From One Blood - Acts 17:26,27

Hype

Re-Posted from "Meditations of a Charismatic Calvinist Who Does Not Speak in Tongues"

There was a man who was on a journey from the land of Aion to New Jerusalem that he might live with the King.  As he was going on his trek he found his way to the town of Hype.  Now the town of Hype was run to assist pilgrims on their journey.  He therefore decided to stop and see if he could obtain anything helpful. As he passed through the town he saw hawkers everywhere loudly advertising their products.  Traffic was so thick he only made it down the main street of town by slowly weaving through vendors.

The first shop he stopped at was called Charisma.  It claimed to provide useful tools for the journey.  But as he entered there was a protest going on.  Some carried signs saying no one could be successful on their journey without certain tools.  Others were saying those same tools were fraudulent and should not be sought after.  But curiously enough, the traveler found a package of tools with his name on it selected by the King for him.  He picked up this package and went on.

Next he came to the shop of Proskunema which offered merchandise meant to honor the King.  But as he looked around he saw this was not one shop but many, all offering different types of wares, though there were a few basic types.  Some offered venerable and ornate items with deep historical significance. Others were boisterous and frenetic and favored loud celebration. And some were austere and restrained, avoiding any ostentation or excesses.  Also, while some items honored the King, many exalted the sellers or their experiences or the groups they belonged to.  Even the items the King mandated, the sign of water and the sign of bread and wine, came in a perplexing variety of forms.  The traveler took a simple form of the required signs and such other things as he felt honored the King and moved on.

The next shop, Logos, offered maps for the journey.  There were maps in older or more modern language, many with interpretative helps. There was also a variety of other aids to interpretation, ranging from brief condensations stating people's position on the contents of the map to detailed scholarly treatises to simplified popular books. There were also here many protesters arguing for their version of the map or their compilation of its contents.  The traveler picked up a version of the map and, not being so conceited as to despise wise counsel, chose carefully some aids to interpretation.

With persistence he made it to the other end of town, avoiding the multitude offering him quack remedies or quick fixes to help him on his journey.  As he left Hype behind he noticed the number of pilgrims on the road had thinned out, as many had stayed behind to sell their wares or to protest.  But the traveler let out a sigh of relief as he saw Hype vanish behind a hill.

What Christianity Is Not

What is Christianity? It is understood differently by different people. I would like to look at some of the misconceptions. First, Christianity is not primarily a moral system. There were a number of moral systems before Christianity came along, and while there were conflicts, they were based on the same fundamental principles. Now I do believe that the Scriptural teaching on morals is the absolutely correct one, as it comes from God. But while it is helpful to have some of the conflicts resolved, that is not really our problem. Our problem is not that we need more accurate ethics, but that we do not live up to the ethics we have. Even given that the Biblical system is the most perfect ethical system, as C. S. Lewis points out, what good does it do to be instructed in calculus when we cannot do arithmetic?

Christianity also is not primarily a philosophy. A philosophy is the attempt to figure the universe out from simple basic premises. The problem is the universe is more complicated than that. Even in the realm of science, the universe is a complicated place. A place where light can be both particles and waves, where objects grow shorter and heavier the faster they go, and where slight differences in initial conditions can produce drastically different results. While there may be some value in trying to figure things out, as an ultimate answer it is too simplistic. And while Christianity may speak to some of the questions philosophy raises, that is not really what it is.

Christianity is not primarily a mystical experience. Now I am far from being against experiences. I have had too many to simply discount them. But there are many faiths which claim some kind of experience. How do you decide which of these to follow? Also, experience tends to ebb and flow; sometimes it is strong and sometimes it is weak. It is the commitment that we have to what we believe that takes us through the times of difficulty and doubt. It is like marriage. That strong feeling of being in love ebbs and flows. But it is the commitment that keeps things together through the rocky places.

What Christianity is, is the message that God Himself has invaded human history (John 1:1-18; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 2:9-18), not only to tell us about Himself, but to pay the price we should have paid for failing to live up to correct ethical standards (1 Peter 2:24,25; Colossians 2:13,14; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Also, for those who accept His forgiveness as a gift through faith (Ephesians 2:8,9; Romans 4:4,5; Philippians 3:9), He comes to dwell in our lives to transform us over time into who we should be (2 Corinthians 3:18; Colossians 1:29; Ephesians 2:10). This is Christianity, and this is what I contend we really need. Not just a new ethical, philosophical, or mystical system, but God invading our lives to forgive and change us.

A Touch of Humor - The Building Program

Can the external aspects of the service of God get blown out of proportion? How can we put them back in proportion?

A Voice from the Past - Charles Hodge

It is no less unscientific for the theologian to assume a theory as to the nature of virtue, of sin, of liberty, of moral obligation, and then explain the facts of Scripture in accordance with his theories. His only proper course is to to derive his theory of virtue, of sin, of liberty, of obligation, from the facts of the Bible, He should remember that his business is not to set forth his system of truth (that is of no account), but to ascertain and exhibit what is God's system, which is a matter of the greatest moment.

Charles Hodge, 1797-1878, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, Introduction, Chapter 1: On Method, Section 5: The Inductive Method, Principles to be Deduced from Facts (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1982, p. 13)

Does this make sense? How do we avoid reading our preconceived notions back into Scripture?

What Are We Committed To?

Evangelical Christians put a strong stress on commitment. But the question arises: committed to what? We can say, committed to God, to our church, to our families. But what does this involve? In looking at this, there are two dangers.

We can define commitment too broadly, as a vague feeling without much substance. This can often stem from a particular experience or event, like walking down to pray at an altar. Now I am far from despising such experiences; many can be key events in our path to growth with God. The Bible mentions monuments built in remembrance of certain significant deeds God had done (Joshua 4:19-24; 1 Samuel 7:12-14; Numbers 17:8-11). But it is possible to rest on the events of the past and feel that this makes us committed. This may be accompanied by a few obvious specifics, such as, go to church, put money in the offering plate, do not commit any blatant sin, and similar basic rules. But it mainly consists in a fairly generalized feeling of loyalty. Is this all commitment is?

But we can also define commitment as holding to and successfully accomplishing certain well-defined practices. While these practices are generally based on Biblical principles, they involve strict adherence to the methodology of a particular program or organization. This leads to a one-size-fits-all approach, which often requires things not specifically commanded by Scripture. It defines commitment as successfully following the leader's program and dismisses all those who do not live up to its standards. Now it is hard to accomplish anything without making choices on methods and procedures. The danger comes when we start raising our approach to the level of a commandment of God and condemning everyone who does not follow it. Once we get beyond the clear commandments of Scripture, we need to realize that not every method works well for every individual. Now there is a place for supporting the programs of the leaders God has put over us to the extent we can. But we should not confuse them with commitment to God.

Scripture speaks of growing in Christ as a process (Philippians 3:12-16; Hebrews 12:1,2; Ephesians 4:15,16), which involves deliberate practice (1 Timothy 4:7,8; Hebrews 5:13,14; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27). This process is based on the Holy Spirit working in us to transform us (2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 2:13; Colossians 1:29). Now our goal is to be conformed to the image of Christ, and we should not settle for something less, though we will not attain that in this life (Romans 8:29,30; 1 John 3:2; Matthew 5:48).  Therefore, commitment is commitment to be involved in this process (Romans 12:1,2; Galatians 5:16; Titus 2:11-14). This may require other commitments along the way. These will be similar, because the commandments of God are the same for everyone, but they will be different, as everyone has different gifts and is at a different point in the process. But we should not fool ourselves into thinking we have arrived.

Diagnosing Demonic Involvement

Re-Posted from "Meditations of a Charismatic Calvinist Who Does Not Speak in Tongues"

How can we decide if there is demonic involvement in a particular situation? Some would attribute every illness and sin to demonic influence. But Scripture lists demonic involvement as only one of the things Jesus dealt with (Matthew 4:24) and gives the primary source of sin as our own desires (James 1:14,15) Others would minimize or deny it, particularly in the life of a believer. (This largely comes from the King James use of the word "possession," which has no basis in the Greek.) There is also the spiritual gift of discernment of spirits, which I believe still exists today and I claim to possess. But the problem with this gift is you need to start by deciding if the gift involved is real. I know of an individual who once thought they had the gift and later decided it was spurious. What is the correct approach?

There are lists of signs of demonic involvement. But while some items come from Scripture, most come from experience, tradition, or even Hollywood. While Scripture mentions blatantly supernatural cases (Mark 5:2-20) (and these may sometimes be faked), often the symptoms are those of normal illness (Matthew 12:22). The fact that Scripture does not give a list suggests that knowing the source of the problem may not always be necessary. We need to pray for our and other's problems no matter what source they come from (Ephesians 6:18). It is also important to have other people pray for you (James 5:14-18). If there is something that suggests there might be demonic activity, it is worthwhile to direct your prayers against such activity.

I remember a sin in my life that I could not get the victory over. I asked someone to pray for me specifically against demonic involvement. I really was not expecting much, but I thought I would try one more approach. He had trouble praying and could not get his thoughts together. I had a huge feeling of weakness come over me and could not stay standing and fell down to my knees. It did not immediately solve all my sin problem. But it was the first step to turning the situation around. I remember another case where I was driving to help out in a particular situation and I could not find the house. I stopped driving to look at the map and could not read the map; it was blurred (this was totally abnormal for the state of my vision at the time). I immediately became suspicious and prayed God would lead me to the house. My vision cleared, I read the map and drove directly there. Every case needs to be dealt with based on the factors involved. Nor should we neglect to make use of appropriate medical assistance if the problem persists. But since Scripture does not give a formula for dealing with these situations, they should be approached carefully, with prayer and trust in God.