Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Our Plans, God's Plans

In life, and on mission trips, maybe especially on mission trips, things don't always turn out as we've planned! For example, last night we were trying to get down to Brooklyn to the mid-week service at the famous Brooklyn Tabernacle. We had to change subway lines part-way there. We got off the first train just fine (not a small feat with a group of 28), then quickly jumped on a train across the ramp that had the right letter on it (R), but once we took off, David Tepper noticed that we were going in the wrong direction! It took us back where we started. Time for a do-over! So the SECOND time we made the line switch, we took our time and made sure we were on the right ramp for the right train going in the right direction! Fortunately, we made it to the church with time to spare and had a wonderful experience worshiping and praying with hundreds of brothers and sisters in Christ from Brooklyn, NY.

Monday, July 12, 2010

The Application of the Church’s Suffering to the Suffering of the World

By Daniel L. Sonnenberg, 2003.

Introduction

It is common for Christians to ask in times of personal suffering questions such as, “Why me? What have I done to deserve this? Does God really love me if he is allowing this to happen to me? How long, O Lord?” Not only these, but perhaps a deeper question is asked by believers and unbelievers alike: “If there is a God and he is said to be good and all-powerful, then why does he allow suffering in the world?” This is the so-called problem of evil.[1] As human beings, we ask questions and seek answers in an effort to understand the causes of evil and suffering and the proper response for the individual, the family, and the community affected. As Christian leaders, we seek to help others understand their suffering and to respond properly to it. Popular stories of triumph and comfort in suffering such as that of Joni Eareckson Tada, who became a quadriplegic in a diving accident as a young person, and Horatio Spafford, the author of the beloved hymn “It is Well With My Soul,” who lost much of his family in a shipwreck at sea, encourage Christians to turn to the Lord and one another for comfort and strength in times of pain. Numerous books address the question of understanding the causes and meaning of suffering. Many address primarily how one might recover a sense of balance in life after suffering times of trial or pain. Many seem to treat the subject primarily in relation only to the person himself, how he might understand his own experience of suffering.[2] But I would suggest that this does not go far enough.

What the Scripture Says About Suffering

Friday, July 2, 2010

Daily Life in the Kingdom of Heaven: Part 1, Inner Preparation

I recently heard Dr. Richard Pratt (Reformed Theological Seminary, Third Millenium Ministries) speak on the advance of God's kingdom in the world in preparation for Christ's final return to rule and reign. Coincidentally, a few days later on a long plane trip, I read through the Gospel of Matthew and noticed how often Jesus and others spoke of the "kingdom of heaven." So I'd like to chronicle some of the thirty references and make comments on them to remind myself of the existence and nature of this kingdom and to encourage myself and others to look for it in our everyday existence and look forward to it on the day when Christ returns.

Perhaps the most striking feature of the narrative in Matthew is the phrase, "the kingdom of heaven is like." In these cases the writer uses simile to make his point clear to Jesus' followers. In other cases, the writer uses metaphor leaving the word "like" unspoken. In still other cases, a parable is used to convey the message. Let's look at the first instance of this phrase in the book of Matthew.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

God's Sovereign Plans

God empowers evil people for a time, but only to accomplish His purposes. Then He takes away their power. For example, when Assyria's king threatened to invade Jerusalem, Isaiah reassured King Hezekiah with these words.