"We evangelicals have failed to pass on to our young people an orthodox form of faith that can take root and survive the secular onslaught. Ironically, the billions of dollars we've spent on youth ministers, Christian music, publishing, and media has produced a culture of young Christians who know next to nothing about their own faith except how they should feel about it. Our young people have deep beliefs about the culture war, but do not know why they should obey Scripture, the essentials of theology, or the experience of spiritual discipline and community. Coming generations are going to be monumentally ignorant and unprepared for culture wide pressure." - Michael Spencer
Modernists can define us. They can rationally describe us, but they fail to grasp the severity of our disorder that they induced. Maybe we are feelers, maybe we are lead by emotions, maybe we are ignorant fools... all symptoms of having our trust desolated.We have grown up in a world where divorce is expected, Church splits are inevitable, and the government cares more about economics than morality. Sadly, so many in this generation can't trust their parents, they can't trust their "church" (I use that term loosely), and they definitely can't trust the government. We are the generation that cannot trust... and who would given the circumstances? Yet, without trust we have little ability to comprehend. Hence, many have massive boulders of doubt and insecurity that prevent them from truly understanding and embracing the Gospel. If Satan desired to destroy a nation (which he does), it makes perfect sense for him to destroy the core value at the heart of salvation... trust. The modernist truly believes if they just execute perfectly results are assured.... that is why they can't believe that the billions of dollars they have spent didn't buy results. God doesn't work that way ... He never has and He never will. The billions of dollars were just a cover up like a dad who buys his kids whatever they want because he is never there. That money was meaningless. We are the generation that will believe anything because we trust no one. A scary problem that will take more than money to fix. Pray desperately, teach truthfully, love graciously, baptize hesitantly.
"The Church of God will never be preserved without catechesis" - John Calvin
Yup... I had to look up catechesis too... part of being ignorant I guess... FYI ... grateful to all those who have been trustworthy in my life.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
iReflection
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something -- your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life." - Steve Jobs
I am torn between two sets of emotions as I write this post. On the one hand, I respect Steve Jobs and stand in awe of what he managed to accomplish. In fact those close to me have jokingly asked, "Are you going to be okay?" Since they know how much I love iProducts. And yet, on the other hand, I am deeply saddened by the thought that he like so many others was deceptively led to the slaughter by trusting in himself instead of Christ. Steve Jobs, for many, was a god (if you doubt this fact... just type in "Steve Jobs god" on Google images... it is creepy to say the least). Nevertheless, he like those before him could not prevent the wretched curse of death from consuming his life. Hence, he was no god at all. Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to interact with two different individuals who responded equally wrong to the same question. The question is simple, one I am sure many of you have heard before, "If you were to die tonight do you think you would go to heaven?" One gentleman flat out said, "Hell, no... I have done too many bad things." He bought the lie that God's grace isn't powerful enough to restore whatever he had done. He based salvation on works and therefore wrote off his chance at ever obtaining God's forgiveness. Another gentleman was equally mistaken, he said, "well... yeah... I'll go to heaven... I haven't been that bad... God will understand." Again salvation by works but instead of writing off God's forgiveness as unobtainable like the previous gentleman, he saw forgiveness as unnecessary. Satan is crafty... he deceives people into misunderstanding the gospel ... a message of salvation to the world that ALL have sinned, that ALL deserve death, and that ALL can be saved by grace through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And so I remain torn. I deeply hope that Steve Jobs trusted in Christ, rather than his "gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever." Regardless, I pray that those who continue to watch death reign, as it will continue to do until Christ's return might finally embrace the One who has defeated death so that we might have life. Life doesn't start after death, rather life begins after reception of God's gift of forgiveness.
I am torn between two sets of emotions as I write this post. On the one hand, I respect Steve Jobs and stand in awe of what he managed to accomplish. In fact those close to me have jokingly asked, "Are you going to be okay?" Since they know how much I love iProducts. And yet, on the other hand, I am deeply saddened by the thought that he like so many others was deceptively led to the slaughter by trusting in himself instead of Christ. Steve Jobs, for many, was a god (if you doubt this fact... just type in "Steve Jobs god" on Google images... it is creepy to say the least). Nevertheless, he like those before him could not prevent the wretched curse of death from consuming his life. Hence, he was no god at all. Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to interact with two different individuals who responded equally wrong to the same question. The question is simple, one I am sure many of you have heard before, "If you were to die tonight do you think you would go to heaven?" One gentleman flat out said, "Hell, no... I have done too many bad things." He bought the lie that God's grace isn't powerful enough to restore whatever he had done. He based salvation on works and therefore wrote off his chance at ever obtaining God's forgiveness. Another gentleman was equally mistaken, he said, "well... yeah... I'll go to heaven... I haven't been that bad... God will understand." Again salvation by works but instead of writing off God's forgiveness as unobtainable like the previous gentleman, he saw forgiveness as unnecessary. Satan is crafty... he deceives people into misunderstanding the gospel ... a message of salvation to the world that ALL have sinned, that ALL deserve death, and that ALL can be saved by grace through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And so I remain torn. I deeply hope that Steve Jobs trusted in Christ, rather than his "gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever." Regardless, I pray that those who continue to watch death reign, as it will continue to do until Christ's return might finally embrace the One who has defeated death so that we might have life. Life doesn't start after death, rather life begins after reception of God's gift of forgiveness.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)