I have been reading in the book of Judges this week and there is a common theme echoed throughout this ancient record. God's people disobey and God allows them to be overtaken by their enemies. Time and time again the Bible reads, "Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of their enemies."
It makes me wonder how they could forget their own history. And not even ancient history, but recent history. What was it that enticed them so frequently that they would forget the tyranny of their enemies? And how could they forget that Jehovah God would not change? The thing that they kept falling for was the worship of other gods. Why? Was the God who led them out of Egypt not present enough? Was the God who split the Red Sea not close enough to them? Did it seem fashionable to worship the idols of their enemies? And don't we do the same?
Those things which God wants us to be separated from are the same things that we get hung up on today. The difference is that we are not so overt. We still go to church, say our prayers, but we still have other gods. We would never bow to an idol or Baal, but we do give our hearts over to this world. God wants us to be holy. The word holy literally means separate. God wants us to be separate from the world. Different. Holy.
Judges chapter 5 records a song of the prophetess Deborah. I love the way it ends,
"Thus let all Your enemies perish, O Lord!
But let those who love Him be like the sun,
When it comes out in full strength."
So, be like the sun at full strength. Serve God only. Be holy.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
good question #4
Follow-up Question:
What if I have made a mistake previously, can I still have intimacy?
Answer:
Another good question.
You can never go back, which is to say that you will always have to live with whatever consequences that might occur because of your past. That being said, God is not as concerned with your past as He is your future. Now that you have had a change of heart, will you follow through and stay pure. That is what grace is all about. You can be forgiven even if you still live with some of the consequences of your past.
Now, knowing that you can be forgiven is not an excuse to sin. Paul addresses this in Romans 6,
"should we go on sinning so that grace can increase? By no means we died to sin, how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that anyone who has been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father we too can live a new life."
We can be forgiven, and that means we have a new life. So commit that new life to living for Christ, out of respect for the sacrifice that Christ made for us. To use a military analogy, if someone in your unit made a sacrifice that saved your life in combat, you would always want to honor that person by living a life worthy of that sacrifice, right? It reminds me of the movie Saving Private Ryan at the end when the old man Private Ryan is at the cemetery and asks the question whether his life had been worthy. We will never be worthy of the sacrifice that Christ made, but we should live for him out of respect and gratitude.
The most important thing to remember is that God loves you and forgives you. You cannot go back and undo what has been done, but you can move forward from here and do the right thing. It will still be very special to your future spouse if you start from this day forward and save yourself for her/him, and I'm sure that you will be glad if they do the same for you.
On a practical side, here are a few things that you could do to make things a little easier to resist temptation.
1. decide ahead of time what your boundaries are. (a good way to help decide this is to imagine that you had a daughter and ask yourself what would be too far for a boy to go with her?)
2. never put yourself in a situation where it would be easy to go too far. (never at your place alone, never at home with no one around, never in the car somewhere... you get the point.)
3. don't do anything that makes you want to do everything. (draw the line way before you think you need to)
What if I have made a mistake previously, can I still have intimacy?
Answer:
Another good question.
You can never go back, which is to say that you will always have to live with whatever consequences that might occur because of your past. That being said, God is not as concerned with your past as He is your future. Now that you have had a change of heart, will you follow through and stay pure. That is what grace is all about. You can be forgiven even if you still live with some of the consequences of your past.
Now, knowing that you can be forgiven is not an excuse to sin. Paul addresses this in Romans 6,
"should we go on sinning so that grace can increase? By no means we died to sin, how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that anyone who has been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father we too can live a new life."
We can be forgiven, and that means we have a new life. So commit that new life to living for Christ, out of respect for the sacrifice that Christ made for us. To use a military analogy, if someone in your unit made a sacrifice that saved your life in combat, you would always want to honor that person by living a life worthy of that sacrifice, right? It reminds me of the movie Saving Private Ryan at the end when the old man Private Ryan is at the cemetery and asks the question whether his life had been worthy. We will never be worthy of the sacrifice that Christ made, but we should live for him out of respect and gratitude.
The most important thing to remember is that God loves you and forgives you. You cannot go back and undo what has been done, but you can move forward from here and do the right thing. It will still be very special to your future spouse if you start from this day forward and save yourself for her/him, and I'm sure that you will be glad if they do the same for you.
On a practical side, here are a few things that you could do to make things a little easier to resist temptation.
1. decide ahead of time what your boundaries are. (a good way to help decide this is to imagine that you had a daughter and ask yourself what would be too far for a boy to go with her?)
2. never put yourself in a situation where it would be easy to go too far. (never at your place alone, never at home with no one around, never in the car somewhere... you get the point.)
3. don't do anything that makes you want to do everything. (draw the line way before you think you need to)
Friday, May 22, 2009
good questions #3
Question:
What can you tell me about avoiding the temptation of sex outside of marriage? I'm looking for any advice that you can offer or any tools that you can tell me about.
Answer:
Great question. Let me see if I can get this discussion started.
First, I believe that an understanding of the goal of relationships from God's perspective would be a good foundation for this discussion. God created us and he loves us and he knows what is best for us.
In the book of Genesis the Bible tells us that God created Adam and after some time had passed God looked at Adam's situation and stated that "It is not good for man to be alone." So, he made a "suitable helper" for him in the form of the first woman, Eve. God realized that man by himself was not good, so he made woman. I believe that the most healthy way for a man and woman to live is within a covenant relationship. This covenant or promise is one that is made between a man and a woman and God. This covenant relationship is what we call marriage.
I also believe that God intends for one man and one woman to live in an intimate relationship with each other for life. In our culture we have been told that intimacy is sex, while in God's eyes there is so much more to intimacy that just the physical act of sex. As a matter of fact, one of the things that sets us apart from animals is the ability to experience real intimacy, not just sex. When we have sex outside of this covenant relationship we are really just having sex, there is not true intimacy and just having sex is a sin in God's eyes. True intimacy includes covenant, trust, commitment, sacrifice, discipline along with desire, attraction, and all the things that go along with the physical side of sex. People who have sex outside of this covenant relationship think they have intimacy, but really they are just settling for sex.
Now, along with these positive reasons there are also some negative things which can motivate us to want to wait until we are married to have sex. There is the risk of physical disease, pregnancy, emotional damage, and other consequences of sex outside of the marriage covenant. From a practical sense it just makes life easier, from a spiritual sense waiting is pleasing to God and not waiting is disobedience or sin, and intimacy is better than just having sex.
I don't want you to think that this is an easy way to go, it's not, but it is a better way to go. Decide together that you choose intimacy over sex. God created these urges, but He intended them to be expressed within the marriage covenant. Choose to wait. Choose intimacy. This is God's design.
Tell me your thoughts and we can talk about some other stuff.
grace & peace.
david
What can you tell me about avoiding the temptation of sex outside of marriage? I'm looking for any advice that you can offer or any tools that you can tell me about.
Answer:
Great question. Let me see if I can get this discussion started.
First, I believe that an understanding of the goal of relationships from God's perspective would be a good foundation for this discussion. God created us and he loves us and he knows what is best for us.
In the book of Genesis the Bible tells us that God created Adam and after some time had passed God looked at Adam's situation and stated that "It is not good for man to be alone." So, he made a "suitable helper" for him in the form of the first woman, Eve. God realized that man by himself was not good, so he made woman. I believe that the most healthy way for a man and woman to live is within a covenant relationship. This covenant or promise is one that is made between a man and a woman and God. This covenant relationship is what we call marriage.
I also believe that God intends for one man and one woman to live in an intimate relationship with each other for life. In our culture we have been told that intimacy is sex, while in God's eyes there is so much more to intimacy that just the physical act of sex. As a matter of fact, one of the things that sets us apart from animals is the ability to experience real intimacy, not just sex. When we have sex outside of this covenant relationship we are really just having sex, there is not true intimacy and just having sex is a sin in God's eyes. True intimacy includes covenant, trust, commitment, sacrifice, discipline along with desire, attraction, and all the things that go along with the physical side of sex. People who have sex outside of this covenant relationship think they have intimacy, but really they are just settling for sex.
Now, along with these positive reasons there are also some negative things which can motivate us to want to wait until we are married to have sex. There is the risk of physical disease, pregnancy, emotional damage, and other consequences of sex outside of the marriage covenant. From a practical sense it just makes life easier, from a spiritual sense waiting is pleasing to God and not waiting is disobedience or sin, and intimacy is better than just having sex.
I don't want you to think that this is an easy way to go, it's not, but it is a better way to go. Decide together that you choose intimacy over sex. God created these urges, but He intended them to be expressed within the marriage covenant. Choose to wait. Choose intimacy. This is God's design.
Tell me your thoughts and we can talk about some other stuff.
grace & peace.
david
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
good questions #2
Question:
I am concerned that earlier in my life I may have blasphemed of the Holy Spirit. What is that, and is that the unpardonable sin?
Answer:
First, the passage in question is in three of the four gospels. (Mt. 12:29-32; Mk. 3:29-30; Lk. 11:221-22)
The context is an encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees. Jesus drives out a demon from a man who was blind and mute. The Pharisees accuse Jesus of using the power of Satan to drive out the demon from the man. Jesus casts out the demon by the power of the Spirit. But the Pharisees attribute it to the power of Satan. Thus, they call the Holy Spirit the unholy spirit.
The Pharisees were unable to accept Jesus as the Messiah, so much so that they accused Him of being under the power of Satan. Such cynicism and unbelief is motivated by a refusal to accept the evidence of God that is right before them. Essentially, their problem was a lack of faith. Without faith there can be no forgiveness of sins. The thing that is unforgivable is their willful unbelief. (see 1 Jn. 5:16 & Heb. 6:4-6)
I believe that the same is true today. Anyone who willfully chooses to disobey God and does not believe is not going to be saved. So, what about someone who walks away and then returns? The question is does that person now have faith? If so then they can be forgiven. Prodigal son. I don't believe that God cares as much where you've been as where you are. He is not as concerned as much with what you have done, but what you are doing. And that goes both ways. You can't become a christian years ago and then walk away from God and expect to be in good standing with Him at judgment, in the same way you will not be judged by what you did if you are now walking in faith.
I also found this interesting. There are a number of sins against the Holy Spirit like Rebellion (Isa. 63:10), Lying (Acts 5:3-9), Resisting (Acts 7:51), using the Spirit for Selfish Gain (Acts 8:18-22), Grieving (Eph. 4:30), Quenching (1 Thess. 5:19), Disobedience (Heb. 10:29). Blasphemy is the only of these that is unforgivable.
I will continue to think and study through this difficult passage and maybe we can get together again to discuss it.
grace & peace.
david
I am concerned that earlier in my life I may have blasphemed of the Holy Spirit. What is that, and is that the unpardonable sin?
Answer:
First, the passage in question is in three of the four gospels. (Mt. 12:29-32; Mk. 3:29-30; Lk. 11:221-22)
The context is an encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees. Jesus drives out a demon from a man who was blind and mute. The Pharisees accuse Jesus of using the power of Satan to drive out the demon from the man. Jesus casts out the demon by the power of the Spirit. But the Pharisees attribute it to the power of Satan. Thus, they call the Holy Spirit the unholy spirit.
The Pharisees were unable to accept Jesus as the Messiah, so much so that they accused Him of being under the power of Satan. Such cynicism and unbelief is motivated by a refusal to accept the evidence of God that is right before them. Essentially, their problem was a lack of faith. Without faith there can be no forgiveness of sins. The thing that is unforgivable is their willful unbelief. (see 1 Jn. 5:16 & Heb. 6:4-6)
I believe that the same is true today. Anyone who willfully chooses to disobey God and does not believe is not going to be saved. So, what about someone who walks away and then returns? The question is does that person now have faith? If so then they can be forgiven. Prodigal son. I don't believe that God cares as much where you've been as where you are. He is not as concerned as much with what you have done, but what you are doing. And that goes both ways. You can't become a christian years ago and then walk away from God and expect to be in good standing with Him at judgment, in the same way you will not be judged by what you did if you are now walking in faith.
I also found this interesting. There are a number of sins against the Holy Spirit like Rebellion (Isa. 63:10), Lying (Acts 5:3-9), Resisting (Acts 7:51), using the Spirit for Selfish Gain (Acts 8:18-22), Grieving (Eph. 4:30), Quenching (1 Thess. 5:19), Disobedience (Heb. 10:29). Blasphemy is the only of these that is unforgivable.
I will continue to think and study through this difficult passage and maybe we can get together again to discuss it.
grace & peace.
david
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
good questions #1
Since the launch of TRC we have had a lot of interest and a lot of questions. I thought over the next few days I would post a few of the questions that have been posed to me and the response that I sent. It has been a real blessing to meet so many diverse people and get the opportunity to share the truths of the Bible with them. Some have been receptive and others have never returned, but either way I always learn and grow. Any comment to these posts will only help me respond more clearly and accurately in the future.
Question:
I wanted to know where your Church stands on Gays and Lesbians? I live in New Bern, I am gay and still believe in God to guide me and direct me in my life. My partner and I would very much like to know more about your Church and its beliefs on these issues.
Answer:
Thanks for your interest in Two Rivers Church.
The short answer to your question is that I believe God loves Gay and Lesbians as much as He loves any person in the world. My hope is that TRC will be the kind of church where people of all backgrounds, races, sexual orientations, and groups will feel loved and be able to explore their own personal relationship with God.
That being said, there is also a longer answer to your question, and one that strikes more precisely to the question I believe you are really asking which is, "Does Two Rivers Church consider same sex relationships a sin?" The answer to that question is yes. Though, I do not think that this sin is any different than anyone else's and we are all on level ground when it comes to our mistakes before God. Each moral failure, mine or yours, separates us from God because He is holy and incapable of sin. It is very difficult to convey my feelings about you or this subject through email, I would be glad to meet with you and your partner for coffee and talk more about the subject.
I love the fact that you still believe in God and look to Him for guidance, unfortunately most gay and lesbians in our culture have rejected the idea of God, probably because the church in America has done such a poor job of conveying Biblical truths in loving ways. I hope that you will come and worship with us and we can continue to discover together what God means for our lives.
Please feel free to call me anytime, my cell number is below.
grace & peace.
david
Question:
I wanted to know where your Church stands on Gays and Lesbians? I live in New Bern, I am gay and still believe in God to guide me and direct me in my life. My partner and I would very much like to know more about your Church and its beliefs on these issues.
Answer:
Thanks for your interest in Two Rivers Church.
The short answer to your question is that I believe God loves Gay and Lesbians as much as He loves any person in the world. My hope is that TRC will be the kind of church where people of all backgrounds, races, sexual orientations, and groups will feel loved and be able to explore their own personal relationship with God.
That being said, there is also a longer answer to your question, and one that strikes more precisely to the question I believe you are really asking which is, "Does Two Rivers Church consider same sex relationships a sin?" The answer to that question is yes. Though, I do not think that this sin is any different than anyone else's and we are all on level ground when it comes to our mistakes before God. Each moral failure, mine or yours, separates us from God because He is holy and incapable of sin. It is very difficult to convey my feelings about you or this subject through email, I would be glad to meet with you and your partner for coffee and talk more about the subject.
I love the fact that you still believe in God and look to Him for guidance, unfortunately most gay and lesbians in our culture have rejected the idea of God, probably because the church in America has done such a poor job of conveying Biblical truths in loving ways. I hope that you will come and worship with us and we can continue to discover together what God means for our lives.
Please feel free to call me anytime, my cell number is below.
grace & peace.
david
Monday, April 27, 2009
a bad day
1 Samuel 4 describes a bad day. First, the Philistines rout the Israelites and capture the ark of the covenant. Then Eli's two sons Hophni and Phenehas die. A young man named Benjamite ran from the battle to tell Eli that his sons were dead. Eli was then told that not only were his two sons dead, but the ark had also been capture by the Philistines. When Eli heard this news he fell out of his chair and broke his neck. Now if that were not enough, Eli's daughter-in-law went into labor when she heard the news, gave birth to a son, named him Ichabod which means 'The glory has departed from Israel,' and then she died.
I wonder if anyone ever told Ichabod what happened on the day he was born? I wonder if it became his stigma for the rest of his life? I wonder if he could ever overcome such a bad day?
I promise not to complain when my printer doesn't work, or my sermon is not coming together, or the girls are a handful, or I shoot a ninety-five. May I always rest in God and may His glory never leave.
I wonder if anyone ever told Ichabod what happened on the day he was born? I wonder if it became his stigma for the rest of his life? I wonder if he could ever overcome such a bad day?
I promise not to complain when my printer doesn't work, or my sermon is not coming together, or the girls are a handful, or I shoot a ninety-five. May I always rest in God and may His glory never leave.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
remember me with favor, o my God
Nehemiah 11 - 13
The final chapters of the book of Nehemiah stand in contrast to each other. Chapters 11 & 12 describe those who came back to Jerusalem to live after the walls had been rebuilt. And the celebration and ceremony of the dedication of the walls. The Bible describes a very cool scene in chapter 12 when Nehemiah and the priests walk on top of the walls and dedicate this work and this wall to God. The ceremony included choirs and singing and the sound of rejoicing could be heard far away. The dedication ended at temple where tithes & offerings were brought into the storerooms
Chapter 13 is a different story. Nehemiah, true to his word goes back to work for King Artaxerxes and serves him for many years. After some time Nehemiah asks the King for permission to go back to Jerusalem. There he finds that the people had fallen away again. They had not followed the Law. They had defiled the temple. They had forgotten the Sabbath. They were living in the same way as before which lead to the destruction of the walls and the capture of the city in the first place. Nehemiah does not walk away, he begins to reign judgment on the people. At the end of this chapter, the end of these writings of Nehemiah he writes this one simple statement. "Remember me with favor, O my God."
May we live like Nehemiah, holding unswervingly to God's Word & God's will. May we be willing to speak boldly about the things that are wrong in our culture, and in our communities. And may we be like God's servant Nehemiah who relentlessly pursued what God would want for His people. And may we be remembered with favor, O God.
The final chapters of the book of Nehemiah stand in contrast to each other. Chapters 11 & 12 describe those who came back to Jerusalem to live after the walls had been rebuilt. And the celebration and ceremony of the dedication of the walls. The Bible describes a very cool scene in chapter 12 when Nehemiah and the priests walk on top of the walls and dedicate this work and this wall to God. The ceremony included choirs and singing and the sound of rejoicing could be heard far away. The dedication ended at temple where tithes & offerings were brought into the storerooms
Chapter 13 is a different story. Nehemiah, true to his word goes back to work for King Artaxerxes and serves him for many years. After some time Nehemiah asks the King for permission to go back to Jerusalem. There he finds that the people had fallen away again. They had not followed the Law. They had defiled the temple. They had forgotten the Sabbath. They were living in the same way as before which lead to the destruction of the walls and the capture of the city in the first place. Nehemiah does not walk away, he begins to reign judgment on the people. At the end of this chapter, the end of these writings of Nehemiah he writes this one simple statement. "Remember me with favor, O my God."
May we live like Nehemiah, holding unswervingly to God's Word & God's will. May we be willing to speak boldly about the things that are wrong in our culture, and in our communities. And may we be like God's servant Nehemiah who relentlessly pursued what God would want for His people. And may we be remembered with favor, O God.
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