One of my new favorites.
kim kardashian and the death of marriage
2 months ago
Monday, September 19, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Bonhoeffer – Eric Metaxas
In this biography of one of the most famous people murdered under the regime of Adolf Hitler, Metaxas gives us a look not only into the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, but also into his mind.
I had wanted to read this book for some time, as I was interested in looking into the life of a man I knew some about, but certainly not a lot. This book ended up being just what I needed. It’s not a short book, as the author isn’t content with just giving you a story, but also is providing the reader with an in-depth look into what Bonhoeffer was often thinking at the time as well. The author turns often to the writings of Bonhoeffer, including his books, letters and sermons. This makes for quite an interesting look into his life and what he thought of the things going on around him.
The impact Bonhoeffer had on the life of so many around him alone makes for an interesting story. The way he did this with integrity, love and discipline, helping those around him capture these things as well, make his life and ministry full of valuable lessons for Christians today.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Dangerous Church
Right from the forward, written by Rick Warren, I had a feeling I was going to like this book. Warren says “To be a dangerous church is to be about what Jesus was about.” The title of the book could have been “Church” rather than “Dangerous Church”, since the author, John Bishop, is interested in us seeking the purpose of the Church which mirrors Jesus’ purpose of the Church. The need for churches today is to ask the right questions and this of course falls on the shoulders of the leadership. Is our purpose correct? If it is, do our methods mirror our purpose, or is there a disconnect? Are we having an impact? It will take some courage to ask these questions, but if we are willing to face them honestly, we can find ourselves moving in the right direction.
The first part of Dangerous Church is called “Risk Everything.” One thing I like about this book is that it has a lot of personal stories from Bishop, as he tells of some risks which he took. That is where it begins, with the story of his personal journey with Jesus. It’s in chapter 2 that things really begin to come together, as you see the direction he is going to be going. The chapter is called “What’s wrong with the church”, and this is the question, isn’t it? Bishop argues that the church has become largely apathetic in the areas which really matter to God.
The question we need to ask is whether we care about what God cares about. Clearly God cares about the lost, but do we? “The truth that we hate to admit to ourselves is that we usually don’t care too much about things that are lost, unless they are our things.” (pg 38) So if the lost matter to God, certainly they should also matter to us, and we need to make sure we are actually doing something about them.
He goes on to point out that many churches get stuck, and points out three indicators of being stuck. We could see our growth plateau, stop hearing signs of God working in individuals, and find out that our members aren’t inviting people to church. These are indications that our church may need to get unstuck. To get unstuck, we need to not so much worry about making the right plans, but instead trust that the purposes of God for our church will see us through.
Before he goes on to the next section, Bishop makes sure to point out that failure is a real possibility. Any time you take risks, you need to make sure you’re aware of the potential to fail. We can’t avoid risky behavior, though, because of risk.
For this reason, he moves on to the next section, titled “Reach Everywhere.” The issue for Churches to understand is that if the Great Commission is failing, this is our problem. There is need for us to really stop doing things which are keeping people from Christ. This is a theme of sorts through several chapters, as Bishop points out that we too often are hypocritical and play god with people. On top of that, there are things which we do in services which frankly make people feel uncomfortable. On page 103 he says “Most of us are great at doing church for people who do church, but we’re pretty stupid when it comes to reaching people who don’t do church.” Right on! He even tells a story about when he was visiting a church. I both chuckled and cringed as I read it.
So the need for leaders, and particularly pastors, is how we can make the services not become barriers to Christ. He’s not suggesting we change the message at all, but understanding the need to speak in ways which deal with people where they are, and doing so with the understanding that a real impact in people’s lives only happens when we preach through Christ in the power and conviction of the Spirit. Also in this section is the need we have to go to the people where Jesus went, meaning we may have to get dirty with them. We are called, after all, to the “least of these.” He points out in chapter 11 that while we can’t do everything, no one can, we can, and therefore must, do something.
The third part of the book is called “Release Everyone,” and this begins with a chapter called “Jesus would hire who you wouldn’t.” The important thing here is that often we avoid people who have bad pasts, but these might be just the people we should be using. In fact, Bishop points out that Jesus went after the outcasts. He didn’t go get followers from the elite, but from the shores of the lake.
It is in releasing everyone that we will make mistakes, and the author shares some of the mistakes they made in their growth, and in chapter 13 tells three important lessons he learned. I won’t go into them here, but they are worth looking at. He talks in this chapter about something they did which was a “bit reckless”. This may be the understatement of the book. It was very reckless, but they did it in order to see what God could do.
An interesting chapter in here was the one called “Purple salt: becoming a church that gets noticed.” He talks a lot about salt and its uses, and then on page 156 says this: “Salt is effective only as it comes into contact with other objects.” We cannot use too much salt, but we must get out with other people in order to be the salt. The reason for the “purple” salt is that we need to stand out in the world. People should notice us.
The fourth and final part of the book is called “Remember only God.” In the end, after all, the risks we take are all about God. He is the one who will deal with us when we’re in the midst of our droughts, which are bound to happen if we go into the world and take risks. These are the people and churches which will be attacked by Satan, so it’s important to rely completely on God. It’s important to know also what God has called us to be, and how He will take us there.
One final quote I like, which is really the foundation of the whole book. “Your potential is not found in what you have to offer God but in your availability to God.” (pg. 182) I did enjoy the book, and it gave me a lot to think and pray about. As a pastor who seeks to lead a church into dangerous territory, it’s nice to read a book which contains success and failure, lessons learned and disappointments felt.
The first part of Dangerous Church is called “Risk Everything.” One thing I like about this book is that it has a lot of personal stories from Bishop, as he tells of some risks which he took. That is where it begins, with the story of his personal journey with Jesus. It’s in chapter 2 that things really begin to come together, as you see the direction he is going to be going. The chapter is called “What’s wrong with the church”, and this is the question, isn’t it? Bishop argues that the church has become largely apathetic in the areas which really matter to God.
The question we need to ask is whether we care about what God cares about. Clearly God cares about the lost, but do we? “The truth that we hate to admit to ourselves is that we usually don’t care too much about things that are lost, unless they are our things.” (pg 38) So if the lost matter to God, certainly they should also matter to us, and we need to make sure we are actually doing something about them.
He goes on to point out that many churches get stuck, and points out three indicators of being stuck. We could see our growth plateau, stop hearing signs of God working in individuals, and find out that our members aren’t inviting people to church. These are indications that our church may need to get unstuck. To get unstuck, we need to not so much worry about making the right plans, but instead trust that the purposes of God for our church will see us through.
Before he goes on to the next section, Bishop makes sure to point out that failure is a real possibility. Any time you take risks, you need to make sure you’re aware of the potential to fail. We can’t avoid risky behavior, though, because of risk.
For this reason, he moves on to the next section, titled “Reach Everywhere.” The issue for Churches to understand is that if the Great Commission is failing, this is our problem. There is need for us to really stop doing things which are keeping people from Christ. This is a theme of sorts through several chapters, as Bishop points out that we too often are hypocritical and play god with people. On top of that, there are things which we do in services which frankly make people feel uncomfortable. On page 103 he says “Most of us are great at doing church for people who do church, but we’re pretty stupid when it comes to reaching people who don’t do church.” Right on! He even tells a story about when he was visiting a church. I both chuckled and cringed as I read it.
So the need for leaders, and particularly pastors, is how we can make the services not become barriers to Christ. He’s not suggesting we change the message at all, but understanding the need to speak in ways which deal with people where they are, and doing so with the understanding that a real impact in people’s lives only happens when we preach through Christ in the power and conviction of the Spirit. Also in this section is the need we have to go to the people where Jesus went, meaning we may have to get dirty with them. We are called, after all, to the “least of these.” He points out in chapter 11 that while we can’t do everything, no one can, we can, and therefore must, do something.
The third part of the book is called “Release Everyone,” and this begins with a chapter called “Jesus would hire who you wouldn’t.” The important thing here is that often we avoid people who have bad pasts, but these might be just the people we should be using. In fact, Bishop points out that Jesus went after the outcasts. He didn’t go get followers from the elite, but from the shores of the lake.
It is in releasing everyone that we will make mistakes, and the author shares some of the mistakes they made in their growth, and in chapter 13 tells three important lessons he learned. I won’t go into them here, but they are worth looking at. He talks in this chapter about something they did which was a “bit reckless”. This may be the understatement of the book. It was very reckless, but they did it in order to see what God could do.
An interesting chapter in here was the one called “Purple salt: becoming a church that gets noticed.” He talks a lot about salt and its uses, and then on page 156 says this: “Salt is effective only as it comes into contact with other objects.” We cannot use too much salt, but we must get out with other people in order to be the salt. The reason for the “purple” salt is that we need to stand out in the world. People should notice us.
The fourth and final part of the book is called “Remember only God.” In the end, after all, the risks we take are all about God. He is the one who will deal with us when we’re in the midst of our droughts, which are bound to happen if we go into the world and take risks. These are the people and churches which will be attacked by Satan, so it’s important to rely completely on God. It’s important to know also what God has called us to be, and how He will take us there.
One final quote I like, which is really the foundation of the whole book. “Your potential is not found in what you have to offer God but in your availability to God.” (pg. 182) I did enjoy the book, and it gave me a lot to think and pray about. As a pastor who seeks to lead a church into dangerous territory, it’s nice to read a book which contains success and failure, lessons learned and disappointments felt.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Erasing Hell, pt. 7
Chapter 7 – Don’t Be Overwhelmed
So what now? How can we carry on with visions of hell in our head? Wouldn’t it be easier to try to not think about it? Certainly it would, but that doesn’t mean we should. As a matter of fact, shouldn’t we work even harder to try to think about hell and do life differently? Chan believes we should. “We shouldn’t go on with life as usual.” (pg 145) This would be foolish. So he gives us some final thoughts.
First, this calls for a greater urgency. In Romans 9, Paul says he has “great sorrow and unceasing anguish” in his heart. Do we feel this sort of urgency? Paul goes so far as to say he wishes he could switch places with those who are on the path of destruction? Do we even come close to feeling like this? Do I? I would have to say that most time I don’t, and that’s a shame. The thing which is lacking, of course, is love. We don’t love people like Paul did. They were on his heart and mind all the time.
Chan also says that hell gives us a greater sense of joy when it comes to the cross. When we realize what we’ve been saved from, it makes the cross of Christ that much greater. In fact, the teachings of hell magnify “the beauty of the cross.” (pg 148) I do not suffer the wrath of God, but this is not for what I’ve done, but for what Jesus has done on my behalf. This is reason to worship!
Finally, Chan asks us the big question: “Are you sure?” It’s pointless to read, study or concern ourselves with hell at all, if we never turn the question back to ourselves. So this is where Chan spends his last few pages. If hell is real and most of the passages concerning hell were addressed to those who believed they wouldn’t be there, everyone should stop and consider the question of whether or not they are going to hell. So I’ll put it to you: Are you sure?
“We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” – II Corinthians 5:20b-21.
So what now? How can we carry on with visions of hell in our head? Wouldn’t it be easier to try to not think about it? Certainly it would, but that doesn’t mean we should. As a matter of fact, shouldn’t we work even harder to try to think about hell and do life differently? Chan believes we should. “We shouldn’t go on with life as usual.” (pg 145) This would be foolish. So he gives us some final thoughts.
First, this calls for a greater urgency. In Romans 9, Paul says he has “great sorrow and unceasing anguish” in his heart. Do we feel this sort of urgency? Paul goes so far as to say he wishes he could switch places with those who are on the path of destruction? Do we even come close to feeling like this? Do I? I would have to say that most time I don’t, and that’s a shame. The thing which is lacking, of course, is love. We don’t love people like Paul did. They were on his heart and mind all the time.
Chan also says that hell gives us a greater sense of joy when it comes to the cross. When we realize what we’ve been saved from, it makes the cross of Christ that much greater. In fact, the teachings of hell magnify “the beauty of the cross.” (pg 148) I do not suffer the wrath of God, but this is not for what I’ve done, but for what Jesus has done on my behalf. This is reason to worship!
Finally, Chan asks us the big question: “Are you sure?” It’s pointless to read, study or concern ourselves with hell at all, if we never turn the question back to ourselves. So this is where Chan spends his last few pages. If hell is real and most of the passages concerning hell were addressed to those who believed they wouldn’t be there, everyone should stop and consider the question of whether or not they are going to hell. So I’ll put it to you: Are you sure?
“We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” – II Corinthians 5:20b-21.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Erasing Hell, pt. 6
Chapter 6 – “What if God…”
Here we come to what was inevitable with a book by Francis Chan. If I have one complaint with his teachings, it is his hold to the idea that everything which happens is orchestrated by God. This I simply cannot believe. There is far too much in Scripture which denies this teaching. Before I get into that, though, let me dive into what he says in the chapter. As I go through, I will give some critique.
Chan begins by looking at Romans 9, and talks about how in this chapter, Paul is telling the Jews about their standing with God, and how God has the right to choose or discard according to His desire. Let’s look at a few verses, and then we’ll take some time to look into them.
“Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. One of you will say to me: ‘Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?’ But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? ‘Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?”’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?” – Romans 9:18-21 (NIV)
Chan says this passage is teaching that God makes decisions based on His own will as to who will go to Heaven and who will go to Hell. But is that what Paul is saying? Let me say three things which need to be known.
First, it is fairly certain that Paul was writing to people who believed God did predetermine everything, and this passage is actually Paul correcting some of their other theology, using their own theology against them. Okay, that might have been a confusing sentence, so let me explain. The Jews believed they were the chosen people, and as such, they would always be the people of God. Now Paul is telling them that they are not the people of God anymore, and that this designation has moved to the Church, which includes Jews and Gentiles. They were complaining about this, so Paul is using their theology, which says that God has the right to do whatever He wants, no matter what we want, and pointing it back at them. “Don’t you say God can do whatever He wants? Then you have no right to complain!”
Secondly, and in conjunction with this, remember the historical setting of the “Potter and clay” image. This comes from Jeremiah, where God sends Jeremiah to the house of the potter, and uses it as an image of Him as the Potter, and Israel as the clay. Look at Jeremiah 18:5-6: “Then the word of the LORD came to me: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?’ declares the LORD. ‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.’” (NIV) At first, it certainly appears to be what Chan is saying. God is all-determining; He chooses who will and will not be destroyed. We are clay in the hands of the Potter. However, we need to read the next two verses. “If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.” In fact, it seems as if we do have a part in determining our future. As Chan said earlier in the book, when looking at the passages concerning hell, it’s important to look at any verse in the context it was written, as well as the context from which it was taken if it’s quoted from the Old Testament, since that would have been the context the writer and readers understood.
The third thing which is important is to remember that Paul is not talking about salvation in individual terms. We have certainly become far too individualistic in our culture today, and it hinders our understanding of the Bible many times. In this passage, Paul is dealing with the nation of Israel, of which he is a part. As a matter of fact, almost every time the Bible talks about salvation, it is talking about a people, not a person. We are a body, a kingdom, a priesthood, a family and a community. So when Paul is talking about some destined for destruction, he is not talking about how certain individuals were chosen for destruction, but how certain groups of people were destined for hell. This is the group of people who have chosen to not follow Christ. So God does not choose individuals for heaven or hell, but instead chooses that all who follow Jesus will enter with Him into Glory.
Don’t misunderstand me; this chapter does have some good to it. A lot of the reason many seem to avoid the discussion or even belief of hell has nothing to do with what the Bible says, but about the fact that we are embarrassed to suggest God might send people there. Whatever your belief concerning whether God predetermines people to heaven and hell of not, there is danger is thinking we can understand everything God does and says. His ways and thoughts are certainly higher than ours. There are things I would look at that God allowed, commanded and did in the Bible which I question. I can point to stories and say “I’m not sure I would have done that.”
However, Chan is quick to point out that this is also true of the incarnation. If I were God, would I choose to send my Son into the world to die for people who had rejected me? Probably not. So I need to take all the things in the Bible I don’t understand, and be willing to put them into the hands of God. This doesn’t mean I don’t pursue answers, much like many in the Bible. I am allowed, and indeed encouraged, to wrestle with God and Scripture when it comes to places of confusion. However, I must be willing, even in my confusion, to confess the love of God and rejoice in Him. I will end (finally!) with a quote by Chan.
“As I have said all along, I don’t feel like believing in hell. And yet I do. Maybe someday I will stand in complete agreement with Him, but for now I attribute the discrepancy to an underdeveloped sense of justice on my part. God is perfect. And I joyfully submit to a God whose ways are much, much higher than mine.” (pg 141)
Here we come to what was inevitable with a book by Francis Chan. If I have one complaint with his teachings, it is his hold to the idea that everything which happens is orchestrated by God. This I simply cannot believe. There is far too much in Scripture which denies this teaching. Before I get into that, though, let me dive into what he says in the chapter. As I go through, I will give some critique.
Chan begins by looking at Romans 9, and talks about how in this chapter, Paul is telling the Jews about their standing with God, and how God has the right to choose or discard according to His desire. Let’s look at a few verses, and then we’ll take some time to look into them.
“Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. One of you will say to me: ‘Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?’ But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? ‘Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?”’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?” – Romans 9:18-21 (NIV)
Chan says this passage is teaching that God makes decisions based on His own will as to who will go to Heaven and who will go to Hell. But is that what Paul is saying? Let me say three things which need to be known.
First, it is fairly certain that Paul was writing to people who believed God did predetermine everything, and this passage is actually Paul correcting some of their other theology, using their own theology against them. Okay, that might have been a confusing sentence, so let me explain. The Jews believed they were the chosen people, and as such, they would always be the people of God. Now Paul is telling them that they are not the people of God anymore, and that this designation has moved to the Church, which includes Jews and Gentiles. They were complaining about this, so Paul is using their theology, which says that God has the right to do whatever He wants, no matter what we want, and pointing it back at them. “Don’t you say God can do whatever He wants? Then you have no right to complain!”
Secondly, and in conjunction with this, remember the historical setting of the “Potter and clay” image. This comes from Jeremiah, where God sends Jeremiah to the house of the potter, and uses it as an image of Him as the Potter, and Israel as the clay. Look at Jeremiah 18:5-6: “Then the word of the LORD came to me: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?’ declares the LORD. ‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.’” (NIV) At first, it certainly appears to be what Chan is saying. God is all-determining; He chooses who will and will not be destroyed. We are clay in the hands of the Potter. However, we need to read the next two verses. “If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.” In fact, it seems as if we do have a part in determining our future. As Chan said earlier in the book, when looking at the passages concerning hell, it’s important to look at any verse in the context it was written, as well as the context from which it was taken if it’s quoted from the Old Testament, since that would have been the context the writer and readers understood.
The third thing which is important is to remember that Paul is not talking about salvation in individual terms. We have certainly become far too individualistic in our culture today, and it hinders our understanding of the Bible many times. In this passage, Paul is dealing with the nation of Israel, of which he is a part. As a matter of fact, almost every time the Bible talks about salvation, it is talking about a people, not a person. We are a body, a kingdom, a priesthood, a family and a community. So when Paul is talking about some destined for destruction, he is not talking about how certain individuals were chosen for destruction, but how certain groups of people were destined for hell. This is the group of people who have chosen to not follow Christ. So God does not choose individuals for heaven or hell, but instead chooses that all who follow Jesus will enter with Him into Glory.
Don’t misunderstand me; this chapter does have some good to it. A lot of the reason many seem to avoid the discussion or even belief of hell has nothing to do with what the Bible says, but about the fact that we are embarrassed to suggest God might send people there. Whatever your belief concerning whether God predetermines people to heaven and hell of not, there is danger is thinking we can understand everything God does and says. His ways and thoughts are certainly higher than ours. There are things I would look at that God allowed, commanded and did in the Bible which I question. I can point to stories and say “I’m not sure I would have done that.”
However, Chan is quick to point out that this is also true of the incarnation. If I were God, would I choose to send my Son into the world to die for people who had rejected me? Probably not. So I need to take all the things in the Bible I don’t understand, and be willing to put them into the hands of God. This doesn’t mean I don’t pursue answers, much like many in the Bible. I am allowed, and indeed encouraged, to wrestle with God and Scripture when it comes to places of confusion. However, I must be willing, even in my confusion, to confess the love of God and rejoice in Him. I will end (finally!) with a quote by Chan.
“As I have said all along, I don’t feel like believing in hell. And yet I do. Maybe someday I will stand in complete agreement with Him, but for now I attribute the discrepancy to an underdeveloped sense of justice on my part. God is perfect. And I joyfully submit to a God whose ways are much, much higher than mine.” (pg 141)
Friday, July 22, 2011
Erasing Hell, pt. 5
Chapter 5 – What Does This Have to do With Me?
The question we need to ask about hell, then, is what does any of this have to do with me? Surely, hell is all about non-Christians, not Christians. Why do we really need to understand this? Obviously, there is the whole idea of evangelism. We need to be going out and warning those who are in danger. This we know, but what about personally? This is a huge difficulty for most people.
To help us answer that question, Chan takes us to one of the most frightening passages in the Bible. It is in Matthew 7 that Jesus tells us “many” will think they are on their way to Heaven, will stand before Jesus on the Day of Judgment, and be in for a huge surprise. They will tell Jesus all about what they did in His name, but will not be allowed into His eternal Presence. Why? Jesus will tell them the answer: “I never knew you.”
So the question on every person’s heart should be this: “Am I one of the ‘many’ who will stand before Jesus, and still be sent away. You see, it’s to those who claim to be following God to which almost every passage concerning hell is directed. This isn’t to say we shouldn’t talk about it to non-believers, but that we need to make sure we have ourselves together first. So Chan takes another look at some of these passages in the New Testament on hell, and tells us to spend some time examining ourselves.
One passage where Jesus is talking about judgment and hell is in the context of Jesus helping a Roman soldier. Here Jesus is marveling at the faith of this one man, while the Jews were the ones looking down their noses at the Romans, yet still lacked faith themselves. This, Chan tells us, is a sign of racism, which clearly the Jews suffered from in that day. The racism had nothing to do with skin color; the Jews simply believed they were better than others, because God had chosen them. This racism was going to cause them to be destroyed. Jesus says “many will come from the east and the west, and will take their place at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” The Kingdom of God has to do with faith, not race.
Chan talks about the need to reach out to those in need. The longest teaching of Jesus concerning Judgment Day has to do with this. It is those who gave water to the thirsty, visited those in prison, and so forth. We are called to reach out to the poor, and not caring for people in need is a sign that my faith is false and my religion is dead.
He then points his finger at people like me; those who are called to teach and preach. In James, Jude and II Peter, the warning is given to those who are false teachers. The tongue is a powerful tool for the Kingdom of God, but it is also powerful for the kingdom of Satan. There are warnings given throughout the Bible of the calling and responsibility God has given teachers and preachers, and therefore the judgment which will fall on them if they are negligent in what they say.
Finally, there are the lukewarm. Drawing from the letters to the churches in Revelation, Chan points out the danger of being lukewarm. The problem is that most people aren’t concerned with this, and are in fact enjoying their lukewarm Christianity. He points out that this is a huge problem in America today. “We have become dangerously comfortable—believers ooze with wealth and let their addictions to comfort and security numb the radical urgency of the gospel.” (pg. 124)
The danger is we will become so comfortable with our Christianity, that we won’t look to these passages and more which warn those who claim to be followers of Christ, yet are living as people of the world. We are the ones to whom most passages of hell are directed.
The question we need to ask about hell, then, is what does any of this have to do with me? Surely, hell is all about non-Christians, not Christians. Why do we really need to understand this? Obviously, there is the whole idea of evangelism. We need to be going out and warning those who are in danger. This we know, but what about personally? This is a huge difficulty for most people.
To help us answer that question, Chan takes us to one of the most frightening passages in the Bible. It is in Matthew 7 that Jesus tells us “many” will think they are on their way to Heaven, will stand before Jesus on the Day of Judgment, and be in for a huge surprise. They will tell Jesus all about what they did in His name, but will not be allowed into His eternal Presence. Why? Jesus will tell them the answer: “I never knew you.”
So the question on every person’s heart should be this: “Am I one of the ‘many’ who will stand before Jesus, and still be sent away. You see, it’s to those who claim to be following God to which almost every passage concerning hell is directed. This isn’t to say we shouldn’t talk about it to non-believers, but that we need to make sure we have ourselves together first. So Chan takes another look at some of these passages in the New Testament on hell, and tells us to spend some time examining ourselves.
One passage where Jesus is talking about judgment and hell is in the context of Jesus helping a Roman soldier. Here Jesus is marveling at the faith of this one man, while the Jews were the ones looking down their noses at the Romans, yet still lacked faith themselves. This, Chan tells us, is a sign of racism, which clearly the Jews suffered from in that day. The racism had nothing to do with skin color; the Jews simply believed they were better than others, because God had chosen them. This racism was going to cause them to be destroyed. Jesus says “many will come from the east and the west, and will take their place at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” The Kingdom of God has to do with faith, not race.
Chan talks about the need to reach out to those in need. The longest teaching of Jesus concerning Judgment Day has to do with this. It is those who gave water to the thirsty, visited those in prison, and so forth. We are called to reach out to the poor, and not caring for people in need is a sign that my faith is false and my religion is dead.
He then points his finger at people like me; those who are called to teach and preach. In James, Jude and II Peter, the warning is given to those who are false teachers. The tongue is a powerful tool for the Kingdom of God, but it is also powerful for the kingdom of Satan. There are warnings given throughout the Bible of the calling and responsibility God has given teachers and preachers, and therefore the judgment which will fall on them if they are negligent in what they say.
Finally, there are the lukewarm. Drawing from the letters to the churches in Revelation, Chan points out the danger of being lukewarm. The problem is that most people aren’t concerned with this, and are in fact enjoying their lukewarm Christianity. He points out that this is a huge problem in America today. “We have become dangerously comfortable—believers ooze with wealth and let their addictions to comfort and security numb the radical urgency of the gospel.” (pg. 124)
The danger is we will become so comfortable with our Christianity, that we won’t look to these passages and more which warn those who claim to be followers of Christ, yet are living as people of the world. We are the ones to whom most passages of hell are directed.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Erasing Hell, pt. 4
Chapter 4 – What Jesus’ Followers Said About Hell
So if Jesus clearly taught about hell, did his followers see it that way as well? Surely it was those closest to Jesus who understood his teachings best, so the question we must ask is whether or not they understood Him the way we understand Him. If it’s different than how we’ve taken it, maybe we need to reexamine what we’ve taken from Jesus. So what did they say?
Chan begins with Paul, and points out something interesting. Paul never uses the word “hell”. This is important to point out, because Rob Bell claims that he uses every verse in the Bible in which “hell” is used. This might be true, but though Paul doesn’t use the word “hell”, there is no mistaking that he uses the concepts and terms of hell which Jesus and the other teachers used quite frequently. It is Paul who says that those who do not obey Christ “will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.” (II Thessalonians 1:9)
Of course, there are many who say that we shouldn’t preach the “hell-fire and brimstone” sermon. There have been people who went too far, and never paid any attention to the grace and love of God in their teaching, preaching or witnessing. That is certainly wrong. But we need to watch out that we don’t swing the opposite direction, and begin to ignore hell completely. Chan says “God is compassionate and just, loving and holy, wrathful and forgiving. We can’t sideline His more difficult attributes to make room for the palatable ones.” (pg. 101) There needs to be some balance.
Paul demonstrates this for us in Acts 17. Here we have Paul preaching a clear message of God, but doesn’t say anything of forgiveness, atonement or cross. There is, however, talk of the Day of Judgment. Paul tells the listeners that God “has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness.” This certainly isn’t an argument that we should only preach judgment, but that it is certainly wrong to ignore it.
He then goes to a couple other authors in the New Testament, Peter and Jude. In II Peter 2 and Jude we have some very vivid imagery. Demons and false teachers, along with the unrighteous, will be punished in hell. There will be “destruction,” “punishment,” “judgment,” “condemnation” and more.
Then, of course, you have the book of Revelation. No where is the image more vivid, though Chan doesn’t talk about the possibility of John using apocalyptic language. Regardless, though, of how realistic the images are, there are certain things you cannot avoid when you read Revelation. There will be a Judgment day, and the “cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for the murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (21:8)
Do the writers back up the understanding we took from Jesus’ teachings? They certainly do, yet the idea of hell is so unpleasant, most don’t even think about it. I, with Chan, agree that I don’t often life as if hell is an actual place. “What causes my heart to ache right now as I’m writing this is that my life shows little evidence that I actually believe this. Every time my thoughts wander to the future of unbelievers, I quickly brush them aside so they don’t ruin my day. But there is a reality here that I can’t ignore.” (pg. 107)
So if Jesus clearly taught about hell, did his followers see it that way as well? Surely it was those closest to Jesus who understood his teachings best, so the question we must ask is whether or not they understood Him the way we understand Him. If it’s different than how we’ve taken it, maybe we need to reexamine what we’ve taken from Jesus. So what did they say?
Chan begins with Paul, and points out something interesting. Paul never uses the word “hell”. This is important to point out, because Rob Bell claims that he uses every verse in the Bible in which “hell” is used. This might be true, but though Paul doesn’t use the word “hell”, there is no mistaking that he uses the concepts and terms of hell which Jesus and the other teachers used quite frequently. It is Paul who says that those who do not obey Christ “will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.” (II Thessalonians 1:9)
Of course, there are many who say that we shouldn’t preach the “hell-fire and brimstone” sermon. There have been people who went too far, and never paid any attention to the grace and love of God in their teaching, preaching or witnessing. That is certainly wrong. But we need to watch out that we don’t swing the opposite direction, and begin to ignore hell completely. Chan says “God is compassionate and just, loving and holy, wrathful and forgiving. We can’t sideline His more difficult attributes to make room for the palatable ones.” (pg. 101) There needs to be some balance.
Paul demonstrates this for us in Acts 17. Here we have Paul preaching a clear message of God, but doesn’t say anything of forgiveness, atonement or cross. There is, however, talk of the Day of Judgment. Paul tells the listeners that God “has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness.” This certainly isn’t an argument that we should only preach judgment, but that it is certainly wrong to ignore it.
He then goes to a couple other authors in the New Testament, Peter and Jude. In II Peter 2 and Jude we have some very vivid imagery. Demons and false teachers, along with the unrighteous, will be punished in hell. There will be “destruction,” “punishment,” “judgment,” “condemnation” and more.
Then, of course, you have the book of Revelation. No where is the image more vivid, though Chan doesn’t talk about the possibility of John using apocalyptic language. Regardless, though, of how realistic the images are, there are certain things you cannot avoid when you read Revelation. There will be a Judgment day, and the “cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for the murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (21:8)
Do the writers back up the understanding we took from Jesus’ teachings? They certainly do, yet the idea of hell is so unpleasant, most don’t even think about it. I, with Chan, agree that I don’t often life as if hell is an actual place. “What causes my heart to ache right now as I’m writing this is that my life shows little evidence that I actually believe this. Every time my thoughts wander to the future of unbelievers, I quickly brush them aside so they don’t ruin my day. But there is a reality here that I can’t ignore.” (pg. 107)
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