Culture contrary to godliness #5
You don't have to look far through the links on our sidebar to see that a great deal of "churches" have shifted in focus from eternal life to entertainment.
Dealing regularly with young Christians and non-Christian youth in my work, it is terribly difficult both to resist the popular usage of entertainment in ministry and also to find a legitimate place for recreation in fellowship that does not degenerate into hype-driven entertainment.
It is frightening that floodgates have been opened for this phenomenon to spill over violently into the wider church out of our youth ministries.
What is the problem with entertainment? It is, after all, a very normal and essential part of today's popular culture. Herein lies the beginning of the problem. What is important to the world should be far less important to children of God.
The main issue is that entertainment focuses on occupying our attention and stimulating positive emotions. In some ways it is totally opposite to worship, where we are completely focused on God with our mind and affections in devotion.
So, entertainment could be said to be permissable on occasion at best as a form of recreation, however it should not be the driving force of our lives and CERTAINLY NOT the central aspect of a church meeting.
I feel that often in my own life there is a drive to seek out entertainment for some kind of fulfillment. But if this takes over my life or yours, we need to make a change.
Another way entertainment detracts from godliness, is the forms of entertainment we indulge in. Secular comedians are almost always crude or at least insinuative and often take the liberty of slandering our holy faith. Secular movies are full of blasphemy, bloodthirstiness and worldly philosophies. Popular music is more and more sexually explicit in nature, with the catchy beats hooking people in to be subjected to whatever message the artist wishes to promote. Partying and revelry leads to drunkenness and worse situations and if believers involve themselves, they will get taken along for the ride.
But we all know someone who professes Christ and indulges in one or more of the above activities and most of us would not have to point the finger away from ourselves.
I think the early church found its satisfaction in communion and fellowship with their God and one another. When we meet our base desires for pleasure in forms of entertainment at church events, are we not substituting a deeper communion for a cheap thrill and quick fix for the flesh?
2 Timothy 3:4 tells us that in the last days men will be lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. When entertainment replaces God as the center of a church community, we have surely seen this Scripture fulfilled before us.
Let us therefore strive for a new dedication to piety and devotion instead of chasing after every new fad and craze that sprouts up in the fallen world.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Here, there & back again
Well it's been two weeks since my last post. They've been quite eventful times, I had some house sitting to do and then went on a trip through a small portion (large by my own measure) of the state of Queensland. Visiting new places, ancestral lands and racing the floods back down was quite exciting.
I was busied today with many phone calls & trying to catch up with things now that I am finally home. One surprise waiting for me when I got up this morning was a visit from a pair of watchtower society tract distributors (hereafter JWs).
At my home, we almost never get visited by mormons or christadelphians despite their presence in the area, however the JWs will occasionally hazard a visit. I had not had visitors of this nature for many months and as usual was caught offguard by their appearance.
After raising a few questions in response to their pitch, I inevitably approached the issue of Christ's divinity. The important thing here is to remember that no matter how well you know the Word, always have a Bible at hand. I knew their corruption of John 1, knew their Bible retained Thomas calling Jesus "My Lord and my God!" in John 20:28 and a few other tricks, but had I had an open Bible I would have seen how atrocious their translation of 1 Colossians 1:15-6 was.
By changing "firstborn over all creation" to "firstborn of creation" & claiming all other things were created by Christ instead of all things, the New World Translation cements itself as a blasphemous and heretic corruption of the Holy Scriptures, designed to promote the ancient heresy revived by the watchtower society.
Is all this an issue for a site about eusebeia to be concerned with. Most definitely.
Eusebeia is all about correct and rightful reverence towards God, so we should all be precise about how much honour we afford to Jesus Christ. If Jesus was some super-spirit as they claim and we give Him adoration and glory, then He poses a threat to the worship of the True God. But if He is indeed that True God and we fail to give Him the reverence He deserves, we have failed in godliness.
Just as the nature of Christ is pivotal to all areas of the Christian faith, we see that in the case of eusebeia, no one can claim godliness without receiving it from Christ. Jesus gave us the perfect example to follow in giving honour to His Heavenly Father and ours. But we are mistaken if we fall into this deceitful trap of thinking that this reverence of the Father by the Son, somehow makes the Son less divine.
Philippians 2:5-11
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Matthew 1:23
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
I was busied today with many phone calls & trying to catch up with things now that I am finally home. One surprise waiting for me when I got up this morning was a visit from a pair of watchtower society tract distributors (hereafter JWs).
At my home, we almost never get visited by mormons or christadelphians despite their presence in the area, however the JWs will occasionally hazard a visit. I had not had visitors of this nature for many months and as usual was caught offguard by their appearance.
After raising a few questions in response to their pitch, I inevitably approached the issue of Christ's divinity. The important thing here is to remember that no matter how well you know the Word, always have a Bible at hand. I knew their corruption of John 1, knew their Bible retained Thomas calling Jesus "My Lord and my God!" in John 20:28 and a few other tricks, but had I had an open Bible I would have seen how atrocious their translation of 1 Colossians 1:15-6 was.
By changing "firstborn over all creation" to "firstborn of creation" & claiming all other things were created by Christ instead of all things, the New World Translation cements itself as a blasphemous and heretic corruption of the Holy Scriptures, designed to promote the ancient heresy revived by the watchtower society.
Is all this an issue for a site about eusebeia to be concerned with. Most definitely.
Eusebeia is all about correct and rightful reverence towards God, so we should all be precise about how much honour we afford to Jesus Christ. If Jesus was some super-spirit as they claim and we give Him adoration and glory, then He poses a threat to the worship of the True God. But if He is indeed that True God and we fail to give Him the reverence He deserves, we have failed in godliness.
Just as the nature of Christ is pivotal to all areas of the Christian faith, we see that in the case of eusebeia, no one can claim godliness without receiving it from Christ. Jesus gave us the perfect example to follow in giving honour to His Heavenly Father and ours. But we are mistaken if we fall into this deceitful trap of thinking that this reverence of the Father by the Son, somehow makes the Son less divine.
Philippians 2:5-11
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Matthew 1:23
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Conversations
Culture contrary to Godliness #4
II Peter 3:11 [Seeing] then [that] all these things shall be dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all] holy conversation and godliness,
Ephesians 5:2-4 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
Matthew 12:33-37 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by [his] fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Godliness, as mentioned in the post below, has everything to do with our attitude towards God and the life he calls us to lead (the link between godliness and holiness if you like).
I have noticed and indeed been guilty myself due to unwarranted passivity, a tendency for those called saints in the faith of Christ, often take delight in conversing about things that have nothing to do with our common salvation, Christian life or other issues.
Once again this is an issue that will be very easy for me to come across as legalistic, so let me say that I've no problem with Christians talking about general topics: weather, sport, politics, social issues etc; But if these things make up the sum and total of a fellowship's conversation, shouldn't it be of some concern?
To address the above Scriptures, I'm well aware, as someone may be led to point out, that the word conversation in the NT concerns broader conduct and interactions with others than mere talk, but naturally our narrow definition of conversation is contained within this broader one.
Holy conversation and godliness are essential to personal and corporate spiritual health as well as public testimony. So if the way we are conducting ourselves in both definitions of conversation is no different to that of the world, what message is sent to other Christians and non-believers alike. This is not all a holier-than-thou rant, but a call to consideration of what holiness and godliness mean in practical terms.
Looking at the Ephesians passage, this area of speech has often concerned me when in Christian company. When I deal with unsaved high-school students I expect sexually explicit speech of some sort, as well as racist, obscene and profane language at different times, but if this same speech emerges in Christian fellowship I wonder how many people have read Ephesians 5.
The reason I focus on these things: filthiness, foolish talking & jesting, is because they are culturally entrenched. I get accused often of telling lame jokes (as do almost all fathers and pastors I know!), but I take this lightly, because compared to the filth I spat out for humour in my teenage years, I know a lame pun is gentle and harmless even if it may be at the expense of being found quite as humourous.
I wonder if Christians insulting one another in a joking manner is included in this, as sometimes people do take this jesting to heart. Whether coming from a peer or a person in authority, personal jesting can be very destructive as a person may feel either unaccepted or perhaps merely not taken seriously by others. I must warn myself in writing this as much as anyone else. As I said, I am looking for things that are culturally entrenched. Things we partake in without thinking about, when we evidently should upon examination.
Finally, the warning against idle words is always sobering when preached effectively. We have all said utterly foolish things that are not productive and know that we could not possibly justify having said them. The scary thing is, this message is soon forgotten after it is heard by most people. In the context of the passage and in relation to the previous two, Christians should be bringing good things to bear through their mouths, while we would expect foul things to come from foul hearts.
Let that be a warning to us all.
I propose that the remedy to this is for us to bring the issue before our fellowship groups, however casual or organised, and remind one another when a conversation begins down this path. In this way, we might become more aware of our foolish speech and strive to avoid it and bring forth good things such as thanksgiving, encouragement and instruction from our mouths.
II Peter 3:11 [Seeing] then [that] all these things shall be dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all] holy conversation and godliness,
Ephesians 5:2-4 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
Matthew 12:33-37 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by [his] fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Godliness, as mentioned in the post below, has everything to do with our attitude towards God and the life he calls us to lead (the link between godliness and holiness if you like).
I have noticed and indeed been guilty myself due to unwarranted passivity, a tendency for those called saints in the faith of Christ, often take delight in conversing about things that have nothing to do with our common salvation, Christian life or other issues.
Once again this is an issue that will be very easy for me to come across as legalistic, so let me say that I've no problem with Christians talking about general topics: weather, sport, politics, social issues etc; But if these things make up the sum and total of a fellowship's conversation, shouldn't it be of some concern?
To address the above Scriptures, I'm well aware, as someone may be led to point out, that the word conversation in the NT concerns broader conduct and interactions with others than mere talk, but naturally our narrow definition of conversation is contained within this broader one.
Holy conversation and godliness are essential to personal and corporate spiritual health as well as public testimony. So if the way we are conducting ourselves in both definitions of conversation is no different to that of the world, what message is sent to other Christians and non-believers alike. This is not all a holier-than-thou rant, but a call to consideration of what holiness and godliness mean in practical terms.
Looking at the Ephesians passage, this area of speech has often concerned me when in Christian company. When I deal with unsaved high-school students I expect sexually explicit speech of some sort, as well as racist, obscene and profane language at different times, but if this same speech emerges in Christian fellowship I wonder how many people have read Ephesians 5.
The reason I focus on these things: filthiness, foolish talking & jesting, is because they are culturally entrenched. I get accused often of telling lame jokes (as do almost all fathers and pastors I know!), but I take this lightly, because compared to the filth I spat out for humour in my teenage years, I know a lame pun is gentle and harmless even if it may be at the expense of being found quite as humourous.
I wonder if Christians insulting one another in a joking manner is included in this, as sometimes people do take this jesting to heart. Whether coming from a peer or a person in authority, personal jesting can be very destructive as a person may feel either unaccepted or perhaps merely not taken seriously by others. I must warn myself in writing this as much as anyone else. As I said, I am looking for things that are culturally entrenched. Things we partake in without thinking about, when we evidently should upon examination.
Finally, the warning against idle words is always sobering when preached effectively. We have all said utterly foolish things that are not productive and know that we could not possibly justify having said them. The scary thing is, this message is soon forgotten after it is heard by most people. In the context of the passage and in relation to the previous two, Christians should be bringing good things to bear through their mouths, while we would expect foul things to come from foul hearts.
Let that be a warning to us all.
I propose that the remedy to this is for us to bring the issue before our fellowship groups, however casual or organised, and remind one another when a conversation begins down this path. In this way, we might become more aware of our foolish speech and strive to avoid it and bring forth good things such as thanksgiving, encouragement and instruction from our mouths.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Eusebeia 2008
Welcome to another year friends,
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all those who've visited the site and taken the time to read some of the articles and posts. I hope it has been a blessing to you all.
Also, I wanted to clarify some terms to make the future of Eusebeian Way and the Eusebeia blog easier to move forward in 2008.
There are four words/concepts crucial to Christian life and the intentions of this blog that have some overlap in meaning and application and thus can sometimes lead to confusion.
I want to look at the meanings and implications of godliness (eusebeia), holiness (agiasmos), righteousness (dikaiosyne) & purity (agneia).
Godliness and it's meaning have been explored through various posts in the early days of this site. To summarise, it pertains mainly to our attitude towards God and our neighbour and whether we worship God in a way that is pleasing to Him and with sufficient reverence to His Majesty. Eusebeia comes from the greek words Eu (good/well) and sebomai (worship/reverence) and is also close in meaning to the English word piety in a positive, rather than cynical sense.
Holiness, often used synonymously with sanctification, is commonly simplified as the quality of being "set apart" for the service of God. It also conveys an idea of separateness, in that God's purity, excellency, majesty and other perfect attributes ensure His status and nature are quite distinct and separate from the created world. So too are we called to be holy even as the LORD is holy, and from the peculiar customs of the Israelite nation that separated them from the pagan nations, to the Way in which Christians walk and live, this distinction between God's people and the world is made evident.
Righteousness is doing that which is right in the sight of God and living according to His will.
Every Christian knows that they have failed to achieve this moral quality and lifestyle and in fact are naturally inclined to do the things that God despises, due to our sinful nature and imaginations. True righteousness has been manifested in Jesus Christ alone and the only way to attain that right moral and legal standing before God is through the justification of Christ.
Purity is specifically keeping ourselves clean from moral and spiritual filth. There are many things that would seek to taint our morals, our motives & our doctrines, but purity is emphasised in order to keep us white and clean before our God.
So as you can see, while there is definitely overlap, we have a need for more than just one blanket term to describe proper Christian living and culture.
I try and string them all together by saying we should aim for godly attitudes, holy lifestyles, righteous deeds and pure hearts.
I hope this is helpful for seeing how these concepts of the Christian life stand together and apart.
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all those who've visited the site and taken the time to read some of the articles and posts. I hope it has been a blessing to you all.
Also, I wanted to clarify some terms to make the future of Eusebeian Way and the Eusebeia blog easier to move forward in 2008.
There are four words/concepts crucial to Christian life and the intentions of this blog that have some overlap in meaning and application and thus can sometimes lead to confusion.
I want to look at the meanings and implications of godliness (eusebeia), holiness (agiasmos), righteousness (dikaiosyne) & purity (agneia).
Godliness and it's meaning have been explored through various posts in the early days of this site. To summarise, it pertains mainly to our attitude towards God and our neighbour and whether we worship God in a way that is pleasing to Him and with sufficient reverence to His Majesty. Eusebeia comes from the greek words Eu (good/well) and sebomai (worship/reverence) and is also close in meaning to the English word piety in a positive, rather than cynical sense.
Holiness, often used synonymously with sanctification, is commonly simplified as the quality of being "set apart" for the service of God. It also conveys an idea of separateness, in that God's purity, excellency, majesty and other perfect attributes ensure His status and nature are quite distinct and separate from the created world. So too are we called to be holy even as the LORD is holy, and from the peculiar customs of the Israelite nation that separated them from the pagan nations, to the Way in which Christians walk and live, this distinction between God's people and the world is made evident.
Righteousness is doing that which is right in the sight of God and living according to His will.
Every Christian knows that they have failed to achieve this moral quality and lifestyle and in fact are naturally inclined to do the things that God despises, due to our sinful nature and imaginations. True righteousness has been manifested in Jesus Christ alone and the only way to attain that right moral and legal standing before God is through the justification of Christ.
Purity is specifically keeping ourselves clean from moral and spiritual filth. There are many things that would seek to taint our morals, our motives & our doctrines, but purity is emphasised in order to keep us white and clean before our God.
So as you can see, while there is definitely overlap, we have a need for more than just one blanket term to describe proper Christian living and culture.
I try and string them all together by saying we should aim for godly attitudes, holy lifestyles, righteous deeds and pure hearts.
I hope this is helpful for seeing how these concepts of the Christian life stand together and apart.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Time Changer
I'm not really one given much to "Christian television", but mysteriously the family pay tv provider has suddenly given access to the Australian Christian Channel and so on occasion I have been sampling its programming, albeit cautiously.
Tonight I accidently turned it on instead of the ABC News and witnessed a simple yet in some ways remarkable film titled, Time Changer.
A seminary professor from the 1890s travels forward in time to get a shocking taste of America in the 1990s.
I know the underlying message of this film was partly of the same heart as ministries like Old Truth, a wake-up call to Christians that going with the flow and the "spirit of the age" is not acceptable to one striving to live a godly life.
The main character Russell Carlisle was so out of place in the degenerate society he found himself in, as we should be if we are truly of the Lord's fold.
Sometimes we become so immersed in the culture we were born into and raised amongst that we fail to see the blackness in some of the things entrenched therein. However, Christ's message that no man can see the Kingdom of Heaven unless he be born again (Jn 3:3) speaks exactly to this issue.
The Spirit of God that gives us new life is not the spirit of the world that led us further into death from the time of our natural birth. The Lord came from above and not below and His ways are truly higher than our ways.
I just hope we can become enemies, not of the people in the world, but of the spirits in the world and once again gain discernment over the issues we face and often neglect in a deteriorating society.
Tonight I accidently turned it on instead of the ABC News and witnessed a simple yet in some ways remarkable film titled, Time Changer.
A seminary professor from the 1890s travels forward in time to get a shocking taste of America in the 1990s.
I know the underlying message of this film was partly of the same heart as ministries like Old Truth, a wake-up call to Christians that going with the flow and the "spirit of the age" is not acceptable to one striving to live a godly life.
The main character Russell Carlisle was so out of place in the degenerate society he found himself in, as we should be if we are truly of the Lord's fold.
Sometimes we become so immersed in the culture we were born into and raised amongst that we fail to see the blackness in some of the things entrenched therein. However, Christ's message that no man can see the Kingdom of Heaven unless he be born again (Jn 3:3) speaks exactly to this issue.
The Spirit of God that gives us new life is not the spirit of the world that led us further into death from the time of our natural birth. The Lord came from above and not below and His ways are truly higher than our ways.
I just hope we can become enemies, not of the people in the world, but of the spirits in the world and once again gain discernment over the issues we face and often neglect in a deteriorating society.
Friday, December 21, 2007
"Holy"days
Culture Contrary to Godliness #3
"So would it be fair to say that we shouldn't have Christmas trees because they're basically asherah poles?" a Christian friend recently asked me.
I think the jury is out on that one, along with the status of hot cross buns that feature in our next "religious" season.
So while I don't desire to delve into the possible origins of such things at this time, it does beg the question of what the godly attitude should be towards the observance of Christma
s and other festivals celebrated by the world and church alike.
Let me begin by saying that I believe that we should definitely celebrate the birth of Christ, or as I was reminded recently by another blog, the very incarnation of God into human form. We need ample opportunity to tell the Biblical narrative surrounding the virgin birth to our children and others, while reaffirming the truth of the doctrines of the Incarnation (God becoming Man), the Divinity of Christ (Jesus being God), the virgin birth of Lord Jesus & the world's need for the Messiah, in an era that is more hostile than ever towards these truths.
The issue with Christmas and other "holy" days is simply the extent to which the world's dictates are heeded by Christian believers. For instance, we celebrate Christmas by exchanging gifts, singing carols and spending time with family...and so does everyone else. At the Passover season that commemorates the crucifixion, death & resurrection of Christ, we may similarly be drawn into mythic tales of rabbits, chocolate gifts and even using the definitely pagan name for the season that the world does. Outside of certain parts of Europe, the Ascencion goes uncelebrated in the nations of the world and the nation of the church, while Pentecost may receive a passing mention in certain denominational circles without any fanfare at all.
This post is not designed to rebuke people for not celebrated the Ascencion of Christ and the baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, since you and I are free to observe as few or as many days as holy to the Lord as we wish to an extent. The question is, given that we mostly celebrate the same things the world does in often similar ways, are we rendering service to our God or to them?
If we feast or fast to observe the birth of the Saviour and the Incarnation of God, we need not be bound by the demands of acquiring copious gifts out of obligation rather than joy (see how much many in the world resent Christmas because they have to chase "hard to get" presents), decorative traditions or even the date declared sacred by men: Dec 25. We are free to observe these things if it is with the right attitude towards God and to be at peace with our family, but we ought not to be chained to them.
But whether you celebrate Christmas, the Resurrection or any other "holy" day, make sure the eusebeian attitude is working and don't ignorantly follow the worlds traditions or be conformed to its patterns.
I think the jury is out on that one, along with the status of hot cross buns that feature in our next "religious" season.
So while I don't desire to delve into the possible origins of such things at this time, it does beg the question of what the godly attitude should be towards the observance of Christma
s and other festivals celebrated by the world and church alike.Let me begin by saying that I believe that we should definitely celebrate the birth of Christ, or as I was reminded recently by another blog, the very incarnation of God into human form. We need ample opportunity to tell the Biblical narrative surrounding the virgin birth to our children and others, while reaffirming the truth of the doctrines of the Incarnation (God becoming Man), the Divinity of Christ (Jesus being God), the virgin birth of Lord Jesus & the world's need for the Messiah, in an era that is more hostile than ever towards these truths.
The issue with Christmas and other "holy" days is simply the extent to which the world's dictates are heeded by Christian believers. For instance, we celebrate Christmas by exchanging gifts, singing carols and spending time with family...and so does everyone else. At the Passover season that commemorates the crucifixion, death & resurrection of Christ, we may similarly be drawn into mythic tales of rabbits, chocolate gifts and even using the definitely pagan name for the season that the world does. Outside of certain parts of Europe, the Ascencion goes uncelebrated in the nations of the world and the nation of the church, while Pentecost may receive a passing mention in certain denominational circles without any fanfare at all.
This post is not designed to rebuke people for not celebrated the Ascencion of Christ and the baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, since you and I are free to observe as few or as many days as holy to the Lord as we wish to an extent. The question is, given that we mostly celebrate the same things the world does in often similar ways, are we rendering service to our God or to them?
If we feast or fast to observe the birth of the Saviour and the Incarnation of God, we need not be bound by the demands of acquiring copious gifts out of obligation rather than joy (see how much many in the world resent Christmas because they have to chase "hard to get" presents), decorative traditions or even the date declared sacred by men: Dec 25. We are free to observe these things if it is with the right attitude towards God and to be at peace with our family, but we ought not to be chained to them.
But whether you celebrate Christmas, the Resurrection or any other "holy" day, make sure the eusebeian attitude is working and don't ignorantly follow the worlds traditions or be conformed to its patterns.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Relationship Culture
Culture contrary to godliness #2
Although I've only heard two of his sermons, the preaching of Paul Washer has had quite an impact on my thinking, conscience and outlook with regard to godliness and true Christianity.
His message series on "Recreational dating" available at http://www.puritanfellowship.com/ was another eye opener to complement his sermon on Matthew 7 that I had heard some time ago.
It has come to my attention that the (post)modern church has very set ideals about marriage and relationships and rarely makes significant alternatives to the world's attitudes, part of congregational culture, apart from preaching against fornication and divorce (warnings that are not heeded as often as they should be).
And so we come to the challenging passage of 1 Corinthians 7.
Verses 1-2 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: [It is] good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, [to avoid] fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
The thing is, it's apparent that generally Christian communities treat marriage as something that will come to almost everyone in due time. But is it? Are people who remain unmarried their entire lives being punished for faithlessness? I wouldn't think so as a general rule.
Paul tells us that it is good for a man not to touch a woman. I think we all know what he means by touch: more or less no physical intimacy. But then due to the age-old plague of fornication in society, we are told that every man might have his wife and every woman might have her own husband to prevent sexual sin.
So then, taking this out of context, one man says "I will not marry for the apostolic decree is that it is good for me not to touch a woman" and his opponent replies "I shall marry because I am instructed to to avoid the sin of fornication".
But then Paul says, "But I speak this by permission, [and] not of commandment" (v. 6).
In this I see great freedom, in that we are given permission to freely marry, but encouraged in the following verses to remain chaste if being so when we received the call to Christ.
The culture that is contrary to godliness lies in the expectations surrounding marriage and other relationships. In essence the church's approach seems too much like the world's in a few ways. While quite a few Christians do marry earlier than the average (which is somewhat connected to the abstinence of the practicing Christian compared with the unchastity of the heathen couple in a relationship ie; Christians have a reason to marry earlier than non-Christians that try to take all the benefits without the responsibilities) the general attitude towards the age issue is largely the same. For instance in Australia, a couple younger than twenty (perhaps even mid-twenties) seeking to marry would usually be frowned upon by secular and Christian communities alike.
Nevertheless, the idea of marriage being the norm by which people are measured against is still there. Perhaps one reason for this is because many congregations are eager for faithful men to serve the church in leadership roles and a "bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife" (1 Tim 3:2) and "One that rules well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)" (3:4-5).
This makes perfect sense to me: a man settles down with his wife, has children and takes up a position of responsibility in his home congregation. Such men do indeed serve valuably in the church, as do their wives and so it is reasonable to encourage those with a pastoral call and commitment to marry and form a family.
But then I think, what about Jesus? We who take the gospel seriously have become adept at refuting the idea of our Lord marrying a woman while He walked the earth, but do we ever stop to think about why He didn't? Perhaps one reason is because the mission He was committed to did not allow room for a marital commitment. We know the Son of man had nowhere to rest His head, which is a stark difference to the picture of that described above. I suspect the reasons Jesus did not marry are complex and many, but if it would not benefit a man or woman in their Christian vocation to take on a spouse, I think we have our Lord's example as a defence against the "done thing".*
The later verses of 1 Corinthians 7 urge the unmarried to carefully consider remaining so for the benefit of being free from worldly cares that come with being involved with a wife or husband (and although not specifically mentioned, I think also children to an extent).
This is why this is a eusebeia issue. In choosing whether or not to marry, the young man or woman's attitude towards God and worshipping Him is on display. The first Corinthian epistle tells us that remaining unmarried has benefits in serving God and while their may be a desire to marry in our hearts, we must all give serious consideration to this passage when making a marital decision. This is not to say that a commitment to godliness prohibits marriage, but rather that one's motives come under greater examination if the commitment is there. Furthermore this can give us more assurance that a potential spouse is from God when we apply some tests to determine how it will affect our lifestyle, ministry & relationship with God.
*I do not want people to gain some misunderstanding that a man who lives in a suburban home with a wife and three children while serving as a pastor or minister is at odds with a single man or woman in a makeshift tent on the mission field. I have deleted the term 'householder' from this post, as I suspect it may have come to me via unsound influence. I will endeavour to review the perspective presented here, particularly in the red section of the post, to ensure that the message is not construed in such a way that could be harmful or easily confusing to my readers. As a result, please exercise particular discernment when reading this post and indeed all posts at Eusebeia, as I am more than able to make an error or misrepresent something important - Hanani Hindsfeet.
Although I've only heard two of his sermons, the preaching of Paul Washer has had quite an impact on my thinking, conscience and outlook with regard to godliness and true Christianity.
His message series on "Recreational dating" available at http://www.puritanfellowship.com/ was another eye opener to complement his sermon on Matthew 7 that I had heard some time ago.
It has come to my attention that the (post)modern church has very set ideals about marriage and relationships and rarely makes significant alternatives to the world's attitudes, part of congregational culture, apart from preaching against fornication and divorce (warnings that are not heeded as often as they should be).
And so we come to the challenging passage of 1 Corinthians 7.
Verses 1-2 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: [It is] good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, [to avoid] fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
The thing is, it's apparent that generally Christian communities treat marriage as something that will come to almost everyone in due time. But is it? Are people who remain unmarried their entire lives being punished for faithlessness? I wouldn't think so as a general rule.
Paul tells us that it is good for a man not to touch a woman. I think we all know what he means by touch: more or less no physical intimacy. But then due to the age-old plague of fornication in society, we are told that every man might have his wife and every woman might have her own husband to prevent sexual sin.
So then, taking this out of context, one man says "I will not marry for the apostolic decree is that it is good for me not to touch a woman" and his opponent replies "I shall marry because I am instructed to to avoid the sin of fornication".
But then Paul says, "But I speak this by permission, [and] not of commandment" (v. 6).
In this I see great freedom, in that we are given permission to freely marry, but encouraged in the following verses to remain chaste if being so when we received the call to Christ.
The culture that is contrary to godliness lies in the expectations surrounding marriage and other relationships. In essence the church's approach seems too much like the world's in a few ways. While quite a few Christians do marry earlier than the average (which is somewhat connected to the abstinence of the practicing Christian compared with the unchastity of the heathen couple in a relationship ie; Christians have a reason to marry earlier than non-Christians that try to take all the benefits without the responsibilities) the general attitude towards the age issue is largely the same. For instance in Australia, a couple younger than twenty (perhaps even mid-twenties) seeking to marry would usually be frowned upon by secular and Christian communities alike.
Nevertheless, the idea of marriage being the norm by which people are measured against is still there. Perhaps one reason for this is because many congregations are eager for faithful men to serve the church in leadership roles and a "bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife" (1 Tim 3:2) and "One that rules well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)" (3:4-5).
This makes perfect sense to me: a man settles down with his wife, has children and takes up a position of responsibility in his home congregation. Such men do indeed serve valuably in the church, as do their wives and so it is reasonable to encourage those with a pastoral call and commitment to marry and form a family.
But then I think, what about Jesus? We who take the gospel seriously have become adept at refuting the idea of our Lord marrying a woman while He walked the earth, but do we ever stop to think about why He didn't? Perhaps one reason is because the mission He was committed to did not allow room for a marital commitment. We know the Son of man had nowhere to rest His head, which is a stark difference to the picture of that described above. I suspect the reasons Jesus did not marry are complex and many, but if it would not benefit a man or woman in their Christian vocation to take on a spouse, I think we have our Lord's example as a defence against the "done thing".*
The later verses of 1 Corinthians 7 urge the unmarried to carefully consider remaining so for the benefit of being free from worldly cares that come with being involved with a wife or husband (and although not specifically mentioned, I think also children to an extent).
This is why this is a eusebeia issue. In choosing whether or not to marry, the young man or woman's attitude towards God and worshipping Him is on display. The first Corinthian epistle tells us that remaining unmarried has benefits in serving God and while their may be a desire to marry in our hearts, we must all give serious consideration to this passage when making a marital decision. This is not to say that a commitment to godliness prohibits marriage, but rather that one's motives come under greater examination if the commitment is there. Furthermore this can give us more assurance that a potential spouse is from God when we apply some tests to determine how it will affect our lifestyle, ministry & relationship with God.
*I do not want people to gain some misunderstanding that a man who lives in a suburban home with a wife and three children while serving as a pastor or minister is at odds with a single man or woman in a makeshift tent on the mission field. I have deleted the term 'householder' from this post, as I suspect it may have come to me via unsound influence. I will endeavour to review the perspective presented here, particularly in the red section of the post, to ensure that the message is not construed in such a way that could be harmful or easily confusing to my readers. As a result, please exercise particular discernment when reading this post and indeed all posts at Eusebeia, as I am more than able to make an error or misrepresent something important - Hanani Hindsfeet.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Godly fear
Over the past two nights I have been blessed enough to catch some chilling warnings on the Vision Radio network in the form of Rescued, an audio drama adapted from a John Bevere novel.
Rescued examines the vivid experience of hell and eternal judgement by a pastor during a near death experience. Without going into detail about the plot, the imagery, sound effects & first person narrative of hell, judgement and the lake of fire is a wake up call.
After hearing the first part last night I remarked to a friend that most Christians don't really believe in hell. What I mean is, we give mental assent to the Scriptural teachings on the afterlife, but because hell isn't a nice thing, we don't let it get very far into our theology.
As others with far more talent in communication than myself have expressed, an accurate realisation of hell magnifies both one's reverence for a Holy God who must execute divine judgement and a desperation to prevent one's self and others from meeting this terrible fate.
While the Word tells us to think upon the lovely things, we must at some point in time give serious thought to this unbearably dreadful destination and maintain an appropriate response in our lives. Indeed, what I'm saying is in order to have that eusebeia godliness and correct attitude towards God, we must also have the right attitude towards sin (ie; hatred) and hell (ie; horror).
If we merely condense it to a distant reality where severe heat is a daily occurence and strange fiends run around with pitchforks, godly fear will disappear out the window. Because a theology that points toward a God unable or unwilling to punish sin, eliminates reverence, cheapens grace and emasculates* efforts in evangelism.
You'll no doubt see many posts on godly fear as an aspect of eusebeia here in the future, because the people of Australia, New Zealand, North America and Europe need frequent reminders of this part of Christianity that has been neglected in recent times.
To conclude with another insight provided by Bevere, the attribute ascribed to God the most strongly in the Scriptures is holiness ("Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty") and consequently reverence is one of the most important (perhaps the most important) aspect of our relationship with the King of Kings & Lord of Lords. We hear so much about God's love and His love is of great importance indeed, however I am growing in the opinion that God's great love is also a wondrous expression of His Glory (only a truly Magnificant Deity could love us in the manner that the LORD does). So whenever we rejoice in the greatest love the universe could ever know, we must never deprive the love-giver of the glory he deserves.
*I apologise if any readers find this adjective too strong (or perhaps confusing), however I think it comes close to explaining the state of evangelistic efforts minus the consequence of rejection.
Postscript
After writing this post I began surfing our links and found an amazing correlation at Christian Discernment Ministries' Herescope site:
"The Bible teaches that unbelievers will be condemned to an eternity in Hell (Revelation 20:14-15). If we really believed that, we would be spending much more time on our knees in prayer. And we would be pleading with people to make right with God with a sincerity and conviction that would convince many that we actually believed what we were saying."
So if that's not confirmation, I don't know what is...
Rescued examines the vivid experience of hell and eternal judgement by a pastor during a near death experience. Without going into detail about the plot, the imagery, sound effects & first person narrative of hell, judgement and the lake of fire is a wake up call.
After hearing the first part last night I remarked to a friend that most Christians don't really believe in hell. What I mean is, we give mental assent to the Scriptural teachings on the afterlife, but because hell isn't a nice thing, we don't let it get very far into our theology.
As others with far more talent in communication than myself have expressed, an accurate realisation of hell magnifies both one's reverence for a Holy God who must execute divine judgement and a desperation to prevent one's self and others from meeting this terrible fate.
While the Word tells us to think upon the lovely things, we must at some point in time give serious thought to this unbearably dreadful destination and maintain an appropriate response in our lives. Indeed, what I'm saying is in order to have that eusebeia godliness and correct attitude towards God, we must also have the right attitude towards sin (ie; hatred) and hell (ie; horror).
If we merely condense it to a distant reality where severe heat is a daily occurence and strange fiends run around with pitchforks, godly fear will disappear out the window. Because a theology that points toward a God unable or unwilling to punish sin, eliminates reverence, cheapens grace and emasculates* efforts in evangelism.
You'll no doubt see many posts on godly fear as an aspect of eusebeia here in the future, because the people of Australia, New Zealand, North America and Europe need frequent reminders of this part of Christianity that has been neglected in recent times.
To conclude with another insight provided by Bevere, the attribute ascribed to God the most strongly in the Scriptures is holiness ("Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty") and consequently reverence is one of the most important (perhaps the most important) aspect of our relationship with the King of Kings & Lord of Lords. We hear so much about God's love and His love is of great importance indeed, however I am growing in the opinion that God's great love is also a wondrous expression of His Glory (only a truly Magnificant Deity could love us in the manner that the LORD does). So whenever we rejoice in the greatest love the universe could ever know, we must never deprive the love-giver of the glory he deserves.
*I apologise if any readers find this adjective too strong (or perhaps confusing), however I think it comes close to explaining the state of evangelistic efforts minus the consequence of rejection.
Postscript
After writing this post I began surfing our links and found an amazing correlation at Christian Discernment Ministries' Herescope site:
"The Bible teaches that unbelievers will be condemned to an eternity in Hell (Revelation 20:14-15). If we really believed that, we would be spending much more time on our knees in prayer. And we would be pleading with people to make right with God with a sincerity and conviction that would convince many that we actually believed what we were saying."
So if that's not confirmation, I don't know what is...
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
A life pleasing to God - Christian research network
Here is an article by Mike Ratliff at Christian Research Network, looking at a few issues pertaining to life and the correct way to go about it.
http://mikeratliff.wordpress.com/2007/11/25/a-life-pleasing-to-god/
http://mikeratliff.wordpress.com/2007/11/25/a-life-pleasing-to-god/
Sunday, November 25, 2007
The Material Dilemma
Culture contrary to godliness #1
This will be part one of the series I mentioned in my post on Bill Muehlenberg's look at materialism in the church.
Casting our eyes back to to the sagely words of 1 Timothy 6, that tell us godliness is not a means of gain, but rather godliness with contentment is great gain, it is disturbing to note the trend of materialism amongst Christians today.
The real issue I am tackling here is that the church, in the West at least, has stopped short of drawing any line between Christian and pagan attitudes towards money, material gain and modern luxuries.
Since we are talking about Christian versus pagan attitudes it is worth calling to remembrance that worshipping God in a correct manner (as we define godliness in one sense) is largely dependant upon our attitude toward Him.
Simply speaking, should pastors be encouraging their congregants to "get ahead in life" or exhorting worldly material ambitions within those in their care?
It appears to me that the Bible does speak very clearly about God's desire for financial management in a range of situations. For instance, off the top of my head I know the Word forbade Israelites to lend money for interest (usury) and that it is probably not very godly to charge interest from fellow believers in light of other passages. We also see forgiveness of debt in the theme of the jubilee year and that Jesus told us, "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away" (Matthew 5:42 NKJV).
This last concept would, I would suggest, be discouraged by many churches today. I myself am guilty of being asked for a loan of some money and hesitating because I questioned the wisdom of doing so, but when the person offered to pay interest I quickly declared I could not lend for profit to a Christian! The issue here I think is that we often expect people to take advantage of our kindness in the future if we are generous in the present.
I suppose a bit more faith in God would go a long way in this area. And in regard to material wealth in general, a lot more faith is needed.
The aim of this series is more or less to look at where the culture of the church and the culture of the world need to take different paths for the sake of godliness. In the case of materialism there is a huge chasm that needs to be created rather than crossed.
Our goal should be to identify how our attitude towards money/possessions affects our relationship with God and how we can subject our lives to His Word in this area. We must learn how to be content with food and clothing and give thanks to God for making simple provision to us.
And what better time to resolve this material dilemma affecting Christian culture than Christmas?
This will be part one of the series I mentioned in my post on Bill Muehlenberg's look at materialism in the church.
Casting our eyes back to to the sagely words of 1 Timothy 6, that tell us godliness is not a means of gain, but rather godliness with contentment is great gain, it is disturbing to note the trend of materialism amongst Christians today.
The real issue I am tackling here is that the church, in the West at least, has stopped short of drawing any line between Christian and pagan attitudes towards money, material gain and modern luxuries.
Since we are talking about Christian versus pagan attitudes it is worth calling to remembrance that worshipping God in a correct manner (as we define godliness in one sense) is largely dependant upon our attitude toward Him.
Simply speaking, should pastors be encouraging their congregants to "get ahead in life" or exhorting worldly material ambitions within those in their care?
It appears to me that the Bible does speak very clearly about God's desire for financial management in a range of situations. For instance, off the top of my head I know the Word forbade Israelites to lend money for interest (usury) and that it is probably not very godly to charge interest from fellow believers in light of other passages. We also see forgiveness of debt in the theme of the jubilee year and that Jesus told us, "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away" (Matthew 5:42 NKJV).
This last concept would, I would suggest, be discouraged by many churches today. I myself am guilty of being asked for a loan of some money and hesitating because I questioned the wisdom of doing so, but when the person offered to pay interest I quickly declared I could not lend for profit to a Christian! The issue here I think is that we often expect people to take advantage of our kindness in the future if we are generous in the present.
I suppose a bit more faith in God would go a long way in this area. And in regard to material wealth in general, a lot more faith is needed.
The aim of this series is more or less to look at where the culture of the church and the culture of the world need to take different paths for the sake of godliness. In the case of materialism there is a huge chasm that needs to be created rather than crossed.
Our goal should be to identify how our attitude towards money/possessions affects our relationship with God and how we can subject our lives to His Word in this area. We must learn how to be content with food and clothing and give thanks to God for making simple provision to us.
And what better time to resolve this material dilemma affecting Christian culture than Christmas?
Friday, November 23, 2007
Change in attitude
We've noted before that Eusebeia has a great deal to do with one's attitude towards God and life.
So is the lack of godliness visible in today's Christian culture a sign that something has gone terribly wrong in our attitudes? I believe we are living in the last days, awaiting the return of the Lord in glory and if this is true, we need to look back at 2 Timothy 3 and examine what comes with the territory of having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.
Most of these things are based in the attitude: selfishness, ungratefulness, hatred towards those who do right, pride, haughtiness. Are these things prevalent in congregations today? And yet, we are instructed to turn away from people that display these attitudes. Is it perhaps because such things are contagious? Certainly we are warned in Proverbs in various places about what keeping company with fools, violent people and harlots does to one's lifestyle and reputation. So why not be wary of professing believers that are full of these symptoms.
Furthermore, if your pastor/teacher oozes pride and self-obsession, you are more likely to take these attributes onboard than the points in their sermon in many cases.
Of course before one goes too far in pointing the finger we must look at ourselves long and hard. Are your attitudes fertilisers or poisons to godliness? Are you thankful, humble, a lover of God and of men or a conceited, murmuring lover of pleasure?
I know recently I've been put through the strainer of testing, but there is a lot more of that to come before I bear any appropriate semblance to Christ. Even though I still make mistakes and do or say the wrong things (been happening a bit in last few weeks), I find that more and more the war of sanctification is fought within with these ungodly attitudes that persist in their attempt to control the heart. But let us all strive for more spiritual fruit and less fleshly weeds.
So is the lack of godliness visible in today's Christian culture a sign that something has gone terribly wrong in our attitudes? I believe we are living in the last days, awaiting the return of the Lord in glory and if this is true, we need to look back at 2 Timothy 3 and examine what comes with the territory of having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.
Most of these things are based in the attitude: selfishness, ungratefulness, hatred towards those who do right, pride, haughtiness. Are these things prevalent in congregations today? And yet, we are instructed to turn away from people that display these attitudes. Is it perhaps because such things are contagious? Certainly we are warned in Proverbs in various places about what keeping company with fools, violent people and harlots does to one's lifestyle and reputation. So why not be wary of professing believers that are full of these symptoms.
Furthermore, if your pastor/teacher oozes pride and self-obsession, you are more likely to take these attributes onboard than the points in their sermon in many cases.
Of course before one goes too far in pointing the finger we must look at ourselves long and hard. Are your attitudes fertilisers or poisons to godliness? Are you thankful, humble, a lover of God and of men or a conceited, murmuring lover of pleasure?
I know recently I've been put through the strainer of testing, but there is a lot more of that to come before I bear any appropriate semblance to Christ. Even though I still make mistakes and do or say the wrong things (been happening a bit in last few weeks), I find that more and more the war of sanctification is fought within with these ungodly attitudes that persist in their attempt to control the heart. But let us all strive for more spiritual fruit and less fleshly weeds.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Break in Transmission
It occurred to me today that it has been two weeks since the last post.
I aim to resume posting tomorrow, God willing and commence a new series in the near future. My co-blogger should also be premiering shortly, as he has completed his studies for the year (and perhaps for good!).
It has been a hard couple of weeks and at times I have felt unable to post due to weight upon my heart, while otherwise it has mainly been a lack of opportunity to sit down and compose a quality post.
A big thank you to all our visitors, especially those making the journey from TeamPyro and Farmer's blog. We hope Eusebeian Way and the Eusebeia blog are useful to you in your Christian walk.
P.S. Check out our new links to Ray Comfort's blog for a good read and Rich's Alliance of Civilisations blog for those with an interest in Bible prophecy.
I aim to resume posting tomorrow, God willing and commence a new series in the near future. My co-blogger should also be premiering shortly, as he has completed his studies for the year (and perhaps for good!).
It has been a hard couple of weeks and at times I have felt unable to post due to weight upon my heart, while otherwise it has mainly been a lack of opportunity to sit down and compose a quality post.
A big thank you to all our visitors, especially those making the journey from TeamPyro and Farmer's blog. We hope Eusebeian Way and the Eusebeia blog are useful to you in your Christian walk.
P.S. Check out our new links to Ray Comfort's blog for a good read and Rich's Alliance of Civilisations blog for those with an interest in Bible prophecy.
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