A lesson from Palm Sunday

Posted on April 5, 2009 by Tim Farley

I asked my teenage Sunday school class today if they understood what Palm Sunday was about.  A bright young girl in the class answered that it was about the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.  She was right, but when I asked her why we call it “Palm Sunday” she was not really sure.

Well, when Jesus did make his entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey the crowd greeted him by laying their cloaks on the ground along with palm branches.  They also shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 21:1-11).  This was an entry fit for a king.  In fact, the people recognized him as the long-awaited Messiah who was to be a descendant of David.  They praised Jesus as king and praised God that the Messiah had finally arrived!

Have you ever thought about this passage?  On Sunday, the people were praising Jesus.  By Friday, only six days later, the crowds were crying out to crucify him (Matthew 27:15-23).  How did things change so quickly?

Many of us would like to think that we would not have been one of the crowd who cried out to kill Jesus.  But who are we kidding?  We would have been no different.  Our opinions are usually determined for us by the crowds and leaders we have.  We truly are like blind sheep who are carried along by every whim.  Each of us, myself included, would have cried out “Crucify!” as well.

What amazes me is that Jesus knew this, but was still willing to die for those who hung him on the cross.  The Creator of this world stepped into this world as a man and allowed mankind to slaughter him – all as an act of love for us.  How can this be?

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Is Richard Dawkins Interested in Real Discussion?

Posted on April 2, 2009 by Tim Farley

I found this interesting interview with Michael Ruse.  In the interview, Ruse accuses Richard Dawkins, and the new atheists, of not engaging in honest discussion over the topics they write so much about.  Watch and tell me what you think.

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Passages Taken Out of Context: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Pray Without Ceasing”

Posted on March 30, 2009 by Tim Farley
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 reads:

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (ESV)

What does it mean to “pray without ceasing?”  I once heard a pastor give a sermon on this passage and he interpreted the words in their extreme literal sense.  For him, to pray without ceasing meant to always be praying every minute of every day!  His entire sermon was focused on teaching us how we can accomplish this in our lives.  You see, it is easy to get distracted from praying when you are working on other things that necessarily have to be done.  But if you practice at just “having an on-going conversation with God as you do your other tasks”, you will be praying around the clock in no time.

Forgive me if I seem skeptical, but I do not think that is what this passage is about.  Is Paul’s (the biblical author) point that we should literally be in constant prayer around the clock?  What about while we are sleeping?  Can we train ourselves to pray in our dreams?  What about when we are doing something that requires our undivided attention?  Does God want us walking around with our focus divided between him and our task at hand?

A better way to understand these verses would be to understand that Paul is using a figure of speech.  He is telling his readers to be prayers.  They should pray all of the time.  It does not mean that they never stop praying in the literal sense, but that they continually go before God in prayer (over and over again).  Much like when I tell someone, “Stop by my house any time.  I am always home.”  Well, I am home a great deal of the time, but I do leave once in a while.  I do not mean I am never gone.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 instructs Christians to be people of prayer.  It should characterize our lives.  Do not get discouraged if you have been unable to pray around the clock as some either have or are attempting.  It is not possible and it is not God’s expectation.

 

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Bible Commentary Reviews

Posted on March 27, 2009 by Tim Farley

I came across a really cool website yesterday.  It has likely been around for some time, but I just found it.  BestCommentaries.com is a website devoted to reviewing biblical commentaries.  The coolest thing about the site is that it has reviews done by leading Bible scholars like D. A. Carson and Tremper Longman, III.  So, if you want to know what these guys (and others) think of a certain resource, just take a look at their reviews!

The site also gives collective ratings based upon several sources as well as links to where you can purchase each title and its price.  If you are in the market for Bible commentaries, I think it is worth your time to check it out.

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Does Satan Exist? ABC Nightline Debate

Posted on March 26, 2009 by Tim Farley

ABC Nightline hosted a debate concerning the existence of Satan.  The debate featured well-known pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church and Annie Lobert against philosopher Deepak Chopra and Bishop Carlton Pearson.  You can watch the debate at the link below:

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Nightline/FaceOff

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Should We Judge Others? A Look at Matthew 7:1-5

Posted on March 24, 2009 by Tim Farley

In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus says,

“Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.  Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (ESV)

This passage is often used to support the view that we should never find fault with another person’s opinion.  We should never think of ourselves as right or another person as wrong.  We are not to judge.  We should simply accept others as they are.

But is this the correct understanding of this passage?  Is this understanding even possible?

We make “judgements” every day.  When our children explain to us why they are fighting and each has a different story, we have to decide which, if any, story we are going to believe.  We have to decide which child we are going to believe, which often is determined by which child we feel has been more truthful in the past.

When we buy a new car, we often go to multiple dealers and weigh the different options we have presented to us.  Each dealer will tell us that he or she has the best deal, but we must decide who really does.  This can be based upon our specific needs, but it could also just be based on which dealer is being the most truthful about how good their “deal” really is.

When we elect a political leader, or church leader, we are asked to judge between candidates.  Who is going to be best for the position?  Who has the better character and are they truly qualified to serve.

So, from a practical standpoint, it seems we must make judgements every day.  Did Jesus demand things of us that are impossible to fulfill?  I do not think so.

Even Scripture tells us that we must make judgements regarding people at times.  A few verses later in Matthew 7, Jesus tells us that we must beware of false prophets and that we will be able to “recognize them by their fruits” (v.15).  Here Jesus tells us that we must judge whether or not someone is a false prophet.  In 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, Paul instructs the church in Corinth to remove a man who is involved in an immoral relationship from the fellowship of the church.  Paul states that he (Paul) has already “pronounced judgement” (v. 3) on this person and that the church is to do the same by dismissing him from their midst until he should repent of his immorality.

It seems that Matthew 7:1-5 is not a command to never make judgements regarding people, but instead is a warning regarding certain types of judgements.  Often times, when we make judgements, we ignore our own faults and make judgements of others.  Instead, we need to always be aware of our own faults (“the log” in our own eye) when we judge others.  We must do it with a sense of humility, knowing that we too are imperfect.  These verses are not a prohibition against evaluating other’s words and actions to discriminate between truth and error.

This passage is a command not to judge the other person as though we are God.  We must refrain from judging the quality of another person or from deciding the person’s ultimate standing before God.  We can judge the person’s actions and/or words based upon how they align with the word of God, but it is only God who decides the quality of a person.  We can explain to others what God’s word tells us in regards to salvation, but it is up to God to determine who is saved.

We must often make judgements concerning people, but we must do it in humility and only concerning truth and error, not the quality or standing of a person.

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Why do “pious” fight death the hardest?

Posted on March 22, 2009 by Tim Farley

It turns out that those defined as “religious” have a greater desire to prolong life when death seems imminent.  A study that examined 345 patients with terminal cancer found that a religious person was three times more likely to have intensive life-prolonging care than a non-religious person.

Here are a few observations from this study:

First, it is interesting how the study defines “religious.”  The study determined that those “who regularly used prayer or meditation for support” were considered religious.  Is this really an accurate definition of religious?  Many will pray when there seems to be no other option available even if they do not hold religious beliefs.  Also, meditation is used by religious and non-religious alike as a calming or relaxation technique.

Secondly, it turns out that those doing the study are against fighting death.  They point out that prolonging life can, in the end, make death more uncomfortable.  This is probably true at times, but is it always true?  Should a person or a family make a decision based upon what is often true or what is appropriate for their particular situation?

Lastly, it should be no surprise, at least for Christians, that they would fight death the hardest.  After all, a true biblical understanding of death tells us that it is not they way things are supposed to be.  God gave us life and we are meant to live.  It is only as a result of our sin that death entered this world.  We, along with all of creation, long for the day when the curse of sin and death will be removed and we, along with all of creation, will be renewed and given eternal life.

Life is a precious gift from God and it is to be cherished above all things.  It is only natural to attempt to extend it as long as possible.  Is there a time to say “enough?”  Yes.  But do not criticize those who desire to live.

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Only 9% of American Adults Possess a True Biblical Worldview

Posted on March 19, 2009 by Tim Farley

A study from Barna Research reveals that only 9% of adults in the U.S. have a biblical worldview.  In the study, a biblical worldview was defined as:

…believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today. In the research, anyone who held all of those beliefs was said to have a biblical worldview.

The study, which was also done in 1995, 2000 and 2005 found that the percentage of adults with a biblical worldview has stayed relatively flat over the 13 years of the study.  7% were found to have a biblical worldview in 1995, 10% in 2000, and 11% in 2005.

Perhaps the most surprising statistic is that even among those who identify themselves as “born-again”, only 19% were found to hold a biblical worldview as defined by the study.

Are you curious about which biblical beliefs the respondents did or did not hold?  Here is what the study found:

  • One-third of all adults (34%) believe that moral truth is absolute and unaffected by the circumstances. Slightly less than half of the born again adults (46%) believe in absolute moral truth.
  • Half of all adults firmly believe that the Bible is accurate in all the principles it teaches. That proportion includes the four-fifths of born again adults (79%) who concur.
  • Just one-quarter of adults (27%) are convinced that Satan is a real force. Even a minority of born again adults (40%) adopt that perspective.
  • Similarly, only one-quarter of adults (28%) believe that it is impossible for someone to earn their way into Heaven through good behavior. Not quite half of all born again Christians (47%) strongly reject the notion of earning salvation through their deeds.
  • A minority of American adults (40%) are persuaded that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life while He was on earth. Slightly less than two-thirds of the born again segment (62%) strongly believes that He was sinless.
  • Seven out of ten adults (70%) say that God is the all-powerful, all-knowing creator of the universe who still rules it today. That includes the 93% of born again adults who hold that conviction.

Are you surprised?  I  am somewhat surprised by the number who identify themselves as “born-again” who do not hold these basic Christian beliefs, but I am not surprised that only 9% of all adults were found to have a true biblical worldview.  It only strengthens my doubts when I hear reports that suggest that 75% of Americans identify themselves as Christians.  It is obvious that the title means many things to many people.  I am not sure we really know much about a person just because he or she may say, “I am a Christian.”  It also tells us that even among Christians, there can be a wide variety of views concerning just about every topic.

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Building Church Buildings: Do We Spend Too Much?

Posted on March 18, 2009 by Tim Farley

large_churchIn Matthew 16:13-20, we find an exchange between Jesus and his disciples.  In this conversation, Jesus asks his followers what people are saying about him and who they are saying he is.  After the disciples answer this question, Jesus then asks who they think Jesus is.  Peter steps to the front and, speaking for the group, says “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus, responding to Peter, replies “Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”

Peter had gotten it right!  He understood who Jesus was!  Jesus goes on in his reply to Peter to say “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church…”  I am pretty sure Jesus was not talking about a building in this statement.  Jesus was talking about a group of people that he was assembling to proclaim the gospel and to do good works.  However, when I look at the Church today, I am left wondering if we care too much about building buildings.  Has that become our goal?

When I read news articles that report that many churches today have more debt than they can afford to repay, I wonder how we have gotten into this problem.  I recall a conversation that took place at a pastors’ conference I attended about a year ago between two seasoned leaders.  When asked about priorities in ministry, one pastor stood and addressed a gathering of fellow pastors and said that he always counsels churches to focus on securing land and a building before it calls additional staff personnel beyond the senior pastor.  His logic was that staff people cost money and that money could be saved to buy a building.  After the building is secured, the church can then worry about additional staff people.

A second pastor, after listening to the first, stood and responded that this is exactly the opposite approach that he would take.  He stated that his priority is always people and staff members are more important to ministering to the needs of people than buildings.  In fact, he thought that renting space (in his case a school gym) was much more cost effective and allowed the church to allocate its money to much more important ministry needs than a mortgage or building maintenance.

What should we do?  In today’s world, I see churches building multi-million dollar facilities with state-of-the-art technology.  Is this necessary?  I suppose if you want to compete with the church down the street it is.  But is this an example of where the church has lost its focus?

It’s true, we need places to meet.  It’s also true that not every church is in debt or in a state-of-the-art facility.  Some churches have even begun to meet in homes rather than traditional church buildings.  But the majority of Christians are currently meeting in churches that meet in buildings that are church-owned.  How do we know when the facility we have is sufficient for our needs?  Can a church survive in today’s world if it refuses to adopt the “bigger and better” mentality that drives our consumeristic mindset?  How do we best manage the money that God has entrusted to us as churches?

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Churches Not Immune To The Economic Downturn

Posted on March 16, 2009 by Tim Farley

foreclosure-signHomeowners are struggling to pay their mortgages.  Foreclosure rates are at an unbelievably high level.  The economic downturn has hit us all in one way or another.  Churches are no exception.  As congregants have less money to give, churches have less money coming in.

Many churches took out loans on buildings or to expand facilities during the boom years.  Now, many of those same churches are struggling to repay their debt.  You can read more about this crisis here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090314/ap_on_bi_ge/rel_banking_on_faith

What should we think about this?  Is the church not to be an example in every area about how we are supposed to live?  Should the church not be setting an example in the area of finances and debt as well?  Does this change our feelings in any way about individuals who are struggling with the same issues (does it make us more sympathetic)?

This issue also makes me think of another topic completely:  Are churches called to build buildings?  Most of the debt a church can take on is wrapped up in its facilities.  Are there ways to cut back on building costs and still accommodate your people?  Many churches are now renting school gymnasiums or other facilities instead of buying buildings.  Some have even gone to meeting in multiple homes throughout the week.  Is this wise?  What are the pros and cons?

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