What the word of God, says about the word of God

Whew, its been a while since I've posted anything. I'm in the final push of the semester and my time is limited. However, this is a topic that has been swimming around in my head for a while. I felt like I needed to get it posted. At least I feel like its post-worthy.

First of all, when you start reading the Bible in Genesis, the word of God is the actual words coming out of God's mouth, like when He's addressing Abraham or Moses.

Genesis 15:1- After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great."

So this raises the question, is the rest Bible, the word or words from God Himself? Or are there human fingerprints all over it? Now this is where the debate comes in, because there are definitely two sides to this issue. Some theologians say yes, that the Bible is the word of God and that it cannot be criticized or faulted. It is inerrant and infallible. However, I agree with the other side of the story and say that this book of ours is not the direct words of God and that there are mistakes in it. For example, in the book of Judges, Joshua dies twice, once in chapter one and then again in chapter two. And also, in the book of Genesis, there are actually two accounts of creation, one in chapter one and another in chapter two. If a book is so perfect, then why are there these problems? Is this book the complete perfect word of God. I think not. (If you're still not convinced, check our the numbers of David's men in some of those stories, there are two different accounts and the numbers do not match.)

Another thing I would like to kindly point out, is that there are three members of the trinity, not four. The Bible is not one of them. Arguing that the Bible isn't perfect and has mistakes in it does not change who God is. It makes God a bigger God.

The whole point of this book is Christ, without him these words are meaningless. This Bible that we have cannot stand on its own like God can. It cannot take the place of God in our lives. I worship the God of the universe, not this book of words that cannot begin to describe him.

Ephesians 6:17
Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Without the Spirit, the Bible is powerless.

So what is the word of God? John 1:14 says it best:

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.

Without Jesus, Christianity wouldn't have come into existence. Without Jesus, we would not have a proper interpretation of the Bible. If you want a correct interpretation of the Bible, look to Jesus because he is the Word of God incarnate. He lived the interpretation of the Scriptures. Still not enough? Then look to the Spirit for help, because that's His job. He hears everything the Father says and tells us.

This is why we have to be so tight with God, because we can't understand this book without Him. We cannot be book worshippers, because books cannot save us. God wants our hearts first and foremost.

Liberal Christianity: What it is to me

Lately I've been having conversations with other Christians about how I read the Bible and how I view Christianity as a whole. I've also been reading some blogs that have really opened my eyes to the fact that the whole Liberal Christianity issue needs to be clarified. Now I'm not saying that I've got this all figured out, I'm still growing and learning every day. I will say that I used to sit on the other side of the fence and I used to believe the Bible was completely perfect and inerrant. But these days, I've discovered that I believe otherwise.

To help define what I believe Liberal Christianity is, I went to Webster's to seek a good definition of Liberalism: "a movement in Protestantism advocating a broad interpretation of the Bible, freedom from rigid doctrine and authoritarianism."

Now I would like to sarcastically point out that this definition has no mention of devil worshippers, nose pickers, and downright stubborn people who refuse to obey the commands of Jesus Christ. But this definition does say that Liberal Christians seek freedom from rigid doctrine and authoritarianism, and this is the point I want to focus on. In light of this, I reserve the right to read the Bible for myself and decide for myself what the Holy Spirit is saying to me through the words on the page. I assume that I have the right to read the Bible critically and put it into historical context, translation context, and chronological context. I see nothing wrong with this, because there are only three members of the Trinity. And the Bible is not one of the three. The critical anaylsis of the Bible does not change who God is, it is who the Bible points to that is the thing of utmost importance. The Bible cannot save us, without God it is just a bunch of words on a page.

John 5:39
You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you posess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me.

I will say, however, that I do not simply read the Bible and make the words it contains to fit my own agenda or motivation. In my eyes and according the verse above, all Scripture must point to Jesus. Because all Scripture must point to Jesus, my relationship with Christ must be so tight that I am able to understand the Bible and what it is saying. Through the voice of the Holy Spirit in prayer and reading the Bible, I am able to understand how each piece of Scripture points to God. This is how I can read the Bible freely without "rigid doctrine and authoritarianism". I have the right to read the Bible and figure it out for myself, without having a preacher tell me what I'm supposed to believe.

So where's the disobedience if I am seeking the Holy Spirit to interpret the Bible for me? Where's the blasphemy of criticizing the Bible if it is not a God? Where's the wrong in this?

There is no wrong in this, that's the only answer I have for you.

The heart of the issue

Whew, what a busy week. School has been pretty crazy lately and I've been stuck in a whirlwind for a while. Hopefully things in my life will eventually slow down.

Anyhoo, God has been teaching me about what really matters. What really matters to him is the heart of his children. He doesn want my actions, he wants my heart. If my heart is with Jesus, then the rest will come out okay. I think sometimes that Christians can get so wrapped up in rules and regulations and debating over what the bible says, but its the heart that matters.

Isaiah 29:11
And so the Lord says, "These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. And their worship of me of amounts to nothing more than human laws learned by rote."

Our worship of God is completely useless if our hearts are not filled with Christ.

It's not about the technicalities about what exactly what the bible says about controversial issues. It's also not about how much one knows about the Bible, its about what is in our hearts.

It's also about how big God is and how we view him. The biggest question of all is how big is my God? That all depends on the limits I put on Him. He can be as big or as small to me as I let him.

Now this is where I might offend people, because I view the bible differently than some people. The Bible is inspired by God and is a glimpse of who God is, but it is not perfect. There are many translation mistakes because Hebrew and Greek are not easily translated into English. There are many copying mistakes from the old days when they used to copy the Bible by hand. In Judges and other books, there are chronological mistakes. The Bible has human fingerprints all over it, but it still remains as a major glimpse of who God is. It is what we have and we have to use it as imperfect as it is.

I will also dare to say that the Bible does not contain God. This is because God cannot be contained. It is simply impossible. This also means that the Bible is not God. The Bible will not be and I refuse it to be the God of my life. It gives me direction, consolation, convictions and a peace that no other book can give me. But it cannot take the place of God himself. God is bigger than the Bible. I regret to say that I feel like there is a tendency to elevate the Bible to a level that it should not be elevated to, and by doing this we are putting God into a box.

Believe me, God doesn't like boxes.

Now I'm not saying that we need to add to scripture, that's not what I mean. I just think the Bible should not be the God of our lives, that is not its purpose.

Its not about how much scripture you know, its about where your heart is. Not that scripture is a bad thing to know, but its about your heart. God needs to be the God of your heart, not a book that is full of human finger prints and is not perfect. The Bible has awesome truths, and it can help focus your life, but ultimately it has to point to God. Some passages are full of human opinions and fingerprints its hard to know where God fits in. This is why God has to be God, not the Bible.

The Donkey vs. the Elephant

I'm so sorry that I have not posted on this blog consistently. I'm not sure how many people come across it, until I see comments posted. Junior year in college is a very busy year, and I feel like I should just put a bed in the library on campus. It's practically a second home during the week.

Anyway, I've been riled up about politics lately and I would just like to share my thoughts on this whole two party system that we have. I will profess that many of my professors are usually liberals, and most of my friends here are conservatives. So I guess you could say that I hear both sides of the story.

Do Christians have to pick a party? I mean seriously people, I refuse to pick. I am of the school of thought that there aren't easy answers to every issue. Sometimes I think like a democrat, and then the next day I think like a republican. If I'm around my Christian conservative friends and I say that I agree with the liberal side they look at me like I have two heads. There are some Christians out there, and I have encountered some, that firmly believe that the Republican party is the party for Christians. There simply can't be Liberal Christian Democrats. Impossible.
Not so my friends, because sometimes I happen to be one. Shocking I know. But I think the thing that bothers me so is this: I sometimes get the I think you're a heretic and you need to know your bible more look. I hate that, because my party line shouldn't affect my witness, but it usually does. What results from it is that I have to explain myself to someone and I don't feel like I should have to.

On the other hand, if I take the more conservative side liberals look at me like I'm an uneducated bumbling idiot. Then I have to explain myself to these people too. They usually think that I'm just a narrow minded Christian who refuses to think outside the box. It really bothers me that Christians are thought of in this way, but I think we have television to thank for that. Not all Christians think the same way, and a preacher gets on TV and speaks for the Christian side, and not every Christian is represented by his thoughts. And its usually the way conservative Christian side that is broadcasted on Fox News and they are prime targets for liberals.

Needless to say, I don't claim a party. I absolutely refuse to, because I believe Christians answer to a higher authority and that is Christ Jesus. Following God does not require us to become a republican or a democrat. It requires an intimate relationship with him and a desire to follow him wherever he leads.

Since I don't claim a party, I guess that makes me and uneducated narrow minded Christian, and a flaming heretic all at the same time. Isn't that lovely? This is why I hate politics.

The ministry of the congregation

Ok, I'm gonna be blatantly honest here, these are not my ideas or thoughts. I've been reading a lot of books lately and this has cropped up more than once. These thoughts came from Barbara Brown Taylor and a sermon from Stuart Carlton. It's the idea of the ministry of the congregation of the church and the potential impact.

The first point is this, ministers can only effect the community so much. They are limited to their sphere of influence within the walls of the church. The congregation on the other hand, are the hands and feet of the church. They are out in the community everyday, working side by side with non believers. They have a lot more contact with the world outside of the church than ministers do.

Secondly, it is the minister's obligation to provide the congregation the means of getting out into the community with God by their side. The way ministers do this is to teach, pray and disciple their congregations during worship, bible study and prayer times.

The greatest need for every church or ministry is for more prayer. There simply isn't enough of it, because we are called to pray without ceasing. It's the constant connection with God that gives us the strength and guidance that we need. The point was made in the sermon I mentioned is this: that a praying church is a growing church. If we are all truly seeking God's will and his face, then he will direct our steps and move in incredible ways.

I think my biggest point is this: We're all in this ministry together. Ministers are not just limited to seminary graduates, and we can all be full time ministers. In light of what has happened in Louisanna, Mississippi and parts of Alabama, its time to remember that we're all servants of God. We can all do a little something to help these people out.

Ministers vs. Professors

Whew, its been a while since I've updated this site. Finally I have a reliable internet connection and more time to write on this.

For all the college students out there, I figured I would write about the difference between Ministers and Professors. First of all, both professions and ministers require a considerable amount of higher education beyond the undergraduate degree. Secondly, both are considered to be teachers and need to have a certain amount of public speaking skills. As far as I'm concerned that's where the similarities end.

Professors, especially ones that have earned the title Doctor, are considered to be experts in their fields. Whether its Biology, Spanish, Engineering, all professors are supposed to have a decent amount of expertise in their chosen field. Now I'm not gonna argue that all professors are experts, because I myself have had some loonies that should not be teaching a class at all. I think the biggest point that I'm getting to is this: that most professors should have the authority to be teaching a class because they know so much about the subject. They've done their research, put in their time, and now they are looked upon as the experts.

Ministers on the other hand are by no means experts in their field, because of one reason. That reason is wrapped in the issue of authority. Ministers receive their authority from God and God alone and God calls ministers into the ministry. Yes it is true that Ministers at least have a Masters of Divinity and some amount of experience, but this does not make them experts on God. The truth of the matter is this; there will be know expert on God except for God himself. For a minister to say that he is an expert on God is a very bold statement that I myself would not dare to make. God simply cannot be contained because it is impossible. God is just so much bigger than we are, and we as Christians discover more and more about him each day. He is constantly in motion and throwing curve balls our way; he's pretty unpredictable.

In conclusion, professors have the right to get behind a podium and tell us all about their subject because they are the experts. However, ministers don't have that right, they have a priviledge that God gives them. God gives them the gift of being his servants and help guide God's congregations in their walk. Ministers don't have the right to get in the pulpit and be the shepherd; they just have the joy of being a fellow sheep and are called to show other sheep how to find the shepherd.

Sermons: The good, the bad and the ugly

I will readily admit that I'm not the most seasoned public speaker, but I do know what I like about sermons and what I don't like. First of all, I'm a stubborn person. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. Sometimes I simply don't want to listen to particular sermons because it may address a personal issue that I'm dealing with. And that is just painful. However, the following are some no no's that I look at. (Remember, I'm just a person with a strong opinion and a computer, not an expert)

1) Bigshots: These type of ministers really crack me up. Who do they think they are? Just because they have a Masters of Divinity doesn't make them holier than thou. They may know more than I do, but that doesn't mean that they have the right to talk down to their congregation just because they have a pulpit. Pulpits are just made of wood, that doesn't make them special. Remember,

For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. Romans 3: 23

This means that we're all on the same level, ministers included.

2)The unprepared: This one is annoying. I hate it when someone gets up to speak and they aren't ready to do so. Isn't it their job to deliver the message? Isn't it what they get paid for? Doesn't God expect more? I always feel pretty cheated because the pastor is too otherwise occupied to put together a well done sermon. Apparently there is a website called Sermons.com.
I'm not kidding, it really exists.

3) The formula: I think the standard is like three points and two illustrations. Now I know that sometimes that is unavoidable, but recently in the church I've been attending, I've got the pastor pretty pegged. I can usually tell when the poem or story is gonna come. The sermon should not have to be in the same format every week. The Holy Spirit should do its work and make each sermon its own.

The speaking style shouldn't be the same either. There is no one way to deliver a message. There are some definate no no's, but every person is different and each sermon should somewhat reflect the person who is giving it. In other words, ministers shouldn't try to be like each other in the pulpit. There's only one Billy Graham, one Louie Giglio and one Rick Warren. Ministers should try to be themselves.

All in all, my conclusion is this: Ppride and greed are the death of all sermons. It's never about the one in the pulpit, its about the One who they are supposed to be representing. I truly believe that you can have the least amount of public speaking skills, and God can be glorified. It's all about who is glorified.

Church Business: Who's business is it?

Church business meetings can be reality shows in the making. No matter how you slice it, every church has its politics. It's completely unavoidable; no church is without its own politics. It's how the politics of the church are handled that makes a church different from another.

Lately I've been going through Oswald Chambers' devotional book, My Utmost for His Highest, and I came across this quote:

The church ceases to be spiritual when it becomes self-seeking, only interested in the development of its own organization. (July 12 devotional)

The truth of the matter is this: the church belongs to God not us. When the church takes its vision away from God, then that's when things go wrong. At my local church here in Fredericksburg, our business meetings are famous for long winded discussions and a low productivity level. But one thing really bothered me in particular, the lack of prayer for the church. We have plenty of prayer time for the church's members, but not for the future of the church itself. After all, if it isn't our church, shouldn't we be seeking guidance from the One in charge? Paul says this,

Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace.
Ephesians 4:3

If we as a church are truly united in the Holy Spirit, then why don't we seek Him in all of our meetings? Why treat a church like a business, if its not our business after all?

Big churches: why I'm not a fan

So I've been reading this book by Henri J. M. Nouwen. It's really good stuff. It's called
In the Name of Jesus. I found this quote and I wanted to post it:

When the members of a community of faith cannot truly know and love their shepherd, shepherding quickly becomes a subtle way of excercising power over others and begins to show authoritarian and dictatorial traits. (Pg 62)

In this passage, he's basically discussing the issue of Christian ministers and how they are just as vulnerable as their own congregations. Just because a minister has a M Div, does not mean that they are completely invincible. They are just agents of God's plan and their job is this:

Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:12

They are to teach their congregations who God is, how to serve God, and to walk with them in that journey. I think the biggest word in this passage is God's, because its his church in the first place. He's the one in control.

What I'm getting to is this: There needs to be some accountability in the church. Ministers are just servants of Christ. They are not invincible people. Huge mega churches really bother me because of this. How are ministers suppposed to build up the church, and walk the journey with their flock if their church is so huge that they don't know everyone in it? If there are so many people in one area, why are they in one church? Why aren't they starting other churches in other areas of town to reach the people there? How is one minister serving an entire congregation that's in the thousands if they cannot reach them or get counseling with them? How is there accountability when the minister is too busy preparing for three services packed with thousands of people?

Why is success in the ministry measured by numbers? I don't think I'll ever understand this.

Resting in Jesus

Wow. This whole summer has been completely different for me. It's been so awesome and I wouldn't trade it for anything. But the biggest lesson I've learned is resting.

Psalm 91:1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

It's so easy to get caught up with busy schedules and habits. The biggest danger of a Christians are themselves. I don't want to worship my religion, I want to worship my God. I got so caught up with living the right life and obeying all the rules and expectations of me. God is not a God of rules and constraints. He's a God of freedom. All he wants of me is the right to myself. I surrender the right to make my own decisions and I give my life completely over to him. That's how it works. In theory. It's a daily struggle.

But the big thing is this, God doesn't applaud us when we follow all the rules or how much ministry we do. He doesn't say, "Oh, look how busy they are! That's just what they need to do"
Sometimes we need to just be his, and that's all he wants. He doesn't need us to do anything for him, because God doesn't need anything. He is God after all. All we are able to give him is ourselves, because that's all we really have. He doesn't want our time or our stress. He just wants us.

God is so much bigger than our own religion. He doesn't want religion, he wants us.

So yeah, that's a snippet of all that I've been learning and discovering this summer. There's more to come.