes they now have a direct line with God when they are really moving on their own ideas and will power. One can be deceived to the point where such gifts can begin to become demonic counterfeits. Demons can heal. Demons speak in other languages. Demons foretell the future. Demons believe in God and will use his name indirectly to mislead the church. I personally question some of the more bizarre manifestations that are happening in the church today. Such as angel feathers falling from the ceiling (which have been tested and were found to be bird feathers) and sparkling gold substances pouring out of the pores of people in services. Some will argue “the Bible says we shall do greater things than even Jesus did, and these are the greater things.” The problem I have is that these manifestations are not found in the scriptures. Healing is, tongues are, prophecy is, even people being bitten by snakes and acting like nothing happened. Yet, this gold dust isn’t there. Either this kind of thing is slight of hand or it could quite possibly be a spiritual counterfeit. One thing I know for sure is that you can test the gifts by the plumbline which is the Bible and by the fruit they produce. Are they leading people to Jesus? Are they causing people to glorify God? Or are they leading people away from God. Are people becoming out of touch and losing themselves in a strange imaginary world, becoming so heavenly high that they are no longer any earthly good. If one were to ask me about strange manifestations like gold dust my response would be, “I don’t need it, and I don’t want it. Thanks anyways, just give me Jesus.” We need God’s protection and discernment in this day probably more so now than any time in church history. The church has been surrounded and is being bombarded by the world and the devil, plus we still have to deal with ourselves which is hard enough as it is. Ask God for discernment, in His son’s name. Test the spirit to see whether it is of Jesus.

Final thought…

About a month in a half ago I was at a church service during the music/worship time. I had my hands raised in the air as I praised God and I had feelings of goose bumps and warm sensations coming over my body. In the past I would have just embraced such an occurrence without question. This day I decided to do something that I never do. I said, “If this feeling does not come from Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, then I want nothing to do with it.” Immediately the sensations ceased. I am very grateful for this season I have had away from the charismatic movement. For one, I have come back to the essentials of the faith, which is all about Jesus. Two, I can ask questions without feeling odd or unspiritual. And lastly my fervor for evangelism and having a heart for the lost is beginning to come back. I go to a church where I have never seen any of the manifestation gifts operate, yet it is growing. People are coming to know Jesus and are being delivered from their sins. I am excited to be a part of something so lively and vibrant without there having to be a prophetic word every service. This does not mean that I have thrown the baby out with the bath water when it comes to the gifts and the super-natural. In a way I appreciate them more when they do happen. I’m sure I will continue to struggle at times with certain expressions, but this walk was never meant to be easy.

I hope you have found this blog helpful, maybe you didn’t. If so, whatever. I, for one, feel more liberated having written it. To God be the glory always and forever…

Signs and Wonders continued...

Sorry it’s taken me a bit to update this.

A small defense for the gift’s of the Holy Spirit operation within the church today….

There are many today in the church who believe the manifestation gifts of the Holy Spirit as seen in the book of Acts and all throughout the New Testament are no longer in operation. Some will go as far to say that all such things are really counterfeit, demonic manifestations. These people are usually labeled cessationists. They believe that after the Apostles established the church there was no longer any need for the gifts. Once the cannon closed (the Bible was brought together) they ceased to operate. From both a historical perspective and a Biblical exegesis I think we can put some of those ideas to bed.

For one the gifts continued to manifest throughout history. Even the Celtic Christians, like St. Patrick, Aiden, and others reported both visions and prophetic utterances over 1000 years after the church was established at Pentecost. There have been many testimonies of church goers throughout the centuries speaking in unknown languages. Even some being literally transported from one place in the world to another (like Phillip from the book of Acts, although such testimonies are very rare). The Great Awakenings during the 1800’s to early 1900’s saw many manifestation gifts along with mass revivals in England and the U.S.

As for the Biblical perspective, there are two major points of reference I hear cessationists bring up. One is from 1st Corinthians 13 (that would be the love chapter). Towards the end of the chapter Paul writes:

“Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. ¹¹When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. ¹²Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”

Cessationists will say that the Bible is the “perfection” that Paul is speaking of in this passage. Yet, there is a major problem with this view. Verse twelve is what gives us a major clue as to what Paul is really meaning behind the word “perfection.” Now we only know some things. Even though we prophesy we cannot know fully the things of God. Spiritual things are hard to understand. Like trying to explain the triune God-head, I just can’t. Even with the Bible today we still have questions. There is so much about God we cannot fully understand… BUT “then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” It is quite obvious the Apostle is referring to our entering the Kingdom of Heaven, seeing Christ face to face. Knowing all things fully at that time, where we can only get glimpses from this side of eternity. On that day “perfection” will come and the gifts will no longer be needed.

The second passage comes to us from Revelation chapter 22:

¹⁸I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. ¹⁹And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

Cessationists say that with this statement came the final revelation of Jesus Christ. No new revelation is needed. Therefore the gifts are adding to the God’s final Revelation and are cursed. Perhaps they need to read the passage again and highlight the words “in this book.” Any studied person would know that the books of the Bible were hand copied several times and sent to different churches in different regions and countries. There was no printing press back then, things needed to be written on papyrus (or some derivative) scrolls which were then copied and re-copied, some into different languages. The only other means was oral communication. Occasionally people in those days took the liberty of editing certain texts or even sometimes just making simple mistakes. I believe this passage is addressing that directly. If someone got the urge to edit out anything John had written or add something to his finished work it would be cursed, as would the person who did the editing. This doesn’t even relate to new revelation given by God or to say that the gifts of the Holy Spirit will no longer function. You have to do some rigorous scriptural gymnastics to get there and it still doesn’t make sense to interpret this passage the way cessationists do. Don’t edit the book of Revelation and you’ll be fine, if you do, God is going to molly-wop you.

I find the core reason why most cessationists don’t accept the existence of the gifts is two-fold. One, they have not experienced them first hand. Anything outside the realm of experience that seems controversial is deemed dismissible. Second, the fear of something that is outside of their control and fear of the unknown. They are afraid of them.

I could go deeper into this topic, but it is not the main point of this blog. I first wanted to stress that I do believe God still operates and manifests Himself in an experiential way, now on to the hard part…

Charismatic Chaos.

I remember being at a conference one evening when an announcement went out that it was time for those who hadn’t been Baptized in the Holy Spirit (see Acts chapter 2 and various other instances from the book.) come forward to the alter to receive it. I have many friends who had gone through this practice to receive this gift. According to most Pentecostal circles the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is usually accompanied by the manifestation of speaking in tongues. It is the outward sign that people had been filled with the Spirit. Yet, what I saw this night looked nothing like the book of Acts at all. The minister told these young adults to open themselves up and ask for God to fill them with the Spirit, in Jesus name. They did. Nothing too crazy was happening. Accept for the fact that the speaker kept trying to coax them into speaking baby talk. “Just say whatever pops into your head! Open your mouth and just let it fly!!” I could kind of hear some muttering and dull whispers. The one thing that was very apparent, all those participating seemed very uncomfortable and not full of the Holy Spirit. It seemed more like manipulation by a minister to achieve a self perceived spiritual goal than an actual manifestation of the God of all creation. We were pulling God down to do what we want on our time schedule (which was a half-hour slot at a conference). It looked nothing like the book of Acts. It looked like a farce. Sometimes I get the same feelings watching the tele-evangelist who is trying to sell anointed oil for someone’s healing or seeing gold dust “from God” that apparently falls out of their hair and fills the audience while they read the scriptures. Yeah, there’s the real thing at times, but we are human beings, flesh and blood and prone to error and some people are just good con-artists.

My past experiences had left me wide open to the supernatural. As a matter of fact, I was more open to that than anything else. I desired the gift prophecy above all else when I started out. I had decided God had called me to be a Prophet to the body of Christ. I even received conformation through my peers and a mentor of mine while I was in Bible College. Although, to be honest I felt like I was spending more time trying to convince myself that this was true than I was simply pursuing God. Yes, God had found me, but He wanted me to pursue Him all the more. I was more interested in pursuing His gifts at times. Getting a powerful prophetic word about my destiny, moving in signs and wonders took the place of the simplicity of walking with God in practical day to day terms. I lived for that next encounter. I stopped pursuing God and started pursuing position within the church. My heart was not right, as it was not surrendered. I should not have cared so much about titles or even signs and wonders, but I did. I got caught up in the *Charismatic Chaos* of “feelings” and “encounters,” but could not see that my life was not producing the fruit that should accompany such experiences. It was like a new drug. A drug with a better purpose perhaps, but a drug none the less. I was stalled in my growth and needed to get away for a better perspective…

The following is a story from one of my best friends and a dear brother in Christ. In the 1990’s there was a revival of supposed epic proportions happening at a Vineyard Church in Toronto. It eventually became known around the world as the “Toronto Blessing.” My friend heard of what was happening, packed up his family and headed up to Toronto. While there he did claim to feel a manifest presence of God that was quite powerful. He frequently returned to the Revival meetings and came to know a couple who were Pastoring a church back in Pennsylvania. The husband became enthralled with what was happening at these meetings which began affecting his church and his marriage. Prophets began flying in proclaiming, “This is the watering hole of the world!” People were being healed of illnesses, gold teeth fillings were reported. One minister supposedly manifested gold dust all over her body while she ministered. It was later proven that the gold was really some kind of synthetic plastic. When confronted with this the minister simply said, “As long as it is from God, I don’t care what it is.” The more and more the revival grew the more and more hype and grandiose prophesies of changing the whole world for Christ kept coming forth. This pastor my friend had met had bought into this notion hook, line and sinker. My friend began discerning that there was something wrong with it and began to distance himself a little. The young Pastor decided it would be a good idea to use all of the money from his church, including the burial funds, to push this revival forward. Not long after he lost his church and nearly lost his marriage. He moved away from the revival and after several years of personal healing was restored. My friend distanced himself from Toronto, but started going to an offshoot of the revival which was happening in Philadelphia. If I remember correctly they were meeting in less than admirable building. A prophetic minister was overseeing the revival and proclaiming that this movement would change the city of Philadelphia. The city would be God’s tabernacle or tent where all would experience the glory of God (mysterium tremendum). Three pegs were already set down, they just needed one more put into the ground. They believed that God was going to move them into an abandoned car dealership where the last peg would be driven into the ground and transformation would begin. Of course it takes money to do all of this. Many people committed all they could, but it wasn’t enough. The prophetic minister began to become enraged at the people’s lack of giving. He preached fiery messages to try to keep it going. Little did he know the fire had already gone out. My friend was sitting at the back of the service while this man ranted and screamed at the people and then crumpled onto the floor and just wept. My friend walked up to the front of the room embraced him and helped bring him back to Jesus. Suffice it to say, the revival and grandiose prophecy did not come to pass. Philly remains, well, just Philly. The Toronto Blessing’s hype died down over the years. It certainly never became the watering hole of the world, but there is still a church there called the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship.

I am not saying all of this to say that nothing good came out of the Toronto Blessing. Many people’s lives were touched and they are still walking with Christ to this day. If only for that, then it was worth it. Yet, there were also some lives that were completely shipwrecked and disillusioned with God as a result. Those participating in such movements need to exercise their right to question and use some God given discernment. Jesus and his Apostle’s didn’t act like a bunch of super-spiritual quacks; I don’t think we need to either.

To be concluded.

Signs, wonders, miracles, and the supernatural.

Eventually I knew that I would have to blog about this subject. Mostly because of my own personal experiences and trying to put things in perspective. I wrestle a great deal with the topic because I have seen and felt things that are beyond my five senses and conventional reason to be able to process. At times I knew these things were from God. Sometimes not. I sought after these experiences time and time again. Like trying to build a puzzle and having to find individual pieces through personal encounters with the Almighty. At times it seemed things got a little warped. I went a little too far. I see others seeking after the signs and wonders more than they are seeking after God himself. Unbalanced. Without perspective. On fire. Totally sold out. Obedience has nothing to do balance. I wrestle. I wrestle with God, with my self, with my spiritual enemy. This blog will probably have several parts to it. The first part will be my personal experiences which have proven to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is still very active in this world and in our lives. These experiences will sound bizarre, and some might be unbelievable. Whether or not you believe what I'm saying actually happened is your choice, but I will be sharing actual experiences. Hopefully some perspective and clarity can come from my sharing.

March 2002...

I had been in a Drug and Alcohol program for about 5 months. It was a Christian program, Teen Challenge. The program bombarded it's inhabitants with scripture and Pentecostal (an Evangelical denomination that believes in Speaking in Tongues and the supernatural gifts) teaching. I had already committed my life to Jesus, a decision I made before I entered the program. I read the Bible faithfully and prayed often, yet never had any real break through. Was God really there?? I believed He was, but I had no evidence for my belief. My prayers seemed to be going unanswered. On one evening I was reading a book about Spiritual Warfare (The church vs the powers Satan, for those who are unfamiliar with this term.). Within the book was a confession, the 'Apostles Creed.' I confessed this out loud in my room and believed every word of it to be true, whole hearted. I put the book down and started to get ready for bed. All of a sudden I had a strange feeling building up inside of me. My belly felt like it was churning and I had a heightened sense of anticipation. Something is happening here. I didn't know quite what to make of it. I grabbed the book I had been reading and made for the chapel, which was kept open at night for the men there who wanted to pray. I walked into the room and looked around. There were two other men there who were quietly praying, as well. I went into the third pew towards the front of the chapel and sat down. This feeling was building up inside of me even greater than before. I opened the book and then I heard... "Put the book down( not audible, but like a clear voice in my mind)." All of a sudden I felt as though my whole body had been enveloped in the presence of something powerful, something that loved me, and something that was so holy it was almost terrifying. I truly had a sense of all of my guilt of how disgusting a person I had become and within moments my guilt was completely wiped away. I was sprawled out onto the pew. I felt as if I could not move even if I wanted to. I was held captive by love and mercy. I began to weep uncontrollably. I began to say over and over again "I know, that I know, that I know..." The presence then began to become lighter. I felt like I could move again. My eyes were still tear filled as I stood up singing the praise song "Jesus, lover of my soul." I looked around and I knew my life would never be the same. I had been transformed. I had encountered the Almighty and my life would be His now.

Two weeks later...
I still had exhilarating sensations for the next two weeks. My roommate told me that I was starting to speak in tongues. Sounded like a repeating da, da, da, to me. I really didn't think too much of it. Yet one night in particular I would have an experience that would shake my world, quite literally. I remember that I was dreaming, in the dream a certain girl from my past was talking to me, just like old times. Then she paused and said the words, "Shak(my old nickname), you can not tell people what you have experienced, they do not know the difference between the flesh (natural life) and the spirit (spiritual life)." I found it a bit odd that she would mention this. Then I asked, "How do you the difference?" She stopped and looked at me with an aggressive look in her eye. "I asked you question, how do you know the difference?" Suddenly, the dream just ended. Then out of nowhere I felt two large hands grab my shoulders and began to violently shake me up and down. I opened my eyes, I was awake at this point, and looked up to see nothing shaking me. I was being driven up and down into my mattress by something I couldn't see. I nearly wet myself I was so terrified. I whimpered out the name Jesus and it let me go. Just like that. As soon as I said "Jesus" it stopped. I still felt the presence of something evil in my room. I pulled my covers in tightly and remained as still as possible. Eventually I fell back to sleep. It must have been some sort of demon. Who is going to believe me I thought...
... another week later I was awaken by clogged nasal passages. I got out of bed and walked over to the dresser to grab a tissue. Then I felt it again. That dark sinister presence was in the room again. It literally felt as though it sucked the air out of my lungs I was so terrified. I leaned up against my dresser and felt as if I couldn't speak. Just then my roommate who was in a dead sleep sat straight up in bed and shouted "IN THE NAME OF JESUS GET BENEATH MY FEET!" He layed back down and continued so sleep. Immediately the presence was gone. In it's place was a sense of peace and safety. I told my roommate about the experience the next morning. The crazy thing about it was that he was having a dream similar to the one I had the week before and that's when he shot up and rebuked the demon. He thought he was dreaming the entire time, I told him different. Till this day I have never encountered something quite like that, but I know "they" are out there.

Prophecy and my mom...

I graduated Teen Challenge and moved on to Y.W.A.M (Youth with a Mission). It was a missionary training, para-church ministry (a mouthful, I know). While there I was attending an 'Apostolic' (Pentecostalish) church and a 'prophet' came through by the name of Bill Yount. He was rather distinguishable because he had a rather large goiter on his forehead. He spoke with great authority and power. He prophesied over things that were to come. I had heard prophecies before, but none quite like this. Most prophecies I had heard up until this point seemed like vague biblical language that were used as words of encouragement. Bill came up to me and prophesied that God was preparing my parents hearts to receive the Gospel and that I had to be faithful in aiding their progress. The next day my mother was hospitalized with kidney failure. The doctors really weren't sure if she was going to make it. I prayed. I held on to the word I received the day before, but it seemed like it could be hogwash at this point. I entered into the second faze of my training out in Southern Colorado. My mom still wasn't doing well back in Allentown. I hadn't shared with anyone there at the Colorado base what was going on with my mom. One night, during a time of prayer and worship a man named Mike walked up to me and whispered into my ear, "Your mom is going to be just fine, God's got this." I looked at him and was completely dumbfounded. I rushed to the closest phone and called my mom and she answered groggily. I forgot that it was 11:00 at night back in PA, while only 9:00 in Colorado. I was just too excited. I said "Mom, your going to fine! I got a word from God, your going to be fine." The next morning her doctor said there was a significant decrease in the creatin (toxin that the kidney's remove from the blood). Her kidney's were starting to do their job again. After I graduated Y.W.A.M I came home for six months. My father was born and raised Catholic, so he thought he knew about God already. My mom was open to the idea of doing a nightly Bible Study. My dad joined in reluctantly at first. Within a few months both of them rededicated their life to Jesus and began serving in their local church. To this day they continue to walk with God. It all started with a prophetic word and it bore fruit.

To be continued....

Islam conclusion.

"God put you in my way." - Muslim man from the movie Four Feathers.

"...But I say to you love your enemies." -Jesus

When I think about the Muslims moving close to the 9/11 site I find myself "feeling the tension." My mind is being pulled in many different directions. Clearly many Christians still look at the nation of Islam as an enemy. I am a Christian, so I must strongly consider this view. Clearly the Muslims have not forgotten what the western world has done to their people throughout history. It is understandable why they wouldn't like us. Especially when we are still raising our voice against them to this day. To truly express my opinion on this matter I will begin with a true story that came from a book called the "Emergent Church" by Brian McClaren. The story goes like this. A family living in a middle class suburban neighborhood in the U.S. has just returned home from a shopping trip. The youngest little girl gets out of the car and sees her neighbor Muslim mother and daughter also getting out of the car. She looks at the head dresses and asks her mother very loudly so even the Muslims themselves could hear, "Mommy why do those people wear sheets on their heads?" The Muslim mother listens intently to hear what the mother would say before entering her house. Then the response, "they wear those because they want to show everyone that they love God." "Oh," replied the daughter. The Muslim mother was taken back at this answer and came over with her daughter and said "Thank you so much for telling your daughter that, you do not know how much that means to me." From there a budding relationship was built (this is not quoted directly from the book so no quotes needed). This is how I see we as Christians should respond. The Muslims will never listen to the Gospel when they are treated like enemies. Jesus says to love our enemies. Paul the Apostle says, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers in this dark world, and wicked spirits in heavenly places."(Ephesians 6:12) Again he says "To the weak I became the weak, to the win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by some means win some." (1 Corinthians 9:22)

So, I choose not to look at this situation as "the enemy gaining ground," but an opportunity for Christians to take a step forward in a healing process that will open the door for the Gospel to impact the Muslims in the U.S. We of any other country have perhaps the greatest chance to do that on our own soil. It all begins with forgiveness and love that expresses itself in action. The only way the enemy will advance in this situation is if we either do nothing and continue to fight against them. Even if they should still despise us, we must continue to love them. I believe this is another act of divine orchestration. It looks to me like they will be moving into that building close to the 9/11 site. God has put them in our way. What will we do about it? Continue to fight or begin to love?

Thank you for "Facing the Tension" with me, if you read my blog. I would be eager to hear your thoughts and opinions on this very important matter.

Islam in America

"The Ground Zero mosque."

Many conservative Christians today and disgruntled New Yorkers with visions of 9/11 still fresh in their minds (which is completely understandable) are in an uproar over Islam planting a mosque at ground zero. Although the building the Muslims are looking to occupy is two blocks away at Park 51 that is still too close for many. The common argument is that the Muslims are planting this mosque in order to commemorate the Islamic world's victory over the United States on September 11th 2001. Another interesting comparison by one anonymous person is that "it would be like the KKK occupying a meeting space where Martin Luther King Jr. had been killed." Yet, there exists another side to this contraversial issue. Two sides to every story, right? Well, the Muslims who want to start the mosque emphasize that they do not represent radical, terrorist Islam. They come in peace. This building simply fits their vision for creating and ideal mosque and recreation/family center. They do not wish to celebrate any triumph over the United States as this is now their country. Who's right, who's wrong and what should we do about it? This back and forth battle has been going on for over 4,000 years. Lets look at a few things to consider...

The Origins...
The begining of this rivalry has it's origins in father Abraham. He is the direct human ancestor of Israel, Islam, and the Christian faith. The separation of these nations and religions comes about when Sarah, his baron wife, asks him to go into (have sexual relations) with Hagar, who was the servant of the household, so that she might bear them a child. Hagar gave birth to a son named Ishmael. Ishmael was considered to be a wild donkey and a person who would war against his brothers, while the Koran says he is the son of promise. One thing to keep in mind in all of this is that the book of Genesis was written around 2,600 years before the Koran, do what you will with that. Eventually in Abraham's old age God promised that he would bear a son and make a great nation out of his descendants. Sarah did become pregnant in her old age with Abraham's son, and Isaac was born. Isaac was the son of promise through whom the nation of Israel descended from and Jesus was born an Israelite. Once Isaac was born Sarah became jealous having Hagar and Ishmael in the same household and convinced Abraham to send them away. Abraham loved Ishmael and gave them some provisions before they went off into the desert. Just about when Hagar was about to give up and leave Ishmael to die God provides a well in the desert for them and promises that because Ishmael is Abraham's son He will make a great nation out of him as well. Ishmael is the ancestor from which came the religion Islam; as their prophet ,Muhammad, was his descendant. So, right off the bat these two don't like each other very much.

The Crusades didn't help...
Once Islam became well established in the world during the late 600's A.D. through the 700's, the Roman empire had fallen and the more primitive western culture had fallen into the Dark Ages with the Christian Church (the Catholics, although there was an eastern church in the Byzentine empire as well) being the one shining light. Islam helped save many of the Roman and Greek books and artifacts from being lost to history as they conquered region after region in northern Africa and eastern europe. They eventually took Jerusalem which enraged the Catholic Church who sent out delegates to recruit knights from various different countries in Europe to go forth and make Holy War against the nation of Islam and win back Jerusalem for God. This lead to a series of brutal, bloody wars which were the origins of many of the boundaries we see between the Middle East and Europe to this day.

The current situation in the United States...

All of us are still aware of the hostility that still exists today, not only in the Middle East, but also on our own soil. Over the past several decades many Islamic people have migrated to the United States. Most people have been tolerant of their presence because they seem much more peaceful here than they do in the Middle East and northern Africa. We all know what happened on 9/11. The terrorist group known as Alkaida attacked New York City, Washington D.C., and crashed a plane over Pennsylvania. This in turn started a war between the U.S. and terrorism in the Middle East. Most of the Muslim world today rejects the ideals and values of these extremist groups because they find that they themselves are also coming under attack. It is debatable if this is out of fear, because the U.S. is a major power and we support Israel (their mortal enemy), or because they genuinely want to have peace. The saying "a few bad apples can spoil the whole batch comes to mind." Consequently this has had an affect on the American culture's psyche and many want to demonize everything about Islamic people in this day and age. Now many of the stories in Middle East hold sway over this belief and many of them are true. If you are common citizen and are not a Muslim living within an Islamic region you will be treated as a second class citizen. If you attempt to speak against Islam or stand for up for your own rights it will be met with violent aggression. If you are a child, woman, or man and decide you don't want to practice the Islamic faith you will be cast out by your family and possibly even killed. Yet, you will rarely, if ever, hear stories of this in the United States. . .

The New Generation...

I have the priviledge of working with quite a few Muslims at my second job. These are what I would call "Americanized Muslims." As we all should know this is the month of Ramadan and all Muslims are required to fast from sun up until sun down and pray 5 times a day while facing Mecca, their holy city. The older Muslims I have encountered remain devout and faithful in practicing Ramadan. There does seem to be a distinct difference in the younger Muslims who were born and raised in this country. I find it kind of ironic that the Muslims preserved much of Greek philosophy and Roman politics that have come to shape the U.S. politics and education that exists today, along with certain Christian values. Now when they come to this country and are raised in this culture they become much more secular than there ancestors. They actually buy into the idea of co-existence because many of their closest friends and favorite things to do are forbidden by the old religion. Because of our law system, the older generation has no choice but to except this. The same apathy I see in many young Christians in the States also shows up with the new generation of Muslims. Secularism has it's side-effects. What then is the enemy on our soil I wonder...? Worth considering. Still developing this thought.

*MOST IMPORTANT SECTION BELOW*

"God put you in my way." - Muslim man from the movie Four Feathers.

"...But I say to you love your enemies." -Jesus

When I think about the Muslims moving close to the 9/11 site I find myself "feeling the tension." My mind is being pulled in many different directions. Clearly many Christians still look at the nation of Islam as an enemy. I am a Christian, so I must strongly consider this view. Clearly the Muslims have not forgotten what the western world has done to their people throughout history. It is understandable why they wouldn't like us. Especially when we are still raising are voice against them to this day. To truly express my opinion on this matter I will begin with a true story that came from a book called the "Emergent Church" by Brian McClaren. The story goes like this. A family living in a middle class suburban neighborhood in the U.S. has just returned home from a shopping trip. The youngest little girl gets out of the car and sees her neighbor Muslim mother and daughter also getting out of the car. She looks at the head dresses and asks her mother very loudly so even the Muslims themselves could hear, "Mommy why do those people wear sheets on their heads?" The Muslim mother listens intently to hear would the mother would say before entering her house. Then the response, "they wear those because they want to show everyone that they love God." "Oh," replied the daughter. The Muslim mother was taken back at this answer and came over with her daughter and said "Thank you so much for telling your daughter that, you do not know how much that means to me." From there a budding relationship was built (this is not quoted directly from the book so no quotes needed). This is how I see we as Christians should respond. The Muslims will never listen to the Gospel when they are treated like enemies. Jesus says to love our enemies. Paul the Apostle says, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers in this dark world, and wicked spirits in heavenly places."(Ephesians 6:12) Again he says "To the weak I became the weak, to the win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by some means win some." (1 Corinthians 9:22) So, I choose not to look at this situation as "the enemy gaining ground," but an opportunity for Christians to take a step forward in a healing process that will open the door for the Gospel to impact the Muslims in the U.S. We of any other country have perhaps the greatest chance to do that on our own soil. It all begins with forgiveness and love that expresses itself in action. The only way the enemy will advance in this situation is if we either do nothing and continue to fight against them. Even if they should still despise us, we must continue to love them. I believe this is another act of divine orchestration. It looks to me like they will be moving into that building close to the 9/11 site. God has put them in our way. What will we do about it? Continue to fight or begin to love?

Thank you for "Facing the Tension" with me, if you read my blog. I would be eager to hear your thoughts and opinions on this very important matter.

Atheism: Part 2

I remember reading a bumper sticker that read "April Fool's Day is the national holiday of atheism." Of course this is based on the Proverb that says "The fool says in his heart there is no God." Then I see other bumper stickers that have a Christian fish on it with four little feet growing out of the belly. Inside the fish the words "Darwinism" are written. Then I'm driving home last night and I pull up behind a car that says "Coexist," but for each letter there are different religious symbols that represent the majority of the world religions. It's a nice thought; co-existing I mean. Some might say, "it's the devil's thought and if it's accepted it will prevent the spread of the Gospel." Yet, I can resonate with the idea of peace more than I can the back and forth bickering and cheap slogans that poke fun at people who believe differently than I do. The scripture comes to mind that "Peacemakers who sow in peace shall raise up a harvest of righteousness."

At the end of my last blog I concluded with questions rather than answers. Too many times we Christians like to give pad answers based on some teaching we have heard without really understanding the depth of the situation at hand. I'm okay with not having *all* of the answers, because no one really does, especially when it comes to God and other people. I do understand one thing about God, though. He loves us(As in everybody). "While we were yet sinners Christ died for us." I never knew what love was until I encountered God in an intimate and tangible way. Yet, my experience is not everyone else's. Just because I had this experience does not mean it will impact those who's experience is quite contrary to mine. So, how can we as Christians better communicate God's love with an atheist? I think there are several ways that we can.

I think the first thing a Christian must be willing to do is listen. We like to preach, but we need to learn how to listen as well. This can be very hard when conversing with an atheist. Many of them like to bring up issues that could send our blood pressure through the roof in a heartbeat. At times we just need to bite our tongue. They already think they know the truth and are trying to educate us out of our "midevil beliefs." Yet, we're sitting there on the other hand thinking "this dude is going to hell and he's completely ignorant of it, he's just wrong." If we respond with this in mind we're going to come across like self-righteous, condescending bigots. Which will only serve to reinforce the atheist's position. Hence the verbal sparing of one upping the other person isn't going to work here. Now, that doesn't mean we can't have a healthy debate. Paul debated with the Athenian philosophers of his day and some came to Christ as a result. Yet, we need to have a respectful debate that is on neutral ground (devoid of "Christianese" or "church talk"). If it deteriorates into mud flinging then it would be time to exit the debate in a respectful manner. Another problem with not listening is that we are so busy thinking about what we are going to say next that we don't actually consider what the other person is saying. Sometimes an atheist will bring up something like "Did you know Mithras actually inspired the myth of Jesus? In his story he was born of a virgin, baptized, performed signs and wonders, was wrongfully killed and was raised from the dead." I personally was thrown off by this argument for a time , but upon a little research into the mythological god, Mithras, I found that this statement was completely false. If we respond too quickly without considering their content we will unwittingly make an assumption of our own without having any data to back it up and in the process end up looking like idiots. After listening it is better to say, "I don't really know anything about that and I'll have to do a little personal research and get back to you." Most importantly, if we are willing to listen you show that you care about the person on some level. We're giving them the time of day and that counts for something. So, be quick to listen.

We must be a presence of love, as well. Showing them love and respect, in spite of the strong differences that exist, better demonstrates what living for Jesus is all about . Treat them like you would a friend or a nice neighbor. Serve them. Buy them lunch. Ask them about their family, job, and hobbies. Fact is atheists are just people like you and me. They have lives that have meaning to them and therefore are important. When we remove the barrier that says "they're the enemy" or "they are ignorant" and see their humanity we can actually begin to have compassion for them. Remember God desires "compassion not sacrifice." Though at times it might feel like a sacrifice to be in the company of those who challenge our beliefs. It can feel draining to love somebody and not get anything back but grief. Yet, this proves to be a great lesson in humility and helps us become a little bit more like Jesus.

Pray for them. Prayer lays the ground work that God will utilize to touch a person's life. Understand that just because we pray for them doesn't mean they will automatically come to know Christ. God will not manipulate someone into coming to know His son, but the Holy Spirit will knock on their hearts through various circumstances, situations, and encounters with others throughout their lives. While their is air in their lungs their is yet hope. Have faith. Pray.

Finally, the work is the Lord's and we are co-laborers with Him. We should NEVER feel that another person's salvation is dependent on our efforts, but we can rejoice in that God includes us in the process. No matter how much we know, how hard we try, how much we pray, or how much kindness we can show a person it is ultimately the Holy Spirit who leads a person to the cross of Calvary. We can be co-laborers and help people come to an understanding of salvation, but the work is always our Lord's. "Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith." We sow, we water, but God gives the increase. His is the harvest.

To Him be the Glory!

I hope you found this little blog helpful,
'Till the next time...

Atheism

Atheism

"It may be that our role on this planet is not to worship God, but create him."
-Arthur C. Clark

Just recently in the news it was reported that an atheist group put up a billboard in the Billy Graham Parkway that reads "One Nation, Indivisible." Obviously the "Under God" had been left out, only to be spray painted on the billboard by some disgruntled Christian. I'm sure that went over real well with the growing atheist community around the world. Nothing like giving them ammunition to further prove the bigotry and narrow mindedness they think they see in us. I think we as Christians need to really meditate on just what means to be "wise as a serpent and gentle as dove." This is one of the problems that atheists see today when they look at us. They see a bunch of religious fanatics that don't look very much like this Jesus they are always preaching about. That is also what kept Gandhi from becoming a Christian. Yet, we as Christians, cannot and should not ignore the atheism that is spreading rapidly throughout the western world. But how should we deal with people who stand for everything that we stand against? Tough question to answer.

Over the past couple of years I have engaged many atheists in debates, asked a lot questions and tried to genuinely understand how people could be so aggressively against the notion that there could be a creator out there somewhere. The following within this two part blog will be some of my thoughts and observations that have come out of my journey up until this point....

The first point that I would like to mention is that we do have many things in common with these people. Even if you are a Christian, you are an atheist in regards to your view on the Greek pantheon. We believe no other gods exist except for the God of Israel. If someone walked over to us and said "I just got done praying to Zeus so that he might strike Osama Bin Laden with a lightning bolt." We would think that person was crazy or was smoking something they shouldn't have been. This is much the same way an atheist perceives a Christian. They think we are delusional and are opposed to clear headed rational thinking. When we say "the Bible says" they have pretty much written off whatever will be said afterward because the Bible to them is just an ancient fairy tale book that feeds our delusions. Defending the Christian position becomes tricky when one thinks our belief in God is comparable to a child's belief in Santa Clause.

Now, there are many different kinds of atheists. I have heard some Christians say that atheism is really just another form of religion, but the word atheist is a blanket word. In 2008 a Gallop poll was taken that showed the number of those who were considered "non-religious" had nearly doubled over the past 20 years. It went from 8% of the US population to 15%. Most of those atheists are what I would call agnostic atheists. I used to be one of these before I came to Christ. They belief there could be "something out there" but certainly not any god that is known to us through organized religion. Then we have a our religious atheists, like our Anton Levey (Founder of the church of Satan; author of the Satanic Bible) followers. They call themselves Satanists even though they do not believe that such a being even exists. These are a minority. There are even some religions that are atheistic in nature, like Buddhism for example. Then there are what I would call the "aggressives". They are the ones that try to push anything having to do with God or religion out of schools, off the dollar, and out of the pledge of allegiance. They usually are on the higher criticism side of things and have a major influence on secular institutions of education (which is where most atheists find their re-enforcement for what they believe.) Richard Dawkins is perhaps one of the more notable figures within this group. It is this type of atheist that poses a real threat to people's faith in God. They use very effective methods of thought and argument to back their stance and make Christians seem foolish. Everything from philosophy to science to trying to show contradictions within the Bible; they usually show up with their metaphorical cannons loaded. Most Christians I know would not be able to seriously defend their point of view underneath the onslaught of arguments "the aggressives" dish out. They say that the burden of proof lies with us, with the Christian. They don't have to disprove that God exists (which is a double negative), but we must prove that He does exist. Tough thing to do on the spot.

One of the more interesting things I have noticed while getting to know some of these people is that beneath the intellectual vernier and the their dogmatic loyalty to Darwinism there is usually someone who has been hurt or is disillusioned by personal experiences. Truth be told, I probably wouldn't be a Christian if the Holy Spirit did not make himself real to me in a very powerful and life changing way. Imagine a person living in U.S. today who was raised by professing Christians, went to Bible classes as a kid, prayed on a frequent basis but nothing really happened. Then they get older, they get more educated and learn things like Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy don't really exist. They still profess to be a Christian, but really aren't sure what that means anymore. They think "come on, can we really take this Bible thing literally?" Then their best friend gets into an accident. For the first time in a long time they begin to pray. They ask God to help. They ask God to intervene. Nothing happens. Their friend dies. Whatever is left of their fledgling faith has been all but pulverized. "Certainly," they think to themselves, "there is no God." This story has been fabricated, but so many who are considered hardcore, aggressive atheists have a similar story to share.

What do we say then? Does God in His sovereignty choose before hand that these people are nothing more than vessels of his wrath? Why does God show up for some, but not for others? Does He really love them? How could He when they are completely against Him even existing? I'm pretty sure He does still love them; just as much as any sinner who has ever been forgiven through Jesus...

How we approach this matter will be the topic of my next blog...