Being a Follower: The Beginning

Take a look at the same series of precipitious events that led a bunch of "nobody" working-class guys to leave their comfort zones and become world-changers, even to this day. These events are "covered" from three perspectives, three sets of eyes. Consequently, the telling varies slightly from reporter to reporter.

Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.”

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. Matthew 4:12-25

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him. Mark 1:14-20

Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).

One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone).

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” John 1:35-43

Fishing is all Peter, Andrew and the Zebedee brothers had known... It was the family business - they had grown up in it and most likely would pass it on to their sons. But Jesus said to "follow him" and they did.

Having looked at the three gospel narratives, let's take a "closer look" at the coup-de-grace that took Peter from the boats to his new life as a "follower":

So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. Luke 5:1-11

Jesus' hook in Andrew's life was the fact that Jesus was able to tell him where he had been and what he had been doing - sight unseen. For Peter, this unforgettable event sealed the deal. You can imagine working hard all night out on the water. You are getting ready to pack it in and some guy you hardly know tells you that if you throw the net where he tells you, there will be a catch. "Yeah, right. If you say so. If it makes you happy, okay, I'll give it a shot."

Surprise! Not only a catch but one that just about swamped two boats. Peter never forgot that one.

Three years later, we pick up the narrative again. This from John 21:

After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”

They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.

After all that had happened for the last three years, all that they had seen and heard
and been a part of in their "following" Jesus... They had been in the thick of miraculous works, great popularity on one side and intense hatred and opposition on the other. They had seen betrayal, abandonment and execution. They had seen their Master and Teacher twice - alive - after his execution.

They didn't quite know what to do with themselves. You can imagine their converstion, sort of like:

"What do we do now?"

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't know, what do you want to do?"

"Hey, I know! Let's go back to what we're comfortable with. Let's go fishing!"

Back to the narrative in John 21:

But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?”
They answered Him, “No.”

And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.

Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.”

Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish. This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.

Here we have deja vu (all over again). The event that hooked Peter three years ago is being replayed before their eyes. Sometimes we don't learn our lesson the first time - we have to have a little reminder.

To be continued...

Living Hand-to-Mouth

You've probably heard the expression "God helps those who help themselves..." at least once in your life. Evangelical Christians are usually quick to retort with "...but you can't find that in the Bible!" They are correct... in that they are usually defending the biblical truth of justification. That is, being judicially absolved from our wrongdoing through Christ's substitutionary payment.

An interview with Thomas Sowell, a well-known independent-thinking economist, got me to consider this. He made a statement regarding social welfare funded by taxation. His comment was, "Why should I be required to provide for others what they are unwilling to provide for themselves." Sowell is big on personal responsibility -- and so is the Bible.

There is ample biblical support for both the cliche phrase ("God helps those...") and Mr. Sowell's comment -- speaking in terms of practical, everyday living.

First, I think of two Proverbs:

19:24. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish, But will not even bring it back to his mouth.

26:15. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again.

Next, Paul speaking to the Thessalonians (2 Thess. 3):

10. For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.

12. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.

There are some who would use the Bible as an escape from responsibility. Truth is, on balance, it helps us face responsibility head-on. If we were all more responsible, wouldn't the world be a better place?

Pirates of the Caribbean 2 - Even the Rocks Cry Out

I was one of the many moviegoers who helped Pirates 2 set box office opening records last weekend. I can't say I wasn't warned. I read a couple of reviews online before the matinee -- one at Slate and another at Chicago Tribune. They both led me to prepare for a veritable yawner.

It's not that it didn't have some notable aspects, though. The CG was very well done and well integrated into the film.

As we drove away from the theater, my lovely and perceptive wife, Cindy, made note of a couple of themes that kept surfacing in the storyline: paying your soul debt, facing final judgment and experiencing redemption.

As we talked about it she reminded me of Jesus statement when he rode into Jerusalem amid the cheers and adulation of the crowd. The religious leaders were offended and wanted Jesus to silence the crowd. They were aggressively suppressing the truth of the prophetic scenario playing out in front of them.

Jesus answered them, "If they are silent, even the rocks will cry out."

As hard as we try to silence the moral and spiritual themes of life, they keep popping up -- sometimes in places you would least expect them -- like Pirates of the Caribbean!

Who Wrote Your Dictionary? - Part 3

A few years later, the apostle Paul took a page out of Jesus' dictionary and went into more detail about how love is defined:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1Co 13:1-3

Before he began explaining what love is, he talked about how important it is for us to have it. Love is the difference between being worth listening to and being background noise. Love is the difference between a being a beneficial and prosperous soul and being a nothing. Love makes the difference between our efforts being a benefit or a waste. He goes on to be specific in defining what live is like.

1Co 13:4 Love:

● love is patient - instead of having a short fuse, to be long spirited, long-suffering.
● love is kind - to show oneself useful, that is, act benevolently (like your mama said “why don't you make yourself useful!”)
● love does not envy – not motivated by jealously or wanting what doesn't belong to you
● love does not boast – not to be a braggart
● love is not arrogant – not inflated, proud, puffed up.

1Co 13:5

● love is not rude - not to be (that is, act) unbecoming: - behave self uncomely (unseemly).
● love does not insist on its own way
● love is not irritable – like a sharp jab in the side, that is, to exasperate: - not easily provoked
● love is not resentful – not keeping score, taking an inventory or keeping account of wrongs

1Co 13:6

● love does not rejoice at wrongdoing – not happy with injustice or unrighteousness
● love rejoices with the truth - sympathizes in gladness, congratulates truth


1Co 13:7 In all things - whatsoever, whosoever – everything that goes on in our lives:

● love bears - to roof over, that is, to cover with silence (to keep a lid on it)
● love believes - to have faith, to trust
● love hopes - to expect or confide
● love endures - to stay under (behind), persevere

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 1Co 13:8-11

Love is a characteristic of maturity, not of childishness.

Once again, the question for us, then, is “Who wrote your (my, our) dictionary?” Like we talked about in Part 1, definitions are descriptions of something.

If someone was asked to describe what your life was about, to sum up your life in a word or two, what would they say? What would they say is the love of your life? Is your life defined in terms of athletics? hunting? fishing? food? music? hobbies? sex? money? your work? Jesus?

Whatever or whoever defines your life is – in a practical sense – your God.

Paul talked sadly about ones he knew who let something other than Jesus define them.

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. Phi 3:17-19

They let their own appetites define and control their lives. Don't let this be your life. Let the God who alone has the right to define you – truly be the definer of your whole life.

Who Wrote Your Dictionary? - Part 2

In Part 1, we looked at what "define" means and asked, “Who wrote your dictionary?” Who we get our definitions from makes a big difference in how we look at life and how we live it. Are God's definitions your definitions?

Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remake you so that your whole attitude of mind is changed. Rom 12:2 (Phillips)

As creatures and as God's people, we must be sure we get our definitions from God and not from those who think nothing of Him – and specially ones who oppose or resist Him.

The Beatles sang a song that said “Love, love, love – all you need is love...” but in real life, at the height of their fame, they could barely stand to speak to each other.

What if we were to ask someone like... let's say a rich and famous star or starlet or entertainer what love means, what would they say. They might say love is being head-over-heels for someone -- “crazy in love” -- something that takes off like a rocket, then cools off and goes sour. Then -- someone else comes along to be head-over-heels for. This is the world's mold that we need not to be squeezed into.

Question: What does “love” mean in Jesus' dictionary?

For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? Mat 5:46

Love is not “giving to get.” Like Sammy Hagar singing “if you want love you've got to give a little...”

Jesus was asked: "Which commandment is the most important of all?" Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." Mar 12:28-31

Love incorporates your whole being. It is not just emotional - a "feeling" you have . Put your heart into, your mind into it... and put your back into it. And God requires it of us (it's not optional) toward our neighbors, not just for Himself.

Jesus had devoted the last three years of his life to teaching twelve men and many other friends everything they could understand about God's purpose and will. The night before his death, at a private dinner and passover celebration he spent a lot of time talking to them about what love means – as He defines it. It was at this last supper that he instructed about love – more than any other single occasion in the gospels.

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end (To the utmost). Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. Joh 13:1-5

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Joh 13:34-35

"If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. Joh 14:23-24

As they got up from their meal and began walking to the Garden of Gethsemane, He continued to talk to them...

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another." Joh 15:9-17

As they went, Jesus prayed. His prayer was for them and for us who have believed through them. Here is an excerpt of his prayer:

"And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them." Joh 17:19-26

Jesus didn't say anything “mushy” when He talked about love. When He talked about love, He talked about commitment and service. He talked about something that originated in eternity and is long-lasting, not here today and gone tomorrow. He talked about learning what is right. He talked about doing right for Him and for the benefit of others.

He said love means laying down your life for others... giving up your own life for the sake of others. That may take many forms. In the heat of battle, a soldier might literally give up his life to save a comrade. In the battles of everyday life, we have to learn to let go of what we want for the good of those who depend on us.

Are Jesus's definitions your definitions?

Who Wrote Your Dictionary? - Part 1

Most of us know what a dictionary is and what it is used for -- correct spelling & pronunciation -- but especially meanings.

I looked up meanings of the word "define" at wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn:

• give the meaning of a word; "Define 'sadness'"
• specify: determine the essential quality of (as in a specification... a blueprint callout)
• determine the nature of; "What defines a good wine?"
• show the form or outline of, differentiate; "The tree was clearly defined by the light"; "The camera could define the smallest object"

The Bible is a dictionary, too, and the Lord God is the original definer. “He said...” and it was. “He spoke...” and it was done.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was
without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. and the
Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, "Let
there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.
And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day,
and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning,
the first day. Gen 1:1-5

So it was with each of the next five days of creation. God defined and spoke:

Day two he created... The expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. Gen 1:6-8

Day three he created... Oceans and land mass. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Gen 1:9-10

Vegetation. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. Gen 1:11-13

Day four he created... Sun, moon and stars. And God made the two great lights--the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night--and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. Gen 1:14-19

Day five he created... Sea creatures and birds. And God saw that it was good. It was an explosion of diversity -- not like Henry Ford's Model T -- “You can have any color you like as long as it's black.” And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. Gen 1:20-23

Day six he created... Livestock and land animals. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Gen 1:24-27

You see, God has the authority and power to define. In Isaiah 55:11 He says - “so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” God defined man's purpose and work.

He further defined the nature and boundaries of man's relationship with him:

And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Gen 1:28-31

The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Gen 2:15-17

Then God gave Adam the authority and task of naming and classifying all the creatures he had dominion over:

So out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. Gen 2:19-20

This is wonderful! What more could a man want? But... trouble came to Eden.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Gen 3:1-5

Satan sought to “re-define” what God has said. He suggested that God didn't really mean what he said and the He only said it to hold Adam and Eve back from being equal with Him. Satan is still does that today. He has a rival system that does not recognize God's authority or definitions.

God wrote the dictionary for His creation. So, then, “Who wrote your dictionary?” Who we get our definitions from makes a big difference in how we look at life and how we live it. Are God's definitions your definitions?

Faith: Something You Have or Something You Do?

Answer: Both, actually. But since we usually focus on "having" faith, I want to look at the active, action-oriented faith that the Bible promotes. Hebrews 11:1 says:

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

Let's pick this apart, using the Strong's Concordance as a starting point for Greek definitions.

Faith = pistis (4102) - Being convinced of and relying on something.

Assurance = hupostatis (5287) - Substance, title-deed, guarantee, reality.

Hope = elpizo (1679) - Being fully confident in something, though not yet in grasp.

Conviction = elegchos (1650) - Evidence, proof (that by which a thing is tested and proven).

Things = pragma (4229) - Accomplished fact, that which exists, a "done deal".

Seen = blepo (991) - Perceived by the eye.

In other words, rather than having some nebulous feeling, you might rather say that:

Faith - the Godly, Bible kind - substantiates - or gives substance to - things which are fully assured. It evidences - proves by testing - things which are very real, even though they may not be seen by the eye. One translation says "unseen realities". That puts it rather well.

To use an analogy, I think of the character "the Invisible Man" in the old movie. Putting on a hat, coat, gloves, face wrapping - these things verified what was otherwise invisible. So by relying on and acting on what God says is reality, we prove what is unseen.

Why was Drudge surprised?

"Shock" was the lead-in to the Drudge headline link to this news story about infanticide in North Korea. Why is this news a surprise? For a materialist/evolutionist, weeding out the weak is a mechanism of the great evolutionary "plan" being worked out over the eons. To be a consistent evolutionist, this would be a good thing.

On the other hand, there was Corrie tenBoom. After the Nazis invaded Holland in 1940, Miss tenBoom was ostracized by the Nazi occupiers for befriending disabled children and helping them learn, in their simple way, the love that God has for them. Her God requires consideration for the helpless... in fact, the prophets pronounced judgment for lack of it. Conversely, in the Nazi way of thinking, this was useless activity wasted on worthless people. See a pattern here?

What journalist/poet Steve Turner wrote in his poem "Chance" is fitting here:

Chance

If chance be
the Father of all flesh,
disaster is his rainbow in the sky,
and when you hear

State of Emergency!
Sniper Kills Ten!
Troops on Rampage!
Whites go Looting!
Bomb Blasts School!

It is but the sound of man
worshipping his maker.

Steve Turner,
from Up To Date (London: Hodder & Stoughton)

Elijah and the Prophets of Secularism

... or Dance With The One Who Brung Ya (Part 2)

There's trouble brewin' in South Dakota. Those uppity hicks exercised their choice... they went and chose life for the unborn instead of extermination. Now the abortion at any cost folks are up in arms.

We are reaching a collision point regarding many of our "values" and people must decide where they stand. I am reminded of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. He told the "folks" in Israel that decision time had arrived. They had to choose where their allegiance lay and by whom their values would be guided (determined, if you will.)

Elijah promptly challenged them, and the leaders of the competing worldview, to a showdown. It was kind of like, as Jesus said, "by their fruits your will know them." Elijah was forcing them to their endgame -- and doing the same for himself -- to see what each one would produce. As the story goes, his opponents wore themselves out trying to get results. Elijah sat by and watched and gave commentary. Then he set up the test challenge for himself and made it much more difficult for himself than it had been for them. With a single prayer, the God who answered with fire was the true God... Elijah's God.

It is time for the players in our modern cultural debate to come to epistemological self-consciousness... to face who they are and how they got here and what the outcome of those things taken to the extreme will produce. Like Jesus said, " Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers."

Looking Forward... a worthwhile habit

Have you ever driven by a half-finished building that has obviously been that way for quite a while... even to the point where the elements are starting to take a toll on the structure and it is starting to decay and fall apart?

Jesus from Luke 14:28-32:

"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. "

Building projects require a lot of forethought and "foreaction". Builders don’t just show up one day and say “we’re ready.” It required making plans, checking codes and boundaries, determining materials and labor required, counting the cost, staking it out, preparing the foundations, ordering the materials, scheduling the work and much more. The bigger the project the more there is to do.

There is a great deal of debate about "the wall of separation" between church and state. Modern American Christians, unfortunately, have a habit creating a "wall of separation" between faith and life. The Bible in general, and Proverbs in particular, knows of no such separation. Examples:

Having a harvest requires working the ground and being persistent. Just thinking about it will leave you empty-handed.

Proverbs 12:11 He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment.

Proverbs 20:4 A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.

Proverbs 13:4 The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

Proverbs 28:19 He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

Titus 3:1 Remind them... to be ready for every good work...

God commends planning for the future - but he always has the last word.

Proverbes 16:1,9 To man belong the plans of the heart,but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue. In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

Proverbs 21:31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.

Prudent men see what is ahead and make preparation for it.

Proverbs 22:3 A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.

Proverbs 27:12 The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.

Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark...

Anticipating Gain

We do all this in view of the future benefit we expected to get from the work. We “plow in hope.”

Paul from 1 Corinthians 9:10, 24-27 …when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Nobody goes into business just to get by. Why run if not to win? Let’s look at more examples of Paul’s labors…

Thessalonica Acts 17:1-9 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said. 4Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women. 5But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus." 8When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.

The testimony of those who opposed Paul was that he and his co-workers had “caused trouble all over the world…” and they recognized that the message Paul brought was not to bring “just one more god” to the mix, but rather that Jesus was greater than Caesar.

Ephesus Acts 19:8-10, 25-27 8Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. 23About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. 25He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: "Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. 26And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. 27There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty."

Paul and his co-workers were able to communicate the Lordship of Christ throughout the whole region.

Population Statistics

We are praying for revival – that is good. If there was revival on the massive scale that the statistics require – what would be needed? How can we prepare? Pastors can’t handle it all. Revival wouldn’t bring in only the “upper crust.” It would bring in people who have needs and problems – marital, substance abuse, money, thievery, adultery, etc. How are we preparing to be involved in the training of others? Our commission is to be Jesus Christ’s learners and to teach others to be learners.

Following the Footprints

My wife and I are avid mystery fans. Myself, mystery TV and DVD's, she, mystery books as well. One thing common to most modern crime shows is the forensics unit. They are there after the crime as been discovered. They accumulate physical evidence -- fingerprints, footprints, DNA samples and much more. Their science enables those looking for the perpetrator to follow these leads to the guilty party.

I have been thinking about how modern science, which I will dub "un-science", is far different from its heritage. The scientists of old who laid the foundations for modern science -- Faraday, Boyle, Lord Kelvin and many more -- were like the detectives mentioned above. They followed the fingerprints and footprints where they led. It was not improper in their eyes to recognize when the evidence led them to someone who was no longer inside the room.

Un-science has decided -- not based on evidence, mind you, but rather on presupposition -- that they can only deal with things inside the room. Nothing exists outside the room. The fingerprints, footprints and other forensic evidence must be attributed to things inside the room, tangible or postulated. Those who are still willing to recognize that the footprints lead outside the door are held in derision.

The writer of Hebrews stated in chapter 12:3 that "by the word of God, we recognize that the creation was made of things which are not visible." Imagine that. A first century writer stating without curiosity that the elements are made of things not visible to the naked eye.

Even though we have technology today like scanning tunnel microscopy, we can't really see atoms. We know with certainty they are there, can detect their presence and manipulate them. Even un-scientists believed in things they couldn't see for a long time. They didn't consider it any less scientific to do so, as long as it was done on their own terms.

Paul, the writer of the letter to the Romans said, "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

In other words, "men who know better bend the truth to their own liking. In doing so, they violate what God has made evident to them, and consequently will be without excuse when they are called to account."

What will happen when those who hold to un-science are probed as to why they were willing, on their own terms exclusively, to believe in things they couldn't see, but unwilling to follow the footprints wherever they led -- even "outside the room?"

Eminent (Digital) Domain - The RIM Problem

Well, it was bound to happen. Eminent domain is not new. For many years, the property of individuals has been condemned by the civil government (local, state or federal) in order to acquire it for some needed public works project -- a bridge, a highway, whatever... The only consolation for the loser, er, uhh, property owner was that they were to be given fair compensation for their property loss.

Recently, there has been a lot of hubbub in the news about the use of eminent domain to take property from the little guy and transfer ownership to some big business entity to be used for something that gives a little better tax base for the municipality... taking the property of individuals and selling it to a corporate entity for building a mall or an apartment complex or a condo project so that the city budget can get a little more benefit from it.

Now enter the next frontier. RIM (Blackberry to the folks) has been embroiled in a patent infringement suit with small US company for several years. The case has reached the point where, unless RIM pays a percentage to the patent owner, the entire Blackberry network will be shut down. This does not sit well with those who have become addicted to the little beggars delivering their e-mail here, there and everywhere. I say addicted because users have even nicknamed them "crackberries" (alluding to crack cocaine) because, well, you get the idea... And I admit, they are a wonderful tool to those who need omnipresent email. I know, I support the Blackberry services for a major corporation.

Here is the rub. If NTP's patent holds up in court, and this is still not definitely established, the US government may step in and pull an eminent domain on them. In this sense, they would be condemning the intellectual property of NTP and co-opting it for the "greater good" of Blackberry users everywhere. This stands to obliterate any sense of intellectual property rights. RIAA... maybe you are next.

Dance With the One Who Brung Ya

This past fall has been an interesting one for those standing on the sidelines of the attempts to have school curriculum call Darwinism what it really is -- a theory. Of course, no one is truly on the sidelines on this one.

It is fascinating to watch "true believers" in Darwinism engage in behavior that one would typically ascribe to theists. This includes everything from revival-preacher fury in support of this (oxymoronically) absolutely true theory to dreamy-eyed platitudes about the wonderfulness of this lovely mechanism that has, in the mind of the beholder, made us what we are.

Several good, level-headed reads in this regard... from Bob Murphy, PhD in Economics from NYU and Eric Rauch. Murphy discusses reasons why arguments for Darwinism are not necessarily the slam dunk they are made out to be. Rauch discusses recent articles that portray a philosophical "love fest" for natural selection.

I'm biased, I admit it. Like I said, no one is really on the sidelines in this one. However, to bring this into line with the title... If natural selection is a good thing (the one who brung us) -- that means the strong conquering the weak is a good thing. That means being a predator is better than being a servant. Glamorizing natural selection won't undo this fact. Saying that we have evolved to a point where, now -- taking care of the weak, being servants instead of predators, being others-oriented, caring for our fellow man is the natural law -- this flies in the face of that cold emotionless process that supposedly brought us here.

We can't have it both ways. Ya gotta dance with the one who brung ya -- and in time, the real "bringer" will be evident.

The "Absolutization" of the Individual

Reading an article on Dutch polyamory, I reminisce of the days shortly after one of the major sodomy rulings -- perhaps the Lawrence vs. Texas ruling in 2003 -- or maybe another one. Regardless, only days after the ruling I recall an news blurb about a small group of men engaging in sodomy at a public beach. I recall thinking that the whole undercurrent of modern moral revisionism -- the debunking of shared societal absolutes -- boils down to one issue:

Nobody can tell me what to do.

Franky Schaeffer said essentially the same thing at a talk I attended back in the eighties. His statement about the "me" generation -- even more evident twenty years later -- was that modern man operates by the 11th Commandment:

Thou shalt not get in my way.

When Jesus was on trial before his countrymen, Pilate asked if they wanted him to be released. Their common cry was, "We do not want this man to rule over us." AD70 was the near term result.

Living Hand to Mouth

You've probably heard the expression "God helps those who help themselves..." at least once in your life. Evangelical Christians are usually quick to retort with "...but you can't find that in the Bible!" They are correct... in that they are usually defending the biblical truth of justification. That is, being judicially absolved from our wrongdoing through Christ's substitutionary payment.

An interview with Thomas Sowell, a well-known independent-thinking economist, got me to consider this. He made a statement regarding social welfare funded by taxation. His comment was, "Why should I be required to provide for others what they are unwilling to provide for themselves." Sowell is big on personal responsibility -- and so is the Bible.

There is ample biblical support for both the cliche phrase ("God helps those...") and Mr. Sowell's comment -- speaking in terms of practical, everyday living.

First, I think of two Proverbs:

19:24. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish, But will not even bring it back to his mouth.

26:15. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again.

Next, Paul speaking to the Thessalonians (2 Thess. 3):

10. For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.

12. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.

There are some who would use the Bible as an escape from responsibility. Truth is, on balance, it helps us face responsibility head-on. If we were all more responsible, wouldn't the world be a better place?

Getting "Spare Change" From My Spare Time

It has been my habit – one I am breaking myself of – to print article after article from the web and carry them along in my hopelessly overloaded brief case. I did this in case I might have a few minutes here or there to pull one out and read it.

Then there was the issue of what to do with all the paper copies when I was finished.

The alternative was to read them in electronic form on my PC screen. I found that to be a difficult assignment. It might be okay for short articles, but for multi-page pieces or even book-length writings, like those found at www.freebooks.com, much too cumbersome. It is also not nearly portable enough.

What to do? For years, I have been a handheld user (a Palm, in my case.) I have used my handheld for many things, but never as a document reader. I have recently begun to change that. I decided to download a couple of free programs to get me started.

One program runs on the PC and is called Clipboarddoc. It converts information from many PC-accessible sources (web pages, word processing files, pdf files, for instance) into a form that can be uploaded to the handheld.

The generic name for these files is “DOC” files. These are not the same as the “.doc” files produced by Microsoft Word compatible word processors. The similarity of names is an unfortunate source of confusion.

Clipboarddoc can be found here .

It also requires a free Java runtime to be installed on the PC. There is a link for that download on the website.

The other program runs on the Palm handheld. It's generic name is called doc reader. There are several to choose from. I chose to use one called TiBR. This program allows me to open any “DOC” files on the handheld and read, put bookmarks in the text and much more.

TiBR can be found here.

I have begun creating a library of handheld readable versions of many things I want to read, including the complete volumes 1 and 2 of Jay Abraham’s Incredible Case Studies, a number of the Reality Check archives and many other articles of interest.

So far, I have been pleased with my test drive. It is much easier on my brief case, my arm and my limited filing space. I would urge anyone who has a handheld that is not being used for this purpose to give it a try.

Sober.X

As a tech support provider, it is amazing what happens when otherwise intelligent people sit down at their computer and open their inbox. Rather than examine the sender and subject of mail messages and do a little bit of "why would I be getting a message like this?" they blunder ahead and open virus laden messages.

The news channels are reporting that messages from the FBI and the CIA are showing up in inboxes everywhere. Rather than deleting them immediately, may people will fall for them and launch the Sober.X virus. Sober.X will then set up shop, scan their email address book and send copies of itself off to the user's friends and associates to spread the joy.

People may not know that when a large scale outbreak occurs, there are free tools available for download which can scan their computers and disable the virus(es). One such tool for Sober.X can be found at Symantec. Just download the tool and follow the instructions.

Whenever you hear of an outbreak such as this one, be proactive and get the tool. Once downloaded you can scan your PC with it as often as you feel necessary until the threat has subsided.

Excellence by any other name...

Posted on my Faith & Culture link today.

Some Post-Rita Thoughts

We are far enough inland that we rarely have to tangle with hurricanes. Katrina showed that they can truly do some damage as they move inland -- Jackson MS is only about three hours to the east of us. There was plenty of Katrina left over after New Orleans to deal some pain in Jackson and northward.

This weekend was our turn. Like everyone, we frequently looked at the projected storm track on the internet, watched the developing land fall on TV and all.

The winds were gusty Friday afternoon and you could go out and observe the sweep of the outer bands of Rita overhead. Saturday morning we woke to even stonger winds and rain. I was the "on call" person for our network and desktop group. This includes the email servers. I got a call that our mail gateway was not responding at about 8:30 a.m. After attempting to revive it remotely, I got in the car to make the 30 minute drive to the office.

That was a drive through gusty wind and sometimes torrential rain. I got the problem resolved and headed home. About noon, I got a call from a retail division guy who was headed to South Texas to clean up our retail stores after the hurricane. He was leaving Sunday morning and had some crippling issues with his laptop. I agreed to meet him at the office at 3:oo p.m.

I had promised Cindy that I would grill her a steak, so I rolled out the gas grill and fired it up under our back patio cover. At 1:00 p.m., the power went out. Given the deteriorating weather conditions, it was hard to know how long we would have to deal with it. We opened as many windows as we could and let the moist breeze blow through the house. Not so bad at that time.

I made the trip to the office again at 3:00 p.m. and after doing my duty there, I went to pick up some "no preparation needed" edibles, batteries and other things that we might need if the power was off any length of time. By the time I finished shopping it was getting pretty harsh. I made it home safely and we settled in for a candelight evening. We called the energy company numerous time through the evening in hopes that we would get power restored, but the recording said there was widespread damage and no estimate as to how soon. The cool moist wind made sleeping fairly easy through the night. We got about 4.5" of rain Saturday.

Sunday was a lot less "fun". It was warmer, much more humid and not any significant wind. I went to the local store and bought bags of ice to try to keep the freezer and refrigerator cold. We went to church in the country -- also without electricity. I bought more ice, but we seemed to be fighting a losing battle. My brother-in-law loaned us a spare generator, but we couldn't get it to work properly, so we had to empty our fridge and freezer and take the stuff to their home -- which was being entirely powered by generator.

Through all this, it was a hot, humid, sweaty mess. This was definitely no fun. I was beginning to empathize much more with those souls in New Orleans who went for days before getting help. I found that I am not a very good sufferer. You can think about it, talk about it and all. Until you have a situation to test the mettle of your character, you really don't know.

Thank God, at 5:00 p.m. Sunday -- 28 hours after it went off -- the power was restored. I hope I learned some valuable things through it all.