Old Erich Proverb - Fight

It is often easier to avoid a fight than mend the burned bridges afterward.

A Voice from the Past - Clement of Rome

Let us fix our thoughts on the Blood of Christ; and reflect how precious that Blood is in God's eyes, inasmuch as its outpouring for our salvation has opened the grace of repentance to all mankind. For we have only to survey the generations of the past to see that in every one of them the Lord has offered the chance of repentance to any who were willing to turn to Him.

Clement of Rome, ?-99 AD, Epistle to the Romans, 7 (Early Christian Writings, translated by Maxwell Staniforth, Penguin Books, 1968, p. 26)

Are we tempted to limit the power of the blood of Christ to save? What kinds of people might we limit it to?

Building Blocks of Redemption

It is easy to try to force Biblical history into some sort of system. I am reluctant to put forth my own understanding for fear of it being understood as another such system. But it is hard to question the existing assumptions without putting forth my own interpretations.

God created Adam and Eve and made them morally upright, though capable of wrong choice (Ecclesiastes 7:29). But they disobeyed and became sinners, unable to rescue themselves from their situation (Romans 3:9-18; Jeremiah 17:9; Isaiah 64:6). However, God promised the seed of the woman to bruise the head of the giver of death (Genesis 3:15). The Fall was a unique event in human history and the basis of the need for redemption.

The Flood showed God's hatred of sin (Genesis 6:5-7). But God established His covenant with Noah and provided a way to deliver him and his family. After the flood God made a covenant that He would not again send a flood of that magnitude on the earth (Genesis 9:8-17). This involved the holding back of  God's wrath until the promised seed would come. There is no indication that civil government was first instituted at this time (Genesis 4:17). Then God chose a specific man, Abraham, and made a covenant with him to be the father of a nation through which would come the promised seed (Genesis 12:1-3; Galatians 3:16; Romans 9:5). This was a promise to Abraham and his descendants that involved the coming of Messiah but has implicationsey are not simply a repetition of the same thing or the production of something totally new each time, but the constant building on of each other.

The Open Door

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

One of the common ways to try to determine God's will is to look for open doors. There is a danger in this. It can lead us to do only what we regard as reasonable and sensible (Proverbs 3:5,6). Scripture mentions the fact of open doors (1 Corinthians 16:9; 2 Corinthians 2:12) and calls for prayer for open doors (Colossians 4:3), but nowhere does it make these the chief criteria for determining God's will. Now God does use circumstances to direct us. Take, for example, the story of the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-40). He was reading Isaiah 53 when a man mysteriously came up to him and used the passage to preach to him Jesus. However, for this to happen Philip had to leave an open door in Samaria to follow God's leading to go out into the desert. Sometimes it is not God's will for us to do what makes sense to us.

I remember cases in my own life when God caused circumstances to come together to make a point. When I had first come back to following God, I was considering chickening out and not going to a meeting I had been invited to because I felt if I was a Christian I would never have any fun. I was sitting eating in the cafeteria by my college dorm when a group of people I did not know sat down at my table. They were laughing and joking and having a good time, when I noticed one of them was wearing a large cross. I thought it was probably just a piece of jewelry, but I was encouraged to go to the meeting anyway. After the meeting the same group of people came up and said that they should have said something when they sat down at my table. I have had other such experiences, but I have also had cases where nothing seemed to come together and I had no idea where God was leading me. Circumstances are relevant, but they should not be made the final judge for determining God's will.

Is Christianity About Die of Old Age

Many seem to assume Christianity is about to vanish from the world. Even Christians can buy into this idea. We can look at Barna surveys and other discouraging information and become afraid that we are on the way out if we do not do something quick to change things. Now I am not in favor of complacency. We do need to be willing to ask how best to serve Christ. The whole Christian life should be one of constant growth in Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 3:12-14; Ephesians 2:10). But I do not believe that desperation is the best basis for making intelligent decisions. Rather, we need to trust Him that He is at work in His church (Matthew 16:18; Psalms 127:1,2; Proverbs 3:5,6).

But many assume history is going a certain way and Christianity is bound to disappear. This is based on the idea of overall historical progress in a definite direction. While this may fit in the area of basic science and technology (though even here it is perhaps too simple), it is hard to force overall history into this pattern. Now Christianity has been around for almost 2000 years. In that time there has been a constant pattern of ebb and flow in various times and places. There have been times of severe persecution and times of internal corruption that looked even worse, but we are still here.

We see the pattern time and time again. During the original Roman persecution. At the time of the fall of the Roman Empire and its conquest by outsiders who were pagans or denied the deity of Christ. At the times of the severe corruption of the church in the middle and end of the Middle Ages. During the times of the Muslim invasions. During the Enlightenment, when it looked like Deism was going to triumph. During many internal struggles: Protestant versus Catholic, Conservative versus Liberal. In all these cases traditional, historic Christianity seemed about to vanish, but it did not. More recently it was thought that Communism, with its political power and persuasive propaganda, would eliminate Christianity. But it failed. In China it appears to have backfired, growing the Christian church there far beyond what it was originally. No one knows the future, and it cannot be dogmatically proven from history that God is at work building His church. But I have to be cynical that the next crisis will turn out any different than the previous ones. Now I do not want to discourage legitimate attempts on our part to clean up our act. But I do not feel that panic is the most conducive mood for clear thinking as to what does and does not need to be fixed. It often leads people to look for quick fixes and simplistic solutions that can be worse than the problem. What we need is calm, thoughtful consideration on how to best serve God in our situation. Trusting that God is the One who is really in charge.     

A Touch of Humor - Shortcut

How can we be sure we are really following God? How can we avoid false approaches?

Old Erich Proverb - Presumption

Never believe a man who thinks he knows more than the angels in heaven. (see Matthew 24:36)