The Matthew Never Knew has recently passed 300,000 all-time hits
Did it take almost a decade? Yes
Were most of those me? Probably
This milestone will also serve as a transition point. I have tentatively decided to start blogging more often. Maybe not quite as often as I did from 2005-2008, but more than I did from 2011 till today (check the post amounts in the blog archives on the left). The posts will mostly be about theological things that I've been thinking, series' that I've been teaching, and excerpts from books/curriculum that I've been writing.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Saturday, November 09, 2013
BBC Blog-List Retiring
In 24 hours I am retiring the BBC Bloglist (located on right hand side of my blog). For many years it served as a hub for friends from Bethany Bible College (now Kingswood University), but most everyone has switched to facebook or simply stopped blogging. I am going to be re-focusing my own blog a bit and think it's time to make this move.
Just wanted to post this explanation in case anyone from BBC is still reading this and wonders why it is gone.
Just wanted to post this explanation in case anyone from BBC is still reading this and wonders why it is gone.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Broken Un-Promises
I've been thinking a lot lately about the promises of God. More specifically, I've been thinking about how loosely the concept is defined and how often the promises are broken (hint... a lot).
The problem seems to be that the Bible is not the encyclopedia that many people seem to want it to be. You can't go to the book of 2nd Promises and the chapter on 'promises having to do with my love life' and find the appropriate verse. The Bible is a narrative... a story. It contains all sorts of statements from God and a lot of them could potentially be taken as promises.
And this is why it becomes so important to understand what is and is not a promise... and whether or not there are different kinds of promises. Are proverbs promises? Are some (all?) promises conditional? Do earthy sounding promises always find their fulfillment on earth?
You see, if I think that Proverbs 22:6 guarantees that if I do my best at training my kids in God's way then they'll automatically (eventually) become believers... I might end up thinking God broke a promise. If I felt Jesus was going to come back in 1988 because that's a generation after Israel became a nation again, it may have left me lost in my faith. If I think that passages in Isaiah and James can be combined to make every sickness go away, it may leave me incredibly disappointed with God in a bed (or next to one) at a hospital or, worse, yet, a funeral home.
As a quick aside, there's also the issue of non-biblical 'promises' of God. If I really believe that God called me to plant a church in Kelowna, BC (Canada) and then it never happened or failed miserably... does that mean God failed?
Clearly this is a life-affecting issue. I perceive that there are many disappointed Christians (and ex-Christians) out there as a result of the apparently broken promises of God. The sad thing is, I think this disappointment is needless. I don't believe that God has ever broken a promise, but I also don't think He's made nearly as many as some people think. Proverbs are principles, not promises. Some prophecies were (and are) set in stone, but many of them were (and are) conditional. Jesus had a healing ministry, but healings are signs pointing to the ultimate message of the life, death, resurrection and ascension of our Savior. Miraculous healings are still possible, but were never meant to be the norm. In fact, it would be more accurate to think of Jesus' words 'in this world you will have trouble' as a promise than some of the more instantly gratifying verses that some suppose are promises.
My point is that it doesn't make much sense to be disappointed with God for not keeping promises that He never made, so we should make sure we think through these issues pretty carefully. It's not enough to just Google a list of Bible promises. It's not enough to just 'feel' God has promised you something. It could be that there are actually a small set of actual promises from God. They might not include things like ease and earthly happiness (they might even mean the opposite!), but you can bet they are eternally beautiful.
The problem seems to be that the Bible is not the encyclopedia that many people seem to want it to be. You can't go to the book of 2nd Promises and the chapter on 'promises having to do with my love life' and find the appropriate verse. The Bible is a narrative... a story. It contains all sorts of statements from God and a lot of them could potentially be taken as promises.
And this is why it becomes so important to understand what is and is not a promise... and whether or not there are different kinds of promises. Are proverbs promises? Are some (all?) promises conditional? Do earthy sounding promises always find their fulfillment on earth?
You see, if I think that Proverbs 22:6 guarantees that if I do my best at training my kids in God's way then they'll automatically (eventually) become believers... I might end up thinking God broke a promise. If I felt Jesus was going to come back in 1988 because that's a generation after Israel became a nation again, it may have left me lost in my faith. If I think that passages in Isaiah and James can be combined to make every sickness go away, it may leave me incredibly disappointed with God in a bed (or next to one) at a hospital or, worse, yet, a funeral home.
As a quick aside, there's also the issue of non-biblical 'promises' of God. If I really believe that God called me to plant a church in Kelowna, BC (Canada) and then it never happened or failed miserably... does that mean God failed?
Clearly this is a life-affecting issue. I perceive that there are many disappointed Christians (and ex-Christians) out there as a result of the apparently broken promises of God. The sad thing is, I think this disappointment is needless. I don't believe that God has ever broken a promise, but I also don't think He's made nearly as many as some people think. Proverbs are principles, not promises. Some prophecies were (and are) set in stone, but many of them were (and are) conditional. Jesus had a healing ministry, but healings are signs pointing to the ultimate message of the life, death, resurrection and ascension of our Savior. Miraculous healings are still possible, but were never meant to be the norm. In fact, it would be more accurate to think of Jesus' words 'in this world you will have trouble' as a promise than some of the more instantly gratifying verses that some suppose are promises.
My point is that it doesn't make much sense to be disappointed with God for not keeping promises that He never made, so we should make sure we think through these issues pretty carefully. It's not enough to just Google a list of Bible promises. It's not enough to just 'feel' God has promised you something. It could be that there are actually a small set of actual promises from God. They might not include things like ease and earthly happiness (they might even mean the opposite!), but you can bet they are eternally beautiful.
Monday, September 09, 2013
Limited Negatives
‘Limited Negatives’ as Conversation
Starters
A
"limited negative" is a statement, usually (though not always)
constructed as follows:
“Not A…but B”
But which actually means:
“Not
only A…but also B” or, perhaps, “Not merely
A…but primarily B”
Such an idiom becomes recognizable when it would be absurd or contradictory to take an absolute-sounding statement absolutely.
Such an idiom becomes recognizable when it would be absurd or contradictory to take an absolute-sounding statement absolutely.
Obvious Examples (to prove the literary
device exists)
Matthew
10:20
For
it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
John
12:44
Whoever
believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.
John
6:27
Do
not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life.
1
John 3:18
Dear
children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
Obvious Counter-Examples
(to provoke caution)
Romans
12:19
Do
not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath.
3
John 1:11
Dear
friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good.
Colossians
3:19
Husbands,
love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
Ephesians
5:18
Do
not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
12 Potential ‘Limited Negative’ Passages
for our Consideration
Matthew
9:13
But
go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not
come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Matthew
6:13
And
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Matthew
6:19-20
Do
not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy,
and where thieves break in and steal. But
store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.
Matthew
10:34
Do
not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to
bring peace, but a sword
Luke
12:4
I
tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after
that can do no more.
Luke
14:12-13
When
you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or
sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you
back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the
lame, the blind.
John
1:13
Children
born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but
born of God.
John
7:24
Stop
judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”
John
15:15
I
no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s
business. Instead, I have called you
friends
Romans
12:2
Do
not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind.
Philippians
2:4
Not
looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
1
Peter 3:3-4
Your
beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and
the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self
Friday, August 23, 2013
I'm pretty sure I'm right about certainty
Lately I've been thinking that our culture has been so impacted by the so called 'Age of Reason' that we actually believe that certainty is an attainable goal for matters of significance. If we can be certain that 1+1=2 and that a water molecule contains 2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen atom, then surely we can be certain about matters like global warming and the existence of God!
Not so fast... Maybe the more important something is, the more factors there are involved and the less certain we can be. Maybe relationships, the most significant of all things, are for that very reason resistant to such a thing as certainty. Instead, relationships are risky ventures. 1+1 does equal 2, but who cares? 1 person plus 1 person demands trust. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
This may sound overwhelmingly negative to many in our culture. We've been trained to demand certainty. We've been taught that if we look long enough and in the right way, we'll never have to leap. I risk causing depression by insisting that such a pursuit is hopeless except in trivial matters. But my goal is not to demonstrate that our goals are unattainable. Rather, I aim to show that our goals have been wrong all along.
We never should have allowed certainty the place of pride. Certainty is not a treasure worth seeking. Truth is. Beauty is. Love is. This is rather obvious once we think for more than a moment. Would I rather be absolutely certain that my wife is faithful (attainable only, perhaps, by implanting some sort of chip in her brain or having her drink a love potion of sorts) or experience her faithfulness day after day? I think those are the options.
But we desire certainty. We crave it. And when we inevitably don't find it, we are left with two bad options. Some decide to force the issue. They attempt to convince themselves of their certainty even though the attempt to find it has fallen short. This usually takes the form of dogmatism, unwavering opinions, and ridicule towards alternative possibilities. Others admit defeat. Craving certainty and finding none, they give up on most everything of significance. They become indifferent and jaded.
I think I see the former course more often in people older than me and the latter in people younger, but that is just an untested observation. In any case, both options are bad news. The devil dances in delight at a fork in the road like this. What a victory for him to have us choose between two errors without even thinking of turning around and heading back to where we got off-track.
The road is a good analogy, by the way, for what we may have been on before we took this turn for the worse. We are travelers, after all. We are headed somewhere. We have a destination, but we are not there yet. And because we aren't there, we can't be certain exactly what that destination will look like or that we're taking the right route. It's not that we are driving blind. There are plenty of signs, fellow passengers, and fueling stations along the way (though most men refuse to ask directions!). But even with a great map or GPS, we're lacking absolute certainty.
My point is... who cares? Getting there has always been half the fun. Getting out on the road is risky, but it's the only way to get to God knows where. Our lack of certainty along the way is not an indication that there isn't certainly a destination beyond our wildest dreams, only that we travel by good old-fashioned faith. It's actually more reasonable to risk the roads than to hold tightly to a dead-end sign or simply stay at home forever.
Not so fast... Maybe the more important something is, the more factors there are involved and the less certain we can be. Maybe relationships, the most significant of all things, are for that very reason resistant to such a thing as certainty. Instead, relationships are risky ventures. 1+1 does equal 2, but who cares? 1 person plus 1 person demands trust. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
This may sound overwhelmingly negative to many in our culture. We've been trained to demand certainty. We've been taught that if we look long enough and in the right way, we'll never have to leap. I risk causing depression by insisting that such a pursuit is hopeless except in trivial matters. But my goal is not to demonstrate that our goals are unattainable. Rather, I aim to show that our goals have been wrong all along.
We never should have allowed certainty the place of pride. Certainty is not a treasure worth seeking. Truth is. Beauty is. Love is. This is rather obvious once we think for more than a moment. Would I rather be absolutely certain that my wife is faithful (attainable only, perhaps, by implanting some sort of chip in her brain or having her drink a love potion of sorts) or experience her faithfulness day after day? I think those are the options.
But we desire certainty. We crave it. And when we inevitably don't find it, we are left with two bad options. Some decide to force the issue. They attempt to convince themselves of their certainty even though the attempt to find it has fallen short. This usually takes the form of dogmatism, unwavering opinions, and ridicule towards alternative possibilities. Others admit defeat. Craving certainty and finding none, they give up on most everything of significance. They become indifferent and jaded.
I think I see the former course more often in people older than me and the latter in people younger, but that is just an untested observation. In any case, both options are bad news. The devil dances in delight at a fork in the road like this. What a victory for him to have us choose between two errors without even thinking of turning around and heading back to where we got off-track.
The road is a good analogy, by the way, for what we may have been on before we took this turn for the worse. We are travelers, after all. We are headed somewhere. We have a destination, but we are not there yet. And because we aren't there, we can't be certain exactly what that destination will look like or that we're taking the right route. It's not that we are driving blind. There are plenty of signs, fellow passengers, and fueling stations along the way (though most men refuse to ask directions!). But even with a great map or GPS, we're lacking absolute certainty.
My point is... who cares? Getting there has always been half the fun. Getting out on the road is risky, but it's the only way to get to God knows where. Our lack of certainty along the way is not an indication that there isn't certainly a destination beyond our wildest dreams, only that we travel by good old-fashioned faith. It's actually more reasonable to risk the roads than to hold tightly to a dead-end sign or simply stay at home forever.
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