On The Brink

Bungee jumping is an amazing sport. After getting harnessed up and tied into the rope, the jump master will tell you to get on “the platform.” The platform is about 4 square feet (2ft by 2ft). It’s tiny. There’s only two things you can do from the platform (three things if you count peeing your pants): stand there, and jump. Once you’re on the platform you look straight ahead the jump master counts down “3, 2, 1, JUMP!” And then you bend your knees and fly! In my experience, it’s best to just jump when you’re told to jump. Don’t psych yourself out and don’t second guess it, just go.

As I write this, I am sitting on the brink of a major change in my life. It’s 1am on Dec 30^th, 2012 and later today, there will be a commissioning service in which my wife and I will be sent off by our church. Monday morning, we leave for La Grande, Oregon where everything I know is about to change. I won’t be near my family or friends, I’m switching churches, and I’ll be starting an entirely new job. Life is about to become very different for me. Inside my heart, anxious dread mingles with nervous excitement. I kind of feel like I’m on the platform and it’s about time to jump. I’m looking forward to everything that this change will bring. Olivia and I will make many new friends, discover new interests, and have more time as a family. On the other hand, I’m starting to finally appreciate the closeness and security my life in Portland has brought me. I’m going to miss my family, I’m going to miss my church, and I’m going to miss my friends. There’s so much ahead, but there’s also so much behind. I’m excited, but I’m also scared. I think we all feel this way, at least a little, when we’re on the edge of change.  

When the Israelites were on the brink, they were scared too. They didn’t trust God to lead them out of Egypt (Exodus 5:20-21). When he did, he led them straight to the edge of the Red Sea, where they didn’t trust him again (Exodus 14:10-12). Over and over God brings the Israelites to the brink, where their only job is to trust him, and they don’t. When it was time for the Israelites to enter the Promised Land, 12 spies were sent in. When they returned, only 2 were brave enough to believe God’s promise. The other 10 spread chaos and created havoc. They were scared.

When God brings us to the brink, we get scared. It’s not just the Israelites, it’s all of us. It seems that we always prefer where we’ve been to where he’s taking us (even if where we’ve been is bad). For Olivia and me, it’d be safe to stay in Portland. It’d be comfortable to stay with friends, family, and our church. The struggle for us is that we want to stay with what we know; it’s safe. But God has seen it fit to bring us to the brink. He’s decided that it’s time for us to move. It’s time for some change. He’s put us on the platform and started counting. We’ve decided to jump because where God is taking us is where we want to be, even if it’s scary. This is how God grows people; on the brink.

Why I Believe in the Bible

For one of my classes, I was asked to write a paper discussing why I believe in the Bible. I was challenged to think regarding what exactly I believed about it and more specifically why I believed that. It was difficult to fit it all into one page and articulate my reasons in a clear and concise way. Anyways, here it is:

I believe that the modern translations of the Bible are authoritative for all matters of faith and practice. It is the final authority for Christians. I believe that the words of Scripture originated from God, not man and thus I believe it to be accurate in everything it records. It is historically reliable, internally consistent, it answers many of life’s deepest questions, and finally it provides the most reasonable (albeit miraculous) explanation for the empty tomb of Jesus.

I believe the Bible because it is the inspired word of God. It is reliable and truthful because it did not come from man, but from God; and God does not lie. The words of Scripture come from the mind of God through the hand of man. This means that while the human authors were writing in their individual styles and vernacular, they were writing exactly what God by his Spirit was intending. Because I believed God inspired and oversaw the writing of the biblical autographs, I believe the modern translations to be authoritative and accurate for my life.

I also trust the Bible because it accurately tells me what the original authors wrote. The 39 books of Old Testament (and what was written in them) were agreed upon by many different people and groups; radically conservative Jewish cults, ancient Hebrew commentaries, early Christian converts (and their opponents), later Jewish historians and rabbis, and even Jesus himself all agreed on what books belong in the Old Testament and the very words that were in those books. I doubt that there can be such widespread agreement by such a diverse crowd across hundreds of years without the Old Testament being true. Furthermore, the New Testament was being copied for hundreds of years across 5 different cities in the Mediterranean. The copies produced were abundant and widespread. The Bible was being spread like wildfire. There is a high amount of doubt in my mind that one man or people would have been able to quench this fire. The sources for the New Testament are (and were) too diverse in both time and location for any one person for people group to realistically manipulate ALL the sources available to us. The Biblical canon could not have been altered; too many people from too many religious traditions across too many miles and over too many years knew too much. So I believe it too.

The Bible is internally consistent. This strengthens my belief because it was written over thousands of years by over 40 authors in three different languages. The 40+ people who wrote the Bible came from all sorts of different trades; prophets, kings, fisherman, businessmen, doctors, etc. Additionally, the Bible is written in many different literary genres styles; it contains narrative, poetry, discourse, prophecies, parables, travel plans, letters, etc. Despite all of these differences and nuances within the Bible, it remains consistent in teaching us about a Holy God who fervently and passionately rescues people from sin and death. The story of salvation is simply too complex to come together by mere coincidence.

Another reason I believe in the Bible is because it provides reason for the world around me. It answers some of life’s biggest questions: is there a God? What is this God like? Where do people come from? Where are we going? What happens after we die, if anything? Why are we here? Why is there hurt and pain in the world? What can we do to fix the hurt and pain? The Bible gives reasonable answers to each of these questions and helps me make sense of the world around me. In my experience it has been truthful in answering these deeper questions. If I were to reject the Bible, I would have to account for the world around me by some other means, and I cannot think of any other reasonable explanations.

Last, but certainly not least, I am not convinced by any other hypothesis for the empty tomb of Jesus Christ. While it may sound fantastic (as in – it sounds like a fantasy), the biblical account of the resurrection is the most likely explanation for the absence of Jesus’ body. It was not stolen, hidden or burned. Archaeology cannot find his body and science cannot explain his resurrection. Jesus did die, was buried, and was raised again. I can think of no other explanation that would account for such things as the large stone being rolled away from the entrance of the tomb, the complete oversight of the Roman guards, the unprecedented courage of the disciples, and the conversion of Saul the Pharisee to Paul the Apostle. If the biblical account of the resurrection is valid (and I believe it is), I am forced to ask why it happened. I believe it is because Jesus Christ is, as the Bible teaches, the Son of God, the promised Christ-Messiah, and the atonement for my sin. Therefore, since the Bible, more than any account, adequately explains the resurrection along with its reason and effects, I hold it to be trustworthy. If the Bible can explain the most significant event in history, I accept its teaching in everything else.

Intro Excerpt from "The Jesus Storybook Bible"

This is from the introduction of "The Jesus Storybook Bible." I like it a lot:

Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn’t do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn’t mainly about you and what you should be doing. It’s about God and what he has done.

Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you’ll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren’t heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose), they get afraid and run away. At times, they’re downright mean.

No, the Bible isn’t a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne – everything – to rescue the ones he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!

It takes the whole Bible to tell this story. And at the center of the story, there is a baby. Every story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in the puzzle – the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture.

Love and Justice

God's love and justice are not irreconcilable. The truth is that God hates sin and all humans are sinful. God's justice demands that his wrath and judgement come down on sin. This is a very scary thing. In fact, while talking about God's judgement, one Biblical author said "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:31). God is angry at sin and his wrath is coming. This is a reality that is not popular in our world, but it is nonetheless true.

However, God also loves us and wants a relationship with us. He is not a malicious God. God does not like it when people reject him and suffer his wrath. God says in Ezekiel 18:23 "Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?" God doesn't want people to turn from him and die. He wants people to have life. That's why Jesus came on cross and died for our sin. Because Jesus lived a sinless life and died on the cross, he was able to divert God's fury, wrath, and judgement from sinners onto himself.

That's the reason people need to believe and follow Jesus. Anyone who has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior is no longer guilty. They have the righteousness of Jesus; this doesn't mean they don't sin, but that their sin is forgiven and God has given them new life so they can fight sin and become pure. However, anyone who rejects Jesus and does not follow him faces the reality of God's wrath and judgement.

This is the gospel: "Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous (Jesus) for the unrighteous (you and me), to bring you to God." (1 Peter 3:18)

The most important decision people make in their life, even if they neglect to make it, is whether or not they will worship Jesus.

The Biggest Lie in the World

If you obey God, you won't be as happy.

Leave a Legacy

I recently attended the memorial service for a Christian man who had died six days previous. Even though I never knew the man, I was inspired by the service. I had spend the last week with his children and grandchildren. The memorial service was a testament to the immense impact this man had on his family. Almost his entire family are committed Christians who live gospel-led lives and practice the teachings of Christ. This man had led his family well. His children honored him and loved the Lord. By his life, this man had left a noble legacy of character. I was inspired. As Christians, we should pursue a legacy that honors Christ. We should live in such a way that at our funerals, our children praise God and honor us. There was no mention of this man's financial status, material possessions, or career advancement. The focus was his love for Jesus, his love for his wife, and his love for his family. Today's culture fosters an immediate-fortune mentality. More weight than is healthy is placed on worldly treasures. We are taught that financial gain and personal advancement are the end goals in life. A high salary and a multi-syllable title are more worthy of our efforts than healthy marriages and strong families. We rarely think long-range. We don't often consider what will be left in our absence until it's too late to make a real difference. I would suggest that we start playing with the end game in mind. Live in the present, but do it with the future in sight. Lasting impacts and noble legacies are not accidents. They are results of intentional living and, for the Christian, Spirit-led action. As Christians, let's live with divine perspective, with heaven in mind. Let's consider what will be said at our funeral and, more importantly, what Christ will say to us when we stand before him. Let's leave behind us a legacy of faith, hope, and love. Let's inspire our children to emulate us. My goal is to live in such a way that if someone who doesn't know me comes to my funeral, he will leave inspired to live for Christ and then blog about it.

A Blameless Bride

I recently attended a wedding of a friend. It was an extremely beautiful wedding that clearly reflected the gospel. As I turned to see the bride walking down the aisle I was blown away. She was breathtaking. Her face was shining with excitement for her husband. She had an aura that was exuding deep love. I watched as she approached the altar, the groom waiting eagerly to accept his bride. Weddings are so beautiful, especially in light of Ephesians 5:25-27 where we are told that Christ sacrificed himself for his bride, the church. He washed her and cleansed her so that she could be presented radiant, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. Christ gave himself up for his church, of which we (Christians) are a part. We have been made a beautiful bride, walking down the aisle excited for her husband. As a Christian, I have committed my life to following Jesus Christ. He is my king. Because of the price I was bought at and because of my commitment to him, God has every right to be jealous for me; a husband has a right to be jealous for his wife. One of many great things about God is his fierce jealously for us. God's heart is jealous for me, and I am his. Why would a bride, pure and clean, throw herself into the arms of another man? Why would I, forgiven and redeemed, defile myself and insult God by worshiping another "god"? Why did the Israelites build the golden calf? They were bored and impatient (Exodus 32:1). How moronic! How blind can some people be? They were there when the ten plagues happened, they saw the Red Sea parted, they ate food that fell from the sky. The Israelites had experienced firsthand God's total faithfulness, yet they couldn't remain faithful themselves. Oh God! How I don't want to be like them! Let us never forget his love for us, let us never forget his faithfulness to us, let us never forget his pursuit of us, let us never forget Jesus.