Think out Laud
Chris Kelly's journal---a blog for to publish his feeble attempts to praise Jesus Christ, bare his soul, and think out loud about these Interesting Times.
The recent shooting rampage at Virginia Tech had a friend warning me about Koreans. But as far as I know, this is the first time a Korean has done anything like this. It happens every single day in Iraq and some other Muslim nations. Such rampages have been happening in the United States for the last 10 years, usually carried out by white Americans. In particular, the Columbine shootings and last year's murder of six Amish schoolgirls in Lancaster County, PA come to mind. So I am convinced this kind of violence has nothing to do with nationality or ethnicity.
I call these rampages "mini-holocausts". Obviously the word "holocaust" evokes memory of the Nazis death camps of 70 years ago. In my opinion, the kinds of things the Nazis did can only increase in frequency as society becomes more and more secular. The violence which we learned about in the story of Noah [Gen 6:11] can only be overcome by the fear of God, which was restored after the Flood. [Gen 9:2] When men drive God out of their society, they cannot rightfully expect God to protect society from such violence. 9-11 was another example. We cannot blame God for these things. He is not able to protect us because we are not "on board the Ark".
In 1 Samuel 4, when the Israelites were whipped on the battlefield by the Philistines, instead of repenting their sins, they brought the Ark of the Covenant into battle, removing it from the Tabernacle where God had put His Name. They used it as their lucky charm, to help them defeat their enemy. They said, "Why did the Lord bring defeat upon us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the Lord's covenant from Shiloh, so that it may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies." They blamed God for their defeat, then made the SYMBOL of God into an idol, so that It might save them. They did what too many Christians also do today.
Their hope should have been in God's deliverance. But they did not inquire as to what sin they had committed, as Saul did, for example, when Israel was routed during his reign. They had no fear of God, but superstition. Their superstition made them "powerful" in the immediate term. So when they gathered again for battle, they all "raised such a great shout that the ground shook." When superstition is substituted for faith, emotions easily get out of control and make men FEEL very religious, powerful, invincible. They thought they were spiritually untouchable.
The Philistines were equally superstitious. So when they heard the Israelites shouting, they were afraid and said, "A god has come into the camp," they said. "We're in trouble! Nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert. Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!"
The Philistines fear prevailed. Israel was slaughtered, losing 30,000 soldiers. Moreover the Ark was captured by the enemy, and Eli's two wicked sons, whose idea it was no doubt to take the ark from its place into battle, were also killed. When news of this reached Eli, he also keeled over and died. His daughter-in-law subsequently died in childbirth, hearing of the loss of her husband and father-in-law.
Christians need to realize that emotionalism and symbols of faith are not the same as faith. Our faith is in God through His word. It is something that happens first in the "ear", not the "eye". Jesus often said, "If anyone has ears, let him hear." We must hear the word of the Lord, not depend on what we see with our eyes or feel with our emotions.
Not those who study fads and trends tell us that today's "post-modern" youth do not like intellectual approaches to knowing God; they tell us we can win more by the emotional appeal than by the intellectual, and that any amount of Bible "thumping" and teaching and preaching will not reach the masses. Probably these professors are right, and big churches must emphasize the emotional, "heart" message, not the teaching of doctrine or memorizing of ancient Scripture.
But I do not foresee much in the way of good fruit from such an emphasis. It may well be that many can be reached. But can they stand up to the inevitable TESTS of faith? No. They will be routed en masse if they dare go into battle. And this is where they must undoubtedly go. Times are changing. Men do not put up with sound doctrine any more. They want compromise in some very important matters. They want social unity and peace at any cost, a political ecumenism that is itself an idol. The Institution excites them, the worldwide unity, more than the God and his word. So they throw out whatever offends, up to and (often) including the "offense of the cross". [Gal 5:11]
One young evangelist who wanted to reach Muslims exhorted me to de-emphasize the cross when speaking with Muslims, since it was incomprehensible to them because of their culture and beliefs. At that moment, I realized how strong the delusion has become, even evangelical Christians have placed Success in evangelism above the Gospel message. Even if it is an offense, we must preach it, with love and faith. They imagine that their sensitivity is more important than faith, that without really believing the gospel and ITS power, they can persuade the unbelievers, or even trick them, into believing. But they show that they do not believe the power of the Gospel, since they are ashamed of the cross before the unbelievers.
The point is that in evangelism of Americans, as well as Muslims, we cannot appeal to people merely as salesmen, who want them to feel good about buying into the faith. Those we evangelism must experience the power of the Gospel in its own right, or they will not be changed inwardly. They will remain superstitious and emotional, and they will be slaughtered spiritually in the tests of faith. We cannot offer them luck, we must offer them the victory of the cross.
Why did Jesus twice give Peter and his companions a miraculous catch of fish? And why, if he did this for Peter, does (or doesn't) he give such "instant success" to other believers in their work?
I think the answer comes from John 21. Jesus gave this miraculous catch to the seven who were out fishing after the resurrection, after their whole night of failure, to inspire them in many ways. First, he wanted them to know they could do nothing apart from him. [Jn 15:5]
Second, he wanted them to believe that he would be with them in their life and work in the future, and would provide for them, provided...
Third, they would feed his sheep. This is the great commission a la John. To feed Jesus' sheep is the expression of love Jesus desires most from us. More than he wanted Peter to "lay down his life" for Jesus, he wanted Peter to take up the cross as a shepherd.
So I believe the miraculous catch of fish, which had nothing to do with feeding sheep or mission work, was actually a sign to Peter that he would be successful in business as long as he made Jesus' mission paramount among his priorities. How grand it would be if we could devote ourselves to God's work, teaching the Bible, for example, and only work one miraculous night per week with Jesus' help to supply our needs! Jesus didn't make such a promise explicitly. But he did say, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.'' [Mt 6:33]
It is time to take Jesus at his word and stop living a hand-to-mouth existence centered solely on taking care of the physical needs and paying the bills. Of course, we must stop spending too, and have fewer bills to pay, living simply, devoted to His Cause, and finding in it his plenteous supply for all our needs.
And it is needful to give up some of our freedom, including financial freedom. So Jesus told Peter in 21:18 that, while he had all his freedom to dress and go where he pleased in his youth, when he matured he would be dressed by someone else and led where he did not want to go. If Christians weren't so rich today, they would probably have a great deal more involvement in missions. "Blessed are the poor." May God make us poor, poor enough to depend on HIM, rather than our jobs and financial advisers and investments. May God help us to discover, as the disciples did, that apart from Him we can do nothing, but with him we can be truly blessed and a blessing.